Background/AimsTo explore different definitions of intra-individual variability (IIV) to summarize performance on commonly utilized cognitive tests (Mini Mental State Exam; Clock...Full Text Available
The concept of the minimum propagating zone (MPZ) is used to examine the causes of quenches in ISABELLE cosine theta superconducting dipole magnets. The size of disturbances large enough to exceed the MPZ and initiate quenches is estimated and compared with the size of disturbances which may be produced in the magnets. A suggestion for reducing the size of these disturbances through individual support of the coil block is outlined.
Despite their status as the most speciose group of terrestrial vertebrates, birds exhibit the smallest and least variable genome sizes among tetrapods. It has been suggested that this is because powered...Full Text Available
Synthesis of silver nanoparticles based on a polyol process and variable frequency microwave (VFM) was investigated. Comparing to a thermal method, the reaction by VFM radiation was much faster. The effects of silver nitrate concentration, poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) concentration, reaction time and reaction temperature were studied. It was found that the higher concentration of silver nitrate, longer reaction time and higher temperature increased the particle size while the higher concentration of PVP decreased the particle size.
Nanoparticles represent versatile building blocks in material science and nanotechnology. Thereby, the defined assembly of nanostructures (13 and 56 nm in diameter, respectively) is of significant importance. Short DNA sequences can be bound to the nanoparticle surface thus enabling highly specific DNA hybridization-driven events that direct the formation of nanoparticle constructs.In this paper, examples for the defined formation of gold nanoparticle constructs are demonstrated. In addition, gold-silver core-shell nanoparticles are introduced as further building blocks for the hybridization-controlled formation of nanoparticle constructs.
A methods is presented for an accurate numerical determination of eigenvalues of real symmetric para-p diagonal matrices. The method takes advantage of the band structure to break up the matrix into p x p blocks and performing algebraic operations including inversions on these blocks only, no matter what the size of the matrix is. The eigenvalues are determined independently one at a time. Thus any error in the determination of one eigenvalue does not affect the other eigenvalues. The method is ideally suited for the Schroedinger eigenvalue problem of the anharmonic potentials. (author).
A numerical investigation for forced convection in a constant-temperature parallel plate channel with porous cavity and block alternately emplaced on the bottom plate is presented in this work. The Brinkman-Forchheimer-extended Darcy model, which accounts for the effects of impermeable boundary and inertia, is used to characterize the flow field inside the porous region. Solutions of the coupled governing equations are carried out through the stream function-vorticity analysis. The characteristics of fluid flow and forced convection heat transfer have been obtained by the examinations of various governing parameters, such as the Reynolds number, Darcy number, inertial parameter, Prandtl number, and two geometric parameters. Several interesting phenomena such as the heat transfer augmentation in the channel were presented and discussed. The results of this investigation indicate that the size of recirculation caused by porous ...
The use of vacuum multifoil (VMF) container for thermal insulation in long-life thermal batteries was investigated in a proof-of-concept demonstration. An InvenTek-designed VMF container 4.9 inches in diameter by 10 inches long was used with an internally heated aluminum block, to simulate a thermal-battery stack. The block was heated to 525 C or 600 C and allowed to cool while monitoring the temperature of the block and the external case at three locations with time. The data indicate that it should be possible to build an equivalent-sized thermal battery that should last up to six hours, which would meet the requirements for a long-life sonobuoy application.
A number of epidemiological studies indicate an association between depression and proximity to high voltage transmission lines. These studies have been criticized, however, for using surrogate measures of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and unstandardized measures of depression. In an effort to overcome these limitations, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale was administered to 152 women living either adjacent to a transmission line or one block away. Results indicate that homes adjacent to the transmission lines have an average EMF level of 4.86 milligauss at their front door and those one block away have an average of 0.68 milligauss. There was no significant difference in CES-D scores between the groups, controlling for demographic variables. There appeared to be an increase in other health effects, including cancer and miscarriages, but these findings were preliminary and need further ...
The accurate prediction of local hot spot during normal operation is important to ensure core thermal margin in a very high temperature gas-cooled reactor because of production of its high temperature output. The active cooling of the reactor core determining local hot spot is strongly affected by core bypass flows through the inter-column gaps between graphite blocks and the cross gaps between two stacked fuel blocks. The bypass gap sizes vary during core life cycle by the thermal expansion at the elevated temperature and the shrinkage/swelling by fast neutron irradiation. This study is to investigate the impacts of the variation of bypass gaps during core life cycle as well as core restraint mechanism on the amount of bypass flow and thus maximum fuel temperature. The core thermo fluid analysis is performed using the GAMMA+ code for the PMR200 block-core design. For the analysis not only are some ...
The accurate prediction of local hot spot during normal operation is important to ensure core thermal margin in a very high temperature gas-cooled reactor because of production of its high temperature output. The active cooling of the reactor core determining local hot spot is strongly affected by core bypass flows through the inter-column gaps between graphite blocks and the cross gaps between two stacked fuel blocks. The bypass gap sizes vary during core life cycle by the thermal expansion at the elevated temperature and the shrinkage/swelling by fast neutron irradiation. This study is to investigate the impacts of the variation of bypass gaps during core life cycle as well as core restraint mechanism on the amount of bypass flow and thus maximum fuel temperature. The core thermo fluid analysis is performed using the GAMMA+ code for the PMR200 block-core design. For the analysis not only are some ...
Certain structural and environmental factors other than technical combination of resources and firm size are hypothesized to affect medical practice output. Four groups of variables related to physician...Full Text Available
This report forms part of an independent review of the specifications, execution and results of Task 6 of the Aespoe Task Force on Modelling of Groundwater Flow and Transport of Solutes, which is seeking to provide a bridge between site characterization (SC) and performance assessment (PA) approaches to solute transport in fractured rock. The present report is concerned solely with Task 6C, which relates to the construction and parametrisation of a block-scale hydrostructural model of the TRUE Block Scale region of the Aespoe Hard Rock laboratory. The task objectives, specifications and outcome are summarised and reviewed. Also, consideration is given to how the hydrostructural model might affect the outcomes of Task 6D and 6E. The main conclusions of this review are summarised below: The Task 6C hydrostructural model is a more comprehensive approach to quantitatively describing a volume of fractured rock than has been achieved hitherto. The ...
A nozzle plug for blocking a nozzle in a nuclear steam generator is improved by the addition of hinges which allow the nozzle plug to be inserted into the steam generator through an access port of substantially smaller diameter than the nozzle. A recess is provided in one of the semi-circular plates allowing the plates to nest, further reducing the necessary size of the access port.
The fatigue life variability of the #alpha#+#beta# titanium alloy, Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-6Mo increased with decreasing stress level. The variability in life was found to be due to segregation of lives due to two failure mechanisms. A bimodal cumulative distribution model was shown to accurately describe the combined failure modes. The nominal failure processes for the two regimes were similar, with crack nucleation occurring in equiaxed #alpha#p particles, irrespective of life or stress level. However the variability in life was not controlled by the size of the crack-nucleating #alpha#p, but rather by the ability of the material to distribute deformation and avoid early crack nucleation.
Adding capacity to coal-fired plants in small increments of an overall integrated program may be the solution to the 10-year lead time required for the construction of a new plant. A preliminary study evaluates the technical and economic feasibility of a modular natural gas and coal-fired combined-cycle power plant which can be installed in three distinct phases. The plant sizes are suitable for large industrial and utility applications. The Modular Block Power Plant (MBPP) concept offers the advantages of phase construction, lower capital cost, lower cost electricity, lower air emissions, lower water requirements, and reduced solid waste discharge. Other advantages include part load availability, reduced coal inventory requirements, and easier plant siting. 11 figures, 4 tables.
AGILE pointed observations performed from July 9, 2007 to October 30, 2009 are a recent, high quality gamma-ray data archive for monitoring studies of medium to high brightness gamma-ray sources in the 30 MeV -50 GeV energy range. We present a variability study of the 1AGL sources over the complete AGILE pointed Observation Blocks (OBs) dataset. The first AGILE Gamma-Ray Imaging Detector (GRID) catalog (Pittori et al. 2009) included a significance-limited (4 sigma) sample of 47 sources (1AGL), detected with a conservative analysis over a first-year non-uniform sky coverage dataset. In this analysis we used data of an improved full Field of View (FOV) event filter, on a much larger (about 27.5 months) observation dataset, analyzing each OB separatedly. This data processing resulted in an improved source list as compared to the 1AGL one. We present here some results on the variability of some of these sources.
The marine ram-type blowout preventer deployed from an offshore drilling rig has one serious disadvantage, its inaccessibility. A development to promote reliability of the subsea ram-type preventer and reduce the excess running and pulling to charge out rams, is the variable bare ram (VBR). Unlike the standard ram, the VBR has the ability to pack off a range of pipe sizes. Interest in VBR's has been revived and research and development in this equipment goes on at each of three manufacturer's facilities in Houston.
This study examines the sensitivity of the travel time distribution predicted by a reference case model to (1) scale of representation of the model parameters, (2) size of the model domain, (3) correlation range of log-transmissivity, and (4) cross correlations between transmissivity and effective thickness. The basis for the reference model is the preliminary stochastic travel time model previously documented by the Basalt Waste Isolation Project. Results of this study show the following. The variability of the predicted travel times can be adequately represented when the ratio between the size of the zones used to represent the model parameters and the log-transmissivity correlation range is less than about one-fifth. The size of the model domain and the types of boundary conditions can have a strong impact on the distribution of travel times. Longer log-transmissivity correlation ranges cause larger ...
Diet overlap and niche breadth are well-known species traits from trophic ecology that can assist in explaining how species interact and coexist as well as the ecological mechanisms that influence biodiversity. In the present study, we analyzed the relationships between these trophic variables and indicators of resource availability with some attributes of fish assemblages (species richness, Shannon diversity index, evenness, density and individual body size). The physical and chemical characteristics of the biotopes (topography, water quality and conservation of slopes) were examined to identify possible patterns. Monthly sampling using electrofishing was conducted in 2003 along five streams located in the Cuiab? River watershed. The relationships between environmental variables and attri...
The author points out that errors in certain measurements are preventing improvements in coke: thermocouples (errors caused by the thermocouple installation and variations in the temperature of the cold junctions); dilatometers (errors caused by size of heating block and differences in starting temperature led to differences between two instruments); errors in measuring the bulk density of the coking charge. The elimination of these sources of error in determinations of the technological and physical properties of coke oven charge should assist in the study of other problems which are delaying improvements in blast furnace coke production.
In a fluoroscopic imaging system, image quality and patient dose are both affected by the optical system linking the image intensifier with the video camera. The effect on patient exposure of increasing the optical iris aperture size over that required for other procedures performed on the same imaging system was investigated for the air-contrast barium enema examination. Using a large-area transmission ionisation chamber to monitor the Roentgen-area-product of entrance exposure, a decrease in fluoroscopic radiation of greater than 50% was clinically documented for a fluoroscopic system utilising kVp and mA variable automatic brightness control. For this iris change, the video image was of acceptable quality for positioning and monitoring the patient, and no deleterious effect was detected in the conduct of the air-contrast exam. The availability of a variable-sized operator-selectable iris diaphragm would permit this ...
Nanoparticles of AgBr were prepared by precipitating AgBr in the water pools of microemulsions consisting of CTAB, n-butanol, isooctane and water. An aqueous solution of AgNO{sub 3} added to the microemulsion was the source of Ag{sup +} ions. The formation of AgBr nanoparticles in microemulsions through direct reaction with the surfactant counterion is a novel approach aimed at decreasing the role of intermicellar nucleation on nanoparticle formation for rapid reactions. The availability of the surfactant counterion in every reverse micelle and the rapidity of the reaction with the counterion trigger nucleation within individual reverse micelles. The effect of the following variables on the particle size and size distribution was investigated: the surfactant and cosurfactant concentrations, moles of AgNO{sub 3} added, and water to surfactant mole ratio, R. High concentration of the surfactant or cosurfactant, or high water ...
To represent a heterogeneous unsaturated fractured rock by its homogeneous equivalent, Monte Carlo simulations are used to obtain upscaled (effective) flow properties. In this study, we present a numerical procedure for upscaling the van Genuchten parameters of unsaturated fractured rocks by conducting Monte Carlo simulations of the unsaturated flow in a domain under gravity-dominated regime. The simulation domain can be chosen as the scale of blocksize in the field-scale modeling. The effective conductivity is computed from the steady-state flux at the lower boundary and plotted as a function of the averaging pressure head or saturation over the domain. The scatter plot is then fitted using van Genuchten model and three parameters, i.e., the saturated conductivity K{sub s}, the air-entry parameter {alpha}, the pore-size distribution parameter n, corresponding to this model are considered as the effective K{sub s}, ...
Computed tomography (CT) has been incorporated in an industrial Diode-Array Digital Radiography (DADR) system. An input data size of 512 pixel points x 400 projections yielded a 400x400 output image matrix. Reconstruction algorithms used are the filtered backprojection (FBP) and the direct Fourier reconstruction (DFR). Various filters were used in the FBP reconstruction process and their effects on image quality were evaluated. A spatial resolution of 100 {mu}m was measured with a block of plates and a minimum detectable feature size in the range of 10-100 {mu}m was measured using thin wires. Industrial specimens imaged have included ceramic samples, ball bearings and integrated circuits. A number of engineering problems have been solved, such as adjustment of the X-ray source, centering of the rotator spindle in the view field and beam-hardening corrections. (orig.).
The need for alternative energy increases steadily???especially due to the climate change and the limited availability of fossil fuels. Geothermal power uses the intrinsic heat which is stored in the accessible part of the Earth???s crust. Its importance among the renewable energy resources originates from the almost unlimited energy supply of the Earth and its independence from external influences such as seasonal or even daily climatic variability. Nevertheless, there are risks which have to be assessed. From a mathematical point of view there are four building blocks of the characterization of deep geothermal systems: seismic exploration, gravimetry, modeling transport processes, and modeling the stress field. In particular, local depletion poses a significant risk during the industrial...
Entanglement is the essential quantum resource for a potential speed-up of information processing, as well as for sophisticated quantum communication. Quantum information networks will be required to convey information from one place to another, by using entangled light beams. Many physical systems are under consideration as building blocks, with different merits and faults, so that hybrid systems are likely to be developed. Here we present an important tool for connecting systems that share no common resonance frequencies: we demonstrate the first direct generation of entanglement among more than two bright beams of light, all of different wavelengths (532.251 nm, 1062.102 nm, and 1066.915 nm). We also observe, for the first time, disentanglement for finite channel losses, the continuous variable counterpart to entanglement sudden death.
Purpose: In this paper, we present an alternative to the originally proposed technique for the delivery of spatially fractionated radiation therapy (GRID) using multi-leaf collimator (MLC) shaped fields. We employ the MLC to deliver various pattern GRID treatments to large solid tumors and dosimetrically characterize the GRID fields. Methods and materials: The GRID fields were created with different open to blocked area ratios and with variable separation between the openings using a MLC. GRID designs were introduced into the Pinnacle3 treatment planning system, and the dose was calculated in a water phantom. Ionization chamber and film measurements using both Kodak EDR2 and Gafchromic EBT film were performed in a SolidWater phantom to determine the relative output of each GRID design as w...
Let Y be a nonnegative random variable with mean?? and finite positive variance ? 2, and let Y s , defined on the same space as Y, have the Y size-biased distribution, characterized by Formula Not Shown Under a variety of conditions on Y and the coupling of Y and Y s , including combinations of boundedness and monotonicity, one sided concentration of measure inequalities such as Formula Not Shown hold for some explicit A and B. The theorem is applied to the number of bulbs switched on at the terminal time in the so called lightbulb process of Rao et?al. (Sankhy? 69:137?161, 2007).
This paper describes the derivation of a new equation that can be used to model the permeability behavior of a fractured, sorptive-elastic media, such as coal, under variable stress conditions commonly used during measurement of permeability data in the laboratory. The model is derived for cubic geometry under biaxial or hydrostatic confining pressures. The model is also designed to handle changes in permeability caused by adsorption and desorption of gases from the matrix blocks. The model equations can be used to calculate permeability changes caused by the production of methane from coal as well as the injection of gases, such as carbon dioxide, for sequestration in coal. Sensitivity analysis of the model found that each of the input variables can have a significant impact on the outcome of the permeability forecast as a function of changing pore pressure; thus, accurate input data are essential. The permeability model ...
Particle shape is an important parameter in numerous civil, environmental, and petroleum engineering applications. In ground-water flow, the shape of individual particles comprising the soil affects the soil`s pore size distribution and, hence, the important flow characteristics such as hydraulic conductivity and headloss. A model for delineating the relative importance of particle size, particle shape, and porosity, (and their interactions), in explaining the variability of hydraulic conductivity of a granular porous medium is developed and tested. Three types of porous media are considered in this work: spherical glass beads; granular sand; and irregularly shaped, shredded glass particles. A reliable method for quantifying the three-dimensional shape and packing of large samples of irregular particles based on their angle of repose is presented. The results of column experiments indicate that in the ...
The need for a Combustion and Melting Research Facility focused on the solution of glass manufacturing problems common to all segments of the glass industry was given high priority in the earliest version of the Glass Industry Technology Roadmap (Eisenhauer et al., 1997). Visteon Glass Systems and, later, PPG Industries proposed to meet this requirement, in partnership with the DOE/OIT Glass Program and Sandia National Laboratories, by designing and building a research furnace equipped with state-of-the-art diagnostics in the DOE Combustion Research Facility located at the Sandia site in Livermore, CA. Input on the configuration and objectives of the facility was sought from the entire industry by a variety of routes: (1) through a survey distributed to industry leaders by GMIC, (2) by conducting an open workshop following the OIT Glass Industry Project Review in September 1999, (3) from discussions with numerous glass engineers, scientists, and executives, and (4) during visits to ...
The feasibility of using a multileaf collimator (MLC) for grid therapy is demonstrated in this study. Grids with the projected field openings of 10 mmx10 mm and 5 mmx5 mm were created using multiple MLC-shaped fields. The deposited doses were measured with films at different depths in a solid water phantom and compared to those of Cerrobend grid collimators of similar hole sizes and hole separations. At the depth of maximum dose (d_m_a_x), the valley-to-peak dose ratios of the MLC grids were found to be about 11% and 19% for the respective 10 mmx10 mm and 5 mmx5 mm grid openings, and those of the corresponding grid blocks were about 15% and 20%. To quantify the dose contributed by transmission in the blocked areas due to the limited leaf thickness, Monte Carlo simulations (based on convolution/superposition method) were performed to calculate the doses in the solid water phantom using an ideal MLC with no leakage and ...
Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is an important tool of dimension reduction especially when the dimension (or the number of variables) is very high. Asymptotic studies where the sample size is fixed, and the dimension grows [i.e., High Dimension, Low Sample Size (HDLSS)] are becoming increasingly relevant. We investigate the asymptotic behavior of the Principal Component (PC) directions. HDLSS asymptotics are used to study consistency, strong inconsistency and subspace consistency. We show that if the first few eigenvalues of a population covariance matrix are large enough compared to the others, then the corresponding estimated PC directions are consistent or converge to the appropriate subspace (subspace consistency) and most other PC directions are strongly inconsistent. Broad sets of sufficient conditions for each of these cases are specified and the main theorem gives a catalogue of possible combinations. In ...
The battery size of a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) is decisive for the electrical range of the vehicle and crucial for the cost-effectiveness of this particular vehicle concept. Based on the energy consumption of a conventional reference car and a PHEV, we introduce a comprehensive total cost of ownership model for the average car user in Germany for both vehicle types. The model takes into account the purchase price, fixed annual costs and variable operating costs. The amortization time of a PHEV also depends on the recharging strategy (once a day, once a night, after each trip), the battery size, and the battery costs. We find that PHEVs with a 4kWh battery and at current lithium-ion battery prices reach the break-even point after about 6 years (5 years when using the lower nig...
To assess the variability and systematic differences in polyp measurements on optical colonoscopy and CT colonography. Gastroenterologists measured 51 polyps by visual estimation, forceps comparison and linear probe. CT colonography observers randomly assessed polyp size two-dimensionally (abdominal and intermediate window) and three-dimensionally (manually and semi-automatically). Linear mixed models were used to assess the variability and systematic differences between CT colonography and optical colonoscopy techniques. The variability of forceps and linear probe measurements was comparable and both showed less variability than measurement by visual assessment. Measurements by linear probe were 0.7 mm smaller than measurements by visual assessment or by forceps. The variability of all CT colonography techniques was lower than for measurements by forceps or ...
Our inability to associate distant regulatory elements with the genes that they regulate has largely precluded their examination for sequence alterations contributing to human disease. One major obstacle is the large genomic space surrounding targeted genes in which such elements could potentially reside. In order to delineate gene regulatory boundaries we used whole-genome human-mouse-chicken (HMC) and human-mouse-frog (HMF) multiple alignments to compile conserved blocks of synteny (CBS), under the hypothesis that these blocks have been kept intact throughout evolution at least in part by the requirement of regulatory elements to stay linked to the genes that they regulate. A total of 2,116 and 1,942 CBS>200 kb were assembled for HMC and HMF respectively, encompassing 1.53 and 0.86 Gb of human sequence. To support the existence of complex long-range regulatory domains within these CBS we analyzed the prevalence and distribution of ...
This study examined the oxygen permeation behavior of Ce0.9Gd0.1O2-d (Gadolinium-Doped Ceria, GDC)/Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3-d (BSCF) composite membranes fabricated using a conventional sintering technique. GDC/BSCF composite membranes with a relative density >95% could be obtained when a green compact of BSCF and GDC was sintered at 1150^oC for 5h. It appears that GDC serves as a grain growth inhibitor because the average grain size of the composite decreased with increasing GDC content. The oxygen permeability of the BSCF and GDC/BSCF composite membranes strongly depends on the grain size and membrane thickness. The addition of GDC to BSCF resulted in a small grain size, low thermal expansion coefficient and high hardness. However, it is believed that oxygen permeation was blocked by GDC, a...
Summary Many important moral decisions, particularly at the policy level, require the evaluation of choices involving outcomes of variable magnitude and probability. Many economic decisions involve the same problem. It is not known whether and to what extent these structurally isomorphic decisions rely on common neural mechanisms. Subjects undergoing fMRI evaluated the moral acceptability of sacrificing a single life to save a larger group of variablesize and probability of dying without action. Paralleling research on economic decision making, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and ventral striatum were specifically sensitive to the "expected moral value" of actions, i.e., the expected number of lives lost/saved. Likewise, the right anterior insula was specifically sensitive to outcome p...
Abstract The Eiffel Tower edifice is situated in the Lucky Strike hydrothermal vent field at a mean depth of 1690-m on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). At this 11-m-high hydrothermal structure, different faunal assemblages, varying in visibly dominant species (mussels and shrimp), in mussel size and in density of mussel coverage, were sampled biologically and chemically. Temperature and sulphide (-S) were measured on the different types of mussel-based assemblages and on a shrimp-dominated assemblage. Temperature was used as a proxy for calculating total concentrations of CH4. Based on the physico-chemical measurements, two microhabitats were identified, corresponding to (i) a more variable habitat featuring the greatest fluctuations in environmental variables and (ii) a second, more stable, ...
Individual nanoscale building blocks exhibit a wide range of size-dependent properties, since their size can be tuned over known characteristic length scales of bulk materials. In the last several years, the possibility of combining different materials in the form of two and three component nanoparticles (NPs) has been extensively explored. Also multi-component materials can be obtained via self-assembly of NPs from their binary colloidal mixtures. These new nanocrystal solids may possess tunable collective properties that originate from interactions between size and composition controlled building blocks. Exchange coupling between neighboring NPs of magnetically soft and hard materials enhances the magnetic energy product of the nanocomposite material. Randomly mixed solids of small and large semiconducting CdSe NPs revealed enhancement of photoluminescence intensity of large ...
It has been considered that dry-out occurs easily in boiling heat transfer for a small channel, a mini- or microchannel, because the channel was easily filled with coalescing vapor bubbles. In the present study, the experiments of subcooled flow boiling of water were performed under atmospheric conditions for a horizontal rectangular channel for which the size is 1 mm height and 1 mm width, with a flat heating surface of 10 mm length and 1 mm width placed on the bottom of the channel. The heating surface has a top of copper heating block and is heated by ceramic heaters. In the high heat flux region of nucleate boiling, about 70-80% of the heating surface was covered with a large coalescing bubble and the boiling reached critical heat flux as observed by high-speed video. In the beginning ...
AM-SC1 is a heat treatable magnesium alloy that has been specifically developed to achieve the elevated temperature strength and creep properties necessary for engine block applications. This paper describes the interrelationship between the microstructure and the mechanical properties of AM-SC1. The compressive and tensile strengths are relatively insensitive to temperature up to and including 450 K and the tensile yield behaviour deviates from a standard Hall-Petch relationship at grain sizes below 200 ?m. The microstructural features contributing to the creep resistance are both inter- and intra-granular in nature and are on length scales from nanometers to micrometers. The creep behaviour at 423 K and 450 K is diffusion controlled, with any contribution from the grain boundaries being negligible.
Skim natural rubber latex is a protein-rich byproduct obtained during the centrifugal concentration of natural rubber latex. Skim latex has a very low dry rubber content (4-8%), and the rubber particles are smaller in size. It has a higher proportion of nonrubber solids, which are mostly proteinaceous in nature. It is difficult to coagulate, and it takes more processing time. The proteins in skim latex can be decomposed by proteolytic enzymes. This article discusses the use of stabilized liquid papain from the papaya plant (Carica papaya) for deproteinization followed by creaming for quick and easy coagulation of skim latex. The technological properties and aging characteristics of the deproteinized skim rubber are compared with those of conventionally prepared skim rubber and block rubber...
The far infrared free electron laser (FEL) has been being developed since 1990 using the L-band electron linac at the Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University. The first lasing was obtained in 1994 at wavelengths from 32 to 40 #mu#m. The FEL is now being modified suitable for user experiments. The wiggler with a fixed magnet gap used in the original FEL has been remodeled to make the magnet gap variable. In order to optimize the variable range of the gap, the gain and the diffraction loss were calculated. The peak gain is calculated to be 270% and the diffraction loss to be 22% at 150 #mu#m. The wavelength is expected to be variable from 25 up to at least 150 #mu#m. The two bending magnets in the optical resonator have been remodeled and the vacuum chambers with larger vertical sizes for them have been newly made so that the diffraction loss in these parts becomes smaller than ...
We present an optimal control approach for the solidification process of a melt in a container. The process is described by a two phase Stefan problem with the free boundary (interface between the two phases) modelled as a graph. We control the evolution of the free boundary using the temperature on the container wall. The control goal consists in tracking a prescribed evolution of the free boundary. We achieve this goal by minimizing a appropriate cost functional. The resulting minimization problem is solved numerically by a steepest descent method with step size control, where the gradient of the cost functional is expressed in terms of the adjoint variables. Several numerical examples are presented which illustrate the performance of the method. The novelty of the approach presented consists in using a sharp interface model for the control of the free boundary. This guarantees direct access to the free boundary as optimization ...
These summary descriptive data of ethnically similar cohorts of indigenous and migrant Japanese males have shown similarities or slight differences in characteristics wholly or largely genetically determined, such as blood groups, stature, and skeletal size. Differences have been noted in characteristics largely environmental or behavioral, such as diet and cigarette smoking habit, as well as in characteristics determined by a varying mixture of genetic and environmental influences, such as weight, blood pressure, glucose tolerance, and serum lipid and uric acid levels. Detailed analyses of the distributions of laboratory variables, of dietary data obtained by different methods, and of correlations among laboratory, dietary, physical, and demographic variables are currently in progress. Also part of the study plan are determinations of disease prevalence from evaluation of examination, laboratory, and electrocardiographic ...
