A novel method to control the mixed-mode bending (MMB) specimen is presented. By maintaining a constant opening, or Mode 1, displacement rate, stable delamination growth is achieved for all mixed-mode ratios. A constant-opening displacement rate is achieved by attaching a second displacementtransducer to the hinges of the specimen. The test machine is then controlled externally by the second displacementtransducer. By achieving stable delamination growth and monitoring the opening displacement, an experimental compliance calibration may be derived for the Modes 1 and 2 parts. This new approach to control the test and determine the experimental compliance calibration, overcomes the potential inaccuracies of the previously used beam theory expressions to determine compliance and to separate the modal values of G.
A 19.1 metre wind turbine blade was subjected to static tests. The purpose of the test series was to verify the abilities of different types of sensors to detect damage in wind turbine blades. Prior to each of the static test-series an artificial damage was made on the blade. The damage made for each test-series was surveyed during each series by acoustic emission, fiber optic micro bend displacementtransducers and strain gauges. The propagation of the damage was determined by use of ultra sonic and X-ray surveillance during stops in the test series. By use of acoustic emission it was possible to measure damage propagation before the propagation was of visible size. By use of fiber optic micro bend displacementtransducers and strain gauges it was possible to measure minor damage propagation. By use of both ultra sonic, and X-ray NDT-equipment it were possible to determine the size of propagated ...
Solid-state acoustic sensors for monitoring conditions at a surface immersed in a liquid and for monitoring concentrations of species in a liquid and for monitoring electrical properties of a liquid are formed by placing interdigital input and output transducers on a piezoelectric substrate and propagating acoustic plate modes therebetween. The deposition or removal of material on or from, respectively, a thin film in contact with the surface, or changes in the mechanical properties of a thin film in contact with the surface, or changes in the electrical characteristics of the solution, create perturbations in the velocity and attenuation of the acoustic plate modes as a function of these properties or changes in them.
This paper presents a new approach to improve the in silico modeling of ultrasound transducer arrays. While current simulation tools accurately predict the theoretical element...Full Text Available
A generalised procedure for quantifying the benefits of household biogas plants is presented. The sensitivity of the procedure to the uncertainty in input prices is reduced through the assumption of incremental benefits from the biogas plant. These benefits are quantified in terms of the quantity of fuelwood for which the biogas substitutes in cooking, the quantity of kerosene replaced through the use of biogas for lighting and the diesel fuel displaced through the use of a biogas fuelled dual-fuel engine for motive power. Sensitivity of the monetary benefits for these parameters is examined in order to identify variables which influence the viability of the technology to the end user. (author).
A photoacoustic (PA) imaging system based on an ultrasonic Fresnel zone plate (FZP) transducer is developed for the purpose of imaging biological tissue. This FZP transducer has a two-zone negative zone plate piezoelectric material pattern, and an optical fibre is integrated with the transducer on the symmetric axis of the zone plates to deliver laser pulses to the sample. The focal characteristic of the FZP transducer is analysed by theoretical prediction and experimental measurement, and the measured results are in good agreement with the predicted results. The limited-field back-projection deconvolution algorithm combined with the coherence-factor weighting technique is used to reconstruct the optical absorption distribution. The experiments were performed with phantoms and the blood vessels of chicken embryo chorioallantoic membrane. The results demonstrate that PA imaging using the FZP ...
This paper presents a semi-active vibration control of a scaled two-span bridge structure. Magneto-rheological fluid dampers are utilized as the semi-active energy absorbing deices and a bridge vibration control system is developed. Closed-loop control system based on fuzzy logic is used to suppress the bridge deck motion under random excitations. The sufficient condition for the closed-loop stability of the fuzzy control system is derived from the variable structure system theory. It is demonstrated that this stable fuzzy control system can significantly reduce the relative deck displacement using about 55 percent less power compared to passive-on state, while the absolute deck acceleration is relatively unaffected.
The literature regarding the free vibration analysis of Bernoulli?Euler and Timoshenko beams under various supporting conditions is plenty, but the free vibration analysis of Reddy?Bickford beams with variable cross-section on elastic soil with/without axial force effect using the Differential Transform Method (DTM) has not been investigated by any of the studies in open literature so far. In this study, the free vibration analysis of axially loaded and semi-rigid connected Reddy?Bickford beam with variable cross-section on elastic soil is carried out by using DTM. The model has six degrees of freedom at the two ends, one transverse displacement and two rotations, and the end forces are a shear force and two end moments in this study. The governing differential equations of motion of the r...
A shear acoustic transducer-lens system in which a shear polarized piezoelectric material excites shear polarized waves at one end of a buffer rod having a lens at the other end which excites longitudinal waves in a coupling medium by mode conversion at selected locations on the lens.
extravehicular activity; an exploding bridgewire firing unit for rocket engines ; a pressure transducer that can withstand the 6000 OF temperiiture ...
Methods of designing ultrasonic piezoelectric transducers in accord with a specified directivity pattern are analyzed and general formulas are presented for the design problem. As an example, the pressure distribution on the working surface of a circular piezoelectric transducer is determined that is capable of forming a narrow weakly divergent beam. Experimental results are presented with respected to ultrasonic fields that support the theoretical conclusions.