Automated, variable volume unloaders provide the ability to smoothly load/unload reciprocating compressors to maintain ideal operations in ever-changing environments. Potential advantages provided by this load control system include: maximizing unit capacity, optimizing power economy, maintaining low exhaust emissions, and maintaining process suction and discharge pressures. Obstacles foreseen include: reliability, stability, serviceability and automation integration. Results desired include: increased productivity for the compressor and its operators, increased up time, and more stable process control. This presentation covers: system design features with descriptions of how different types of the devices were developed, initial test data, and how they can be effectively operated; three actual-case studies detailing the reasons why automated, hydraulically controlled, variable volume, head-end unloaders were chosen over other types of ...
The complete complementary code (CCC) is a sequence family with ideal correlation sums which was proposed by Suehiro and Hatori. Numerous literatures show its applications to direct-spread code-division multiple access (DS-CDMA) systems for inter-channel interference (ICI)-free communication with improved spectral efficiency. In this paper, we propose a systematic framework for the construction of CCCs based on $N$-shift cross-orthogonal sequence families ($N$-CO-SFs). We show theoretical bounds on the size of $N$-CO-SFs and CCCs, and give a set of four algorithms for their generation and extension. The algorithms are optimal in the sense that the size of resulted sequence families achieves theoretical bounds and, with the algorithms, we can construct an optimal CCC consisting of sequences whose lengths are not only almost arbitrary but even variable between sequence families. We also discuss the family ...
Numerical results on the translocation of long biopolymers through mid-sized and wide pores are presented. The simulations are based on a novel methodology which couples molecular motion to a mesoscopic fluid solvent. Thousands of events of long polymers (up to 8000 monomers) are monitored as they pass through nanopores. Comparison between the different pore sizes shows that wide pores can host a larger number of multiple biopolymer segments, as compared to smaller pores. The simulations provide clear evidence of folding quantization in the translocation process as the biopolymers undertake multi-folded configurations, characterized by a well-defined integer number of folds. Accordingly, the translocation time is no longer represented by a single-exponent power law dependence on the length, as it is the case for single-file translocation through narrow pores. The folding quantization increases with the biopolymer length, while the rate of ...
The hydro cyclone is a piece of equipment for separating and/or classifying solids/liquids with a wide variety of applications in different industrial sectors. This article describes the construction and operation of a hydro cyclone to verify the influence of the main size parameters and variables on its concentrating behaviour. The industrial-sized model which was built does not correspond exactly to the engineering designs. During operation, there was a load loss, which did not exceed 30 kPa, as a results of the fact that the suspension flow was unable to circulate with the original dimensions. However, when, for various reasons, the lower diameter was reduced, it proved possible to achieve an efficiency rate of over 95% in the concentration circuit. (Author) 23 refs.
A supercritical fluid-based method is proposed to produce coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) nanoparticles. First, CoQ10/polyethylene glycol 6000 composite particles are prepared by a modified PGSS (particles from gas-saturated solutions) process with controlling the flow rate of the gas-saturated solution. Then, CoQ10 nanoparticles are obtained by dissolving the composite particles into water. The effect of experimental variables of the modified PGSS process, including pressure, temperature, flow rate of the gas-saturated solution, and mass fraction of CoQ10, on the CoQ10 particle size and particle size distribution was investigated. Results show that CoQ10 slurry product with a median diameter of 190nm and yield of 89.8% can be prepared at an optimum condition (operating pressure of 25MPa, operating t...
Advances in the development of several electrooptic shutter devices utilizing the quadratic electrooptic effect of lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (PLZT) ceramic wafers are described. Aperture sizes utilized in these PLZT devices ranged from 25 ..mu..m to 0.25 m. Practical applications of the shutters discussed in this paper include eye protection in military and industrial applications, a goggle-type device with dual synchronously operated PLZT shutters for use in a stereoscopic three-dimensional TV display, an electrically controlled variable density filter for use with vidicon tubes, a large-aperture photographic shutter for image motion compensation cameras, and a page composer for use in a holographic memory system.
We give a general local central limit theorem for the sum of two independent random variables, one of which satisfies a central limit theorem while the other satisfies a local central limit theorem with the same order variance. We apply this result to various quantities arising in stochastic geometry, including: size of the largest component for percolation on a box; number of components, number of edges, or number of isolated points, for random geometric graphs; covered volume for germ-grain coverage models; number of accepted points for finite-input random sequential adsorption; sum of nearest-neighbour distances for a random sample from a continuous multidimensional distribution.
Biosorption of cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) by six fractions of particle sizes, ranging from 0.063 to 1.4 mm of dry marine algal biomass of Sargassum fluitans and Ascophyllum nodosum, is examined. Equilibrium metal uptake by larger particles was higher than that by smaller particles in the order of Pb > Cd > Cu > Co > Zn > Ni for both biomass types, with S. fluitans sorbing slightly more than A. nodosum. Uptakes of metals ranged from the highest, q{sub max} = 369 mg Pb/g (particle size 0.84-1.00 mm), to the low Zn and Ni uptakes, q{sub max} = 77 mg/g (size 0.84-1.00 mm) for S. fluitans. A. nodosum adsorbed metals in the range from q{sub max} = 287 mg Pg/g (particle size 0.84-1.00 mm) to q{sub max} = 73 mg Zn/g (particle size 0.84-1.00mm). Harder stipe fractions of S. fluitans demonstrated generally higher metal uptakes ...
Populations living close to high-voltage transmission lines often have residential magnetic field exposures in excess of 1 [mu]T, and sometimes over 2 [mu]T. Yet, populations studied in most epidemiologic investigations of the association between residential magnetic field exposure and cancer typically have exposures below 1 [mu]T and frequently below 0.5 [mu]T. To improve statistical power and precision, it would be useful to compare high exposure populations with low exposure population. Toward this end, we have developed an automated method for identifying populations living near high-voltage transmissions lines. These populations likely have more highly exposed individuals that the population at large. The method uses a geographic information system (GIS) to superimpose digitized transmission line locations on U.S. Census block location data and then extract relevant demographic data. Analysis of data from a pilot study of the population residing within 100 m ...
Purpose: In this paper, we present an alternative to the originally proposed technique for the delivery of spatially fractionated radiation therapy (GRID) using multi-leaf collimator (MLC) shaped fields. We employ the MLC to deliver various pattern GRID treatments to large solid tumors and dosimetrically characterize the GRID fields. Methods and materials: The GRID fields were created with different open to blocked area ratios and with variable separation between the openings using a MLC. GRID designs were introduced into the Pinnacle"3 treatment planning system, and the dose was calculated in a water phantom. Ionization chamber and film measurements using both Kodak EDR2 and Gafchromic EBT film were performed in a SolidWater phantom to determine the relative output of each GRID design as well as its spatial dosimetric characteristics. Results: Agreement within 5.0% was observed between the Pinnacle"3 predicted dose distributions and the ...
This paper proposes an integrated method for using experimental data and CFD modeling to develop engineering correlations for atrium smoke management. Part I focused on the experimental program and validation of a CFD model of the experimental facility. Part II describes the extension of this model to a parametric study of balcony spill plumes. Smoke management in buildings during fire events often uses mechanical ventilation systems to maintain smoke layer elevation above a safe evacuation path. Design of these systems requires accurate correlations for the smoke production or mass flow rate of the buoyant fire plume. One design issue is the mass flow rate of fire plumes which spill out from a fire compartment, under a balcony and up through an atrium or other large volume. Current engineering correlations for these balcony spill plumes (BSPs) are based on a combination of one-tenth scale test data and theoretical analysis. The suitability of these correlations for real-scale designs ...
This paper proposes an integrated method for using experimental data and CFD modeling to develop engineering correlations for atrium smoke management. Part I focused on the experimental program and validation of a CFD model of the experimental facility. Part II describes the extension of this model to a parametric study of balcony spill plumes. Smoke management in buildings during fire events often uses mechanical ventilation systems to maintain smoke layer elevation above a safe evacuation path. Design of these systems requires accurate correlations for the smoke production or mass flow rate of the buoyant fire plume. One design issue is the mass flow rate of fire plumes which spill out from a fire compartment, under a balcony and up through an atrium or other large volume. Current engineering correlations for these balcony spill plumes (BSPs) are based on a combination of one-tenth scale test data and theoretical analysis. The suitability of these correlations for real-scale designs ...
A feasibility study test and 3 field trials were performed at Darlington NGS in 1996, 1999 and 2000 on ABB LP turbines. The scope of these trials was to commission in-situ automatic phased array systems capable to inspect blade roots and rotor steeples of L-0 and L-1 rows. GE disk-blade rim attachments were inspected at Bruce B nuclear station, in fall of 1999. The automated ultrasonic phased array technology is capable of high-speed rate and reliable detection and sizing. The capability demonstration was performed on mock-ups and reference blocks, using EDM notches. A custom built UT simulation software: Imagine 3D interfaces with SimScan to generates the spreadsheets/charts with target and probe coordinates and ultrasonic path and angles (refracted and skew) to hit the reference target. Examination of L-0 blade and rotor steeple grooves was performed with 2 phased array systems under networking. Data analysis was done in near-real time. ...
The main objectives were to evaluate efficacy and acceptability of a developmentally sensitive cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety-based school refusal in adolescence. Twenty school-refusing adolescents meeting DSM-IV anxiety disorder criteria participated in a non-randomized trial, together with parents and school staff. Outcome was assessed at post-treatment and 2-month follow-up. Treated adolescents showed significant and maintained improvements across primary outcome variables (school attendance; school-related fear; anxiety), with medium to large effect sizes. Half of the adolescents were free of any anxiety disorder at follow-up. Additional improvements were observed across secondary outcome variables (depression; overall functioning; adolescent and parent self-efficacy). The treatment was rated as acceptable by adolescents, parents, and school staff, which may help explain the very low attrition rate. Social ...
Being able to distinguish light-quark jets from gluon jets on an event-by-event basis could significantly enhance the reach for many new physics searches at the Large Hadron Collider. Through an exhaustive search of existing and novel jet substructure observables, we find that a multivariate approach can filter out over 95% of the gluon jets while keeping more than half of the light-quark jets. Moreover, a combination of two simple variables, the charge track multiplicity and the pT-weighted linear radial moment (girth), can achieve similar results. While this pair appears very promising, our study is only Monte Carlo based, and other discriminants may work better with real data in a realistic experimental environment. To that end, we explore many other observables constructed using different jet sizes and parameters, and highlight those that deserve further theoretical and experimental scrutiny. Additional information, including distributions ...
A mixture of crushed rock and bentonite is being considered as backfill and sealant for high-level nuclear waste repositories. Many variables affect the hydraulic conductivity of such a mixture, including the size and shape of the rock particles, method of mixing, water content and density of the clay, and the weight ratio of rock to clay. Mixtures of crushed basalt and bentonite have been tested to determine the relative effects of these variables. Two types of permeameters are used, 20 cm diameter stainless steel permeameters and 10 cm diameter clear PVC permeameters. Plugs are installed as a single lift or in many lifts; the water content of the clay ranged from air-dry (in most cases) to as high as 200%. Preliminary results show that a mixture of 75% crushed basalt and 25% bentonite has a hydraulic conductivity between 1 x 10/sup -9/ cm/s and 2.5 x 10/sup -8/ cm/s. In some cases, preferential flow paths have developed ...
The quasar B2005+403 located behind the Cygnus region, is a suitable object for studying the interplay between propagation effects, which are extrinsic to the source and source intrinsic variability. On the basis of VLBI experiments performed at 1.6, 5, 8, 15, 22, and 43GHz between 1992-2003 and parallel multi-frequency monitoring of the total flux density, we investigated the variability of total flux density and source structure. Below 8 GHz, the point-like VLBI source is affected by scatter-broadening of the turbulent interstellar medium, which is located along the line of sight and likely associated with the Cygnus region. We present and discuss the measured frequency dependence of the source size, which shows a power-law with slope of -1.91+/-0.05. From the measured scattering angle at 1GHz of 77.1+/-4.0mas a SM=0.43+/-0.04 m^{-20/3} kpc is derived, consistent with the general properties of the ISM in this direction. ...
For a given linac design, the dosimetric characteristics of a photon beam are determined uniquely by the energy and radial distributions of the electron beam striking the x-ray target. However, in the usual commissioning of a beam from measured data, a large number of variables can be independently tuned, making it difficult to derive a unique and self-consistent beam model. For example, the measured dosimetric penumbra in water may be attributed in various proportions to the lateral secondary electron range, the focal spot size and the transmission through the tips of a non-divergent collimator; the head-scatter component in the tails of the transverse profiles may not be easy to resolve from phantom scatter and head leakage; and the head-scatter tails corresponding to a certain extra-focal source model may not agree self-consistently with in-air output factors measured on the central axis. To reduce the number of adjustable ...
The presence of water in export coals increases transport and handling costs. Coarse (+0.5 mm) coal constitutes the majority of the product, and small changes in its final moisture content will have a significant effect on overall product moisture. An on-line moisture monitor was installed on a product belt immediately after a coarse coal centrifuge to continuously measure the moisture content of the coal from a single centrifuge. Basic studies were also conducted with a laboratory centrifuge specifically designed to characterize various coarse coal samples in terms of their water retention capacity. The moisture of the coarse coal (typically 6 to 9%) was found to vary by at least 1% at a particular plant, and by a number of percentage points between plants. An empirical model has been developed which can explain about 80% of the moisture variation from the 25 samples investigated. The rank of the coals ranged from 0.7 to 1.65% mean reflectance. The model identified four principle ...
A Norwegian Research Program on Improved Oil Recovery (IOR) in North Sea reservoirs was launched in 1992. Microbial methods, applied in this context, is a part of this program. The scope, the methodological approach, and results from the three first years are presented. Water profile control, using biomass to block high permeable zones of a reservoir, has been investigated using nitrate-reducing bacteria in the injected sea water as plugging agents. Emphasis has been put on developing a process that does not have disadvantages secondary to the process itself, such as souring and impairment of the overall injectivity of the field. Data from continuous culture studies indicate that souring may successfully be mitigated by adding nitrite to the injected seawater. The morphology and size of generic-nitrate-reducing seawater bacteria have been investigated. Screening of growth-promoting nutrients has been carried out, and some sources were detected ...
Nanometre-sized materials, like nanowires, nanoparticles or nanobelts, are gaining huge interest as building blocks of modern electronic nanodevices. Their fabrication feasibility has been demonstrated in the last years, and different routes are already well established in order to synthesize these materials. However, the assessment of their electrical properties is still a challenging issue, due to the difficulty to perform a precise nanolithography process allowing the access to such small structures. The fabrication of metallic contacts with precision in the nanometre range is necessary, as well as achieving a flexible system that allows to contact individual structures. Such a system could be a dual-beam Focused Ion Beam instrument, which combines Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Focused Ion Beam (FIB) in one machine, able to assist deposition of materials with nanometre precision. In this work, the methodology of fabrication of ...
Nanometre-sized materials, like nanowires, nanoparticles or nanobelts, are gaining huge interest as building blocks of modern electronic nanodevices. Their fabrication feasibility has been demonstrated in the last years, and different routes are already well established in order to synthesize these materials. However, the assessment of their electrical properties is still a challenging issue, due to the difficulty to perform a precise nanolithography process allowing the access to such small structures. The fabrication of metallic contacts with precision in the nanometre range is necessary, as well as achieving a flexible system that allows to contact individual structures. Such a system could be a dual-beam Focused Ion Beam instrument, which combines Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Focused Ion Beam (FIB) in one machine, able to assist deposition of materials with nanometre precision. In this work, the methodology of fabrication of ...
As an engineered barrier system in the geological disposal of high-level waste, multibarrier system is considered. Multibarrier system consists of the vitrified waste, the overpack and the buffer. Bentonite is one of the potential material as the buffer because of its low water permeability, self-sealing properties, radionuclides adsorption and retardation properties, thermal conductivity, chemical buffering properties, overpack supporting properties, stress buffering properties, etc. As the construction technology of the buffer, the block installation method and in-situ compaction method, etc, are being investigated. The block installation method is to emplace the buffer blocks manufactured in advance at the ground facility, and construction processes of the block installation method at the underground will be simplified compared with the in-situ compaction method. However, the ...
The increased demand for renewable energy sources has led to large areas of former agricultural land being proposed for short rotation coppice (SRC) establishment. Concerns expressed over the potential impacts of tree roots on buried archaeological evidence led to a study into the rooting habit of SRC. Roots were exposed in trenches dug within a variety of willow and poplar clonal stands grown on brown earth, pelosol, ground-water gley and surface-water gley soils. Root depths and diameters were recorded in each of the 33 trenches. In total, over 18,000 roots were measured on 264 coppice stools. The rotation length, species and stool location within a block were all found to influence the maximum size of root produced. Soil type had some influence on the root number and depth, but the pattern of root distribution down the soil profile was similar for both species. (author)
A relatively quick and simple assay for hyaluronate was developed using the specific binding protein, hyaluronectin. The hyaluronectin was obtained by homogenizing the brains of Sprague-Dawley rats, and then centrifuging the homogenate. The resulting supernatant was used as a source of crude hyaluronectin. In the binding assay, the hyaluronectin was mixed with (/sup 3/H)hyaluronate, followed by an equal volume of saturated (NH/sub 4/)/sub 2/SO/sub 4/, which precipitated the hyaluronectin and any (/sup 3/H)hyaluronate associated with it, but left free (/sup 3/H)hyaluronate in solution. The mixture was then centrifuged, and the amount of bound (/sup 3/H)hyaluronate in the precipitate was determined. Using this assay, the authors found that hyaluronectin specifically bound hyaluronate, since other glycosaminoglycans failed to compete for the binding protein. In addition, the interaction between hyaluronectin and hyaluronate was of relatively high affinity, and the ...
The Fresnel solar collector is a promising concept to reduce the electricity cost price in solar thermal power plants. The optical performance of a Fresnel collector depends on material properties, on its geometric layout and on the level of optical accuracy that can be obtained. A variety of geometric parameters, e.g. the height of the absorber, the number, size and distance of primary mirrors in.uence the shading and blocking of rays and the amount of rays missing the absorber. To evaluate the in.uence of the parameter variation regarding the electricity cost price and to yield an optimization, the optical performance is assessed with an annual simulation based on hourly weather-data. To permit a consideration of changes in collector cost according to different geometric layouts, cost factors where allocated to geometric parameters. The paper presents the method and the simulation results of the optimization under different boundary ...
An experimental investigation of premixed methane-air combustion within the one-dimensional porous ceramic burners for various burner configurations is presented. The burner is nonhomogeneous because of different pore size ceramic block used in different section of the burner. Therefore, the thermophysical and transport properties are nonuniform along the burner core length. The burners are constructed of partially stabilized zirconia. The CO and NO{sub x} emissions, flame speed, and flame stability are examined and compared at lean equivalence ratios for five different burner configurations. The sandwich-structured burner has very favorable flame stabilizing characteristic due to the radiation reflecting region. While the combustion proceeds at faster rate than other burner configurations, the radiation reflecting region and the exit surface have low temperature. Thus the NO{sub x} emission can be kept at the same low level as the other burner ...
A prototype electron applicator system providing circular and rectangular fields for use in intraoperative electron beam therapy with a Varian Clinac 18 linear accelerator has been fabricated. The dosimetric properties of this system for a variety of electron-beam energies, applicator sizes, and x-ray collimator settings was documented. Significant findings include: (a) surface dose values are in excess of 90% for electron energies of 12 MeV and above; (b) for the 18-MeV beam, the deepest depth where the central axis dose is 90% of its maximum value is in excess of 50 mm for circular applicators whose diameters are in excess of 5 cm; and (c) the treatment time to deliver 1000 rads ''given dose'' (at a given dose rate of 300 MU/min) is on the order of 3--4 min. Cross-field behavior is acceptable for the intended application and x-ray contamination is less than 4% for any applicator/electron energy combination. A system for irregular field ...
A single particle micro-electrode technique has been applied, to study adsorption and mass transport phenomena of a TEABF{sub 4}/acetonitrile solution in a nano-porous carbon. The nano-porous carbon, which is obtained from SiC, has a very small and narrow pore size distribution around 8 Angstrom. Therefore, it is a good model material for studying adsorption processes in micropores. The results from cyclic voltammetry showed that a higher specific capacitance was obtained in the positive potential interval (vs Ag/AgNO{sub 3}). Upon activation cycling the mass transport inside the nano-porous particle becomes drastically hindered, probably by TEA{sup +} that is adsorbed and is partially blocking the micropores. Effective diffusion coefficients, Deff, were determined from potential step experiments. At positive potentials Deff was 1.5 {+-} 0.5 x 10{sup -8} cm{sup 2}s{sup -1}, whereas at more negative potentials Deff decreased drastically. ...
Summary Background Treatment of localised renal cell carcinoma consists of partial or radical nephrectomy. A substantial proportion of patients are at risk for recurrence because no effective adjuvant therapy exists. We investigated the use of an autologous, tumour-derived heat-shock protein (glycoprotein 96)-peptide complex (HSPPC-96; vitespen) as adjuvant treatment in patients at high risk of recurrence after resection of locally advanced renal cell carcinoma. Methods In this open-label trial, patients were randomly assigned to receive either vitespen (n=409) or observation alone (n=409) after nephrectomy. Randomisation was done in a one to one ratio by a computer-generated pseudo-random number generator, with a blocksize of four, and was stratified by performance score, lymph node stat...
Mining association rules is a popular and well researched method for discovering interesting relations between variables in large databases. A practical problem is that at medium to low support values often a large number of frequent itemsets and an even larger number of association rules are found in a database. A widely used approach is to gradually increase minimum support and minimum confidence or to filter the found rules using increasingly strict constraints on additional measures of interestingness until the set of rules found is reduced to a manageable size. In this paper we describe a different approach which is based on the idea to first define a set of ``interesting'' itemsets (e.g., by a mixture of mining and expert knowledge) and then, in a second step to selectively generate rules for only these itemsets. The main advantage of this approach over increasing thresholds or filtering rules is that the number of rules found is ...
Studies of CWF preparation at laboratory scale have been carried out using the type and amount of additives and coal content as process variables. Other factors such as particle size, time and rate of stirring were kept constant. CWF with 45 wt% of dry solids, heating value of 5,475 BTU/lb, and stable without the evidence of sedimentation for 9 weeks have been obtained using carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) as the additive. Low coal content and low heating value can be increased by hydrothermal process on the elevated temperature and pressure. By this process, CWF with dry solid of 55 wt% and a heating value of 7,125 BTU/lb could be obtained. 6 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs.
Phenotypic plasticity can facilitate reproductive strategies that maximize mating success in variable environments and lead to differences in sex allocation among populations. For simultaneous hermaphrodites with sperm competition, including Serranus tortugarum a small coral reef fish, proportional male allocation (testis in total gonad) is often greater where local density or mating group size is higher. We tested whether S. tortugarum reduced male allocation when transplanted from a higher density site to a lower density site. After 4?months, transplants mirrored the sex-allocation patterns of the resident population on their new reef. Transplants had significantly lower male allocation than representatives from their source population, largely as a result of reduced testis mass relative...
Generally the photonic band gap (PBG) is a multi-variable function of several parameters related to the shape and size of the dielectric columns of photonic crystals (PhCs), and a time-consuming step-by-step scanning process for each parameter has to be used to find their best combination yielding maximum PBG. In this letter, the widely used Nelder-Mead simplex algorithm is introduced to optimize these parameters simultaneously to find a larger PBG for a new kind of two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal GaAs-Air PhC. This structure can be conveniently produced by the single-exposure holographic lithography, and the specific holographic design is also systematically investigated. This study reveals that the band gaps of PhCs made by holographic lithography may be widened by introducing irregularity of the columns and lowering the symmetry of the structure.
A new class of low aspect ratio toroidal hybrid stellarators is found using a more general plasma confinement optimization criterion than quasisymmetrization. The plasma current profile and shape of the outer magnetic flux surface are used as control variables to achieve near constancy of the longitudinal invariant J{sup {asterisk}} on internal flux surfaces (quasiomnigeneity), in addition to a number of other desirable physics target properties. A range of compact (small aspect ratio A), low plasma current devices have been found with significantly improved confinement, both for thermal as well as energetic (collisionless) particle components. With reasonable increases in magnetic field and geometric size, such devices can also be scaled to confine 3.5 MeV alpha particle orbits.
A new class of low aspect ratio toroidal hybrid stellarators is found using more general plasma confinement optimization criterion than quasi-symmetrization. The plasma current profile and shape of the outer magnetic flux surface are used as control variables to achieve near constancy of the longitudinal invariant J* on internal flux surfaces (quasi-omnigeneity), in addition to a number of other desirable physics target properties. We find that a range of compact (small aspect ratio A), high {beta} (ratio of thermal energy to magnetic field energy), low plasma current devices exist which have significantly improved confinement both for thermal as well as energetic (collisionless) particle components. With reasonable increases in magnetic field and geometric size, such devices can also be scaled to confine 3.5 MeV alpha particle orbits.
The ability to cope with environmental stress may be expensive in terms of energy and this cost of tolerance is suspected to have negative counterparts such as reduced growth and fecundity. To date, condition indices based on biometric measurements are currently used in bivalves or fish but do not exist in endobenthic worms, despite their interest as bioindicators for the sedimentary compartment in which the major part of pollutants is stored in aquatic environments. In the present work, several biometric variables (jaw and total body length, number of segments, the length of the first three segments L3, wet or dry weight) were measured in the ragworm Nereis diversicolor originating from clean (Authie) and polluted (Seine) estuaries (France) to study size-weight relationships. The producti...
Purpose - Based upon the E-VALUE model developed, this paper aims to investigate the impact of e-commerce usage on business performance in the tourism sector. Design/methodology/approach - A cross-sectional survey is carried out on 165 Malaysian firms involved in the tourism sector (hotels, resorts, and hospitals engaged in health tourism) through the use of a structured questionnaire. Findings - The structural equation modeling results indicate that technology competency, firm size, firm scope, web-technology investment, pressure intensity, and back-end usage have significant influence on e-commerce usage. Among these variables, back-end integration is found to function as a mediator. E-commerce experience (in years) is found to moderate the relationship between e-commerce usage and busin...
A nodal integral method is derived for the monoenergetic, steady-state, fixed source neutron diffusion equation in hexagonal geometry based on a coordinate transformation that maps a parallelogram into a rectangle. The new hexagonal nodal diffusion method is implemented in the computer code HND where the discrete-variable equations are solved via an iterative scheme. Because the new method's equations are derived for a rhombus, they can be solved on a sequence of embedded meshes to study the method's error order. Indeed a preliminary numerical error analysis reveals a second-order error in the mesh size, and comparison with finite difference results obtained with the finite difference based BOLD-VENTURE code indicate the superior accuracy of our new nodal method.
A portable barrier strip having retractable tire-puncture spikes for puncturing a vehicle tire. The tire-puncture spikes have an armed position for puncturing a tire and a retracted position for not puncturing a tire. The strip comprises a plurality of barrier blocks having the tire-puncture spikes removably disposed in a shaft that is rotatably disposed in each barrier block. The plurality of barrier blocks hare hingedly interconnected by complementary hinges integrally formed into the side of each barrier block which allow the strip to be rolled for easy storage and retrieval, but which prevent irregular or back bending of the strip. The shafts of adjacent barrier blocks are pivotally interconnected via a double hinged universal joint to accommodate irregularities in a roadway surface and to transmit torsional motion of the shaft from block to ...