Many new technologies and approaches to the provision of comfort inside buildings such as displacement ventilation, mixed-mode strategies, personally controllable (task-ambient) designs, chilled beams as well as some old but recently fashionable ones such as natural ventilation are prompting a rethink of the accepted comfort wisdom. How can a single combination of thermal environmental parameters be deemed unacceptable in a conventional heating ventilation and air-conditioning setting, and yet be regarded as acceptable, or even pleasant, in a naturally ventilated or mixed-mode setting? Why do current comfort standards prescribe static and isothermal conditions for comfort in one building, and dynamic and spatially variable indoor climates for comfort in another? The phenomenon of alliesthe...
A proposed metallization system for large area silicon solar cells with shallow junctions is outlined, and its desirable features are discussed. A baseline process sequence for the nickel palladium metallization system (NPMS) is delineated. This baseline process sequence is serving as the starting point from which process variations are being performed. The eventual goal is optimization of the NPMS process and determination of the control ranges for NPMS process variables. Initial studies of palladium displacement and electroless chemical plating solutions used in the baseline NPMS have begun and progress is reported. In support of this work, an annotated bibliography (45 citations) dealing primarily with palladium plating and palladium-silicon contact formation has been prepared (and will be subject to updating in the future reports).
Density is useful in deducing the spatial structure of coals. In this paper, nitrogen has been used instead of the commonly employed helium, for the gas displacement pycnometer based density determination of a number of coals of Indian origin. The results show that the nitrogen-based densities are always higher than the helium-based ones. Also, empirical relationships between the helium-based and nitrogen-based coal densities have been developed by two modeling methods, namely, multi-variable regression and artificial neural networks. Although the two models have fared well, the neural network model exhibits a relatively better prediction accuracy and generalization performance than the regression model. This study thus demonstrates that nitrogen, which is cheaper and easily available, can be used gainfully as the probe gas for estimating the true density of coals. 23 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs.
Full text. Here we present a status report of the Schenberg antenna, which started commissioning runs in September 2006 under the full support of FAPESP. In its first commissioning runs we tested three preliminary parametric transducer systems, which did not achieve a high enough performance for placing the antenna sensitivity in the range of the calibrator capacitor. Instead of improving the calibrator, making it capable of introducing a larger input force, we decided to go to a radical upgrading operation: replacing the three transducers for a complete set of six transducers, with better sensitivity and arranged according to the truncated icosahedron configuration, plus two extra ones; starting to install the dilution refrigerator; installing wires, cables, and amplifiers for the complete set of transducer circuits; and a new suspension and vibration isolation system for the cabling and microstrip ...
Replication-defective vectors derived from reticuloendotheliosis virus were used to transduce exogenous genes into early somatic stem cells of the chicken embryo. One of these vectors transduced and expressed the chicken growth hormone coding sequence. The helper cell line, C3, was used to generate stocks of vector containing about 10/sup 4/ transducing units per ml. Injection of 5- to 20-..mu..l volumes of vector directly beneath the blastoderm of unincubated chicken embryos led to infection of somatic stem cells. Infected embryos and adults contained unrearranged integrated proviral DNAs. Embryos expressed the transduced chicken growth hormone gene and contained high levels of serum growth hormone. Blood, brain, muscle, testis, and semen contained from individuals injected as embryos contained vector DNA. Replication-defective vectors of the reticuloendotheliosis virus transduced ...
In this article we describe an optoelectronic sensor for assessing the level of light petrochemical products in technological tanks at the oil refineries. This sensor employs the multi-element vertical array of discrete micro- optical refractometric transducers. The transducers are made of silica glass and have the conical shape. In the air, each transducer operates as a tiny retro-reflector that optically couple together two multimode optical fibers. The optical coupling in the transducer is due to the internal reflection at the conical surface. The amount of the coupling depends on the refractive index of the surrounding media. In a fluid, the total internal reflection vanishes and the coupling becomes negligibly small. The number of immersed transducers is a measure of the fluid level in the reservoir. Because of the significance of the transducer ...
We studied the niobium re-entrant cavity utilized by the Australian group in the Niobe gravitational wave detector. Instead of using their non-contact re-entrant cavity, we plan to change it to a closed one to be used in the parametric transducers of the Brazilian Mario Schenberg detector. The performance of the transducer depends on some cavity parameters such as the electrical Q and the electrical coupling. We measured the resonant frequency and the loaded electrical Q as a function of the probe position in a closed niobium #approx#15 GHz cavity operating at 4.2 K.
Humans, like other animals, are exposed to a continuous stream of signals, which are dynamic, multimodal, extended, and time varying in nature. This complex input space must be transduced and sampled...Full Text Available
screens of fine wire was placed between the gun barrel and the panel to determine whether the gun performance was repeatable. The transducers were placed ...