Three blocks of non-welded tuff, one nominally one cubic foot (trial block) and the other two, nominally one cubic metre (1 m{sup 3}), were excavated from the Busted Butte Test Facility on the Nevada Test Site and transported to the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited Whiteshell Laboratories in Pinawa, Manitoba. The trial block and one of the 1-m{sup 3} blocks were used for unsaturated flow experiments. The remaining 1-m{sup 3} block is being used for saturated flow experiments and will be reported on separately. After a vertical flow of synthetic transport solution was set up under unsaturated conditions, a suite of conservative and chemically reactive radionuclide tracers was injected at volumetric flow rates of 20 mL/hr in the trial block, and 10 mL/hr in the 1-m{sup 3} block. The duration of the migration experiment in the trial ...
Electrodeposition of tertiary alumina/yttria/carbon nanotube (Al2O3/Y2O3/CNT) nanocomposite by using pulsed current has been studied in this investigation. Coating process has been performed on nickel sulphate bath and nanostructure of obtained compound layer is examined with high precision figure analysis of SEM nanographs. The effects of process variables, i.e., Y2O3 concentration, treatment time, frequency and duty cycle, have been experimentally studied. Statistical methods are used to achieve the minimum of corrosion rate and average size of nanoparticles. Finally the contribution percentage of different effective factors is revealed and confirmation run shows the validity of obtained results. Also it has been revealed that by changing the size of nanoparticles, corrosion properties o...
Introduction: Thalassemia is the most common hereditary blood disorder in the world. Iran is located on the thalassemic belt and there is a high prevalence of the hepatosplenomegaly in beta thalassemia minor patients which is reported to be very variable. The goal of this research was to study the frequency of these signs in the cases with beta thalassemia minor patients in Iran. Materials and methods: Two hundred and fifty-nine cases that referred to center for pre-marriage tests were divided into two groups according to their MCV, MCH, and HbA2 (beta thalassemia minor cases and control groups). Liver and spleen sizes were determined by ultrasonographic method and the two groups were compared with each other. Results: Average spleen volumes in case and control groups were 163.48 {+-} 133.97 and 126.29 {+-} 53.98 mm{sup 3}, respectively. Average spleen lengths in case and control groups were 10.71 {+-} 1.52 and 10.60 {+-} 5.4 cm, respectively. ...
A large temperature differential (10K) thermal storage system in a small (4400 m{sup 2}) 8-storey office building is discussed and the monitoring results are analyzed in comparison with computer simulations. Requirements were a comfortable indoor environment and system cost effectiveness. Out of four potential system concepts, the Large Temperature Differential System was chosen. It comprises a flat-type thermal stratification heat storage tank in the under floor pit of the building as the heat source for a variable flow heat pump chiller. The heat sink is a set of serially connected air handling and fan coil units. The tank`s capacity is sized for one day operation and is made as large as possible to shift the electricity demand to night time. To avoid a large size and high cost, the water temperature differential was enlarged. The role of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) was to develop the chiller and its control ...
The main drawback of Ni/YSZ anode supports for solid oxide fuel cell application is their low tolerance to reducing and oxidizing (RedOx) atmosphere changes, owing to the Ni/NiO volume variation. This work describes a structured approach based on design of experiments for optimizing the microstructure for RedOx stability enhancement. A full factorial hypercube design and the response surface methodology are applied with the variables and their variation range defined as: (1) NiO proportion (40-60wt% of the ceramic powders), (2) pore-former proportion (0-30wt% corresponding to 0-64vol.%), (3) NiO particle size (0.5-8mm) and (4) 8YSZ particle size (0.6-9mm). To obtain quadratic response models, 25 different compositions were prepared forming a central composite design. The measured responses...
A procedure for lowering an offshore rig support block into water, one with water displacement elements, including transfering a structure ready for installation from construction supports onto the grillage that has been set up on the slide, and then lowering the structure together with the grillage into the water. With the goal of dereasing the volume of hydrotechnical operations, the slides have been extended only to the waterline, and the water-displacing elements of the support block are mounted or the structure in a manner whereby the following conditions are fulfilled: Msigmaless than or equal toM /SUB wi/ sigma-W/Lless than or equal toq where Msigma, M /SUB w/ - are the mass moments of the support block and bouyancy forces correspond to the threshhold; sigma and W - the weight force and bouyancy; L - the support length of the block on the grillage; q - the allowable linear load for the support ...
In Experiment I, lever pressing by squirrel monkeys was maintained under a sequence of variable-interval, multiple variable-interval variable-interval, and multiple variable-interval extinction schedules...Full Text Available
An add-on multileaf collimator for electrons (eMLC) has been developed that provides computer-controlled beam collimation and isocentric dose delivery. The design parameters result from the design study by Gauer et al (2006 Phys. Med. Biol. 51 5987-6003) and were configured such that a compact and light-weight eMLC with motorized leaves can be industrially manufactured and stably mounted on a conventional linear accelerator. In the present study, the efficiency of an initial computer-controlled prototype was examined according to the design goals and the performance of energy- and intensity-modulated treatment techniques. This study concentrates on the attachment and gantry stability as well as the dosimetric characteristics of central-axis and off-axis dose, field size dependence, collimator scatter, field abutment, radiation leakage and the setting of the accelerator jaws. To provide isocentric irradiation, the eMLC can be placed either 16 or 28 cm above the ...
The formation and evolution of the circumstellar disk in unmagnetized molecular clouds is investigated using three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations from the prestellar core until the end of the main accretion phase. In collapsing cloud cores, the first (adiabatic) core with a size of #approx#>3 AU forms prior to the formation of the protostar. At its formation, the first core has a thick disk-like structure and is mainly supported by the thermal pressure. After the protostar formation, it decreases the thickness gradually and becomes supported by the centrifugal force. We found that the first core is a precursor of the circumstellar disk with a size of >3 AU. This means that unmagnetized protoplanetary disk smaller than <3 AU does not exist. Reflecting the thermodynamics of the collapsing gas, at the protostar formation epoch, the first core (or the circumstellar disk) has a mass of #approx#0.005-0.1 M_s_u_n, while the protostar ...
The study of blocking factors requires in vitro assay of cell mediated immunity that parallels the in vivo response. By microcytotoxicity testing, progressor and immune peripheral blood lymphocytes...Full Text Available
An improved lockout assembly for locking a circuit breaker in a selected off or on position is provided. The lockout assembly includes a lock block and a lock pin. The lock block has a hollow interior which fits over the free end of a switch handle of the circuit breaker. The lock block includes at least one hole that is placed in registration with a hole in the free end of the switch handle. A lock tab on the lock block serves to align and register the respective holes on the lock block and switch handle. A lock pin is inserted through the registered holes and serves to connect the lock block to the switch handle. Once the lock block and the switch handle are connected, the position of the switch handle is prevented from being changed by the lock tab bumping up against a stationary housing portion of the circuit breaker. When the lock pin ...
Three experiments used pigeons in an autoshaping procedure and a single-subject design to examine compound stimulus control in classical conditioning. Experiment 1 examined the blocking effect, and...Full Text Available
Pipeline automated ultrasonic testing (AUT) uses fully automated equipment that travels around a pipe on a welding band in a linear scan to allow array pulses to provide ultrasound information on weld zones. Pipeline AUT is also used for zone discrimination as well as with special calibration blocks, dual gate output displays, and rapid defect sizing. AUT allows for the inspection of welds soon after completion, and can save construction costs by process control when combined with engineering critical assessment (ECA) to minimize rejection rates. Ultrasonic phased arrays (UPA) use an array of elements that are all individually wired, pulsed, and time-shifted. Elements are pulsed in groups of approximately 16 elements at a time for pipeline welds. Phased arrays can be used to combine electronic scanning, sectorial scanning and precision focusing to give a practical combination of displays. Optimum angles can be selected for welds and other ...
A copyrighted computational fluid dynamics computer code, ICOMFLO, has been developed for the simulation of multiphase reacting flows. The code solves conservation equations for gaseous species and droplets (or solid particles) of various sizes. General conservation laws, expressed by elliptic type partial differential equations, are used in conjunction with rate equations governing the mass, momentum, enthalpy, species, turbulent kinetic energy, and turbulent dissipation. Associated phenomenological submodels of the code include integral combustion, two parameter turbulence, particle evaporation, and interfacial submodels. A newly developed integral combustion submodel replacing an Arrhenius type differential reaction submodel has been implemented to improve numerical convergence and enhance numerical stability. A two parameter turbulence submodel is modified for both gas and solid phases. An evaporation submodel treats not only droplet evaporation but ...
Natural bone consists of hard nanostructured hydroxyapatite (HA) in a nanostructured protein-based soft hydrogel template (ie, mostly collagen). For this reason, nanostructured HA has been an intriguing coating material on traditionally used titanium for improving orthopedic applications. In addition, helical rosette nanotubes (HRNs), newly developed materials which form through the self-assembly process of DNA base pair building blocks in body solutions, are soft nanotubes with a helical architecture that mimics natural collagen. Thus, the objective of this in vitro study was for the first time to combine the promising attributes of HRNs and nanocrystalline HA on titanium and assess osteoblast (bone-forming cell) functions. Different sizes of nanocrystalline HA were synthesized in this study through a wet chemical precipitation process following either hydrothermal treatment or sintering. Transmission electron microscopy images showed that ...
This invention relates to an automatically-operating wedge block for maintaining intimate structural contact over wide temperature ranges, including cryogenic use. The wedging action depends on the relative thermal expansion of two materials having very different coefficients of thermal expansion. The wedge block expands in thickness when cooled to cryogenic temperatures and contracts in thickness when returned to room temperature.
Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in seven new type wall materials were surveyed. The radioactivity was determined with HPGe-#gamma# spectrometer. The red mud has the highest radioactivity concentration, followed by slag building blocks, fly-ash building blocks (bricks), gangue bricks and light weight board materials, gypsum blocks. Fly-ash and slag contain higher NORM, which contributes the major part of the radioactivity in new wall materials. (authors)
Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition affects many natural processes, including forest litter decomposition. Saprotrophic fungi are the only organisms capable of completely decomposing lignocellulosic (woody) litter in temperate ecosystems, and therefore the responses of fungi to N deposition are critical in understanding the effects of global change on the forest carbon cycle. Plant litter decomposition under elevated N has been intensively studied, with varying results. The complexity of forest floor biota and variability in litter quality have obscured N-elevation effects on decomposers. Field experiments often utilize standardized substrates and N-levels, but few studies have controlled the decay organisms. Decomposition of beech (Fagus sylvatica) blocks inoculated with two cord-forming basidiomycete fungi, Hypholoma fasciculare and Phanerochaete velutina, was compared experimentally under realistic levels of simulated N deposition at ...
Analytical means have been developed to predict scour and accretion in sub-sea structures. Such structures can be very large and can have a large density of piping and structural members. They introduce a blocking and a shielding in the flow at the sea bottom leading to variable velocities and turbulence in the interior of the structure. This changes the transport capacity of the flow and result in general erosion where the transport capacity is increased and in accretion where the transport capacity is decreased. In addition there may occur the so-called tunnel erosion for structures built on concrete mats or similar. This type of erosion undermines the foundation of the sub-sea structure. Analytical models are developed and programmed to analyse the above phenomena. The internal flow variations are found by means of the LICengineering shielding programme and these are coupled to the transport formulae. The methodology is unstable if the ...
This report documents a one-dimensional numerical model, SAMFT1D, developed to simulate single-phase and multiphase fluid flow and solute transport in variably saturated porous media. The formulation of the governing equations and the numerical procedures used in the code for single-phase and multiphase flow and transport are presented. The code is constructed to handle single-phase as well as two or three-phase flow conditions using two integrated sets of computational modules. The fully implicit scheme is used in the code for both single-phase and multiphase flow simulations. Either the Crank-Nicholson scheme or the fully implicit scheme may be used in the transport simulation. The single-phase modules employ the Galerkin and upstream weighted residual finite element techniques to model flow and transport of water (aqueous phase) containing dissolved single-species contaminants concurrently or sequentially, and include the treatment of various boundary conditions ...
This work is a theoretical investigation on the physical properties of semiconductor-based two-dimensional photonic crystals, in particular for what concerns systems embedded in planar dielectric waveguides (GaAs/AlGaAs, GaInAsP/InP heterostructures, and self-standing membranes) or based on macro-porous silicon. The photonic-band structure of photonic crystals and photonic-crystal slabs is numerically computed and the associated light-line problem is discussed, which points to the issue of intrinsic out-of-lane diffraction losses for the photonic bands lying above the light line. The photonic states are then classified by the group theory formalism: each mode is related to an irreducible representation of the corresponding small point group. The optical properties are investigated by means of the scattering matrix method, which numerically implements a variable-angle-reflectance experiment; comparison with experiments is also provided. The analysis of surface ...
Medetomidine and fentanyl-droperidol (Innovar-vet) were assessed over a three hour period in 80 healthy dogs. Following physical examination, electrocardiogram (ECG), arterial blood sample analysis, and dynamometer pressure threshold (analgesia score), the dogs were randomly assigned to one of four treatments: Miv--medetomidine (750 micrograms/M2) administered intravenously (IV), Mim--medetomidine (1000 micrograms/M2) administered intramuscularly (IM), Iiv--Innovar-vet IV (0.05 mL/kg) or Iim--Innovar-vet IM (0.1 mL/kg). All assessments were carried out by a single individual unaware of the treatment used. Objective assessments included temperature, heart and respiratory rates, analgesia score, arterial blood gases, acid-base and lactate levels. Subjective evaluation included degree of sedation, response to various clinical procedures, noise responsiveness, posture, and the incidence of side effects. Onset and duration of effect were also recorded. The ECG strips were assessed for ...
Combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy (CRC) is actually one important way of research in oncology. Theoretical advantages are: (1) Spatial cooperation; (2) Additivity, which is only obtained if the toxicity of each modality are different; (3) Supra-additivity, which needs a rigorous in vitro definition; the only way to prove it is to make an isobologram analysis. This model has however, some limitations: qualitative variable could not be used, results could be different, depending on the cell line and isoeffect chosen...In fact, a supra-additivity was only demonstrated for cis platinum and etoposide. Interactions mechanisms were: (1) at the molecular level, creation of new lesions or inhibition of radiation lesions repair; (2) At the cellular level, either cytokinetic cooperation with S-phase dependent drugs, or synchronization for the drugs which blocked the cells in M-phase; (3) At the tissular level, reoxygenation, cycle ...
Tectonically active basins may host a spectrum of sequence stratigraphic expressions previously considered to be spatially mutually exclusive. In low accommodation areas with high sediment supply, fourth order eustatic cyclicity results in high frequency sequence sets while within rapidly subsiding areas, time-equivalent Type-2 sequences are expressed by highly asymmetrical coarsening upward successions, resembling large parasequences. In the shallow marine Fulmar Formation, of the U.K. North Sea Central Graben a sequence boundary and overlying lowstand deposits, which illustrate the effects of laterally variable subsidence rate and intrabasinal topography on the expression of a eustatic sea-level fall, lie between the Glosense and Serratum (J54a and J54b) maximum flooding surfaces. The syn-rift physiography comprises major tilted fault blocks, with the Central Graben dipping parallel to the major faults, simulating a ramp setting. Where the ...
A numerical analysis is made of the unsteady flow and heat transfer characteristics of mixed convection in a vertical block-heated channel with and without installing an inclined plate above an upstream block. Parameter studies including the inclined plate angle, Reynolds number (ranging from 260 to 530), and Grashof number (in the range of 0--3,200,000) on heat transfer performance have been explored in detail. The results show that the installation of an inclined plate in the vertical block-heated channel can effectively augment the blocks` heat transfer performance in the channel. This can be applied to heat exchangers.
This paper describes a newly developed software for manifold block design. Manifold block has become indispensable as an important component part to hydraulic systems since the 1970 {prime} s. However, its design is complicated and difficult. The reasons are firstly that hydraulic circuits have to be densely placed and secondary there is no means to correct a failure in the design or manufacture. Considering these points, the experiments of design engineers and the habitual design processes are analyzed, and a support system for manifold block design was developed by using a super-mini computer. With this system, the correctness of a design became to be proved. The software is easy to operate, and it can retrieve past design data, and it is extendible to the production line. 4 refs., 7 figs., 4 tabs.
HT-29 human colon tumor cells growing as spheroids have been evaluated as a model system for measuring the response of human colon tumor cell to antineoplastic agents. HT-29 cells have been capacity to form spheroids up to 1 mm or more in diameter when grown in spinner culture. The multicellular HT-29 spheroids develop hypoxic centers reflecting the cellular conditions found in human cancer treatment, i.e., nutritionally deficient hypoxic cells that are felt to be a significant source of both radiation and chemotherapy clinical treatment failures. Spheroids of increasing size were radiated and then dispersed into single cells for colony survival assay. Compared with irradiated single cell suspensions, the spheroid cells demonstrated a significant increase in radioresistance. Growing spheroids developed a complex radiation survival curve which was variable with respect to size of the spheroid. The drug 5-Fu was studied to ...
During 1991 and 1992, we studied 92 wetlands, including open water (ponds) and emergent communities, created as a result of Wyoming Abandoned Mine Lands` (AML) reclamation efforts in northeast Wyoming. Through these activities, over 300 wetlands were filled, reclaimed, created, or otherwise modified. For mitigation purposes wetlands to be filled or modified were first evaluated using a Wetland Habitat Value (WHV) Model. Using the model, wetland losses were mitigated by increasing the WHV of some wetlands or by creating new wetlands elsewhere. We evaluated model performance in offsetting wetland loss and how well the model predicted waterfowl use. We also compared post-reclamation wetland sizes to those predicted by engineering plans and submitted for Section 404 permit approval. In our study, predicted WHVs were overestimated at 100% of the wetlands for which pre-reclamation WHVs were available (n8). The most commonly overestimated variables ...
We consider chemical reaction networks taken with mass action kinetics. The steady states of such a system are solutions to a system of polynomial equations. Even for small systems the task of finding the solutions is daunting. We develop an algebraic framework and procedure for linear elimination of variables. The procedure reduces the variables in the system to a set of "core" variables by eliminating variables corresponding to a set of non-interacting species. The steady states are parameterized algebraically by the core variables, and a graphical condition is given for when a steady state with positive core variables necessarily have all variables positive. Further, we characterize graphically the sets of eliminated variables that are constrained by a conservation law and show that this conservation law takes a ...
Three blocks of non-welded tuff, one nominally one cubic foot (trial block) in volume and the other two, nominally one cubic meter (1 m3) in volume, were excavated from the Busted Butte Test Facility on the Nevada Test Site in 1999 and transported to the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited Whiteshell Laboratories in Pinawa, Manitoba. The trial block and one of the 1-m3 blocks were used for radionuclide migration experiments under unsaturated conditions; the remaining 1-m3 block was used for similar migration experiments under saturated conditions. After a vertical flow of synthetic transport solution was set up under unsaturated conditions, a suite of conservative and chemically reactive radionuclide tracers was injected at volumetric flow rates of 20 mL/hr in the trial block, and 10 mL/hr in two locations on the upper surface of the 1-m3 block. ...
This work presents a comparative study of low-alloy steel nitriding for different possible techniques. Active screen plasma nitriding (ASPN) is a successful surface modification method that has many advantages over the conventional DC plasma nitriding (CPN). The corrosion behavior of 30CrNiMo8 low-alloy steel has been examined using anodic polarization tests in 3.5% NaCl solution under varying conditions of ASPN and CPN processes. The process variables included active screen setup parameters, treatment temperature (550 and 580 deg. C), gas mixture (25/75 and 75/25 of N{sub 2}/H{sub 2}) and treatment time (5 and 10 h) in 500 Pa pressure. The structure and phases composition of the compound layer was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), microhardness tests, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was observed that ASPN treated samples surface enhanced corrosion resistance while the temperature and/or hole size of screen setup ...
This work presents a comparative study of low-alloy steel nitriding for different possible techniques. Active screen plasma nitriding (ASPN) is a successful surface modification method that has many advantages over the conventional DC plasma nitriding (CPN). The corrosion behavior of 30CrNiMo8 low-alloy steel has been examined using anodic polarization tests in 3.5% NaCl solution under varying conditions of ASPN and CPN processes. The process variables included active screen setup parameters, treatment temperature (550 and 580 deg. C), gas mixture (25/75 and 75/25 of N_2/H_2) and treatment time (5 and 10 h) in 500 Pa pressure. The structure and phases composition of the compound layer was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), microhardness tests, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was observed that ASPN treated samples surface enhanced corrosion resistance while the temperature and/or hole size of screen setup ...
The bullet evidence in the JFK assassination investigation was reexamined from metallurgical and statistical standpoints. The questioned specimens are comprised of soft lead, possibly from full-metal-jacketed Mannlicher-Carcano, 6.5-mm ammunition. During lead refining, contaminant elements are removed to specified levels for a desired alloy or composition. Microsegregation of trace and minor elements during lead casting and processing can account for the experimental variabilities measured in various evidentiary and comparison samples by laboratory analysts. Thus, elevated concentrations of antimony and copper at crystallographic grain boundaries, the widely varying sizes of grains in Mannlicher-Carcano bullet lead, and the 5-60 mg bullet samples analyzed for assassination intelligence effectively resulted in operational sampling error for the analyses. This deficiency was not considered in the original data interpretation and resulted in an ...
The characteristic space-time scales of surface solar radiation fields measured by the 111-instrument ME-SONET in Oklahoma are estimated after removal of the diurnal cycle. These estimates of {open_quotes}within-day{close_quotes} are used to deduce the representativeness of surface solar radiation measurements measurement site as a function of time-averaging interval. Nomograms of the relation between point measurements and area averages are given for different space-time-averaging intervals. Examples from the nomograms show, for instance, that under conditions of low mean radiation (cloudy days), the central site point measurements are representative of a spatial area the size of a T42 GCM grid box (280 km X 280 km) if one uses hourly averages and is willing to accept a correlation of 0.45 between area average and point measurement. The point data represent a 60 km X 60 km region at a 0.90 correlation level if a 5-min time average is used. The characteristic ...
We intend to solve equations governing turbulent plane-vertical isotherm and non isotherm jets by taking into account inflow conditions at the exit of the nozzle. The analysis is focused on the influence of these conditions on this type of flow. Two cases are considered (uniform and parabolic velocity and temperature profiles). A finite difference scheme is developed to solve the governing equations. This numeric model allows us to show that the region of fully developed regime begins much nearer the nozzle for the turbulent case than for the laminar flow case. Indeed, the turbulence increases the mixing between the incoming gas from the nozzle and the ambient fluid, and consequently the size of the potential core zone decreases. The results are compared to other works introducing mathematical variables based on the energy conservation for the case of the mixed convection and the momentum conservation for the forced convection, which allows the ...
In this dissertation, a two-phase, air-droplets, dilute, turbulent, and steady state flow in a horizontal rectangular channel, is modeled and numerically simulated using a modified KIVA-3V code. The deposition of different sizes of droplets on the walls of the channel is also studied. In this model, the interaction effects between the phases (two-way coupling) are considered by source terms in the momentum and energy equations for the continuous phase and by the instantaneous local velocity of the air in the droplet equation of motion, which includes the aerodynamic and gravitational forces. The turbulence is modeled by a k-? model. The interaction effects between the turbulence and the dispersed droplets are also taken into account. The effects of the turbulence on the droplets are modeled by a fluctuating component added to the local air velocity in the droplet equation of motion. The effects of the droplets on the turbulence are modeled by two extra terms in the ...
In a vacuum insulator, the narrow electron beam emitted from the cathode impinges on the anode and raises its temperature and also may produce high thermal stress. This high thermal stress, in conjuction with the surface electrostatic pressure may rupture the surface and detach particles from it. In this thesis, the interaction of high energy electron and laser beams with metals and semiconductors is investigated. The differential equations governing the physical processes involved in the interaction are solved by the finite element method. Effects of beam penetration into the material, variable beam reflectance at the surface, finite beam size and dependence of material properties on temperature are accounted for. The two-phase moving boundary problem, also known as the Stefan problem, is solved by an enthalpy formulation of the heat equation. Material deformation by thermal stresses caused by high temperature gradients and electrostatic ...
The behavior of a small power system consisting of two interconnected generators is simulated in real-time by a prototype Digital Transient Network Analyzer (TNA). The prototype Digital TNA consists of two Computational Modules and one I/O Module. The Modules communicate with each other through ribbon cables. Each Computational Module simulates one Turbo-Generator, its Transformer, its Governor, Exciter, and Power System Stabilizer Systems. The numerical integration is shared by two TMS320C30 DSPs at a step-size of 100 microseconds in real-time. The I/O module post-processes the state variables and presents selected information for analog display. The paper presents oscillograms from a test program which includes symmetry checks and behavioral checks against well known waveforms of hunting oscillations, synchronization out-of-phase torques, and subsynchronous resonance phenomena. The success of the Digital TNA depends on: (a) the theoretical ...
Fresh tree root decomposition induced by tillage is an important source of soil nutrients in agroforestry systems. Here we examined the effects of tree species, root size and soil N enrichment on fresh root decomposition under laboratory conditions. Fresh roots with two diameters (<2 and 2?5?mm) of Populus euramericana cv. ?N3016? (poplar) and Pinus tabulaeformis (pine) collected from agroforestry systems in Northeast China were used in the experiment. For each root treatment, four N levels (0, 50, 100 and 150??g?N g?1 soil) were added. We recognized N concentration and C/N ratio as the root quality variables, and determined decomposition rates as cumulative CO2 production and mass loss. Poplar roots had higher N concentration and lower C/N ratio and decomposed faster than pine roots, and ...
Results from a heavily fouled 19 tube C-E model boiler test to investigate the potential for egg crate corrosion in aggressively fouled AVT chemistry are reported. Substantial support plate and egg crate corrosion was produced in this test. Carbon steel drilled support plates exhibited extensive denting which resulted in flow hole ligament cracking. Corrosion of the carbon steel egg crate, through-wall at areas of tube contact, resulted in denting of the Alloy 600 heat transfer tubes. Corrosion performance of the 409 stainless steel egg crate was improved compared to the carbon steel egg crate although localized through-wall corrosion was noted. The results from the above test and previously reported tests were compared based on the following simplifying assumptions: maximum dent size and/or corrosion penetrations utilized, average bulk water chloride concentrations, pilling bedworth ratios, pot and model boilers data are equivalent, heat flux not significantly ...
An energy analyzer has been constructed and operated in UHV for the purpose of analyzing the energy of neutral atoms scattered from solid surfaces. The analyzer consists of a LiF single crystal located at an angle close to the normal to the sample crystal so that the diffraction pattern obtained by scanning the LiF crystal yields the energy of the scattered atoms. Two designs which have been used are described. The temperature of both sample and analyzer crystal is near 20 K and once cleaned they can be maintained in the state of initial preparation for many weeks. The sample was a (001) Cu surface in this case. Such an energy analyzer can only be used, in most cases, for He atom scattering although Ne atoms could be used if the scattered intensities were adequate. The detector developed in this study is able to detect about 2 x 10"5 atoms/s. The resolution of the spectrometer depends on the incident energy of the atom and is about 1 meV at an incident energy of 23 meV. This resolution ...
We present a proof-of-concept analysis of the measurement of the health damage of ozone (O_3) produced from nitrogen oxides (NO_x=NO+NO_2) emitted by individual large point sources in the eastern United States. We use a regional atmospheric model of the eastern United States, the Comprehensive Air quality Model with Extensions (CAMx), to quantify the variable impact that a fixed quantity of NO_x emitted from individual sources can have on the downwind concentration of surface O_3, depending on temperature and local biogenic hydrocarbon emissions. We also examine the dependence of resulting O_3-related health damages on the size of the exposed population. The investigation is relevant to the increasingly widely used 'cap and trade' approach to NO_x regulation, which presumes that shifts of emission over time and space, holding the total fixed over the course of the summer O_3 season, will have minimal effect on the environmental outcome. By ...