During the last fifteen years a variety of instruments and transducers, such as voltage plugs, power transducers, flow and pressure transducers, recorders and tensometers, have been developed for underground use in measuring the performance and technical parameters of prototype machines. The equipment, until recently, has been in a portable form and was found useful by the industry generally, in fault finding and trouble-shooting exercises and in commissioning procedures performed by small teams on a call-out basis. Over the last five years the test equipment has been adapted and the techniques modified to suit individual colliery-based operations with more permanent machine mounted and built-in transducers. At the moment these techniques operate within the framework of a statutory planned preventive maintenance scheme for each mine. This paper discusses the merits of changing from preventive ...
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 ...
Previous models of fault-propagation folding used kink-band geometries to approximate folding in front of propagating thrusts. However, kink-band kinematics cannot replicate the curved fold surfaces and complex strain patterns innatural and experimental fault-propagation folds, which also occur in front of steeper reverse and normal faults. Fault-propagation fold hinges tighten and converge downward, forming a triangular zone of penetrative deformation focused on the tip of the propagating fault. The downward convergence of deformation in fault-propagation folds can be modeled as triangular shear zones. Trishear, here defined as distributed, strain-compatible shear in a triangular (in profile) shear zone, provides an alternate kinematic model for fault-propagation folds. Trishear is analogous to simple shear in a tabular shear zone except that area balance in a triangular shear zone requires curved displacement oblique to the fault slip direction. Incremental ...
This semiannual report for the period October 1983-March 1984 summarizes activities in Sandia National Laboratories' continuing program of coal liquefaction research. The primary goals are to: explore novel catalytic concepts and materials for conversion of coal to liquid fuels; determine the effects of process variables on catalyst deactivation; determine the effects of coal structure and solvent properties on low temperature dissolution; study the kinetics and catalysis of hydrogen transfer reactions; develop an understanding of slurry gelling phenomena; and provide a technical assessment of coal liquefaction processes. During this period, work was performed on: the use of pyrene as a chemical probe of catalyst activity; analysis of catalysts from Wilsonville run 242 using ESCA; atmospheric pressure model compound activity testing of regenerated catalysts from Wilsonville run 242; base displacement experiments with a coal-indole ...
Displacements per atom (DPA) is a widely used damage unit for displacement damage in nuclear materials. Calculating the DPA for SiC irradiated in a particular facility requires a knowledge of the neutron spectrum as well as specific information about displacement damage in that material. In recent years significant improvements in displacement damage information for SiC have been generated, especially the energy required to displace an atom in an irradiation event and the models used to describe electronic and nuclear stopping. Using this information, numerical solutions for the displacement functions in SiC have been determined from coupled integro-differential equations for displacements in polyatomic materials and applied in calculations of spectral-averaged displacement cross sections for SiC. This procedure has been ...
Displacements per atom (DPA) is a widely used damage unit for displacement damage in nuclear materials. Calculating the DPA for SiC irradiated in a particular facility requires a knowledge of the neutron spectrum as well as specific information about displacement damage in that material. In recent years significant improvements in displacement damage information for SiC have been generated, especially the energy required to displace an atom in an irradiation event and the models used to describe electronic and nuclear stopping. Using this information, numerical solutions for the displacement functions in SiC have been determined from coupled integro-differential equations for displacements in polyatomic materials and applied in calculations of spectral-averaged displacement cross sections for SiC. This procedure has been ...
Previous flow regime studies have been for horizontal, vertical, and inclined pipe flow. As such, only a few studies have been performed on bundle geometries. The present paper examines the flow regimes for a vertical hexagonal flow channel with and without a finned fuel bundle. This type of a 36 finned rod hexagonal fuel bundle in parallel hexagonal flow channels is used in a MAPLE (Multi- purpose Applied Physics Lattice Experimental) type nuclear reactor. An experiment apparatus was designed consisting of the flow channel, inlet plenum and an air-water separator. The inlet plenum is used to provide a uniform mixture of air and water before entering the hexagonal flow channel. A turbine flow meter is used to determine the water flow rate. The turbine flow meter is calibrated for a low flow range and limits the measurable flow to 50 l/min. Flow pattern observation is determined by a SONY video camera, Real-Time Neutron Radiography, pressure transducer and ...
BackgroundActivation of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) within antigen presenting cells (APCs) is linked to abnormal APCs differentiation and function....Full Text Available
Four of seven human male subjects developed full penile erections when exposed to erotically stimulating motion pictures. Changes in penile size were detected by a mercury strain gauge transducer and...Full Text Available
BackgroundA large fraction of the human genome is attributable to L1 retrotransposon sequences. Not only do L1s themselves make up a significant portion of the genome, but L1-encoded...Full Text Available
BackgroundLentiviral vectors (LVs) can efficiently transduce a broad spectrum of cells and tissues, including dividing and non-dividing cells. So far the most widely used method...Full Text Available
IntroductionTyrosine phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (pStat3) is expressed in numerous cancers and is required for mediating tumorigenesis. Autocrine...Full Text Available
The effects of sennosides on colonic motility were investigated in eight conscious dogs chronically fitted with two strain gauge transducers in the proximal colon, an intracolonic silicone catheter...Full Text Available
This paper presents a dynamic displacement influence line method for moving load identification on bridge. The finite element model of Poyang Lake continuous truss bridge-train systems is established and the dispersed modal shapes are acquired by modal analysis. Multi-axle moving train loads are identified with simulated annealing genetic algorithm by minimizing the errors between the measured displacements and the reconstructed displacements from the identified moving loads. In the identification process, the dynamic displacement influence line technique is used to calculate the time history displacement responses of the bridge to avoid solving equations of motion of the bridge repetitively. Several important parameters of the bridge-train system are discussed to investigate their effects...
Lithium isotope separation by displacement chromatography is studied using fundamental principles; the equations are derived assuming theoretical stages in lithium adsorption bands. The concentration profiles in the band are calculated numerically under unsteady state.
The accepted model of retroviral reverse transcription includes a circular DNA intermediate which requires strand displacement synthesis for linearization and creation of an integration-competent, long...Full Text Available
A new 3D model is developed to simulate the self-oscillation of the elongated vocal folds. This model allows for large deformation and longitudinal displacement. The displacement boundary condition...Full Text Available
There is very little quantitative documentation of actual improvements resulting from the installation of new general ventilation systems in industrial settings. Therefore the performance of the common mixing design principle was compared to the displacement design principle by means of an intervention study in a workshop (V = 12,000 m[sup 3]), where thermoplastics were moulded. An experimental signal-response tracer gas technique was used. In terms of supplying fresh air to the zone of occupancy the displacement system was better than the mixing system by a factor of 2. In terms of the exposure level to a simulated contaminant (tracer gas) the displacement system was better by a factor 1.5-18. (author)
A fluidic pump comprises a two-diode pump having a first displacement vessel, a third diode connected to receive output from the two-diode pump through a delivery line and discharge to an outlet, and a second displacement vessel connected to the delivery line. There is a feed tank at a greater height than the two-diode pump, and a drive unit for alternately pressurising and venting the first and second displacement vessels. The drive pressure required to operate the pump can be of the order of half that for a single stage 2-diode pump. (author).
The experimental technique used for detection of subcooled boiling through analysis of the fluctuation contained in pressure transducer signals is presented. This work was partly conducted at the Institut fuer Kerntechnik und zertoerungsfreie Pruefverfahren von Hannover (IKPH, Germany) in a thermal-hydraulic circuit with one electrically heated rod with annular geometry test section. Piezo resistive pressure sensors are used for onset of nucleate boiling (ONB) and onset of fully developed boiling (OFDB) detection using spectral analysis/ signal correlation techniques. Experimental results are interpreted by phenomenological analysis of these two points and compared with existing correlation. The results allow to conclude that this technique is adequate for the detection and monitoring of the ONB and OFDB. (author)
The experimental technique used for detection of subcooled boiling through analysis of the fluctuation contained in pressure transducer signals is presented. This work was partly conducted at the Institut fuer Kerntechnik und zertoerungsfreie Pruefverfahren von Hannover (IKPH, Germany) in a thermal-hydraulic circuit with one electrically heated rod with annular geometry test section. Piezo resistive pressure sensors are used for onset of nucleate boiling (ONB) and onset of fully developed boiling (OFDB) detection using spectral analysis/ signal correlation techniques. Experimental results are interpreted by phenomenological analysis of these two points and compared with existing correlation. The results allow to conclude that this technique is adequate for the detection and monitoring of the ONB and OFDB. (author)
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 ...
There are a multitude of cost centers in the typical coal mine, and almost as many ways to calculate their individual and collective effect on the bottom line. The costs of explosives is, in some ways, very difficult to determine without consideration of drilling, loading, hauling and breaking costs. Saving a nickel in explosive costs, for example, could end up costing a dollar more in crushing expenses. Typically, mines request quotations for explosives products on a weight basis. Were the market one of pure commodities, this would give a valid comparison. However, the energy being purchased often is not considered. The cost of any explosive should be considered in light of the work it can do, not the air it displaces or the price per pound. Consider in essence, the purchase of explosive energy as you would the sale of coal, in terms of dollars per Btu. Recent new developments in explosives technology make the economic implications of blast design and explosive ...
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
Monochromator stabilization (MOSTAB) is a feedback control system to stabilize an x-ray beam of synchrotron radiation. It applies a feedback voltage to a piezo electric transducer attached to a double-crystal monochromator. We developed MOSTAB modules and examined their performances using SPring-8 beamlines. The x-ray beam position stabilization using MOSTAB was realized simultaneously with the x-ray beam intensity stabilization. As an example of its application, we performed EXAFS measurement with MOSTAB. (author)
Type II NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductases (NDH-2) catalyze the two-electron transfer from NAD(P)H to quinones, without any energy-transducing site. NDH-2 accomplish the turnover of NAD(P)H, regenerating...Full Text Available
The audible noise produced by corona on high-voltage transmission lines has several characteristics that differentiate it from other community noises. Transmission line noise is quite broadband and has a significant high frequency content. Special instrumentation designed to measure this type of noise pollution is described. All measuring systems have the same three basic elements: a transducer, a processing device, and an output device. Recorders, microphone devices, frequency analyzers, and meteorological instrumentation are discussed.