Smoke management in buildings during fire events often uses mechanical ventilation systems to maintain smoke layer elevation above a safe evacuation path. Design of these systems requires accurate correlations for the smoke production rate of the buoyant fire plume. One design issue is the smoke production rate of fire plumes which spill out from a fire compartment, under a balcony and up through an atrium or other large volume. Current engineering correlations for these balcony spill plumes are based on a combination of one-tenth scale test data and theoretical analysis. Questions have arisen over the suitability of these correlations for real-scale designs. A combined program of full-scale experimentation and CFD modeling is being conducted to analyze the accuracy of these correlations. A full-scale experimental facility was constructed with a 5 m by 5 m by 15 m fire compartment connected to a four-story atrium. Propane fires in the compartment produce balcony spill plumes which form ...
Smoke management in buildings during fire events often uses mechanical ventilation systems to maintain smoke layer elevation above a safe evacuation path. Design of these systems requires accurate correlations for the smoke production rate of the buoyant fire plume. One design issue is the smoke production rate of fire plumes which spill out from a fire compartment, under a balcony and up through an atrium or other large volume. Current engineering correlations for these balcony spill plumes are based on a combination of one-tenth scale test data and theoretical analysis. Questions have arisen over the suitability of these correlations for real-scale designs. A combined program of full-scale experimentation and CFD modeling is being conducted to analyze the accuracy of these correlations. A full-scale experimental facility was constructed with a 5 m by 5 m by 15 m fire compartment connected to a four-story atrium. Propane fires in the compartment produce balcony spill plumes which form ...
Purpose/Objective: With the advent of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, the three dimensional representation of the patient anatomy has become an invaluable resource for better diagnosis and delineation of the target volume and sensitive structures in radiation therapy. Although the therapeutic linear accelerator industry has made available highly sophisticated equipment, the aggressiveness in dose prescription and delivery has to be complimented by accurate dose computation methods. We have adopted a convolution/superposition algorithm for the calculation of absolute dose that fully accounts for the external shape and internal structure of the patient for photon treatment radiotherapy. In this paper, we will discuss the principles of the convolution algorithm and we will show how the computed dose compares to clinically relevant treatment techniques. Materials and Methods: A computer controlled data acquisition system and a water tank where used to measure depth ...
Photoaffinity labeling analogs of the adenylate cyclase activator forskolin (PF) have been synthesized, purified and tested for their effect on preparations of membrane-bound, Lubrol solubilized and forskolin affinity-purified adenylate cyclase (AC). All analogs of forskolin significantly activated AC. However, in the presence of 0.1 to 0.3 microM forskolin, the less active forskolin photoaffinity probes at 100 microM caused inhibition. This inhibition was dose-dependent for PF, suggesting that PF may complete with F for the same binding site(s). After cross-linking (125I)PF-M to either membrane or Lubrol-solubilized AC preparations by photolysis, a radiolabeled 100-110 kDa protein band was observed after autoradiography following SDS-PAGE. F at 100 microM blocked the photoradiolabeling of this protein. Radioiodination of forskolin-affinity purified AC showed several protein bands on autoradiogram, however, only one band (Mr = 100-110 kDa) was specifically labeled ...
The implementation of a three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy facility in the radiotherapy department of the Heinrich Heine University is described. Complex radiotherapy techniques with commercially available networked systems are introduced to improve clinical work. Over 18 month we have gained clinical experience with a PHILIPS Multileaf Collimator (MLC) mounted on a SL 25 linear accelerator. For a limited period the MLC was used as a conventional blocking device. The standard MLC-shapes are controlled with a stand-alone computer system. In addition, a three-dimensional treatment planning system (3-D-TPS / TMS-Radix, Helax AB) based on convolution/superposition algorithms was recently installed. Treatment optimization is achieved using static field arrangements with complete volumetric computerized tomographic patient data for 3-D-TPS. Conformal adaptation of the 95%-isodose to the Planning Target Volume (PTV, ICRU 50) results in MLC-field-shaping concerning ...
In situ scanning tunneling microscopy has been used to study the nucleation and growth mechanisms and the structure of passive films formed on Cu(111) surfaces in 0.1 M borate buffer solution (pH 9.3). A surface topography characterized by terraces with monoatomic steps is obtained after potentiodynamic reduction down to {minus}1.12 V/standard hydrogen electrode (SHE), of the electropolished surface exposed to air. The formation of a single Cu{sub 2}O passive layer at 0.03 V/SHE proceeds first by a roughening of the steps assigned to a locally blocked step flow process due to a competition between dissolution and preferential nucleation of the oxide at the steps. The observed oxide nuclei are 2--3 nm wide and about one atomic plane high. This process leads to the complete coverage of the terraces by a grain-like structure of the oxide film. The initial terrace topography is completely altered. Thickening of this oxide layer leads to unstable scanning tunneling ...
Graft copolymers of methyl methacrylate and biodegradable, biocompatible bacterial poly([R]-3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) blocks were synthesized and evaluated as possible constituents in acrylic bone cements for use in orthopaedic applications. The copolymers were produced by conventional free radical copolymerization and incorporated in one commercially available acrylic bone cement brand, Antibiotic Simplex (AKZ). Cements with formulations containing 6.7 and 13.5 wt % of PMMA-graft-PHB were prepared. The morphology of the graft copolymer particles was suggested to influence the ability of the modified cement to be processed. Formulations containing more than about 20 wt % of the graft copolymer resulted in cement doughs that, both after first preparation and several hours later, were either sandy or soft spongy in texture and, thus, would be unacceptable for use in orthopaedic applications. The morphologies of the powders and the volumetric porosity (p) and ultimate ...
With an objective to learn mechanisms in low-rank coal reformation processes, change of properties on coal surface was discussed. Difficulty in handling low-rank coal is attributed to large intrinsic water content. Since it contains highly volatile components, it has a danger of spontaneous ignition. The hot water drying (HWD) method was used for reformation. Coal which has been dry-pulverized to a grain size of 1 mm or smaller was mixed with water to make slurry, heated in an autoclave, cooled, filtered, and dried in vacuum. The HWD applied to Loy Yang and Yallourn coals resulted in rapid rise in pressure starting from about 250{degree}C. Water content (ANA value) absorbed into the coal has decreased largely, with the surface made hydrophobic effectively due to high temperature and pressure. Hydroxyl group and carbonyl group contents in the coal have decreased largely with rising reformation treatment temperature (according to FT-IR measurement). Specific surface ...
A nuclear power plant engineering (NPP) simulator may include many system functions such as thermal-hydraulic calculation, 3D reactor neutron kinetics model, control and protection system, display and operational human-machine interface, intelligent alarm system, etc. If all those functions are simulated using a single code, the size of the program will cause structural or managerial problems, and the hardware requirement could be tremendous. Thus, any local function errors or changes may affect the whole code, which will make development and maintenance extremely costly. So the nondistributed code is not considered to be flexible and feasible. Currently, distributed and parallel technologies have been applied to develop NPPs engineering simulator for safety analysis, verification of advanced main control room display, operation and intelligent alarm design. The distributed simulation divides a huge task into several objects according to different functions. ...
Ever-present water vapor and dust distort or block incoming radiations. ... were among the first scientific sensors to be attached to the earliest space rockets. ...
The design of the absorber blocks for internal and external dumping of the SPS proton beam is discussed. In addition, the external target stations for slow and fast extracted proton beams are described.
... 36 7 Corrugated Steel Pipe Concept Layout--Elevation ..... 37 viii ... revetment. 3. Land Use ... Corner modules and capping blocks are available. ...
BackgroundNonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are commonly used to treat postoperative and chronic pain. Animal studies suggest these drugs act in part by blocking...Full Text Available
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... Those functions are fundamental routines to build a power model for more complex circuits or functional blocks. ... 21 of 54 6. Memory Power Model ...
Heterobarrier blocking structure InGaAlP visible light laser diodes employing a thin active layer (0.04 {mu}m) and asymmetry coatings have been fabricated. The high light-output power operation with this heterobarrier blocking structure was investigated. The light-output power versus cw current curve was linear up to 43 mW and a maximum light output power of 51 mW was obtained. A high-power operation such as 20 mW was maintained at 40 {degree}C. Stable oscillation in the fundamental transverse mode was obtained up to 30 mW. These results show that this heterobarrier blocking structure supplies a sufficient current confinement effect even under a high-light output power operation.
Gelatine is a reliable tissue simulant in wound ballistic experiments. The projectile penetrating the gelatine transfers energy and causes radial cracks according to the temporary cavity. Thus the crack length is a function of the energy spent in the medium. In practice the fissures are poorly contrasted for which reason an enhancement of contrast was searched. A series of six shoots with expanding bullets (9mmx19 Action-5, 9mmx19 Quick Defense 1, 5.56mmx45 Styx Action) was realized on 10% gelatine blocks at 4^oC temperature. Three blocks were marked with acryl paint on the front, three blocks were shot native. The blocks were cut in slices of 1cm thickness and optically scanned. The evaluation was performed according to Fackler's wound profile, the total crack length method and the polygo...
... irispectors to operate or Soviet territory. They exr-essed this reluctarice ir interniat ionai law terms, claimirig that inspect ior act ivit ies ...
This guide describes the simulator`s governing equations, constitutive functions and numerical solution algorithms of the STOMP (Subsurface Transport Over Multiple Phases) simulator, a scientific tool for analyzing multiple phase subsurface flow and transport. The STOMP simulator`s fundamental purpose is to produce numerical predictions of thermal and hydrologic flow and transport phenomena in variably saturated subsurface environments, which are contaminated with volatile or nonvolatile organic compounds. Auxiliary applications include numerical predictions of solute transport processes including radioactive chain decay processes. In writing these guides for the STOMP simulator, the authors have assumed that the reader comprehends concepts and theories associated with multiple-phase hydrology, heat transfer, thermodynamics, radioactive chain decay, and nonhysteretic relative permeability, saturation-capillary pressure constitutive functions. The authors further ...
Damage and cyclic fatigue failure under alternating loading in transformation-toughened zirconia ceramics is reviewed and compared to corresponding behavior under quasi-static loading (static fatigue). Current understanding of the role of transformation toughening in influencing cyclic fatigue-crack propagation behavior is examined based on studies which altered the extent of the tetragonal-to-monoclinic phase transformation in MG-PSZ through subeutectoid aging. These studies suggest that near-tip computations of the crack-driving force (in terms of the local stress intensity) can be used to predict crack-growth behavior under constant amplitude and variable-amplitude (spectrum) loading, using spatially resolved Raman spectroscopy to measure the extent of the transformation zones. In addition, results are reviewed which rationalize distinctions between the crack-growth behavior of preexisting, long'' (> 2 mm), through-thickness cracks and ...
In our previous study, we have estimated the level of human exposure to dioxins (PCDDs, PCDFs, and Dioxin like PCBs) in Japan based on dioxins monitoring data and results of total diet studies (TDS) in fiscal 2000 (April 2000- March 2001). It has been reported that the national PCDDs/DFs emission in 2001 against the 1997 level has been reduced by approximately 77% In addition, reduction of environmental levels was reported. The enforcement of Japan's Law Concerning Special Measures against Dioxins has significant impact on the reduction of the average dioxins concentrations in the ambient air. Therefore, the transitions of Japanese dioxins exposure levels in recent years are worthy of attention. In order to determine exposure level in fiscal 2001, collection and compilation for surveillance results derived from the regular environmental monitoring under the law as well as other dioxins surveys by national and local governmental bodies were continued, and the data were ...
Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) has variable degree of F-18 FDG avidity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between F-18 FDG uptake and pathological or immunohistochemical features of DTC. DTC patients who underwent both pre-operative F-18 FDG PET/CT scan and surgery were included in the study. Maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) of primary tumor were calculated. If the primary tumor showed no perceptibly increased F-18 FDG uptake, region of interest was drawn based on finding of CT portion of the PET/CT images. Pathological and immunohistochemical markers such as presence of lymph node (LN) metastasis and underlying thyroiditis, tumor size, Ki-67 labeling index, expressions of EGFR, COX-2, and Galectin-3 were evaluated. Total of 106 patients was included (102 papillary carcinomas, 4 follicular carcinomas). The mean SUVmax of the large tumors (above 1 cm) was significantly higher than the mean SUVmax of small ...
The distribution of radiation dose commitments within the body that can result from the lung deposition of a number of transuranic radionuclides ("2"3"7Pu, "2"3"8Pu, "2"3"9Pu, "2"4"0Pu, "2"4"1Pu, "2"4"2Pu, "2"4"3Pu, "2"4"4Pu, "2"4"1Am, "2"4"2Am, "2"4"3Am, "2"4"4Am, "2"4"2Cm, "2"4"3Cm, "2"4"4Cm, and "2"4"6Cm) was calculated. The variables that influence these organ dose commitments include the mobility of the particle or its dissolution products within the body, the radiation characteristics of the inhaled radionuclides and their progeny, and the size of the particles inhaled. In the calculation of organ dose commitments for whole-body, lungs, liver, bone tissues, kidneys, and gastrointestinal tract from the inhalation of transuranium radionuclides, physical characteristics of importance are the dimensions of the particle, its aerodynamic properties, and its density. For particles within the respirable size range, a useful ...
The quasi-static normal indentation of sandwich panels with quasi-isotropic laminated composite skins and honeycomb or foam cores, by spherical indentors, has been investigated using experiments and finite element analysis. The experimental program emphasized the effects of indentor size on the resulting load indentation responses, failure mechanisms in the skin and the core, and the measurement of contact areas between indentor and the target. The sandwich panels were indented up to the initiation of skin fracture and the resulting contact data was used to characterize contact power laws. A non-linear finite element model was developed based on the experimental observations to systematically explore the indentation behavior of diverse sandwich configurations and to investigate the contact pressure distributions. The finite element model was used as an experimental tool in the development of a simple non-dimensional semi-empirical model that was based on the ...
Complete text of publication follows. In order to extend the capabilities of the electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source (ECRIS) of ATOMKI it has been transformed into a special plasma facility [1,2]. The transformation is reversible and was simply done by changing several main components of the ion source by new ones, namely: the hexapole magnet, the plasma chamber and the microwave source. The basic requirements of the transformation were: (1) most parts of the present ECRIS should be used in the new assembly in the same way and (2) the transformation time between the two operation modes should not be more than 2-3 days (in both directions). The following sub-systems are used identically in both configurations: solenoid coils, vacuum system, gas dosing system, ovens, probes. The extraction optics and beam transport system can also be used in the new configuration to check the components and charge-state of the plasma. A new, large, but unusually thin cylindrical NdFeB hexapole ...
Attention is given to the folowing topics: population I and II variable stars; LP variables, the sun, and mass determination; and predegenerate and degenerate variables. Particular papers are presented on alternative evolutionary approaches to the absolute magnitude of the RR Lyrae variables; the evolution of the Cepheid stars; nonradial pulsations in rapidly rotating Delta Scuti stars; dynamical models of dust shells around Mira variables; and pulsations of central stars of planetary nebulae.
The synthesis and structures of acyclic and macrocyclic thio-, seleno- and telluro-ether complexes of the metallic and metalloid elements of Groups 13-16 reported since 2000 are described. The diverse structures range from discrete monomers through to infinite 1-, 2- or 3-D polymers. The coordination chemistry in this area is quite different to familiar d-block chemistry and the underlying factors are explored. PMID:21706103
How far can a stack of $n$ identical blocks be made to hang over the edge of a table? The question dates back to at least the middle of the 19th century and the answer to it was widely believed to be of order $\\log n$. Recently, Paterson and Zwick constructed $n$-block stacks with overhangs of order $n^{1/3}$, exponentially better than previously thought possible. We show here that order $n^{1/3}$ is indeed best possible, resolving the long-standing overhang problem up to a constant factor.
The purpose of this invention is to assure operating reliability of a Mandrel head in tubes of various diameters. This goal is achieved in that it is equipped with movable expanding sectors, which are installed on a rigid conical plunger dye. It is also equipped with spring-loaded conical slides blocks which are installed on a shaft. The upper ends of the sectors of the sectorial head are attached by hinges to a rigid cone shaped plunger dye. The lower ends are installed with the possibility of interacting with the slide blocks.
Information technology plays an important role in medicine because of the advanced decision support systems (DSS) it can provide. We provide an overview of the building blocks necessary for a medical decision support system and introduce seven research articles in this special issue that describe the development and evaluation of individual medical DSS building blocks or complete medical DSS.
A special purpose hardware machine, which simulates up to one half-million gates and 2m byte RAM ICS at a 5 millisecond clock speed is described. This is accomplished with a hardware logic (HAL) simulator. This performance is achieved with 32 distributed special parallel processors, which utilize block oriented simulation technique. The technique promises a good cost hardware logic simulator. 7 references.
Background and AimsIt is well known that genome size differs among species. However, information on the variation and dynamics of genome size in wild populations and on the early...Full Text Available
The influence of material configuration and impact parameters on the damage tolerance characteristics of sandwich composites comprised of carbon-epoxy woven fabric facesheets and Nomex honeycomb cores was investigated using empirically based response surfaces. A series of carefully selected tests were used to isolate the coupled influence of various combinations of the number of facesheet plies, core density, core thickness, impact energy, impactor diameter, and impact velocity on the damage formation and residual strength degradation due to normal impact. The ranges of selected material parameters were typical of those found in common aircraft applications. The diameter of the planar damage area associated with Through Transmission Ultrasonic C-scan measurements and the peak residual facesheet indentation depth were used to describe the extent of internal and detectable surface damage, respectively. Standard analysis of variance techniques were used to assess the significance of the ...
Greenland is the world's largest island, with an area of 2.2 million square kilometres, 80 % of which is covered by the ice sheet. The climate is Arctic, but as Greenland stretches 2600 km from north to south, there is a huge variability in climate, with temperature decreasing from south to north. Due to the influence of oceanic currents, the west coast is slightly warmer than the east coast. Precipitation also decreases strongly from the south to the north, and also with distance from the coast. Kangerlussuaq is located in the dry, continental area of central west Greenland. The bedrock of Greenland is dominated by Precambrian gneisses, with sedimentary rocks occurring in some areas of East and North Greenland, and smaller areas of basalts. All of Greenland has been glaciated several times and has thus been eroded and shaped by the ice, as it still is at the ice margin. Soils are generally thin, and especially in the gneiss regions rather poor in plant nutrients. ...
Body size variation across the Metazoa is immense, encompassing 17 orders of magnitude in biovolume. Factors driving this extreme diversification in size and the consequences of size variation for biological...Full Text Available
Mineral deposition or alteration is commonly found at fracture-block interfaces is fissured, geothermal reservoirs. In response to pressure reduction in the fissures such mineralization, if less permeable than the matrix rock, will retard the flow of fluid from the blocks to the fissures and is termed fracture skin in this paper. The problem of fluid flow to a production well in a double-porosity reservoir with fracture skin was analyzed theoretically. One of the findings of the analysis was that fully transient block-to-fissure flow can be approximated by pseudo-steady state flow if fracture skin permeability is sufficiently low. Type curves generated by numerical inversion of Laplace transform solutions are used to cooroborate the results of a finite-difference model of steam transport to a well in a naturally fissured, geothermal reservoir with fracture skin.
PurposeThe behavior of trigeminocardiac reflex (TCR) during maxillofacial surgeries has not yet been sufficiently studied and knowledge of its behavior is limited to some case reports. The present study aimed to assess the occurrence of TCR in bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy and to determine the possible effect of Gow-Gates block on its incidence. Materials and MethodsTwenty candidates for bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy (included were American Society of Anesthesiologists I Class III patients with a prognathism of 3 to 5 mm) were given routine general anesthesia after at least 12 hours of fasting. All patients received Gow-Gates mandibular nerve block on 1 random side (case ramus; the other side was used as the control) after induction of general anesthesia before surger...
An intake system is described for a direct fuel injection diesel engine having a cylinder block, at least one cylinder in the cylinder block, a piston in the cylinder having a recess on a top surface thereof, a cylinder head mounted on the cylinder block on top of the cylinder, a fuel injector adapted to directly inject fuel into a combustion chamber formed between the lower side of the cylinder head and the recess on the top surface of the piston, and below the injector, and a single exhaust passage opening to the combustion chamber at a location near the injector, the intake system comprising first and second intake passages in the cylinder head, the first and second intake passages are independent of each other and adapted to introduce air into the combustion chamber. The controller means are coupled to the second intake passage for controlling the flow of air therethrough.
We report on the formation of current blocking regions by O2 plasma treatment to reduce current crowding at the active region above the p-type electrodes of GaN-based vertical light emitting diodes (LEDs). The forward voltage and reverse current (at -5 V) of the plasma-treated LEDs slightly increase with increasing aging time. The output power (at 350 mA) of the plasma-treated LEDs is enhanced by 26% as compared to that of reference LEDs and is comparable to that of LEDs with SiO2 current blocking layers. It is shown that the output power (at 700 mA) of the plasma-treated LEDs is degraded by less than 2% of the initial value after 500 h.
This report summarizes the results of a research programme which involves the development of a laboratory experimental facility for the simulation and study of hydro-thermo-mechanical processes in saturated geomaterials with low permeability. The experimentation involves a synthetic cement based porous material made of cement grout which possesses permeabilities in the range of dense unfractured sandstones or shale. Specially manufactured pore-pressure transducers were installed within the cylindrical block at locations adjacent to a plane free boundary. The block was saturated with the periodic application of a vacuum. In its saturated state the plane boundary of the block was subjected to heating via a circular heater the temperature of which was maintained constant. The resulting pore pressure generation along with temperature at these locations was monitored continuously. The results of a series of experiments are ...
Spatial skills are a central component of intellect and show marked individual differences. There is evidence that variations in the spatial language young children hear, which directs their attention to important aspects of the spatial environment, may be one of the mechanisms that contributes to these differences. To investigate how play affects variations in language, parents and children were assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: free play with blocks, guided play, or play with preassembled structures (Study 1). Parents in the guided play condition produced significantly higher proportions of spatial talk than parents in the other two conditions, and children in the guided play condition produced significantly more spatial talk than those in the free play condition. Study 2 established baseli...
A common property of aging in all animals is that chronologically and genetically identical individuals age at different rates. To unveil mechanisms that influence aging variability, we identified markers...Full Text Available
Variability in motor performance decreases with practice but is never entirely eliminated, due in part to inherent motor noise. The present study develops a method that quantifies how performers...Full Text Available
BackgroundDue to the increased accuracy of Copy Number Variable region (CNV) break point mapping, it is now possible to say with a reasonable degree of confidence whether a gene...Full Text Available
Operation of an X-ray spectrometer based on a spherical variable-line-spacing (VLS) grating is analyzed using dedicated ray-tracing software allowing fast optimization of the grating parameters and...Full Text Available
This work reports the design of and experimentation with a topographically patterned cell culture substrate of variable local density and anisotropy as a facile and efficient platform to guide...Full Text Available
BackgroundVariable platelet response to clopidogrel has been widely observed. Studies have shown that the mean aggregation response to clopidogrel can be changed...Full Text Available
BackgroundIn cancer research, most clinical variables have already been investigated and are now well established. The use of transcriptomic variables has raised two problems: restricting...Full Text Available
A common approach used to fuse simultaneously recorded EEG and fMRI is to correlate trial-by-trial variability in the EEG, or variability of components derived therefrom, with the blood oxygenation...Full Text Available
Recent developments in the analysis of Mira atmosphere, the determination of the pulsation mode, the problem of mass loss, and the evolution of the Mira variables are covered. Model atmospheres for Mira variables, including the opacities of the molecules expected in very late M-type atmospheres are discussed. The pulsation constant for Omicron Ceti is evaluated using T(eff) = 2900 + or - 200 K, and it is concluded that Miras are fundamental mode pulsators. The importance of molecular opacity to the driving of mass loss is evaluated, and it is pointed out that the radiation pressure on molecules is not a major factor in driving mass loss from Mira. Mass loss is considered as a factor in the calculations of the periods for Mira variables. 30 refs.
A theory of the asymptotic functions for the case of many variables is presented. It is shown that the class F(R"N) of these generalized functions is closed in respect to the linear algebraic and analytic operations, multiplication as well as a set of linear and polynomial changes of the variables. The existence in F(R"N) of analogues (consistent with the linear operations) of the Schwartz distributions with point support is proved. In terms of these analogues, some formulae for singular products and changes of variables of the Dirac #delta#-function and its derivatives #delta#"("i")(x), x is an element of R"N, are given. (author). 14 refs.
Success in improving hydropower project efficiency has opened more global markets for variable-speed generator technology. Manufacturers continue to test the markets as the technology evolves. The potential of variable-speed application becomes evident considering that more than 150 pumped storage plants, with a combined capacity exceeding 100,000 MW, are in operation globally.
Based on proposed models for the tidal spin-up and magnetic braking of stars with a convective outer envelope, it is suggested that the rotation of secondaries in cataclysmic variables is not necessarily synchronized with the orbital revolution. This may provide an explanation for the observed large range in the mass transfer rate (at the same orbital period) of cataclysmic variables above the period gap. (author).
In this paper, we derive the moderate deviation principle for stationary sequences of bounded random variables with values in a Hilbert space. The conditions obtained are expressed in terms of martingale-type conditions. The main tools are martingale approximations and a new Hoeffding inequality for non adpated sequences of Hilbert-valued random variables. Applications to Cramer-Von Mises statistics, functions of linear processes and stable Markov chains are given.
This paper examines how robust economic, political, and demographic variables are related to water and air pollution. Employing Bayesian Averaging of Classical Estimates (BACE) for a cross section of 47 countries, 34 variables and 3 proxies for air and water pollution over a period from 1980 to 2000 we confirm the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis and highlight the relevance of variables that are not directly related to production.
In recent years there has been a renewed interest in the treatment of quantum mechanics in terms of joint distribution functions, i.e. functions of momentum and position coordinates p and q. The author considers j.d.f. in the sense of classical probability theory of a stochastic variable. The j.d.f. is then interpreted as the probability that the variables p and q have certain values, the variables being considered as a property possessed by the object system. This formalism is used to provide a unified description of bradyons and tachyons. (Auth.).
The authors summarize EUVE's contribution to the study of the boundary layer emission of high accretion-rate nonmagnetic cataclysmic variables, especially the dwarf novae SS Cyg, U Gem, VW Hyi, and OY Car in outburst. They discuss the optical and EUV light curves of dwarf nova outbursts, the quasi-coherent oscillations of the EUV flux of SS Cyg, the EUV spectra of dwarf novae, and the future of EUV observations of cataclysmic variables.
Respiration and related physiologic variables in different tissues of Barytelphusa guerini and the respiration of this freshwater crab as a whole are closely synchronized in phase and in frequency along the circadian scale, in the face of large differences in circadian amplitude. A very close timing of most of the 36 variables examined in 2 separate circadian profiles and a modulation of some of these variables in added profiles as a function of lunar stage are clearly demonstrable, statistically significant and illustrative of time relations at 2 interacting frequencies. PMID:6745009
In the last two decades, due to increased inspection demands, eddy current instrumentation has advanced from single-frequency, single-output instruments to multifrequency, computer-aided systems. This has significantly increased the scope of eddy current testing, but, unfortunately, it has also increased the cost and complexity of inspections. In addition, this approach has not always improved defect detectability or signal-to-noise. Most eddy current testing applications are still performed with impedance probes, which have well known limitations. However, recent research at AECL has led to improved eddy current inspections through the design and development of transmit-receive (T/R) probes. T/R eddy current probes, with laterally displaced transmit and receive coils, present a number of advantages over impedance probes. They have improved signal-to-noise ratio in the presence of variable lift-off compared to impedance probes. They have strong directional ...