Method is proposed for expanding the pile foundation elastic analysis method (displacement method) to cover a larger displacement region, and its appropriateness is verified by a field test. In this report, stability calculation is discussed in which the present displacement method is expanded by assuming an equivalent plastic hinge on the pile head and by replacing the soil spring in the large displacement region with an equivalent linear elastic spring. A static horizontal loading test is conducted for a foundation using a real pile, which is an application of this method. On the assumption that a hinge is generated on the pile head, the pile spring constant of the current displacement method is replaced with a value that takes into consideration the plastic hinge region, and this enables the analysis of pile behavior even after breakdown. This method is applied to the result of a ...
Purpose: To assess the new method of 3-dimensional echocardiography in comparison to the 'gold standard' MRI as to its ability to calculate left ventricular volumes in patients with congenital heart disease. Materials and methods: Eighteen patients between the ages of 3.9 to 37.3 years (mean: 12.8{+-}9.7) with a geometrically abnormal left ventricle were examined using a 1.5 T scanner with a fast gradient-echo sequence (TR=14 ms, TE=2.6-2.9 ms, FOV=300-400 mm, flip angle=20 , matrix=128:256, slice thickness=5 mm, retrospective gating) in multislice-multiphase technique. Transthoracic 3D-echocardiography was performed with a 3.5 MHz transducer and a Tomtec {sup trademark} (Munich, Germany) system for 3D reconstruction. Results: Volume calculation was possible in all patients with 3D-echocardiography, but the muscle mass calculation only succeeded in 11 to 18 patients (61%) due to inadequate visualization of the entire myocardium. Comparing MRI and ...
Slow, unexpected displacements have been experienced in most pressurized water reactor (PWR) surge lines. Sometimes, these displacement lead to gap closure at the pipe whip restraints. These movements occur because of thermal stratification. This movement has the potential to increase stresses to valves, which may exceed the material yield stress. To understand this phenomenon, Framatome, Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique, and Electricite de France have undertaken large programs for the study of (1) thermal-hydraulic tests with a half-scale Plexiglas surge line, (2) thermal-hydraulic computations of permanent states and transients with a two-dimensional model, and (3) mechanical analysis of displacements and computation of fatigue damage due to stratification. This paper deals with the last subject. Avoiding stratification in piping by process modifications is difficult because of the high flow rate needed. ...
An almost linear optimization problem of importance in vibration isolation has been identified and algorithms were developed to minimize the forced vibrational response of structural systems. The constraints can be either displacements of accelerations. T...
The kinetic energy transferred to some elements by an electron of kinetic energy 100 to 400 kV is discussed. The displacement rates are compared to the signal generation. (DCL)
alloy (Ti6242 or T i l 100) was utilized. Parametric studies were performed to investigate variations of displacements and stresses with sandwich and ...
General expressions for the interlattice displacements of the A-15 structure compounds are obtained in terms of the strain components making use of the deformation theory. The nature of the interlattice displacements of all the 8 atoms in the unit cell is discussed. It is found that the interlattice displacements occur in such a way that the pair of atoms along any linear chain move in opposite directions with equal magnitudes. Expression for the strain energy of these compounds is developed using deformation theory and this is compared with the strain energy expression from continuum theory to obtain the elastic constants. The theoretical values of the elastic constants fairly agree with the experimental values for V_3Si, V_3Ge and Nb_3Sn. (author).
General expressions for the interlattice displacements of the A-15 structure compounds are obtained in terms of the strain components making use of the deformation theory. The nature of the interlattice displacements of all the 8 atoms in the unit cell is discussed. It is found that the interlattice displacements occur in such a way that the pair of atoms along any linear chain move in opposite directions with equal magnitudes. Expression for the strain energy of these compounds is developed using deformation theory and this is compared with the strain energy expression from continuum theory to obtain the elastic constants. The theoretical values of the elastic constants fairly agree with the experimental values for V3Si, V3Ge and Nb3Sn.
In robotics inverse dynamics is a standard control concept for highly nonlinear multibody systems. It is shown, however, that inverse dynamics results in a high energy demand. Therefore, linear energy efficient state feedback controllers are designed in a way that a performance index representing the energy consumption is minimized. At the same time inequality constraints such as control error and limited input variables have to be met. For the control design an analytical solution by pole placement is presented as well as a numerical controller optimization. This control design includes small motions in the neighborhood of the operating point. Then, linear controllers are tested with respect to control error and energy consumption when undergoing large displacement motion. It is shown that linear state feedback can only save energy if large control errors are accepted. Therefore, nonlinear systems are optimized as a whole by implementation of ...
Current methods to calculate dose distributions with organ motion can be broadly classified as 'dose convolution' and 'fluence convolution' methods. In the former, a static dose distribution is convolved with the probability distribution function (PDF) that characterizes the motion. However, artifacts are produced near the surface and around inhomogeneities because the method assumes shift invariance. Fluence convolution avoids these artifacts by convolving the PDF with the incident fluence instead of the patient dose. In this paper we present an alternative method that improves the accuracy, generality as well as the speed of dose calculation with organ motion. The algorithm starts by sampling an isocenter point from a parametrically defined space curve corresponding to the patient-specific motion trajectory. Then a photon is sampled in the linac head and propagated through the three-dimensional (3-D) collimator structure corresponding to a particular MLC segment chosen randomly from ...
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 ...
The use of absorbable polyglactin 910 mesh (Vicryl) is described in a case of Ewing's sarcoma of the pelvis. An operation was performed to hold the small bowel and colon out of the pelvis for a temporary period during which radical radiotherapy was delivered. The mesh allowed the temporary displacement of bowel and obviated bowel radiation morbidity. (author).
A flutter-motion equation is presently derived for a 2D composite sandwich panel considering the total lateral displacement of the plate as the sum of the displacement due to bending of the plate, and that which is due to shear deformation at the core. The effects of core thickness and stacking sequence of the faces on the flutter boundary of the plate are discussed; it is shown that the sandwich panel greatly improves the flutter boundary over that of a composite laminate panel, provided it has sufficient core thickness.
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.
We are building the Schenberg gravitational wave detector at the Physics Institute of University of Sao Paulo as programmed by the Brazilian Graviton Project. The antenna and its vibration isolation system are already built, and we have made a first cryogenic run for an overall test, in which we measured the antenna mechanical Q (figure of merit). We also have built a 10.21 GHz oscillator with phase noise performance better than -120 dBc at 3.2 kHz to pump an initial CuAl6% two-mode transducer. We plan to prepare this spherical antenna for a first operational run at 4.2 K with a single transducer and an initial target sensitivity of h #approx# 2 x 10"-"2"1 Hz"-"1"/"2 in a 50 Hz bandwidth around 3.2 kHz soon. Here we present details of this plan and some recent results of the development of this project.
The purpose of this project was to design, build, and characterize the performance of a volume breast ultrasound (VBUS) scanner that images the pendant breast. VBUS scanner design includes a: 1) clinical ultrasound scanner and transducer; 2) scanning table with a hole for the pendant breast; 3) rotational gantry; 4) probe mounting assembly; 5) compressionless breast stabilization device; 6) acquisition, control, reconstruction, and display software. Performance assessment characterized a variety of parameters including: spatial resolution, uniformity, and distortion using high and low contrast test objects in both horizontal and vertical scanning modes. The VBUS scanner modules have been constructed and initial performance evaluated. Approximately 300 scans are acquired over 360 degrees in 18 seconds. Reconstruction requires 25 ms per slice. Test object images depicted hyper- and hypo-echoic masses and demonstrated good resolution, soft tissue contrast and reduced ...
Steam Generator (SG) tubes in PWR plant are periodically inspected using eddy current testing (ECT) method. In Japan, bobbin coil type dual function probe is used for full length inspection, but the detectability for circumferential crack is very poor, and to improve detectability for circumferential crack and supplement regular ECT, various kinds of multi segment eddy current probes and multi transducer ultrasonic testing (UT) method have been developed. ECT probes are constructed of multiple surfaceriding special winding differential type coils and UT probe consists of 16 transducers which are spaced equally around the probe circumference for 360deg wall coverage. Both of those EC and UT probes are designed effective to detect circumferential crack. On the other hand, various kinds of laboratory induced circumferential cracks have been made and destroyed to prove the detectability of these probes. (author).
The liver is a primary target of growth hormone (GH). GH signals are mediated by the transcription factor signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5). Here, we focus on recent discoveries about the role of GH-STAT5 signaling in hepatic physiology and pathophysiology. We discuss roles of the GH-STAT5 axis in body growth, lipid metabolism, and the cell cycle pertaining to hepatosteatosis, fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Finally, we discuss recent discoveries about the role of GH-STAT5 in sex-specific gene expression and bile acid, steroid, and drug metabolism.
This review of methods and designs of transducers for nondestructive determination of the magnitude and nature of the anisotropy of magnetic properties (permeability, induction, coercive force, energy loss due to magnetization reversal) in local portions of ferromagnetic sheet and, in some cases, in individual parts of products. The need to measure the anisotropy is considered for two angles: for the case when the anisotropy is due to the crystallographic texture and determines the main operating characteristics of widely used sheet such as electrical steel and automobile body sheet, and for crystallographically isotropic materials, in which the anisotropy of magnetic properties as a result of mechanical stresses is a measure for determining the internal stresses.
A robust transmission element for transmitting information between downhole tools, such as sections of drill pipe, in the presence of hostile environmental conditions, such as heat, dirt, rocks, mud, fluids, lubricants, and the like. The transmission element maintains reliable connectivity between transmission elements, thereby providing an uninterrupted flow of information between drill string components. A transmission element is mounted within a recess proximate a mating surface of a downhole drilling component, such as a section of drill pipe. To close gaps present between transmission elements, transmission elements may be biased with a "spring force," urging them closer together.