The IPIRG-2 program was an international group program managed by the US NRC and funded by organizations from 15 nations. The emphasis of the IPIRG-2 program was the development of data to verify fracture analyses for cracked pipes and fittings subjected to dynamic/cyclic load histories typical of seismic events. The scope included: (1) the study of more complex dynamic/cyclic load histories, i.e., multi-frequency, variable amplitude, simulated seismic excitations, than those considered in the IPIRG-1 program, (2) crack sizes more typical of those considered in Leak-Before-Break (LBB) and in-service flaw evaluations, (3) through-wall-cracked pipe experiments which can be used to validate LBB-type fracture analyses, (4) cracks in and around pipe fittings, such as elbows, and (5) laboratory specimen and separate effect pipe experiments to provide better insight into the effects of dynamic and cyclic load histories. Also undertaken were an ...
In this paper, we report on a comparative study of active screen plasma nitriding (ASPN) and conventional dc plasma nitriding (CPN) behavior of 30CrNiMo8 low-alloy steel that has been examined under various process conditions. The process variables included active screen setup parameters (screen and iron plate top lids placed on the screen setup with 8 mm of hole size), treatment temperature (550 and 580 deg. C), gas mixture (75/25 and 25/75 of N{sub 2}/H{sub 2}) and treatment time (5 and 10 h) in 500 Pa pressure. The structure and phases composition of the diffusion zone and compound layer were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), microhardness tests, light optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was observed that treated sample surfaces in both CPN and ASPN methods consist of {gamma}' and {epsilon} phases, and while the nitriding time and/or temperature increases, the intensity of {epsilon} phase in the compound ...
In this paper, we report on a comparative study of active screen plasma nitriding (ASPN) and conventional dc plasma nitriding (CPN) behavior of 30CrNiMo8 low-alloy steel that has been examined under various process conditions. The process variables included active screen setup parameters (screen and iron plate top lids placed on the screen setup with 8 mm of hole size), treatment temperature (550 and 580 deg. C), gas mixture (75/25 and 25/75 of N_2/H_2) and treatment time (5 and 10 h) in 500 Pa pressure. The structure and phases composition of the diffusion zone and compound layer were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), microhardness tests, light optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was observed that treated sample surfaces in both CPN and ASPN methods consist of #gamma#' and #epsilon# phases, and while the nitriding time and/or temperature increases, the intensity of #epsilon# phase in the compound layer will increase ...
This paper describes a 1993 field experiment entitled Marine Aerosol Properties and Thermal Imager Performance Trial (MAPTIP) conducted by NATO AC/243 Panel 04/RSG.8 and 04/RSG.5 in the Dutch coastal waters. Objectives were: to improve and validate vertical marine aerosol models by providing an extensive set of aerosol and meteorological measurements, within a coastal environment at different altitudes and for a range of meteorological conditions; make aerosol and meteorological observations in the first 10 m of the ocean surface with a view to extending existing aerosol models to incorporate near-surface effects; and to assess marine boundary layer effects on thermal Imaging systems. Aerosol and meteorological instruments, as well as thermal imagers and calibrated targets, were utilized. This network of instrumentation has provided a comprehensive database of aerosol size distribution profiles and relevant meteorological variables throughout ...
The resident bald eagles of the lower Columbia River have lower productivity and higher contaminant levels than other bald eagles of the Pacific Northwest. The primary population stressors are believed to be habitat loss, human disturbance, p,p{prime}DDE, PCBs, dioxins and furans. The primary effect of habitat loss is to reduce the carrying capacity of the region for nesting sites, and the primary effects of human disturbance and contamination by organic compounds are to reduce productivity. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the effects of all of, these potential stressors on the bald eagle population dynamics. A model of the population dynamics was developed. The model structure includes a physiologically-based toxicokinetic (PBTK) submodel to estimate the degree of contamination, which is linked via a toxicology submodel to a population dynamics submodel. The PBTK submodel is time-variable, incorporating species-specific bioenergetics, as ...
Combinations of exposure concentrations, durations and frequencies were tested in four-week inhalation exposures followed by two weeks of recovery to define the interactive effects of these variables on biologic responses and to select the most-sensitive biologic response parameters for the subsequent subchronic studies. Response surface modeling was used for the experimental design and statistical analysis of the data. Results of preliminary testing suggested that exposure duration and frequency did not have major effects. Subsequently, male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed in separate studies to RP/BR aerosols ranging from 0.40 to 1.20 mg/1 or to filtered air for 2.25 hr/day on four days/week for four weeks. Test-atmosphere monitoring data demonstrated that aerosol concentrations were consistently within 4% of the target values and mean particle size ranged from 0.44-0.64 ..mu..m with mean sigma g's of 1.66-1.97. During ...
Radiation hardening in austenitic stainless steels is shown to modify deformation characteristics and correlate well with an increased susceptibility to intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC). Available data on neutron-irradiated materials have been analyzed and correlations developed between fluence, yield strength and cracking susceptibility in high-temperature water environments. Large heat-to-heat differences in the critical fluence (0.2 to 2.5 x10"2"1 n/cm"2) for IGSCC are documented. In many cases, this variability is consistent with yield strength differences among irradiated materials. IGSCC correlates better to yield strength than to fluence for most heats suggesting a possible role of radiation-induced hardening and microstructure on cracking. Microstructural evolution during proton and heavy-ion irradiation has been characterized in low-carbon 304SSs. Hardening results from a dispersion of dislocation loops in the matrix which increase in ...
The chemical composition and evolution of produced waters associated with gas production in the Palm Valley gas field, Northern Territory, has important implications for issues such as gas reserve calculations, reservoir management and saline water disposal. The occurrence of saline formation water in the Palm Valley field has been the subject of considerable debate. There were no occurrences of mobile water early in the development of the field and only after gas production had reduced the reservoir pressure, was saline formation water produced. Initially this was in small quantities but has increased dramatically with time, particularly after the initiation of compression in November 1996. The produced waters range from highly saline (up to 300,000 mg/L TDS), with unusual enrichments in Ca, Ba and Sr, to low salinity fluids that may represent condensate waters. The Sr isotopic compositions of the waters ({sup 87}Sr/{sup 86}Sr = 0.7041-0.7172) are also variable ...
The chemical composition and evolution of produced waters associated with gas production in the Palm Valley gas field, Northern Territory, has important implications for issues such as gas reserve calculations, reservoir management and saline water disposal. The occurrence of saline formation water in the Palm Valley field has been the subject of considerable debate. There were no occurrences of mobile water early in the development of the field and only after gas production had reduced the reservoir pressure, was saline formation water produced. Initially this was in small quantities but has increased dramatically with time, particularly after the initiation of compression in November 1996. The produced waters range from highly saline (up to 300,000 mg/L TDS), with unusual enrichments in Ca, Ba and Sr, to low salinity fluids that may represent condensate waters. The Sr isotopic compositions of the waters ("8"7Sr/"8"6Sr = 0.7041-0.7172) are also variable but do not ...
Data produced by large scale scientific simulations, experiments, and observations can easily reach tera-bytes in size. The ability to examine data-sets of this magnitude, even in moderate detail, is problematic at best. Generally this scientific data consists of multivariate field quantities with complex inter-variable correlations and spatial-temporal structure. To provide scientists and engineers with the ability to explore and analyze such data sets we are using a twofold approach. First, we model the data with the objective of creating a compressed yet manageable representation. Second, with that compressed representation, we provide the user with the ability to query the resulting approximation to obtain approximate yet sufficient answers; a process called adhoc querying. This paper is concerned with a wavelet modeling technique that seeks to capture the important physical characteristics of the target scientific data. Our approach is ...
Laser safety standards and eye protection (filters) are designed to limit ocular exposures to prevent retinal lesions, yet eyesafe laser exposures can disrupt vision by causing glare and flashblindness. Protective filters can have opposing effects on vision function. They reduce laser exposures but also reduce task luminance and contrast. Filters alone may interfere with vision and consequently reduce work safety and performance. It is therefore important to be able to predict the effects of both laser exposures and protective filters to assess trade-offs between protection and visual function. This paper briefly reviews the methods, concepts, and experimental database used in our laboratory to predict laser, filter, and laser-plus-filter effects on tasks involving visual detection. The modeling approach uses estimates of the spatial distribution of light in the retinal image of the laser source to predict glare, flashblindness, and retinal lesions. It also considers the non-uniformity ...
The physical structure of a limestone or dolomite to be used in in-bed sulfur capture in fluidized bed boilers has great impact on the efficiency of sulfur capture and sorbent use. Therefore in process optimization and model calculations parameters describing the pore structure of these sorbents must be included. In this study an unreacted shrinking core model with variable effective diffusivity is applied to sulfation test data from a pressurized thermogravimetric apparatus (P-TGA) for various limestone and dolomite samples. The particle size was 250--300 {micro}m for all sorbents. The tests were done under typical conditions for a pressurized fluidized bed combustor, i.e. 850 C or 950 C, 15 bar, and were reported earlier at the 12th International Conference on Fluidized Bed Combustion. At these conditions the limestone remains uncalcined, while the dolomite is half-calcined. The sorbents were characterized by chemical composition analysis, ...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility and the optimal conditions of radiofrequency (RF) ablation by using the stent-type electrode upon the saphenous vein of goats for the endovenous treatment of varicose veins. A self-expandable nitinol stent electrode (6 mm diameter, 2 cm length, cell size; 1.3 x 2 mm) was designed to expose the distal 1 cm segment to allow for contact with the venous wall. The proximal part of the electrode was connected to the RF generator by insulated copper wires located within the stent electrode introducer. Initially, to optimize the power setting, ablation of 6 saphenous veins in 3 goats was performed with power settings of 10, 20 and 30 W. Pull back rate of the electrode was 2 and 4 cm/min for each power level, respectively. The goats were sacrificed 4-6 weeks later and histologic examinations of the saphenous veins were done. For the second part of the experiment, RF ablation of 4 saphenous veins from 2 goats was ...
The processes of lung growth, injury, and repair are characterized by alterations in fibroblast synthesis and interstitial distribution of extracellular matrix components. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), which is postulated to play a role in modulating lung repair, alters the distribution of several matrix components such as collagen and fibronectin. We studied the effect of TGF-beta on the synthesis and distribution of the various glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and whether these effects may explain its role in lung repair. Human diploid lung fibroblasts (IMR-90) were exposed to various concentrations of TGF-beta (0-5 nM) for variable periods of time (0-18 h). Newly synthesized GAGs were labeled with either (3H)glucosamine or (35S)sulfate. Individual GAGs were separated by size exclusion chromatography after serial enzymatic and chemical digestions and quantitated using scintillation counting. There was a dose-dependent increase in total ...
L-[3-"1"8F]-#alpha#-methyltyrosine ("1"8F-FMT) is an amino-acid tracer for positron-emission tomography (PET). We have conducted a clinicopathologic study to elucidate the correlation of angiogenesis with "1"8F-FMT and 2-["1"8F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ("1"8F-FDG) uptake in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Thirty-seven NSCLC patients were enrolled in this study, and two PET studies with "1"8F-FMT and "1"8F-FDG were performed. Uptake of PET tracers was evaluated with standardized uptake value. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), CD31, CD34, L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) and Ki-67 labeling index of the resected tumors were analyzed by immunohistochemical staining, and correlated with the clinicopathologic variables and the uptake of PET tracers. The median VEGF rate was 45% (range, 10-78%). High expression was seen in 30 patients (81%, 30/37). VEGF expression was statistically associated with progressively growing microvessel count. ...
Large amounts of atmospheric dust are lifted from the North African deserts and are transported by the trade winds over the Caribbean region, especially during the summer months. How African dust particles influence the earth's radiative budget is not well understood because these particles are highly variable and their physical, optical, and chemical properties are poorly characterized, especially when they are atmospherically processed as are those that travel from Africa to the Caribbean region. Here we present results of aerosol measurements performed at Cape San Juan (CPR), a ground-based station located at the northeastern tip of the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. We used a condensation particle counter to determine the particle number concentration, a sunphotometer (part of the AErosol RObotical NETwork, AERONET, aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov) to determine volume size distributions and aerosol optical thickness, and a 3-wavelength ...
A study was performed to investigate the size of pharyngeal cavity and sexual differences between Korean adult mal e and female by introducing linear analysis of the lateral cephalogram. The radiograms were composed of 46 adult male aged 24.64 and 52 adult female aged 22.74 respectively. In order to study and measure the pharyngeal area, the following skeletal landmarks were selected: S,N,A,Ptm, B,H,H', M ,S-N, FH and CV, and the angle CV-FH was measured to provide a factor for correction of error resulting from improper he ad positioning of subjects, especially in the relative positions of A and H, while radiography. All points to be measured were projected at right angles to the Frankfort plane. For the purpose of measuring the anteroposterior dimensions of pharyngeal cavity the distances were measured in A-Ptm, A-S, S-Ptm and CV-H, and vertical measurements were made in SN-A, SN-PNS, SN-H' and M-H. The obtained results were as follows: 1. The pharyngeal cavity ...
Femur fractures typically affect elderly patients with multiple co-morbidities. Pain control can be difficult, requiring intensive nursing and physician care as elderly patients may manifest cardiovascular...Full Text Available
How does complex social behavior evolve? What are the developmental building blocks of division of labor and specialization, the hallmarks of insect societies? Studies have revealed the developmental...Full Text Available
The disulfide-reduced form of bovine ribonuclease A (RNAse A), with the Cys thiols irreversibly blocked, was characterized by small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS). To help resolve the conflicting...Full Text Available
PURPOSEThe purpose of this study was to compare the linear sintering behavior of presintered zirconia blocks of various densities. The mechanical properties of the resulting sintered...Full Text Available
Malaria parasites must undergo a round of sexual reproduction in the blood meal of a mosquito vector to be transmitted between hosts. Developing a transmission-blocking intervention to prevent parasites...Full Text Available
BackgroundUnderstanding the interactions between ion channels and blockers remains an important goal that has implications for delineating the basic mechanisms of ion channel function...Full Text Available
Dopaminergic (DA) neurons of the mammalian midbrain exhibit unusually low firing frequencies in vitro. Furthermore, injection of depolarizing current induces depolarization block before high...Full Text Available
A series of studies conducted to identify the factors that block and unblock problem solving is described. Through the construction of an isomorph of the classic "water jar" problems developed by A. S. Luchins (1942) as a dynamic graphic micro-world, several factors involved in producing blocked states were identified. Subjects included 10 individuals and 10 pairs of subjects. By comparing the behavior of individuals tackling the "missionaries and cannibals" problem to that of pairs of subjects solving this problem, a study identified means by which problem solvers operating in a social context are able to overcome blocks that discourage individuals. These studies point to the importance of "reflection" (evaluation of problem-solving results) for flexible problem solving. This research suggests that teaching students to analyze what they have done will help them develop flexibility in using a new approach when ...
The T-loop motif is an important recurrent RNA structural building block consisting of a U-turn sub-motif and a UA trans Watson–Crick/Hoogsteen base pair. In the presence of...Full Text Available
Liquid pipeline codes generally stipulate placement of block valves along liquid transmission pipelines such as on each side of major river crossings where environmental hazards could cause or are foreseen to potentially cause serious consequences. Codes, however, do not stipulate any requirement for block valve spacing for low vapour pressure petroleum transportation, nor for remote pipeline valve operations to reduce spills. A review of pipeline codes for valve requirement and spill limitation in high consequence areas is thus presented along with a criteria for an acceptable spill volume that could be caused by pipeline leak/full rupture. A technique for deciding economically and technically effective pipeline block valve automation for remote operation to reduce oil spilled and control of hazards is also provided. In this review, industry practice is highlighted and application of the criteria for maximum permissible ...
The use of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty is limited by procedural complications and the serious drawback of restenosis, but some new techniques have been developed in an attempt to...Full Text Available
Neutral endopeptidase 24.11 (NEP, CD10) is a cell-surface enzyme expressed by prostatic epithelial cells that cleaves and inactivates neuropeptides implicated in the growth of androgen-independent prostate...Full Text Available
Local anesthetics are able to induce pain relief by binding to the sodium channels of excitable membranes, blocking the influx of sodium ions and the propagation of the nervous impulse. Ropivacaine...Full Text Available
Searching for the structural requirements improving the potency and the stereoselectivity of Na+ channel blockers as antimyotonic agents, new...Full Text Available
Vegetable oils such as soybean oil will be converted to novel polymers using hydroformylation and other catalytic processes. These polymers can be used in the construction, automotive, packaging, and electronic sectors.
BackgroundFourier Transform Infrared Imaging (FTIRI) is used to investigate the amide anisotropies at different surfaces of a three-dimensional cartilage or tendon block. With the...Full Text Available
Under a cooperative agreement, the Bureau of Mines, Magma Copper Co., and ASARCO, Inc., tested backfilled ground support systems at two elevations in Magma's San Manuel, AZ, mine. The tests were mainly for guidance in designing the loading crosscuts of th...
The question of whether proteins originate from random sequences of amino acids is addressed. A statistical analysis is performed in terms of blocked and random walk values formed by binary hydrophobic...Full Text Available
A procedure has been developed for judging one-pile foundations for wind turbines. It appears that these foundations are good alternatives for block foundations. It is recommended to develop a program for testing one-pile foundations and to carry out a further research into their dynamic behavior.
Background:During transurethral resection surgery (TUR), accidental stimulation of the obturator nerve can cause violent adductor contraction, leading to serious intraoperative...Full Text Available
Several theories have proposed a functional role for synchronous neuronal firing in generating the neural code of a sensory perception. Synchronous neural activity develops during a critical...Full Text Available
CF-23“The biggest stumbling block for biological sciences turned out to be synthetic organic chemistry” – Elias A. Zerhouni, Former NIH Director in Chemical...Full Text Available
child becomes unresponsive, stops breathing, or turns blue: Shout for help. Give infant CPR. Call 911 after one minute of CPR. If you can SEE the object blocking the airway, try...
Unfamiliar male meadow voles induce pregnancy disruptions when they are in physical contact with females, but the presence of the female's original mate partially protects her from the blocking effects of an unfamiliar male. This research examines how behavioral interactions affect pregnancy disruptions by testing two hypotheses: a) original males protect females by reducing the aggressive interactions between females and strange males; and b) administration of clonidine, an alpha 2-adrenergic receptor agonist that decreases activity, aggression, and sexual motivation, will decrease the pregnancy-blocking ability of strange males. Strange males were more aggressive when the original sire was absent, indicating that this change in behavior may be related to their greater success in disrupting pregnancy. When injected with clonidine, males were less likely to block pregnancy, and they showed less contact and mating behavior ...
A four-block collimator installed on a control table for positioning the alignment reference marks. Designed for use with SPS secondary beams, the collimator operates under vacuum conditions. See Annual Report 1976 p. 121 and photo 7701014.
The incidence of arrhythmias after acute myocardial infarction of the inferior wall varies with the affected segment and increases when there is right ventricular involvement. This paper provides a...Full Text Available
The stand is designed to test supports of development workings. To expand the test range for various types of supports, the cross pieces have fixing devices in the form of winches interacting by cables through blocks fastened to the stand body with the support hinges.
Abstract in english In this work the air flow in a furnace was computationally investigated. The furnace, for which experimental test data are available, is composed of a movable block burner connected to a cylindrical combustion chamber by a conical quarl. The apertures between the movable and the fixed blocks of the burner determine the ratio of the tangential to the radial air streams supplied to the furnace. Three different positions of the movable blocks were studied at this time. A thr (more) ee-dimensional investigation was performed by means of the finite volume method. The numerical grid was developed by the multiblock technique. The turbulence phenomenon was addressed by the RNG k-epsilon model. Profiles of the axial, tangential and radial velocities in the combustion chamber were outlined. The map of the predicted axial velocity in the combustion chamber was compared with a map of the experimental axial velocity. ...
The minimum energy conformations of dApdA have been examined for their suitability as buildings blocks of the single stranded coil form of polynucleotides. Calculations of the characteristic ratio C...Full Text Available
BackgroundInsecticide-based methods represent the most effective means of blocking the transmission of vector borne diseases. However, insecticide resistance poses a serious threat...Full Text Available
Many organic compounds can be adsorbed onto the interface of a metal and solution to form a thin film that inhibits the corrosion process according to a blocking and/or negative catalytic effect. Using the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique, stearic acid (SA) monolayers were deposited onto the surface of an iron (Fe) electrode to study the inhibition effect and the mechanism of SA in a neutral medium. Molecular orientation and the number of deposited monolayers of SA were shown to have marked effects on inhibition of Fe corrosion. The inhibition mechanism depended mainly on blocking.
The application of medium energy ion scattering in combination with channelling and blocking to the study of the initial stages of palladium silicide formation is discussed. After a brief description of the experimental arrangement and method, the effects on the Rutherford backscattering spectra of depositing small quantities of palladium on clean Si(111) are reported. The uniformity and thermal stability of thin palladium silicide films grown at room temperature were measured. Finally, channelling and blocking results were used to carry out a structural analysis of thin epitaxial Pd/sub 2/Si layers.
The application of medium energy ion scattering in combination with channelling and blocking to the study of the initial stages of palladium silicide formation is discussed. After a brief description of the experimental arrangement and method, the effects on the Rutherford backscattering spectra of depositing small quantities of palladium on clean Si(111) are reported. The uniformity and thermal stability of thin palladium silicide films grown at room temperature were measured. Finally, channelling and blocking results were used to carry out a structural analysis of thin epitaxial Pd_2Si layers. (Auth.).
The core bypass flow in a prismatic very high temperature reactor (VHTR) is an important design consideration and can have considerable impact on the condition of reactor core internals including fuels. The interstitial gaps are an inherent presence in the reactor core because of tolerances in manufacturing the blocks and the inexact nature of their installation. Furthermore, the geometry of the graphite blocks changes over the lifetime of the reactor because of thermal expansion and irradiation damage. The occurrence of hot spots in the core and lower plenum and hot streaking in the lower plenum (regions of very hot gas flow) are affected by bypass flow. In the present study, three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic (CFD) calculations of a typical prismatic VHTR are conducted to better understand bypass flow phenomena and establish an evaluation method for the reactor core using the commercial CFD code FLUENT. Parametric calculations ...
The core bypass flow in a prismatic very high temperature gas-cooled reactor (VHTR) is one of the important design considerations which impacts considerably on the integrity of reactor core internals including operating fuels. The interstitial gaps are an inherent presence in the reactor core because of tolerances in manufacturing the blocks and the inexact nature of their installation. Furthermore, the geometry of the graphite blocks changes over the lifetime of the reactor because of thermal expansion and irradiation damage. The occurrence of hot spots in the core and lower plenum and hot streaking in the lower plenum (regions of very hot gas flow) will be affected by the bypass flow. In the present study, three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic (CFD) calculations of a typical prismatic VHTR are conducted to understand better the bypass flow phenomenon and establish the evaluation method in the reactor core using commercial CFD code ...
Abstract in english Previous studies have shown that women are more emotionally expressive than men. It is unclear, however, if women are also more susceptible to the emotional modulation of behavior imposed by an affective stimulus. To investigate this issue, we devised a task in which female subjects performed six sequential trials of visual target detection following the presentation of emotional (mutilation and erotic) or neutral pictures (domestic utensils and objects) and compared the (more) data obtained in the present study with those described in a previous study with male subjects. The experiment consisted of three blocks of 24 pictures and each block had an approximate duration of 4 min. Our sample consisted of 36 subjects (age range: 18 to 26 years) and each subject performed all blocks. Trials following the presentation of mutilation pictures (283 ms) had significantly slower reaction times than those following ...
A methodology and hypothetical case study are presented for incorporation of uncertainty and variability into calculations of human health risk appropriate for regional, or basin-scale, groundwater management problems. Uncertainty in well water concentration is introduced through complex contaminant migration patterns in the subsurface. Variability is considered in parameters related to individual behavior patterns and biological effects and to groundwater extraction and distribution networks. A joint uncertainty and variability (JUV) analysis is used to generate a two-dimensional distribution or risk surface that spans both transport uncertainty as well as individual variability. Cuts in this distributional surface (fractiles of variability and percentiles of uncertainty) are presented and discussed. Comparisons with alternative approaches based upon deterministic transport models ...
Eukaryotic genome size varies over five orders of magnitude; however, the distribution is strongly skewed toward small values. Genome size is highly correlated to a number of phenotypic traits, suggesting...Full Text Available
Linkage disequilibrium (LD) between densely spaced, polymorphic genetic markers in humans and other species contains information about historical population size. Inferring past population size is of...Full Text Available
Kin form important political groups, which change in size and relative inequality with demographic shifts. Increases in the rate of population growth increase the size of kin groups but decrease their...Full Text Available
The feasibility of producing a pocket-sized air contaminant monitor based upon a miniature gas chromatograph and an integrated microcomputer has been demonstrated and a practical design for the instrument is presented. This pocket-sized instrument is intended to be used as a pers...
The Rebi Block is currently in the early stages of hydrocarbon exploration. The subsurface geology of this area is only known from seismic reflection data. By applying seismic stratigraphy techniques, unconformities and condensed sections were recognized. These discontinuities were dated using paleontological information from the Kulka-1 well, Northwest Shelf of Australia. With these age constraints, seven unconformities and three condensed sections were dated and correlated to the Exxon global sea level curve. The chronostratigraphic charts for the Rebi Block and the Northwest Shelf of Australia have clarified the Mesozoic stratigraphy of the study area. The Exxon global sea level curve has refined the ages determined by conventional paleontological dating. The chart has also helped in predicting source, reservoir and seal potential within a time framework. Prospective stratigraphic traps were those related to the incised valleys at the ...
Cylindrical test pieces of concrete are used for measurements of "2"2"2Rn exhalation rates. Except one flat end surface of a test piece, other parts of its exteriority are covered with sealant. Radon atoms can escape only through its end surface from the interior into the outside air. This treatment makes the radon transport in the concrete one dimensional phenomena. The piece is put in an airtight container. Time variations of radon concentrations in the air of the container are measured with a plane multiwire-electrode ionization chamber. From this result, the radon areal exhalation rate is deduced for the piece. Exhalation rates are measured for four pieces with different length. Then, the diffusion coefficient is obtained for radon in the concrete as (5.0 #+-# 1.0) x 10"-"8m"2s"-"1 (a one-block method). A two-block method has been invented to obtain simultaneously values of three parameters: diffusion coefficient, porosity of concrete, and ...
PurposeThe purpose was to determine whether semantic set size, a measure of the number of semantic neighbors, influenced word learning, and whether the influence...Full Text Available
Wade. Jackson. - Army. VTD at NASA. Langley. ABSTRACT. Panel size has a large effect on the impact response and resultant damage level of honeycomb sandwich ...
Rationale and ObjectivesSample-size estimation is an important consideration when planning a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) study. The aim of this work was...Full Text Available
Dimensional variability studies and published dimensional variability standards have been used by the foundry industry for years as an indicator of the casting process` ability to produce uniform parts. These studies are an extremely useful tool in the continuous ``dimensional dialogue`` between foundries and customers. The nature of these studies, and of the current tolerancing systems used by casting designers, leaves room for some misinterpretation and misuse of these study results. This paper contains two important discussions. The first part explains exactly what these studies represent. Following this is a brief explanation on dimensional and geometric tolerances and how they communicate dimensional requirements.