In the past decade, considerable progress has been made on reducing the seismic response of structures through seismic isolation. Application of seismic-isolation techniques to nuclear power facilities is currently being investigated. This paper presents an analysis of the effect of long period motions on a seismic-isolated nuclear structure. Preliminary analysis indicates that long-period earthquake motions increase structural accelerations and relative displacements between the upper and lower mats. Relative displacement between the mats can be represented by spectral displacement at the frequency of the structure, and can be effectively reduced by increasing viscous damping in the isolator. The isolated structure behaves as a system with one degree of freedom. Future analysis of seismic effects on seismic-isolated structures should include the linear and nonlinear effects of soil-structure interactions. 3 refs., 12 ...
Investigates polarographically determined capacitative curves of Soviet anthracite (Removsk seam) in solutions of KCl, HCl, phenol, propyl, butyl, amyl and hexyl alcohols. The curves were found to be asymmetric and to raise quickly in their cathode range. Their dependence on electrolyte concentration and displacements of their zero charge points were observed. Displacement values of zero charge potential were tabulated for organic compounds. It was possible to calculate displacements taking the non-uniformity of coal structure into account. It was further possible to assess surface interactions between coal and adsorbed molecules from the viewpoint of molecular energy. Orientation of phenol and alcohol molecules on the coal surface is also pointed out. 10 refs.
Displacement Ventilation (DV) offers a great opportunity to improve indoor air quality while reducing the energy consumption compared to mixing ventilation. A frequent problem with displacement ventilation is however the draft discomfort caused by the cold air movement at foot level and excessive temperature difference between head and ankle. Despite numerous past studies, there is still a lack of detailed data regarding the velocity and temperature distribution inside DV jets. In this experimental study, measurements of the air velocity and temperature are performed in the DV jet produced by a flat wall-mounted DV diffuser, using a fine mesh focused on the 0.00-0.20 m height range. Two supply conditions are studied. Three planes of measurements are covered: the vertical longitudinal plane...
As a general approach to the problem of precursive behavior in alloys that undergo a displacive transformation, defect theories are becoming increasingly popular. However, the microscopic origin of the proposed defects is usually not considered. Yu and Anderson (1984) have argued that properties of strong-coupling superconductors, such as the A-15 compounds, imply a breakdown of Migdal's theorem (the adiabatic, or Born-Oppenheimer approximation for separation of electrons and phonons) in these systems. The electron-phonon coupling is so strong that it must be incorporated already in zeroth order. This is the basis for local phonon models, in which the electron-phonon coupling provides an effective double well potential for a localized group of atoms. The Yu-Anderson model and an analogous local Jahn-Teller model (Abell, 1983) are reviewed in connection with displacive transformations in strong-coupling alloys.
Meso- and submesoscales (fronts, eddies, filaments) in surface ocean flow have a crucial influence on marine ecosystems. Their dynamics partly control the foraging behavior and the displacement of marine...Full Text Available
A procedure was developed to monitor boundaries within which secondary mining operations can be applied. Principal techniques include instrument and operative-remote observations of earth shifts and aerial photography of displacements on the surface of the trough.
A 4.5-year-old Holstein-Friesian cow underwent surgery because of left abomasal displacement. Intra-operative palpation of the pyloric region revealed a phytobezoar. The abomasum containing the phytobezoar...Full Text Available
The economics of renewable energy technologies when deployed in a decentralised manner are more favourable than the simple cost of the fossil fuel generated electricity displaced. They have capital and maintenance cost savings associated with the electrical transmission in infrastructures which are avoided. Worked examples are presented. (UK)
Multi-beamlet focusing of an intense negative ion beam has been performed using the beamlet steering by the aperture displacement. The apertures of the grounded grid were displaced as all beamlets of 270 (18 x 15) in the area of 25 cm x 26 cm would be steered to a common point (a focal point) in both the two-stage and the single-stage accelerators. The multi-beamlets were successfully focused and the e-folding half width of 10 cm was achieved 11.2 m downstream from the ion source in both the accelerators. The corresponding gross divergence angle is 9 mrad. The negative ion beamlets are deflected by the magnetic field for the electron deflection at the extraction grid and the deflection direction oppositely changes line by line, resulting in the beam split in the deflection direction. This beamlet deflection was well compensated also using the beamlet steering by the aperture displacement of the grounded grid. The beam ...
BackgroundNorthern Uganda unlike other rural regions has registered high HIV prevalence rates comparable to those of urbanized Kampala and the central region. This could be due to...Full Text Available
The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) controls signal transmission between cells in the nervous system. Abused drugs such as cocaine inhibit this receptor. Transient kinetic investigations indicate...Full Text Available
An ignition timing control apparatus is described for an internal combustion engine having a reference ignition timing comprising: sensing means for sensing vibrations including knocks of the engine; knock signal deriving means for deriving knock signals from the output of the sensing means; correction magnitude determining means for determining from the knock signals derived by the knock signal deriving means of ignition timing correction magnitude for suppressing the occurrence of knock; displacement magnitude determining means for determining from at least one of an output of the knock signal deriving means and an output of the correction magnitude determining means as a displacement magnitude for the reference ignition timing corresponding to the octane rating of a fuel used in the engine; and ignition timing determining means for setting the reference ignition timing at an optimum ignition timing angle for the engine responsive to the ...