This research investigates the impact of national culture and several institutional factors on the safety performance of society and establishes statistically significant relationships between those variables. As expected, the research results reveal that some cultural variables such as uncertainty avoidance, gender orientation and institutional variables such as the degree of law avoidance can directly influence the safety performance of the society. The findings also support the inverted u-curve (Safety Kuznet curve) hypothesis indicating even if we expect a negative trend at the beginning stage of industrialization, we can expect a positive trend in safety performance as their income level continues to improve beyond a certain point.
In this talk, we explore the feasibility of quantum computation using continuous-variable systems by means of local measurements only. In the first part of the talk, we will identify crucial limitations that arise when starting from Gaussian cluster states. This is done by resorting to a Gaussian projected entangled pair picture as well as to notions of continuous-variable quantum repeater networks. In the second part, we look at instances in which these limitations can be overcome, and how suitable encodings of qubits in oscillators and feasible non-Gaussian resource states give rise to universal schemes for quantum computing.
Creep properties of modified 9 Cr-1 Mo steel, an alloy significantly improved in elevated-temperature strength over 2 1/4 Cr-1 Mo and other similar alloys, are presented here. Data are primarily on material in the normalized and tempered condition. Effects of variables such as isothermal annealing treatment, cold work, normalizing temperature, tempering temperature, notch, and biaxial stress state have also been examined. Data analysis and comparisons have shown that modified 9 Cr-1 Mo alloy is very insensitive in response to several material variables, heat treatments, and specimen design variables.
Purpose: Various published reports involving intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) plans developed using automated optimization (inverse planning) have demonstrated highly conformal plans. These reported conformal IMRT plans involve significant target dose inhomogeneity, including both overdosage and underdosage within the target volume. In this study, we demonstrate the development of optimized beamlet IMRT plans that satisfy rigorous dose homogeneity requirements for all target volumes (e.g., #+-#5%), while also sparing the parotids and other normal structures. Methods and Materials: The treatment plans of 15 patients with oropharyngeal cancer who were previously treated with forward-planned multisegmental IMRT were planned again using an automated optimization system developed in-house. The optimization system allows for variablesized beamlets computed using a three-dimensional convolution/superposition dose calculation and flexible cost ...
Direct injection diesel engines power most of the heavy-duty vehicles. Due to their superior fuel economy, high power density and low carbon dioxide emissions, turbocharged, small bore, high speed, direct injection diesel engines are being considered to power light duty vehicles. Such vehicles have to meet stringent emission standards. However, it is difficult to meet these standards by modifying the in-cylinder thermodynamic and combustion processes to reduce engine-out emissions. After-treatment devices will be needed to achieve even lower emission targets required in the production engines to account for the anticipated deterioration after long periods of operation in the field. To reduce the size, mass and cost of the after-treatment devices, there is a need to reduce engine-out emissions and optimize both the engine and the aftertreatment devices as one integrated system. For example, the trade-off between engine-out NOx and PM, suggests that one of these ...
Background and ObjectivePulsed dye laser (PDL) treatment of cutaneous vascular lesions is associated with variable and unpredictable efficacy. Thus, alternative treatment...Full Text Available
The proteolytic activities of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase (ADAM); a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS), and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) families play important...Full Text Available
the southern Arabian Gulf region left its signature on the heterogeneous aerosol .... Arabian Gulf region, since large differences in ? may be caused by ...
... Variable, Alimentos mal enlatados, especialmente verduras enlatadas en el hogar; pescado fermentado, papas asadas en papel de aluminio, ajo envasado. ...
Brains are usually described as input/output systems: they transform sensory input into motor output. However, the motor output of brains (behavior) is notoriously variable, even under identical sensory...Full Text Available
A central composite design was employed to optimize the extraction of pectin with citric acid. The independent variables were citric acid concentration (0.086-2.91% w/v) and extraction time (17-102min). The combined effect of these variables on the degree of esterification was investigated. Results have shown that the generated regression models adequately explained the data variation and significantly represented the actual relationship between the independent variables and the responses. Besides that, the citric acid concentration was the most important factor to affect the degree of esterification, as it exerted a significant influence on the dependent variable. Lower citric acid concentration increased the pectin degree of esterification. The surface response showed the relationships b...
In this paper we present a complete solution to the problem of multifractal analysis of multiple ergodic averages in the case of symbolic dynamics for functions of two variables depending on the first coordinate.
Worldwide century-long forest hydrologic research has documented that deforestation and forestation (i.e. reforestation and afforestation) can have variable ...
Jul 25, 2011 ... Koji Mukai's Bibliography. Invited Reviews. Mukai, K. 1994, "ASCA PV Phase Observations of Cataclysmic Variables," in "New Horizon of X-ray ...
According to classical concepts of physiologic control, healthy systems are self-regulated to reduce variability and maintain physiologic constancy. Contrary to the predictions of homeostasis, however,...Full Text Available
Background and AimsAnnonaceae are one of the largest families of Magnoliales. This study investigates the comparative floral development of 15 species to understand the basis for...Full Text Available
Statistically based experimental designs were applied to screen and optimize the bioleaching of spent hydrocracking catalyst by Penicillium simplicissimum. Eleven factors were examined for their significance on bioleaching using a Plackett-Burman factorial design. Four significant variables (pulp density, sucrose, NaNO"3, and yeast extract concentrations) were selected for the optimization studies. The combined effect of these variables on metal bioleaching was studied using a central composite design (CCD). Second-order polynomials were established to identify the relationship between the recovery percent of the metals and the four significant variables. The optimal values of the variables for maximum metals bioleaching were as follows: pulp density (4.0%, w/v), sucrose (90g/L), NaNO"3 (2...
Knowledge on environmental variability and how it is affected by disturbances is crucial for understanding patterns of biodiversity and determining adequate conservation strategies. The aim of this study is to assess environmental variability in patches undergoing post-fire vegetation recovery, identifying trends of change and their relevant drivers. We particularly evaluate: the value of three spectral indices derived from Landsat satellite data [Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Wetness Component of the Tasseled Cap Transformation (TCW)] for describing secondary succession; the effectiveness of three metrics (diversity, evenness and richness) as indicators of patch variability; and how thematic resolution can affect the perception of environme...
Wildlife Refuge, CA Rare and endangered endemic plants Diana Anderson Northern Arizona University Geomorphology Kathryn Thomas USGS, Flagstaff, AZ Vegetation dynamics John...
Climate variability greatly affects animals through direct and indirect effects. Animals with slow reproductive adaptation to ecological changes such as large mammals are likely to have evolved mechanisms to anticipate early such impacts of climate variability on the environment. One of the adaptive mechanisms between reproductive costs and benefits in mammals affects parental investment through biases in sex ratio. Deer might be likely to show an early detection of climate variability because conception takes place in early autumn, but the main raising cost in deer concerns lactation, which takes place at the end of the following spring. The aim of this paper is to assess whether there is a relationship between global indices of climate variability such as El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation (EN...
The study of genetic variability within natural populations of pathogens may provide insight into their evolution and pathogenesis. We used a Mycobacterium tuberculosis high-density...Full Text Available
The study has analysed the effects of various factors on hydroelectric power generation potential to include climate change/variability, water demand, and installation of proposed hydroelectric power schemes in the Zambezi River Basin. An assessment of historical (1970?2000) power potential in relation to climate change/variability at existing hydro electric power schemes(Cahora Bassa, Kariba, Kafue Gorge and Itezhi-Tezhi) in the Zambezi River Basin was conducted. The correlation of hydroelectric power potential with climate change/variability aimed at observing the link and extent of influence of the latter on the former was investigated. In order to predict the future outlook of hydro electric power potential, General Circulation Models (GCM) were used to generate projected precipitation...
measure meteorological variables and bulk water temper- ature. The locations of the buoys are given in Table 1. TB2 and TB3 were moved slightly farther south ...
We construct the Baxter Q-operator and the representation of the Separated Variables (SoV) for the homogeneous open SL(2,R) spin chain. Applying the diagrammatical approach, we calculate Sklyanin's integration measure in the separated variables and obtain the solution to the spectral problem for the model in terms of the eigenvalues of the Q-operator. We show that the transition kernel to the SoV representation is factorized into the product of certain operators each depending on a single separated variable. As a consequence, it has a universal pyramid-like form that has been already observed for various quantum integrable models such as periodic Toda chain, closed SL(2,R) and SL(2,C) spin chains.
We obtain an elegant and useful description of the dynamics of Szekeres dust models (in their full generality) by means of "quasi--local" scalar variables constructed by suitable integral distributions that can be interpreted as weighed proper volume averages of the local covariant scalars. In terms of these variables, the field equations and basic physical and geometric quantities are formally identical to their corresponding expressions in the spherically symmetric LTB dust models. Since we can map every Szekeres model to a unique LTB model, rigorous results valid for the latter models can be readily generalized to a non--spherical Szekeres geometry. The new variables lead naturally to an initial value formulation in which all scalars are expressed as scaling laws in terms of their values at an arbitrary initial space slice. These variables also yield a significant simplification of numerical work, ...
Objective was to present our 8 year experience in the prevention of the obturator nerve reflex during transurethral resection of bladder tumors. This study was performed in Ataturk University Hospital between 1999 and 2007. We retrospectively reviewed the records of 89 patients with inferolateral bladder tumors, who underwent transurethral resection under epidural or general anesthesia and requested obturator nerve reflex inhibition. Epidural anesthesia was administered to 57 patients, while the remaining 32 patients underwent general anesthesia via mask; and succinylcholine was administered prior to resection. Of the 57 patients received epidural anesthesia, 18 were diagnosed as inferolateral bladder tumors during endoscopy and had to undergo general anesthesia. Obturator nerve block was attempted preoperatively in 39 patients. However, a nerve identification failure, hematoma and 4 obturator nerve reflex events, despite the block, were ...
The surveillance systems have been widely used in automatic teller machines (ATMs), banks, convenient stores, etc. For example, when a customer uses the ATM, the surveillance systems will record his/her face information. The information will help us understand and trace who withdrew money. However, when criminals use the ATM to withdraw illegal money, they usually block their faces with something (in Taiwan, criminals usually use safety helmets or masks to block their faces). That will degrade the purpose of the surveillance system. In previous work, we already proposed a technology for safety helmet detection. In this paper, we propose a mask detection technology based upon automatic face recognition methods. We use the Gabor filters to generate facial features and utilize geometric analysis algorithms for mask detection. The technology can give an early warning to save-guards when any "customer" or "intruder" blocks ...
In this paper, we consider the downlink of large-scale multi-cellular OFDMA-based networks and study performance bounds of the system as a function of the number of users $K$, the number of base-stations $B$, and the number of resource-blocks $N$. Here, a resource block is a collection of subcarriers such that all such collections, that are disjoint have associated independently fading channels. We derive novel upper and lower bounds on the sum-utility for a general spatial geometry of base stations, a truncated path loss model, and a variety of fading models (Rayleigh, Nakagami-$m$, Weibull, and LogNormal). We also establish the associated scaling laws and show that, in the special case of fixed number of resource blocks, a grid-based network of base stations, and Rayleigh-fading channels, the sum information capacity of the system scales as $\\Theta(B \\log\\log K/B)$ for extended networks, and as $O(B \\log\\log K)$ and ...
The representation theories of the SU(2).sub(k)-extended N=4 superconformal algebras (SCAs) with arbitrary level k are developed being based on their Feigin-Fuchs representations found recently by the present author. A basic unit of the representation blocks consisting of eight \\lq\\lq boson-like\\rq\\rq\\ and eight \\lq\\lq fermion-like\\rq\\rq\\ conformal fields is found to describe arbitrary representations of the $N$=4 SU(2)$_k$ SCAs, including {\\it unitary} and {\\it nonunitary} representations. The transformation properties of the fundamental sets of the conformal fields under the $N$=4 SU(2)$_k$ superconformal symmetries are given. Then, the whole sets of the charge-screening operators of the $N$=4 SU(2)$_k$ SCAs are identified out of the sixteen conformal fields in the basic unit of the representation blocks. The conditions for the {\\it eligible} charge-screening operators are analyzed in terms of the continuous parameters which ...
This prospective study describes and evaluates a surgical approach for 3D reconstruction of the posterior maxilla with autogenous mandibular bone in 16 patients (mean age 51 years). Bone blocks were harvested from the mandible and used as lateral or vertical block grafts (onlay); they were also partially milled and used for sinus elevation (inlay). In 4 cases, anorganic bovine bone was added at the periphery of the blocks. 4 months after grafting, implants were placed in a second operation and loaded after 12 weeks. Lateral and vertical augmentations were measured immediately after grafting and at re-entry for implant placement. Mean lateral augmentation performed was 5.5mm, reduced to 4.3mm (p<0.01) after 4 months' healing. Mean vertical augmentation was 3.2mm, reduced to 2.1mm (p<0.01) a...
High-purity and doped GaAs films have been grown by Liquid-phase epitaxy (LPE) for development of a blocked impurity band (BIB) detector for far-infrared radiation. The film growth process developed has resulted in the capability to grow GaAs with a net active impurity concentration below 1 x 10{sup 13} cm{sup -3}, ideal for the blocking layer of the BIB detector. The growth of n-type LPE GaAs films with donor concentrations below the metal-insulator transition, as required for the absorbing layer of a BIB detector, has been achieved. The control of the donor concentration, however, was found to be insufficient for detector production. The growth by LPE of a high-purity film onto a commercially grown vapor-phase epitaxial (VPE) n-type GaAs doped absorbing layer resulted in a BIB device that showed a significant reduction in the low-temperature dark current compared to the absorbing layer only. Extended optical response was not detected, most ...
Forty-one patients were treated with epidural neurolysis using 50 % ethyl alcohol 2 ml. Thirty eight patients were suffering from cancer pain and three patients were complaining of chronic benign pain. Alcohol block was repeated 2.3 times (mean) in the same patient. Thirty patients were followed after the treatment. Forty-seven percent of the patients reported 70 % or greater pain relief and 20 % of the patients reported about 50 % pain relief. Duration of pain relief was from 9 days to 203 days with a mean duration of 54 days. Adverse effects were reported 43 % of the patients. There is no miserable adverse effect. Adverse effect reported most was pain with epidural injection of drugs after the alcohol block had been performed. PMID:8544293
Purpose Ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation can cause phototoxic macular injuries in young people who have been sunbathing but not sungazing and in welders. Welders have a reportedly increased risk of uveal melanoma. We analyze phakic and pseudophakic risks for solar and welding arc UV-B exposure. Design Optical radiation measurement, analysis, and perspective. Methods Spectral transmittances were measured for UV-transmitting, UV-blocking, and blue-blocking intraocular lenses (IOLs). The photoprotective performances of crystalline and intraocular lenses were analyzed using relevant epidemiologic and laboratory data and action spectra for acute retinal phototoxicity and melanoma photocarcinogenesis. Results Crystalline lens UV-B retinal protection is deficient in children and young adults, incre...
Results of three-dimensional laminar and standard K-#epsilon# turbulent numerical simulations of natural convection cooling of ten cubic aluminum blocks mounted on an insulated plate, facing a shrouding wall, are presented. This geometry is chosen so that comparison with experimental results is possible. The considered problem is of great practical importance because it simulates the case of heated electronic chips, mounted on printed board assemblies, which are frequently encountered in electronic industry applications. The problem is mathematically modeled by the three-dimensional conservation differential equations of mass, momentum, energy and turbulent kinetic energy and dissipation (for the turbulent flow model). IN this paper, these equations are numerically solved by a finite volume method and the laminar and turbulent results are compared to the experimental results obtained with similar parameters.
The first 750 MW block of the new South Humber Bank gas-fired combined cycle power plant, sited about 300 km north from London, was officially commissioned in September 12th 1997. The project has been a major success story for Imatran Voima Oy (IVO), which developed the concept and managed the project and owns 22.5 % of the plant; and ABB Power Plants Limited, responsible for the turnkey delivery. IVO Generation Services (UK) is responsible for the running and maintenance of the facility. IVO also manages two other existing plants in Britain, at Brigg (240 MW) and Peterborough (360 MW)
The first 750 MW block of the new South Humber Bank gas-fired combined cycle power plant, sited about 300 km north from London, was officially commissioned in September 12th 1997. The project has been a major success story for Imatran Voima Oy (IVO), which developed the concept and managed the project and owns 22.5 % of the plant; and ABB Power Plants Limited, responsible for the turnkey delivery. IVO Generation Services (UK) is responsible for the running and maintenance of the facility. IVO also manages two other existing plants in Britain, at Brigg (240 MW) and Peterborough (360 MW).
A stable BSA blocking poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microchannel was prepared based on in situ synthesized PDMS-gold nanoparticles composite films. The modified microchip could successfully suppress protein adsorption. The assembly was followed by contact angle, charge-coupled device (CCD) imaging, electroosmotic flow (EOF) measurements and electrophoretic separation methods. Contact angle measurements revealed the coated surface was hydrophilic, water contact angle for coated chips was 45.2^o compared to a water contact angle for native PDMS chips of 88.5^o. The coated microchips exhibited reproducible and stable EOF behavior. With FITC-labeled myoglobin incubation in the coated channel, no fluorescence was observed with CCD image, and the protein exhibited good electrophoretic effect in ...
Differentiation of the vertebrate communities almost coincides with the differentiation of ecosystems in vegetation at the type level, as judged by formalized classifications of various blocks of ecosystems of West Siberia by geobotanical map units, and it differs significantly from that in the underground component due to the greater effect of waterlogging on the latter. In invertebrate communities, significant differences are observed in the boreal-subboreal part, where waterlogging is more significant and greater similarity is found among middle and southern-taiga communities than among subtaiga-steppe ones. Over the groups of map units, the heterogeneity of the vertebrate communities differs from that in all the examined blocks of ecosystems in greater differentiation in the tundra zon...
Drawing upon the cultural risk perspective and writings on risk taking, this paper seeks to develop ideas relating to the effective use of school cyberspace. It is argued that some individuals respond to exaggerated, yet seductive, discourses of online risks by over-blocking, unreasonably restricting students' Internet activity. At the same time, there are sensible, even compelling, motivations for teachers as well as students to use the school Internet to engage in low-level risk taking, fostering excitement, identity construction and networked media literacy. Connecting these seductive pushes and pulls of risk it is ultimately maintained that the fostering of trust through open communication is key in overcoming over-blocking whilst allowing for greater educational gains, realised in part through certain types of low-level risk taking in school cyberspace.
This article explores how action research, design based research and interaction design can be combined and used in the development of educational robotic tools. Our case study is the development of Number Blocks and it combines physical interaction, learning, and immediate feedback. Number Blocks supports the children's understanding of place value in the sense that it allows them to experiment with creating large numbers. The development was done in collaboration with a class of 7-8 year old children and their mathematics teacher. The article argues that elements from different research methods allowed a structured approach to projects that combines educational research and innovation of new learning technologies. Key elements of this approach is acknowledging the users input, developing a theoretical pre-analysis and using an iterative approach.
It has previously been shown that ensembles of terminated protograph-based low-density parity-check (LDPC) convolutional codes have a typical minimum distance that grows linearly with block length and that they are capable of achieving capacity approaching iterative decoding thresholds on the binary erasure channel (BEC). In this paper, we review a recent result that the dramatic threshold improvement obtained by terminating LDPC convolutional codes extends to the additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel. Also, using a (3,6)-regular protograph-based LDPC convolutional code ensemble as an example, we perform an asymptotic trapping set analysis of terminated LDPC convolutional code ensembles. In addition to capacity approaching iterative decoding thresholds and linearly growing minimum distance, we find that the smallest non-empty trapping set of a terminated ensemble grows linearly with block length.
Systems with small sizes show significant changes compared to the bulk system. These changes are of major interest regarding the size reduction of technological applications. The hydrogen-metal system can be used as a model alloy to study small size features: shifted phase boundaries and sloped isotherms are found and, also, new materials structures. Most features can be attributed to surface- and interface contributions as well as to mechanical stress. (Abstract Copyright [2004], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)
In this research, the interactive effect of grain and specimen sizes on the flow stress of sheet metal in microforming is investigated via the tensile test of pure copper and numerical modeling. Models based on different assumptions are proposed to analyze the size effect phenomenon. It is found that the flow stress decreases linearly with the decrease of the ratio of specimen to grain sizes. The grain boundary thickness decreases and its volume fraction increases with the decrease of grain size. The variation of grain boundary thickness is not proportional to the variation of grain size. Furthermore, the fraction of grain boundary increases with the strain and the ratio of specimen to grain sizes. Based on the FE simulation, it is found that the simulated flow stress, which is modeled bas...
The dynamics of a cluster-type system formed by constant total number of molecules, M, is studied when clusters change their sizes by nearest-size transitions (the Szilard model) with time-dependent boundary conditions and non-zero initial cluster size distribution. We compare these results to those reported previously, when non-stationary cluster size distribution was considered under the condition that only monomers are present in the system at the initial moment t=0, and describe the effect of arbitrary pre-existing clusters on the time evolution of the interacting clusters with different sizes, n. The average group size problem is also solved, and the process of relaxation in the system is studied. authors)
Summary Large body size hinders locomotor performance in ways that may lead to trade-offs in predator foraging ability that limit the net predatory benefit of larger size. For example, size-related improvements in handling prey may come at the expense of pursuing prey and thus negate any enhancement in overall predatory performance due to increasing size. This hypothesis was tested with longitudinal data from repeated observations of 94 individually known wolves (Canis lupus) hunting elk (Cervus elaphus) in Yellowstone National Park, USA. Wolf size was estimated from an individually based sex-specific growth model derived from body mass measurements of 304 wolves. Larger size granted individual wolves a net predatory advantage despite substantial variation in its effect on the performance ...
Although computer simulation has played a central role in the study of nucleation and growth since the earliest molecular dynamics simulations almost 50 years ago, confusion surrounding the effect of finite size on such simulations have limited their applicability. Modeling solidification in molten tantalum on the BlueGene/L computer, we report here on the first atomistic simulation of solidification that verifies independence from finite size effects during the entire nucleation and growth process, up to the onset of coarsening. We show that finite size scaling theory explains the observed maximal grain sizes for systems up to about 8,000,000 atoms. For larger simulations, a cross-over from finite size scaling to more physical size-independent behavior is observed.
A physical model of free-electron laser (FEL) amplifier with variable-parameter wiggler magnets for one-dimensional numerical simulation is presented and a numerical example is given. The wiggler parameters, efficiency of energy conversion between electron beam and laser field, laser intensity, phase-space distributions and energy spectrum of electrons are computed. The period of synchronous oscillation and saturation value of laser intensity agree with estimated one.
In the case of large capacity steam turbines the conventional nozzle group control is, for mechanical and thermodynamic reasons, diminishing more and more in importance in favour of variable pressure control. A design for constant-pressure operation as an alternative to nozzle group control is described; this demonstrates a series of important advantages compared with the latter. (orig.).
This book contains the Proceedings of the Conference on Climate and Water under the following groupings: Impacts of climatic variability and change-resulting from the changes in hydrological variables; Aquatic environment; Terrestrial environment; Coastal zones and navigation; Urban and industrial water supply and drainage; Energy production; Intropogenic changes of climate and water management problems; Flood potential; Irrigation and land drainage.
This book contains the Proceedings of the Conference on Climate and Water under the following groupings: Impacts of climatic variability and change-resulting from the changes in hydrological variables; Aquatic environment; Terrestrial environment; Coastal zones and navigation; Urban and industrial water supply and drainage; Energy production; Intropogenic changes of climate and water management problems; Flood potential; Irrigation and land drainage.
Two major developments have given impetus to wider adoption of variable-speed turbine/generators in hydroelectric plants, both essentially environmental: (1) the need for stream-bed stability below river dams, and (2) the need to minimize fish damage. Also, the need to stabilize pumped-storage and generating efficiencies to match extreme changes in head levels has been a driving force. Variable-speed operation in hydro applications is relatively new to North America. In other parts of the world, it has been used in pumped-storage plants since 1971. In the US, and increasing potential exists for variable-speed hydro, considering the 30 pumped-storage plants already in operation and several river plants struggling with high head fluctuations--including four at stations operated by the Bonneville Power Administration. Several modifications to hydro-plant hardware and operating procedures are actively being considered at ...
The effect of fetal distress on the neonatal brain was investigated by neonatal CT brain scan, FHR monitoring and mode of delivery. This study involved 11 cases of full term vertex delivery in which FHR was recorded by fetal direct ECG during the second stage labor. All infants weighed 2,500 g or more. FHR monitoring was evaluated by Hon's classification. Neonatal brain edema was evaluated by cranial CT histgraphic analysis (Nakada's method). 1) Subdural hemorrhage was noted in 6 of 7 infants delivered by vacuum extraction or fundal pressure (Kristeller's method). 2) Intracranial hemorrhage was demonstrated in all of 3 infants with 5-min. Apgar score 7 or less. 3) Two cases with prolonged bradycardia and no variability had intraventricular or intracerebral hemorrhage which resulted in severe central nervous system damage. 4) The degree of neonatal brain edema correlated with 5-min. Apgar score. 5) One case with prolonged bradycardia and ...
The effect of fetal distress on the neonatal brain was investigated by neonatal CT brain scan, FHR monitoring and mode of delivery. This study involved 11 cases of full term vertex delivery in which FHR was recorded by fetal direct ECG during the second stage labor. All infants weighed 2,500 g or more. FHR monitoring was evaluated by Hon's classification. Neonatal brain edema was evaluated by cranial CT histgraphic analysis (Nakada's method). 1) Subdural hemorrhage was noted in 6 of 7 infants delivered by vacuum extraction or fundal pressure (Kristeller's method). 2) Intracranial hemorrhage was demonstrated in all of 3 infants with 5-min. Apgar score 7 or less. 3) Two cases with prolonged bradycardia and no variability had intraventricular or intracerebral hemorrhage which resulted in severe central nervous system damage. 4) The degree of neonatal brain edema correlated with 5-min. Apgar score. 5) One case with prolonged bradycardia and no ...
The article surveys studies into the global warming which have found that the OECD countries are responsible for less than half of the total registered warming. Calculation and analysis methods for estimating the global contributions from the blocks of OECD, Africa/America/Middle East, Asia and former Soviet Union/Eastern Europe are presented. The results and some pollution abatement measures are discussed.
0.5% (one sigma) for scan angles less than 55.84 degrees off nadir ... Two polarization sheets and one blocking filter were used .... Polarization factors of different detectors in a given band cross and the cross point ...
The method of treatment of uteral cancer by the brake irradiation of 25 MeV betatrone using original devices which promote forming therapeutic figured bunches is presented. The binding of the protective blocks with a special adjusting frame within the aperture of the diaphragm provided for low relative entering dose which is the advantage of high energy irradiation bunch. The use of the forming devices makes it possible to practice individual treatment and decrease the levels of irradiation doses for intact organs and tissues.
In a funded program at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory new materials and novel designs are being incorporated into a new approach to an old concept -- flywheel energy storage. Modular devices, dubbed ``electromechanical batteries`` (EMB) are being developed that should represent an important alternative to the electrochemical storage battery for use in electric vehicles or for stationary applications, such as computer back-up power or utility load-leveling.
In Daya Bay and Ling'ao Nuclear Power Station, the Microgovernor has the control functions such as synchronization, block loading etc. The control principle of the Microgovernor is right described by sequence diagram for the first time. That the fault occurred in the synchronization process of Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station unit 1 is also analyzed and illustrated. (author)
A series of questions and answers addresses issues related to developing synthetic fuels, including the potential supplies, regulatory road blocks, and development incentives to promote the role of the private sector. Chevron's efforts in the area of synfuels are aimed at shale oil tar sands and coal conversion. The status of these research and development projects and the projected recoverable reserves from each are summarized. (DCK)
In combined cycle turbine power stations, soft material compensators are used which, if the full pressure fails, also withstand a small external pressure. Innovative forms of construction which guarantee useful life, are presented in relation to the design. Damaging effects, which limit the life of these special soft material compensators, are discussed. (orig.)
σ-Receptor (σR) antagonists have been reported to block certain effects of psychostimulant drugs. The present study examined the effects of σR ligands in rats trained to self-administer...Full Text Available
This report provides a regional overview of the hydrologic regimes of the Northeast Coal Study Area in British Columbia; illustrates the range of possible peak discharge values which may be predicted for streams adjacent to the Tumbler Ridge townsite; and, provides recommendations pertaining to future hydrologic analysis within the Northeast Coal Block.
We define the Bloch spectrum of a quantum graph to be the collection of the spectra of a family of Schr\\"odinger operators parametrized by the cohomology of the quantum graph. We show that the Bloch spectrum determines the Albanese torus, the block structure and the planarity of the graph. It determines a geometric dual of a planar graph. This enables us to show that the Bloch spectrum completely determines planar 3-connected quantum graphs.
HEW is operating one of the biggest district heating networks of the Federal Republic of Germany. The paper discusses a number of projects which in recent years have been engaged in extensive air pollution abatement measures to make district heating an environmentally compatible energy source. Emphasis is placed on the hot gas cleanup system of block 2 of the harbor power plant. The system is the first of its kind to have realized an SCR system connected with the desulfurization system for industrial denitrification purposes.
... Further complications resulted from the requirement to use existing piled foundations and columns which had originally been designed to accommodate a six-storey office block. The hotel bedroom configurations and planning constraints were different from thos Related Services Structural Design Go View all Services Find Projects Sector All Sectors Buildings & Infrastructure Environment Natural Resources Transportation Sub Sector All Sub-Sectors Country All Countries Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Australia Azerbaijan ...
... Piled foundations were adopted and precast concrete piles 6 - 8 m long were driven through the alluvial soils onto a solid bed rock. Special precautions were taken to ensure vibrations did not affect an adjacent apartment block. 88 piles were driven in 2 working days. Navigation - Home - Services - Previous projects - Contact Us - Philosophy - About us - Water Slides - Links ...
In monocytes, sulfatide, a lipid from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, blocked priming for enhanced release of superoxide (O2-) by the macrophage activating factors lipopolysaccharide, gamma interferon,...Full Text Available
We have demonstrated that the 80 kDa POP Tc80 (prolyl oligopeptidase of Trypanosoma cruzi) is involved in the process of cell invasion, since specific inhibitors block parasite...Full Text Available
The NSABP B-32 trial is examining whether patients with initially negative sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) who have occult metastases detected on deeper levels and cytokeratin immunohistochemistry...Full Text Available
1 - Description of program or function: This program solves an eigenvalue problem zBx=Ax where A and B are real block tri-diagonal matrices. This eigenvalue problem is derived from a reduced set of linear resistive MHD equations which is often employed to study tokamak plasma stability problem. 2 - Method of solution: Both the determinant and inverse iteration methods are employed. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: The eigenvalue z must be real
A cryostat is described that was developed for irradiating a number of small metal specimens with a high beamcurrent of heavy particles at liquid nitrogen temperature. The specimens, which are mounted on a block, are taken out of the cryostat after irradiation and subsequently annealed in a temperature bath. The progress of annealing is followed by measuring the change in electrical resistivity of the specimens in liquid helium. (auth)
Nonthyroidal illness syndrome (NTIS) is a state of low serum 3,5,3′ triiodothyronine (T3) that occurs in chronically ill patients; the degree of reduction in T3 is associated...Full Text Available
An electrical circuit testing device is provided, comprising a case, a digital voltage level testing circuit with a display means, a switch to initiate measurement using the device, a non-shorting switching means for selecting pre-determined electrical wiring configurations to be tested in an outlet, a terminal block, a five-pole electrical plug mounted on the case surface and a set of adapters that can be used for various multiple-pronged electrical outlet configurations for voltages from 100 600 VAC from 50 100 Hz.
Using an anti-receptor mAb that blocks the attachment of echovirus 7 and related viruses (echoviruses 13, 21, 29 and 33), we have isolated a complementary DNA clone that encodes the human decay-accelerating...Full Text Available
Cordycepin has been shown to interfere with a myriad of molecular processes from RNA elongation to kinase activity, and prevents numerous inflammatory processes in animal models. Here we show in a mouse...Full Text Available
Computerized tomography-guided neurolytic splanchnic nerve block is a technique for relieving abdominal cancer pain; the goal is the alcoholic neurolytic interruption of the sensitive structures in retroperitoneal space. Computerized tomography yields accurate anatomical detailing and the course for needle placement and alcohol spread. January, 1993, to July, 1996, twenty-one bilateral splanchnic nerve blocks were performed through the posterior access. Forty-eight hours after alcoholism. 14 patients (66%) had complete pain regression; 52% of the patients needed no analgesics for 6 to 54 days and only 9 patients (42%) needed another low opioid therapy. Complications included hypotension and diarrhea in all cases. One had a cardiac arrest and diet 8 days after the procedure. There were no other complications. The whole procedure usually lasted 60 min (range: 45 to 90 min). Splanchnic nerve neurolysis is a useful treatment in the patients with ...
To reduce the number of regular break-ins on CERN machines due to passwords exposed on the network in clear text, OFF-SITE FTP ACCESS TO CERN WILL BE BLOCKED in the CERN firewall from: Tuesday 20th January 2004 If you use ftp to access CERN computers from outside CERN then please see the link below for alternative access means and further advice: http://cern.ch/security/ftp Denise Heagerty, CERN Computer Security officer, Computer.Security@cern.ch
To reduce the number of regular break-ins on CERN machines due to passwords exposed on the network in clear text, OFF-SITE FTP ACCESS TO CERN WILL BE BLOCKED in the CERN firewall from: Tuesday 20th January 2004 If you use ftp to access CERN computers from outside CERN then please see the link below for alternative access means and further advice: http://cern.ch/security/ftp Denise Heagerty, CERN Computer Security officer, Computer.Security@cern.ch
Low cytotoxicity and high gene transfection efficiency are critical issues in designing current non-viral gene delivery vectors. The purpose of the present work was to synthesize the novel biodegradable...Full Text Available
Resistive analogous meters for spatial and time characteristics in ocean agitation are most often used in practical oceanography in coastal zones but are based on bridge circuits determined to have shortcomings in their linearity range. This shortcoming is eliminated in the circuit of an instrument developed in an oceanographic laboratory (IMIO, Vana). Principle and block circuits are indicated, and static calibration curves are presented as are the correlative functions in the frequency spectrums obtained with the help of sea agitation recorded at a fixed point and at a depth of 6 meters.
Pairing correlations in multi-quasiparticle states in deformed nuclei are expected to be reduced because of blocking. New intrinsic states and their associated rotational bands have been identified allowing comparisons to be made as a function of seniority and between nuclei. The possible effects of the reduced pairing on the collective rotation, and its manifestation in terms of alignment, are discussed. 13 refs., 2 figs.
1-Naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA) is a specific inhibitor of polar auxin transport that blocks carrier-mediated auxin efflux from plant cells. To allow identification of the NPA receptor thought to be...Full Text Available
Gastric evacuation experiments were performed on whiting Merlangius merlangus fed discrete meals of different sizes. Herring Clupea harengus, sandeel Ammodytes tobianus, common goby Pomatoschistus microps, and brown shrimp Crangon crangon were tested as prey. A simple power model to describe gastric evacuation was evaluated and compared with a power model expanded as a function of meal size. The model parameters were estimated by means of nonlinear least squares. When all meal sizes were included the estimates of the power (curvature) parameter in the expanded model were within the range 0.36-0.77 for the different prey. The power estimates in the simple model were generally close to 0.5. The exception was crustacean prey, which gave a higher value. In the simple model the power estimate represents a compromise between the curvatures of the curves fitted to the observations for each meal size and the ...
An ultrafine-grained ferrite/cementite (UGF/C) steel with a local high density of cementite particles was fabricated through caliber-warm-rolling followed by annealing and resulted in a bimodal-sized microstructure. The characteristic bimodal-sized microstructure was attributed to the original ferrite-pearlite structure and cementite spacing, and reflected the original ferrite-pearlite structure. The smaller-sized clusters corresponded to the former pearlite regions and the larger-sized clusters to the proeutectoid ferrite regions. The cementite particles naturally localized within the former pearlite region. Most of the ferrite coarsening did not occur until the cementite particle spacing reached a critical value. The UGF/C microstructure with a bimodal grain size showed a yield strength ...
The ductile-brittle transition behavior of neutron-irradiated welded A533B C1.1 steel has been studied by means of small specimen test technique for discussing the specimen size effects on the impact properties. Standard size, one-third size and 1.5 mm size Charpy V-notch specimens were prepared. Neutron irradiation was performed in JMTR with fluencies up to 0.75 and 1.3x10"2"4 n/m"2 (E > 1 MeV). Normalization of the USE is done by a curve fitting method and the USE of different size of specimens can be expressed by the equation; E=a x B"n, where a is a constant and n is an exponent. There observed linear relationships between DBTTs obtained using standard and sub-sized specimens. (author)
Lateral and vertical variabilities in the bulk and mechanical properties of silicic volcanic tuff at the potential nuclear waste repository site in Yucca Mountain, NV have been evaluated. Laboratory measurements have been performed on tuff specimens recovered from boreholes located to support the design of the Exploratory Studies Facility/North Ramp. The data include dry and saturated bulk densities, average grain density, porosity, compressional and shear wave velocities, elastic moduli, and compressional and tensional fracture strengths. Data from eight boreholes aligned in a northwest-southeast direction have been collected under the required quality assurance program. Three boreholes have penetrated the potential repository horizon. The information collected provides for an accurate appraisal of the variability of rock properties in the vicinity of the boreholes. As expected, there is substantial variability in the bulk ...
In this article, we studied the effects of variable viscosity and thermal conductivity on an unsteady two-dimensional laminar flow of a viscous incompressible conducting fluid past a semi-infinite vertical porous moving plate taking into account the effect of a magnetic field in the presence of variable suction. The fluid viscosity is assumed to vary as an inverse linear function of temperature but the thermal conductivity is assumed to vary as a linear function of temperature. It is assumed that the porous plate moves with a constant velocity in the direction of fluid flow, and the free stream velocity follows the exponentially increasing small perturbation law. The governing equations for the flow are transformed into a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations by perturbation ...
An automotive powertrain includes a conventional piston engine, a continuously variable ratio transmission, an engine speed sensor and a feedback control system. The control system adjusts both the transmission ratio and the throttle valve in the engine carburetor or fuel metering system in response to the position of the accelerator pedal and in response to the crankshaft speed as measured by the engine sensor. The transmission provides extreme overdrive gear ratios which allow the engine to be operated at wide open throttle even during moderate cruising, and, in addition, the engine carburetor or fuel metering system is calibrated to deliver to the engine a stoichiometric air-fuel mixture which is combined, before combustion, with a special proportion of recirculated exhaust gas. As a result of extensive wide open throttle engine operation with the above mentioned intake charge composition, combustion variables are optimized to produce ...
Abstract In this paper, a new predictive model that can forecast the performance of a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) is presented. The new model includes four primary variables (rotor velocity, wind velocity, air density, and turbine power output) as well as five geometrical variables (rotor radius, turbine height, turbine width, stator spacing, and stator angle). These variables are reduced to include the power coefficient (Cp) and tip speed ratio (TSR). A power coefficient correlation for a novel VAWT (called a Zephyr Vertical axis Wind Turbine (ZVWT)) is developed. The turbine is an adaptation of the Savonius design. The new correlation can predict the turbine's performance for altered stator geometry and varying operating conditions. Numerical simulations with a rotating reference f...
This paper analyses Italian interregional migration flows. The approach taken is to decompose labour mobility flows into short distance and long distance migration and to model the effects of economic variables, social capital and quality of life variables, and amenity variables, on the mobility behaviour of individuals. We estimate these different types of migration flows using a negative binomial model, augmented with instruments to control for potential endogeneity issues. Our findings demonstrate that long distance migration reflects a disequilibrium model of migration whereas short distance migration largely reflects an equilibrium model of migration. As such, attempts to model interregional migration in general will be mis-specified as the simultaneously-operating underlying mobility...
The unavoidable irreversible losses of power in a heat engine are found to be of quantum origin. Following thermodynamic tradition a model quantum heat engine operating by the Otto cycle is analyzed. The working medium of the model is composed of an ensemble of harmonic oscillators. A link is established between the quantum observables and thermodynamical variables based on the concept of canonical invariance. These quantum variables are sufficient to determine the state of the system and with it all thermodynamical variables. Conditions for optimal work, power and entropy production show that maximum power is a compromise between the quasistatic limit of adiabatic following on the compression and expansion branches and a sudden limit of very short time allocation to these branches. At high temperatures and quasistatic operating conditions the efficiency at maximum power coincides with the endoreversible result. The optimal ...
Various SST indices in the Indo-Pacific region have been proposed in the literature in light of a long-range seasonal forecasting of the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM). However, the dynamics associated with these different indices have never been compared in detail. To this end, the present work re-examines the variabilities of ISM rainfall, onset and withdrawal dates at interannual timescales and explores their relationships with El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and various modes of coupled variability in the Indian Ocean. Based on recent findings in the literature, five SST indices are considered here: Ni?o3.4 SST index in December?January both preceding [Nino(?1)] and following the ISM [Nino(0)], South East Indian Ocean (SEIO) SST in February?March, the Indian Ocean Basin (IOB) mode in ...
The primary objective of batch data as trajectory alignment (or synchronization) is to standardize the data sampling per batch according to the evolution of the process, and secondarily to homogenize the samples per run. The use of an indicator variable performs both objectives well. Two examples from the pharmaceutical sector are discussed to illustrate the different ways to deal with uneven samples across batches and across variables in the same batch. Since trajectory alignment requires large time investment, a simple triage approach is proposed to assess the need to analyze the dynamics of a given process and hence perform alignment. The presented examples are representative of a broad variety of batch processes that are operated by recipe in the pharmaceutical sector. In our experienc...
Abstract Mammalian teeth exhibit incremental structures representing successive forming fronts of enamel at varying time scales, including a short daily increment called a cross striation and a long period called a stria of Retzius, the latter of which, in humans, occurs on average every 8-9 days. The number of daily increments between striae is called the repeat interval, which is the same period as that required to form one increment of bone, i.e. the lamella, the fundamental - if not archetypal - unit of bone. Lamellae of known formation time nevertheless vary in width, and thus their measures provide time-calibrated growth rate variability. We measured growth rate variability for as many as 6 years of continuously forming primary incremental lamellar bone from midshaft femur histologic...
An interesting line of research is the investigation of the laws of random variables known as Dirichlet means. However, there is not much information on interrelationships between different Dirichlet means. Here, we introduce two distributional operations, one of which consists of multiplying a mean functional by an independent beta random variable, the other being an operation involving an exponential change of measure. These operations identify relationships between different means and their densities. This allows one to use the often considerable analytic work on obtaining results for one Dirichlet mean to obtain results for an entire family of otherwise seemingly unrelated Dirichlet means. Additionally, it allows one to obtain explicit densities for the related class of random variables that have generalized gamma convolution distributions and the finite-dimensional distribution of their associated L\\'{e}vy processes. ...
Purpose Nonpoint sources (NPS) pollution has been an important cause for water quality impairment worldwide. To take the temporal variations of both NPS pollution and in-stream attenuation into consideration, an inverse modeling approach and the load duration curve (LDC) method were combined for variable nutrient total maximum daily load (TMDL) development. Methods Water quality and hydrological parameters were monitored monthly along the ChangLe River system in 2004?2008. The catchment NPS export load (EL) and TMDL for total nitrogen (TN) were estimated by the inverse format of an existing stream nutrient transport equation. The LDC method was used to describe the variability of EL, TMDL, requiring load (RLR) and percent (the ratio between the RLR and the EL, RPR) reduction, and then to s...
The central engine of Gamma Ray Bursts is hidden from direct probing with photons mainly due to the high densities involved. Inferences on their properties are thus made from their cosmological setting, energetics, low-energy counterparts and variability. If GRBs are powered by hypercritical accretion onto compact objects, on small spatial scales the flow will exhibit fluctuations, which could in principle be reflected in the power output of the central engine and ultimately in the high energy prompt emission. Here we address this issue by characterizing the variability in neutrino cooled accretion flows through local shearing box simulations with magnetic fields, and then convolving them on a global scale with large scale dynamical simulations of accretion disks. The resulting signature is characteristic, and sensitive to the details of the cooling mechanism, providing in principle a discriminant for GRB central engine properties.
Multi-millennial climate changes were relatively minor over the mid-late Holocene in the British Isles, because orbitally forced insolation changes were smaller than those at higher latitudes. Centennial climate variability is thus likely to have exerted a greater influence on the environment and human society of the region. Proxy-climate records from the British Isles covering the last 4500years are assembled and re-evaluated with the aim of identifying centennial climate variability reflected by multi-proxy indicators. The proxies include bog oak populations, peatland surface wetness, flooding episodes from fluvial deposits, speleothem annual band width and oxygen isotopes, chironomids from lake sediments and sand and dune deposition. Most proxies reflect water balance rather than temper...
This paper presents a study on Manasbal lake, which is one of the high altitude lakes in the Kashmir Valley, India. Eighteen water samples were analysed for major ions and trace elements to assess the variability of water quality of the lake for various purposes. Geostatistics, the theory of regionalized variables, was then used to enhance the dataset and estimate some missing spatial values. Results indicated that the concentration of major ions in the water samples in winter was higher than in summer. The scatter diagrams suggested the dominance of alkaline earths over the alkali elements. Three types of water were identified in the lake that are referred to as Ca?HCO3, Mg?HCO3 and hybrid types. The lake water was found to be controlled by rock?water interaction with carbonate lithology ...
This paper focuses on a factorial-based design strategy. The approach provides an efficient and statistically reliable means for assessing the influence of multivariable effects. It is applied to the detection and evaluation of damage in impacted composite sandwich panels. The experimental results obtained from this test strategy are utilized to form an empirical response function. The resulting polynomial relates damage area to residual compression strength at values of independent variables for which testing did not occur. The response function also identifies nonlinear interaction effects of key variabes that cannot be easily ascertained by traditional single-variable test strategies. Independent variables evaluated include core thickness, number of face sheet plys and impact energy. The methodology presented allows the designer to predict with more confidence the damage tolerance of a composite material component, and ...
A variable gene delivery system has been developed based on conjugating chitosan to biotin through a functionalized poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) spacer, which can be used to further bind different molecules on the outer layer of a polymer/DNA complex by streptavidin (SA)-biotin linkage. In this study, TAT-conjugated SA was used as the model molecule to prove the conjugation function of the prepared complex. In addition, low-molecular-weight poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) was added into the polymer/DNA complex to increase the transfection efficiency. The results of the luciferase assay show that the transfection efficiency of the prepared complex was significantly correlated with the amount of PEI and was further enhanced when TAT was conjugated to the complex by SA-biotin linkage. Considered to have negligible cytotoxic effects, the variable gene delivery complex prepared in this study would be of considerable potential as carriers for in vitro ...
Experiments based on a 23 central composite full factorial design were carried out in 200-ml stainless-steel containers to study the pretreatment, with dilute sulfuric acid, of a sugarcane bagasse sample obtained from a local sugar?alcohol mill. The independent variables selected for study were temperature, varied from 112.5?C to 157.5?C, residence time, varied from 5.0 to 35.0 min, and sulfuric acid concentration, varied from 0.0% to 3.0% (w/v). Bagasse loading of 15% (w/w) was used in all experiments. Statistical analysis of the experimental results showed that all three independent variables significantly influenced the response variables, namely the bagasse solubilization, efficiency of xylose recovery in the hemicellulosic hydrolysate, efficiency of cellulose enzymatic saccharificatio...
In 1998, EU legislation initiated a liberalisation process among European energy markets. The process of market opening has significantly changed the functioning of the markets and the competition conditions of the energy sector. At the same time, the industry witnessed a surge of mergers and far-reaching changes in the structure of German electricity and natural gas markets occurred. Against this background, the doctoral thesis at hand surveys the merger activities in the energy sector as well as the merger control policy of the German Federal Cartel Office during the first years of liberalisation. The study starts with a portrayal of the institutional framework of the German merger control regime and a survey of the relevant economic literature on horizontal and vertical mergers. Subsequent to the legal and theoretical considerations, the merger activities and the merger control policy of the German Federal Cartel Office are investigated empirically. The data set is based on ...
Sesame varieties/genotypes showed a good response to radiation with gamma rays and treatments with EMS. In M_1 both gamma rays and EMS influenced germination, seedling height, survival of plants and pollen fertility/sterility, producing deleterious effects on these characters. Compared to black seeded genotypes, white seeded ones are more susceptible to radiation. Both gamma rays and EMS produced various types of morphological variations in M_2 generation. These were dwarf plant mutants, mottled and fleshy leaved mutants (sterile), fasciated stem, flower colour, altered phyllotaxy, early, uniculm, capsule size variations, multiple capsule/leaf axil, seed coat colour variations, indehiscent and semi-indehiscent type mutants. Moreover, studies on quantitative characters including seed yield revealed the induction of mutants in both positive and negative directions for such traits which made a good scope of selection of desirable mutants in M_2 generation. Mutants ...
An essential part of fire risk assessment is the analysis of fire hazards and fire propagation. In this work, models and tools for two different aspects of numerical fire simulation have been developed. The primary objectives have been firstly to investigate the possibility of exploiting state-of-the-art fire models within probabilistic fire risk assessments and secondly to develop a computationally efficient solver of thermal radiation for the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) code. In the first part of the work, an engineering tool for probabilistic fire risk assessment has been developed. The tool can be used to perform Monte Carlo simulations of fires and is called the Probabilistic Fire Simulator (PFS). In Monte Carlo simulation, the simulations are repeated multiple times, covering the whole range of variability of the input parameters and thus resulting in a distribution of results covering what can be expected in reality. In practical applications, advanced ...
An ultrasmall spot size scanning laser ophthalmoscope has been developed that employs an annular aberration-corrected incident beam to increase the effective numerical aperture of the eye thereby reducing...Full Text Available
Background and AimsTrade-offs are fundamental to life-history theory, and the leaf size vs. number trade-off has recently been suggested to be of importance to our understanding...Full Text Available
The scaling of reproductive parameters to body size is important for understanding ecological and evolutionary patterns. Here, we derived allometric relationships for the number and mass of seeds, eggs...Full Text Available
The evolution of drug resistant bacteria is a severe public health problem, both in hospitals and in the community. Currently, some countries aim at concentrating highly specialized services in large...Full Text Available
Evolutionary biologists have long been fascinated by both the ways in which species respond to ecological conditions at the edges of their geographic ranges and the way that species' body sizes evolve...Full Text Available
BackgroundSize and body proportions at birth are partly determined by maternal body composition, but most studies of mother-baby relationships have only considered...Full Text Available
The effective population size (Ne) is an important parameter in ecology, evolutionary biology and conservation biology. It is, however, notoriously difficult to estimate,...Full Text Available
This work investigates the effect of excipient particle size on compaction properties of brittle, plastic and viscoelastic materials with and without added lubricants. Sieve cuts of Microcrystalline...Full Text Available
In a cross-over study, participants (n=59) were randomly assigned to receive either 100 kcal packs or standard size packages of snacks for 1-week. After a minimum of a 1-week washout period,...Full Text Available
In a previous study we found that nanofibrous poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) scaffolds mimicking collagen fibers in size were superior to solid-walled scaffolds in promoting osteoblast differentiation...Full Text Available
This commentary adds effect sizes to the recently published systematic review by De Meester and colleagues and provides a more detailed insight into the effectiveness of interventions to promote physical...Full Text Available
We report a study of the nonmetal-metal transition of free-standing Pd{sub N} clusters (2{<=}N{<=}21) carried out through two different theoretical approaches that are extensively employed in electronic structure calculations: a semi-empirical tight-binding (TB) model and an ab initio DFT pseudopotential model. The calculated critical size for the metallic transition decreases rapidly with the temperature and an oscillatory dependence with the cluster size is obtained, particularly in the DFT approach. The TB model describes the metallic behavior for cluster sizes beyond N{approx}12 well. Our obtained critical size at room temperature is of the order of the experimental estimation.
It is known that in size reduction of the granular structure of ferrite and ferrite-pearlite steels the temperature of the transformation from ductile to brittle condition is lowered. This effect can also be caused by an increase in the dispersity of intragrain and intergrain segregations (sulfides, carbonitrides, and segregations of impurity atoms), which accompanies grain size reduction and promotes initiation and propagation of cracks. In order to clarify the mechanism of fracture of steel in the region of the ductile-brittle transition steel 45 with different grain sizes and pearlite morphologies has been investigated.
Aluminum electrolytic capacitors, with 1043 failures, are a good example. Also, categorization by size and voltage reveals such frequencies of occurrence as ...
Analytic expression is derived for X-ray fluorescence dependence on the particle size of powder and slurry media. The expression is obtained for a model of powder medium containing particles of different size and random distribution in the bulk of the sample. Limiting cases of homogeneous and slurry-like media are considered and expressions for calculation of the fluorescence intensity are derived. The results reasonably match the experiment for binary powder mixtures and thus provide evaluation of the powder particle size on the fluorescence intensity for multicomponent polydisperse powder medium
We present both the theory and an experimental method to accurately set up a Guoy phase telescope, where both the output spot size and orthogonality condition are invariant to distance from the cavity beam waist. We demonstrate that Gaussian spot size measurements can be used as a diagnostic to determine the desired locations of split area photodetectors. The Guoy phase invariance is verified using the tilt-locking technique.
We show that the size of a lanthanide-ion doped nanoparticle can be accurately determined from its luminosity. The optically determined size distribution is in very good agreement with the distribution obtained from transmission electron microscopy. These data confirm that single nanoparticles are visualized in microscopy experiments. Nanoparticles as small as 13 nm are detectable with integration times of 500 ms.
In this report, the quantitative relation between the height equivalent to a theoretical plate (HETP) and the size of ion exchange resin is studied by enriching lithium isotopes with high pressure ion exchange displacement chromatography. The dependence of HETP on the size of the resin can be expressed as H = C x (anti r)sup( ) in which = 2.4 and it is found that Snyder's equation is suitable for such a system of isotope separation as may be explained by the simple displacement mechanism.
The effect of WC particle size with the addition of VC as a grain growth inhibitor was investigated during the liquid phase sintering of WC-Co system. With increasing WC particle size at the same VC content, the effect of grain growth inhibition was increased. Also, with increasing the VC content, the grain shape of WC was changed from the faceted shape to the distorted shape, and the step density of the WC grain was increased. (orig.)
We analyzed the effect of short-term water deficits at different periods of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) leaf development on the spatial and temporal patterns of tissue expansion...Full Text Available
Effector proteins expressed in the esophageal gland cells of cyst nematodes are delivered into plant cells through a hollow, protrusible stylet. Although evidence indicates that effector proteins function...Full Text Available
BackgroundTransposons, i.e. transposable elements (TEs), are the major internal spontaneous mutation agents for the variability of eukaryotic genomes. To address the general issue...Full Text Available
Expressions for the spatial moments and macrodispersion tensor for sorbing solutes in heterogeneous formations were presented using a probabilistic model of a fluid residence time coupled with the particle position analysis. The fluid residence time was defined as a fraction of the actual time during which the particle stayed in the mobile fluid phase of the aquifer. The fluid residence time is a random variable whose variability comes as a result of the non-equilibrium sorption properties. The sorbing solute was assumed to be governed with first-order linear kinetics. The closed-form expressions were based on the stationarity in the kinetic process and on the first-order approximation in the hydraulic conductivity field and in the fluid residence time. The non-equilibrium effects were presented as a function of the spatial variability in hydraulic conductivity and temporal variability in the fluid ...
The paralysis-by-analysis phenomenon, i.e., attending to the execution of one's movement impairs performance, has gathered a lot of attention over recent years (see Wulf, 2007,...Full Text Available
Activation-induced deaminase (AID) initiates somatic hypermutation, gene conversion and class switch recombination by deaminating variable and switch region DNA cytidines to uridines. AID is predominantly...Full Text Available
Intraindividual variability of measurements of 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL), nicotine, cotinine, and r-1,t-2,3,c-4-tetrahydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrophenanthrene...Full Text Available
A previous report of high levels of members of the domain Archaea in Antarctic coastal waters prompted us to investigate the ecology of Antarctic planktonic prokaryotes. rRNA hybridization...Full Text Available
BackgroundSynonymous sites are freer to vary because of redundancy in genetic code. Messenger RNA secondary structure restricts this freedom, as revealed by previous findings in...Full Text Available
Dependent variables in research on problem behavior typically are based on measures of response repetition, but these measures may be problematic when behavior poses high risk or when its occurrence...Full Text Available
IntroductionHealth information on the Internet undergoes no quality control at the stage of production, thus its quality is highly variable, making it difficult...Full Text Available
Information from the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) is used to identify which variables measured in 1981 successfully predict the severity of disease in 1989 and the eight year change in severity...Full Text Available
Dissecting the genes involved in complex traits can be confounded by multiple factors, including extensive epistatic interactions among genes, the involvement of epigenetic regulators, and the variable...Full Text Available
BackgroundAn earlier study showed that a week of yoga practice was useful in stress management after a natural calamity. Due to heavy rain and a rift on the banks of the Kosi river,...Full Text Available
The highly variable and intermittent pollutant concentrations and flowrates associated with wet-weather events in combined sewersheds necessitates the use of storage-treatment systems to control pollution.An optimized combined-sewer-overflow (CSO) control system requires a manage...
Using the POLISH instrument, I am unable to reproduce the large-amplitude polarimetric observations of Berdyugina et al. (2008) to the >99.99% confidence level. I observe no significant polarimetric variability in the HD 189733 system, and the upper limit to variability from the exoplanet is Delta_P < 7.9 x 10^(-5) with 99% confidence in the 400 nm to 675 nm wavelength range. Berdyugina et al. (2008) report polarized, scattered light from the atmosphere of the HD 189733b hot Jupiter with an amplitude of two parts in 10^4. Such a large amplitude is over an order of magnitude larger than expected given a geometric albedo similar to other hot Jupiters. However, my non-detection of polarimetric variability phase-locked to the orbital period of the exoplanet, and the lack of any significant variability, shows that the polarimetric modulation reported by Berdyugina et al. (2008) cannot be due to the ...
The effect of spatial auditory information on a listener's ability to detect, identify, and monitor multiple simultaneous speech signals was evaluated using virtual audio technology. Factorial combinations of three variables - the number of localized spee...
The sequence-dependent structural variability and conformational dynamics of DNA play pivotal roles in many biological milieus, such as in the site-specific binding of transcription factors to target...Full Text Available
The sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) ribosomal DNA (rDNA) domain data obtained by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis with 18S rDNA and fingerprinting (M13) for clinical...Full Text Available
Despite the demonstrated clinical efficacy of CD20 monoclonal antibody (mAb) for lymphoma therapy, the in vivo mechanisms of tumor depletion remain controversial and variable. To identify the molecular...Full Text Available
Study objectiveThe study aim was to improve our understanding of the relationships between contextual socioeconomic characteristics and coronary heart disease (CHD)...Full Text Available
Simulations with a regional chemical transport model show that anthropogenic emissions of volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO + NO2) lead to a dramatic diurnal...Full Text Available
ObjectiveTo develop consistent variable names and a common database structure for the data elements in the International Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Data Sets.Full Text Available
Random forest (RF) analysis of genetic data does not require specification of the mode of inheritance, and provides measures of variable importance that incorporate interaction effects. In this paper...Full Text Available
Although humans vary in their response to chemicals, comprehensive measures of susceptibility have generally not been incorporated into human risk assessment. The U.S. EPA dose-response-based risk assessments...Full Text Available
In this review we attempt to reconstruct the evolutionary history of hominin life history from extant and fossil evidence. We utilize demographic life history theory and distinguish life history variables,...Full Text Available
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are ecologically important root symbionts of most terrestrial plants. Ecological studies of AMF have concentrated on differences between species; largely assuming...Full Text Available
High speed experimental tests provided data on six parametric cylindrical roller bearings. Four bearing variables were evaluated and the results were correlated with the analytical model developed under Naval Air Propulsion Center Contract N00140-76-C-038...
An approach to the calculation of the quantity of heat consumed in the process of coal formation is presented. The variability of this parameter in a coalification series is analyzed using coals from the Kuznetsk and Tunguska Basins as an example.
The systems for which the algebra of gauge transformations in the lagrangian formalism is closed, are considered. The hamiltonian BRST charge and the BRST-invariant hamiltonian are found explicitly. Their expansions in powers of the ghost variables contain, in general, an infinite number of terms. (orig.).
Glossitis among U.S. military working dogs in South Vietnam was characterized by variable redness and loss of papillae on the anterodorsal third of the tongue; salivation, drooling, and inappetence were the principal clinical signs. Symptomatic treatment ...
The torque-velocity relationship is known to be affected by ageing, decreasing its protective role in the prevention of falls. Interindividual variability in this torque-velocity relationship is partly...Full Text Available
Exercise is essential for health, yet the amount, duration, and intensity that individuals engage in are strikingly variable, even under prescription. Our focus was to identify the locations and effects...Full Text Available
Microarray data has a high dimension of variables but available datasets usually have only a small number of samples, thereby making the study of such datasets interesting and challenging. In the task...Full Text Available
The aim of the present study focuses on experimentally demonstrating the efficacy of using angularly-variable fiber geometry to achieve the desired tissue-layer selection and probing depths with the further objective of enhancing the sensitivity and specificity of spectral diagnosis in stratified architectures that resemble human cervical epithelia. The morphological and biochemical features of epithelial tissue vary in accordance with tissue depths; consequently, the accuracy of spectroscopic diagnosis of epithelial dysplasia may be enhanced by probing the optical properties of this tissue. When correlated to cellular dysplasia, layer-specific changes in tissue optical properties may be deciphered by reflectance spectroscopy coupled with angularly-variable fiber geometry. This study addresses the utility of using such angularly-variable fiber geometry for resolving spatially-specific spectral signatures of tissue ...
We investigated the effects of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharge on the ecology of bacterial communities in the sediment of a small, low-gradient stream in South Australia. The quantification...Full Text Available
... 1984; Martin-Mora et al., 1995), and parasitism (Rothschild and Rothschild, 1939; Pesigan et al., 1958; Moose, 1963; Pan, ... effects of digeneans are variable; they may enhance (Rothschild and Rothschild...
Understanding the pathogenesis of obesity is now more important than ever, given the remarkable world-wide epidemic. This paper explores the potential role of core temperature in energy balance, and...Full Text Available
Energy confinement in W7-AS has been analyzed in terms of dimensionally exact form free functions employing Bayesian probability theory. The confinement function was set up as a linear combination of dimensionally exact power law terms as already proposed very early by Connor and Taylor. Generation of this expansion basis is dictated by the basic plasma model which one assumes. Based upon data accumulated in W7-AS, which contains the energy content for a wide variety of variable settings, predictions for single variable scans are made. The scaling functions for density and power scans, respectively, are in quantitative agreement with data collected in W7-AS. The result of a single variable scan is therefore already hidden in the data obtained for arbitrary variable choices and can be extracted from the latter by a proper data analysis. Furthermore, the optimal model for the description of the global ...
Detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) is a recently developed technique suitable for describing scaling behavior of variability in physiological signals. The purpose of this study is to explore...Full Text Available
BackgroundStudies conducted in developed countries using economic models show that individual- and household- level variables are important determinants of health insurance ownership....Full Text Available
In recent years the modelling of interannual climate variability has been studied, the atmospheric energy and water cycles, and climate simulations with the ECHAM3 model. In addition, the climate simulations of several models have been compared with special emphasis in the area of northern Europe
BackgroundInadequate platelet inhibition despite aspirin and clopidogrel therapy during and after a percutaneous coronary intervention is associated with an impaired clinical outcome....Full Text Available
In this report, the main emphasis is given to (1) the problems associated with the basic calibration of the spectroradiometer and (2) the year-to-year variability of the calibrations of the solar UV network radiometers. Also, the results from intercomparisons of the Brewer and OL 742 spectroradiometers are included
PurposeTo analyze the contributions of cytochrome P4501B1 (CYP1B1) mutations to primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) in Spanish patients.MethodsWe...Full Text Available
An elliptic equation in a rectangle with coefficients depending on a fast variable and with its period being a small parameter is considered. An asymptotic expansion of the solution up to an arbitrary degree of the small parameter is constructed and substantiated by applying the two-scale expansion method.
After discrimination training on a multiple variable-interval extinction schedule of food reinforcement, pigeons were placed on the uncued or mixed version of the same schedule and allowed to make...Full Text Available
Visual assessment of the degree of renal artery stenosis on renal arteriography has a large inter- and intraobserver variability. This degree is usually estimated by the ratio between the most narrowed...Full Text Available
BackgroundMost analyses of spatial clustering of disease have been based on either residence at the time of diagnosis or current residence. An underlying assumption in these analyses...Full Text Available
Antiplatelet resistance has been proposed as a possible mechanism to explain recurrent cardiovascular events in patients who have coronary artery disease and who are undergoing dual antiplatelet therapy....Full Text Available
In the case wherein nonlinear seismic response analyses are carried out, the response values vary due to the variations in materials and modeling. In this paper, nonlinear analyses of several random variables are carried out using: i. a conventional method; ii. a two-point estimation method (i. and ii. are simplified methods); and iii. Monte Carlo simulation (detailed method) to examine the variability of the response in the excessive nonlinear range for seismic responses of shear walls. The analyses are performed to a PWR-3 loop type reactor building which is one of the most typical reactor buildings in Japan. The variations are considered in specified compressive strength of concrete, concrete damping factor, shear wave velocity of soil and shapes of shear stress-strain relation curves of shear walls. As the results by the two simplified methods closely matched the Monte Carlo simulation results, the appropriateness for applying the ...
BackgroundTraditionally in pediatric HIV, the CD4+ T-lymphocyte percent is used in monitoring disease progression due to the variability in absolute CD4+ T-lymphocyte...Full Text Available
The distribution of 20 variable regions resulting from insertion-deletion events in the genomes of the tubercle bacilli has been evaluated in a total of 100 strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis,...Full Text Available
PurposeTo detail the highly variable ocular phenotypes of a French family affected with an autosomal dominantly inherited vitreoretinopathy and to identify the disease gene.MethodsSixteen...Full Text Available
BackgroundWith the explosion in data generated using microarray technology by different investigators working on similar experiments, it is of interest to combine results across...Full Text Available
Structural variants which cause changes in copy numbers constitute an important component of genomic variability. They account for 0.7% of genomic differences in two individual genomes, of which...Full Text Available
A variable-dispersion electron spectrometer is being installed for use by the Stanford Superconducting Accelerator in conjunction with its Free Electron Laser program. The system has been designed to operate with electron beam energies from 20 MeV to 200 MeV, with a maximum energy resolution of 0.01% FWHM. The maximum energy acceptance is approximately #+-# 5%, as determined by the bending magnet aperture. Resolution is controlled by adjusting the focal conditions at the entrance to a 90 degree bending magnet, while the dispersion is controlled by changing the magnitude and polarity of the field in a quadrupole magnet which immediately follows the bending magnet. 4 refs., 5 figs.
This report describes the design, fabrication, installation and testing of a small variable-speed vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT). This VAWT is unique in its installation using hand tools only; unconventional and simple support system; and variable speed operation under microprocessor control. Initial testing confirmed that the turbine can be controlled by commanded alternator field modulation. Further studies will be directed toward determination of an optimum control algorithm.
Divergence between aircraft engine emission regulations proposed by EPA and ICAO is discussed. Every engine, upon entering service, requires a certificate as to its compliance with emission standards. It is shown that despite the large variability in the measurements, it is possible to devise a certification procedure requiring the testing of one engine only. Statistical modeling of such a test at the 5% significance level is described. Values of the parameter standard deviation/mean recommended as certification standards for various pollutants are given. Features of a rational certification scheme to be formulated are outlined.
We construct representation of the Separated Variables (SoV) for the quantum SL(2,R) Heisenberg closed spin chain and obtain the integral representation for the eigenfunctions of the model. We calculate explicitly the Sklyanin measure defining the scalar product in the SoV representation and demonstrate that the language of Feynman diagrams is extremely useful in establishing various properties of the model. The kernel of the unitary transformation to the SoV representation is described by the same "pyramid diagram" as appeared before in the SoV representation for the SL(2,C) spin magnet. We argue that this kernel is given by the product of the Baxter Q-operators projected onto a special reference state.
For reliable operation and the optimization of production, industrial fermentation processes require appropriate tools for monitoring the process in real time. This work presents the structure and operation of a soft sensor for the on-line monitoring of biomass and product concentration during salinomycin and bacitracin fermentation in an industrial, 80-m^3 batch reactor; moreover it provides a tool for evaluation of batch production verified in industrial application. The process estimation algorithm consists of decoupled growth and product models, which ensures an unbiased convergence of the estimator and the robustness of the model. The production of secondary metabolites is described with a non-structured model upgraded with a variable forgetting factor that demonstrated a successful e...
The idle speed of an internal combustion engine is controlled in response to a variable ignition timing control signal from a microcomputer. The microcomputer derives this control signal as a function of the magnitude of engine speed variation which occurs during engine idle periods to cause the ignition timing to vary quickly in response to a transitory engine load variation. An auxiliary air delivery system may be advantageously incorporated in the idle speed control system to cooperate with the ignition timing control in response to the engine speed variation.
We discuss the inclusive production of D{sup *{+-}} mesons in {gamma}p collisions at DESY HERA, based on a calculation at next-to-leading order in the general-mass variable-flavor-number scheme. In this approach, MS subtraction is applied in such a way that large logarithmic corrections are resummed in universal parton distribution and fragmentation functions and finite mass terms are taken into account. We present detailed numerical results for a comparison with data obtained at HERA and discuss various sources of theoretical uncertainties. (orig.)
We consider the spin-up of the white dwarf in non-magnetic cataclysmic variables (CVs) during secular evolution. If this is unresisted, CVs are quenched as boundary-layer emitters once the binary period has decreased by #approx# 1 hr. Angular momentum loss in nova explosions may, however, prevent the star reaching breakup. If the explosions remove (1 + #epsilon#) x the mass accreted between outbursts, values 0.5 < #approx# #epsilon# < #approx# 1 allow CVs to be modest boundary-layer emitters for most of their lifetimes. Spectral effects will limit their detection as soft X-ray sources. (author).
Energy productivity and energy intensity within the industrial sector of the economy are examined. Results suggest that relative prices and other economic factors can explain much of the variation in both energy productivity and energy intensity for manufacturing and mining and for the industrial sector as a whole. Cyclical factors, seasonal factors and trend variables are also useful in explaining variation in these data, both for annual and monthly time series. Of the variables examined, it appears that the relative price of energy is a highly significant factor in accounting for the difference between actual industrial energy intensity and that which might have been expected had pre-1973 trends continued.
The effects of variable hardness, pH, alkalinity, humics, and suspended clay on the chemical speciation of copper and its toxicity to fathead minnow larvae in Lake Superior water were investigated. Two proposed methods (toxicity factors and chemical speciation) for predicting LC50 values in specific natural waters from laboratory toxicity data and the average site specific values of general water quality parameters were evaluated. The accuracy of the cupric ion-selective electrode in determining CU/sup +2/ activities in ambient and chemically altered Lake Superior water was also determined.
We present a protocol for quantum key distribution using discrete modulation of coherent states of light. Information is encoded in the variable phase of coherent states which can be chosen from a regular discrete set ranging from binary to continuous modulation similar to phase-shift keying in classical communication. Information is decoded by simultaneous homodyne measurement of both quadratures and requires no active choice of basis. The protocol utilizes either direct or reverse reconciliation both with and without postselection. We analyze the security of the protocol and show how to enhance it by the optimal choice of all variable parameters of the quantum signal.
In this project we determined primary production and optical variability in the shelf and slope waters off of Cape Hatteras, N.C. These processes were addressed in conjunction with other Ocean Margins Program investigators, during the Spring Transition period and during Summer. We found that there were significant differences in measured parameters between Spring and Summer, enabling us to develop seasonally specific carbon production and ecosystem models as well as seasonal and regional algorithm improvements for use in remote sensing applications.
A fermionic - based on Grassmann--Berezin calculus of anticommuting variables - topological quantum field theory (TQFT) is considered, mainly in three dimensions. It is defined for piecewise-linear manifolds and, for a given triangulation, deals only with a finite number of variables. Despite its simple nature, it can distiguish between lens spaces L(7,1) and L(7,2). And despite its origin from a kind of Reidemeister torsion, it does this without using nontrivial representations of the fundamental group. Also, symbolic calculations are presented giving strong evidence of existence of similar theory in four dimensions.
Pippenger (2011) recently proposed a solution to the longstanding forward-bias puzzle. He argues that the puzzling estimates obtained using the standard equation for the efficient markets hypothesis are due to omitted variable bias. He identifies the missing variables as the future change in the forward exchange rate and the future interest differential. When these are added to the standard equation, he finds a one-to-one relationship between the future change in the spot rate and the forward premium. However, we argue that his equation can only test covered interest parity and offers no insight into the forward-bias puzzle.
A reliability approach for probabilistic modeling of one-dimensional non-reactive and reactive transport in porous media provides two important quantitative results: (1) an estimate of the probability that dimensionless concentration equals or exceeds some specified level and, (2) the sensitivity of the probabilistic outcome to likely changes in each uncertain variable. The reliability approach is particularly attractive because it can incorporate various marginal probability density functions (PDF) for any of the uncertain variables. In this work uncertain variables include: groundwater flow velocity, diffusion coefficient, dispersivity, distribution coefficient, porosity and bulk density. The primary objective is to examine how the probabilistic outcome is influenced by choice of marginal PDF, correlation and magnitude of uncertainty for the variables. Because little information exists concerning the ...
K"#pi#=20"- and 49/2"- yrast isomers have been discovered in "1"7"6Ta and "1"7"7Ta, with meanlives of 1.4 ms and 0.19 ms, respectively. The long meanlives arise from substantial K-hindrance in the "1"7"6Ta case but from spin-trapping in the "1"7"7Ta case. Quasiparticle calculations, which treat the Fermi and pairing energies self-consistently, reproduce the excitation energies of these isomers and the other multi-quasiparticle high-K states observed. Due to blocking, pairing is significantly reduced in the 3-quasiparticle states, the extent depending on the specific configurations. It is completely quenched for both protons and neutrons in the highest seniority states. Yrast traps of even higher spin are predicted to exist in "1"7"6Ta and "1"7"7Ta. ((orig.)).
Postamputation pain (PAP) affects over 60% of major limb amputees. One of the main challenges in treating PAP is the difficulty involved in identifying pain mechanism(s), which pertains to both residual limb pain (RLP) and phantom limb pain (PLP). In this study, sympathetic blocks were performed on 17 major limb amputees refractory to treatment, including 2 placebo-controlled blocks done for bilateral amputations. One hour postinjection, mean RLP scores at rest declined from 5.2 (SD 2.8) to 2.8 (SD 2.6) (P = .0002), and PLP decreased from 5.3 (SD 3.1) to 2.3 (SD 2.1) (P = .0009). By 1 week, mean pain scores for RLP and PLP were 4.3 (SD 2.9) and 4.2 (SD 3.0), respectively. Overall, 8 of 16 (50%) patients experienced ?50% reduction in RLP 1-hour postinjection, with the beneficial effects ...
Extensive investigations have been and are being carried out on a stiff clay from an underground research laboratory located at Mol (Belgium) called Boom clay, in the context of research into deep nuclear waste disposal. Suction effects in deep Boom clay block samples were investigated through the characterisation of the water retention and of the swelling properties of the clay. The data obtained allowed an estimation of the sample initial suction that was reasonably compatible with the in-situ state of stress at a depth of 223 m. The relationship between suction and stress changes during loading and unloading sequences were also examined by running oedometer tests with suction measurements. A rather wide range of the ratio s/sigma 'v (being s the suction and sigma 'v the effective vertical stress) was obtained (0.61 - 1), different from that proposed by Bishop et al; (1974). Finally, the effect of suction release under an isotropic stress close to the estimated ...
The Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP), a demonstration reactor and hydrogen production facility proposed for construction at the INEEL, is expected to be a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR). Computer codes used in design and safety analysis for the NGNP must be benchmarked against experimental data. The INEEL and ANL have examined information about several past and present experimental and prototypical facilities based on HTGR concepts to assess the potential of these facilities for use in this benchmarking effort. Both reactors and critical facilities applicable to pebble-bed and prismatic block-type cores have been considered. Four facilities--HTR-PROTEUS, HTR-10, ASTRA, and AVR--appear to have the greatest potential for use in benchmarking codes for pebble-bed reactors. Similarly, for the prismatic block-type reactor design, two experiments have been ranked as having the highest priority--HTTR and VHTRC.
Nuclei in the mass-180 region have many high-{Omega} single-particle levels close to the Fermi energy and are, therefore, prime candidates for high-K isomers. Since both neutron and proton level densities are rather low, one should expect blocking and particle-number fluctuations to be rather important. We have performed good-particle-number calculations and have shown that the simpler blocked BCS theory gives a good approximation to the multi-quasiparticle spectra if the pairing strength is chosen appropriately. This has allowed us to perform a systematic theoretical study of this mass region. Residual spin-spin interactions are shown to be essential in reproducing the energies and even the correct order of known states. Good agreement has been found for {sup 175}Hf, {sup 176}Hf and {sup 177}Ta, where extensive data already exist. Predictions for new high-K states near the yrast line are made for these nuclei and for {sup 178}W. (orig.).
Nuclei in the mass-180 region have many high-#OMEGA# single-particle levels close to the Fermi energy and are, therefore, prime candidates for high-K isomers. Since both neutron and proton level densities are rather low, one should expect blocking and particle-number fluctuations to be rather important. We have performed good-particle-number calculations and have shown that the simpler blocked BCS theory gives a good approximation to the multi-quasiparticle spectra if the pairing strength is chosen appropriately. This has allowed us to perform a systematic theoretical study of this mass region. Residual spin-spin interactions are shown to be essential in reproducing the energies and even the correct order of known states. Good agreement has been found for "1"7"5Hf, "1"7"6Hf and "1"7"7Ta, where extensive data already exist. Predictions for new high-K states near the yrast line are made for these nuclei and for "1"7"8W. (orig.).
This article describes a methodology to determine the best strategy in an open bid, where oil and gas fields are the targets for exploration. Based upon the previous bid rounds for a given specific area - the Campos Basin, for that matter -, the data were statistically treated to fit a probability density function, modelling the value of bids offered by the competing companies. By means of techniques and concepts pertaining to Game Theory a balance matrix was built for values of bids made by companies as a function of the company alone in assumed bid rounds. At the end of each british auction, participants of this simultaneous game, using the rationality principle, aimed at winning the tender on the oil field aimed for, through the use of better answers with respect to its rival competitor. The game goal was maximize return on investment purchase in the decisions of lease blocks purchases in the auctions, or to try minimize its opponents gains. Proceeding with the ...
A wear-resistant nitrided layer was formed on a 304L austenitic stainless steel substrate by DC plasma nitriding. Effects of DC plasma nitriding parameters on the structural phases, micro-hardness and dry-sliding wear behavior of the nitrided layer were investigated by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, micro-hardness testing and ring-on-block wear testing. The results show that the highest surface hardness over a case depth of about 10 #mu#m is obtained after nitriding at 460 deg. C. XRD indicated a single expanded austenite phase and a single CrN nitride phase were formed at 350 deg. C and 480 deg. C, respectively. In addition, the S-phase layers formed on the samples provided the best dry-sliding wear resistance under the ring-on-block contact configuration test.
The device for removing drilling fines from the well head includes a support disk encompassing the sucker rod of the drilling machine with frame made in the form of a dish with inner conical surface, and overturned truncated cone located in the dish of the support disk with the formation between them of a ring guide slit. In order to improve the effectiveness of removing the drilling fines and convenience of operation by excluding heavy manual auxiliary operations to clean the well head and to move the device from one well to another, it is equipped with a mechanism for suspension with a drive. The inner conical surface of the dish is equipped with slide blocks, while the overturned truncated cone is equipped with projections. The suspension mechanism is made in the form of a hydrocylinder and two pairs of levers connected in pairs by means of hinges. The hinges of each pair of levers are connected to the hydrocylinder, and the levers are hinged to the machine ...
What kind of hardware and software should be used to interface GPIB devices with the existing computer system. One idea was to use a commercially available Multibus card, BLC 8488 from National Semiconductor, whose on-board Z80 would manage the GPIB read/write functions and handshakes. With this card, one could make a hardware system which would consist of (1) CAMAC 080, (2) Multibus crate, (3) M. Shea's M68000, (4) M080, (5) BLC 8488 and (6) memory board. And the software considered for such a hardware package was GAS, which had been an established software package for communication between the ACNET computer system and smart CAMAC modules. However, a second idea was to put everything on a two-wide CAMAC module. The author pursued the second idea and came up with a two-wide CAMAC module called C488. The author describes the hardware - block diagrams, circuit blocks, front panel and hardware tests. He also refers to the software - ...
The Girassol field is located in Angolan deep water of Block 17 and consists of large vertically stacked turbidities complexes. The reservoir extends over approximately 200 km{sup 2} and water depth ranges between 1300 and 1400 meters. In that context High Resolution 3D seismic became the most valuable tool to describe and monitor the reservoir. The field development plan took into account, through re-injection of the gas into the reservoir, Total environmental policy imposing the recycling of production gas. Monitoring of this injection was the main reason to shoot the first High Resolution 4D extremely early in the life of field. Despite the complexity of interpretation due to complex fluid situation and pressure effect, the results went way beyond expectations as the 4D images are of very high quality. Data has also been used to update and refine the reservoir flow model as well as to help deciding on the location of latest development wells. Other repeat ...
In 16 female patients wick colpourethrocystography was performed directly successively with large-size films as well as medium-size films (intensifier fluorography). The area exposure products were measured by a dosemeter closely attached to the diaphragm and separately for radiography and fluorography, resp. Surface doses as well as organ doses were calculated according to Rosenstein. The average radiatin doses of the active bone marrow were 6.03 mGy for examination with large-size films and 1.27 mGy for fluorography; the average gonadal doses were 7.45 mGy and 1.56 mGy, resp. The portion of fluoroscopy in radiation exposure amounted to 14.8% in large-size film examination, but was 74.0% in medium-size examination. Thus the comparative results revealed a significant reduction of the patient's radiation dose by application of intensifier fluorography in colpourethrocystography.