Three major series of experiments have been conducted with the FELIX facility at ANL. Experiments on the coupling between eddy currents and angular displacements of loops and plates in crossed constant and changing magnetic fields demonstrated that the co...
An asymmetrical shaped capillary die made exclusively of graphite is used to grow silicon ribbon which is capable of being made into solar cells that are more efficient than cells produced from ribbon made using a symmetrically shaped die.
AbstractA 6-month-old female alpaca was presented for stranguria. Based on the history, physical examination findings, and radiographic studies, the alpaca was diagnosed with bladder...Full Text Available
Current projections of the response of the biosphere to global climatic change indicate as much as 50% to 90% spatial displacement of extratropical biomes. The mechanism of spatial shift could be dominated by either (1) competitive displacement of northern biomes by southern biomes, or (2) drought-induced dieback of areas susceptible to change. The current suite of global biosphere models cannot distinguish between these two processes, thus determining the need for a mechanistically based biome model. The model is in an early stage of development and will require several enhancements, including explicit simulation of potential evapotranspiration, extension to boreal and tropical biomes, a shift from steady-state to transient dynamics, and validation on other continents.
A solar energy receiver is described including a separable endless wall formed of a ceramic material having defined therein a cavity of a substantially cylindrical configuration for entrapping solar flux, and an acceptance aperture adapted to admit to the cavity a concentrated beam of solar energy, said wall being characterized by at least a pair of contiguously related segments separated by lines of cleavage intercepting said aperture, at least one of the segments being supported for pivotal displacement, and a thermal responsive actuator adapted to respond to excessive temperatures within the cavity for initiating pivotal displacement of said one segment, whereby thermal flux is permitted to escape from the cavity.
The power industry is moving toward the use of high-voltage transmission lines on tall, flexible towers. These towers are designed for heavier loadings than were previous towers, but the secondary effects of tower displacement tend to be ignored in the present day tower analysis. This paper examines the secondary effects from the large displacement of flexible towers, reviews the secondary stresses arising from joint rigidity and member continuity, and examines the reliability of tower strength predicted by the ASCE design guidelines. More realistic tower test acceptance criteria and a more reliable tower design methodology are suggested.
The effects of temperature and the use of macroreticular resins were studied in lithium isotope separation by an ion-exchange method. The isotope separation factors obtained decreased by increasing the temperature, and the factors for macroreticular resins were identical with those for the usual gel-type resins. However, the performance of isotope separation per unit band length in displacement chromatography was found to be improved by increasing the temperature and using macroreticular resins, because accelerating the interphase mass transfer caused the reduction of HETP (Height Equivalent to a Theoretical Plate).
Dynamic response of pipelines buried in a back-filled rectangular trench in a semi-infinite medium has been investigated. The pipelines are modeled as long cylindrical shells of small thickness. By using the boundary integral representation and finite element method, we have studied the three-dimensional response to account for either pane P or SV wave incident at an arbitrary angle to the pipe-axis. In this paper numerical results are presented for the normal displacements, displacements along pipe-axis, and the hoop stresses in the pipe wall. It is shown that the response depends critically on the back-filled material as well as on the directions of propagation of the incident waves.
Evaluates displacement of a railway bridge element of the Walbrzych-Klodzko railway line. The bridge, consisting of three truss sections supported by two pillars made of reinforced concrete, was influenced by longwall mining. Longwalls were perpendicular to the bridge axis. Three coal seams situated in the bridge safety pillar were 550 cm thick. Ground subsidence after seam extraction was 400 cm. Ground subsidence did not cause truss section deformation, nor did it cause additional stresses in truss bridge construction. 2 refs.
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.
Neuron differentiation is a complex process involving various cell-cell interactions, and multiple signaling pathways. We showed previously that CD40 is expressed and functional on mouse and human neurons. In neurons, ligation of CD40 protects against serum withdrawal-induced injury and plays a role in survival and differentiation. CD40 deficient mice display neuron dysfunction, aberrant neuron morphologic changes, and associated gross brain abnormalities. Previous studies by Tone and colleagues suggested that five isoforms of CD40 exist with two predominant isoforms expressed in humans: signal-transducible CD40 type I and a C-terminal truncated, non-signal-transducible CD40 type II. We hypothesized that differential expression of CD40 isoform type I and type II in neurons may modulate neuron differentiation. Results show that adult wild-type, and CD40"-"/"- deficient mice predominantly express CD40 type I and II isoforms. Whereas adult ...
In order to match the output capacity of a geothermal heat pump system (GHPS) with the actual load requirement, research has been conducted in searching for suitable adjusting methods for the GHPS and on the subsequent effects on the working parameters of the GHPS. Firstly, several methods are compared, and it is found that the method of adjusting the compressor's rotation speed using a transducer is better than the others. Secondly, this method is experimented on a small scale GHPS at frequencies ranging from 30 to 55 Hz. The analysis of the experimental data reveals the relationships between the compressor frequency and other important parameters, such as coefficient of performance, heat capacity, cool capacity and compressor power input. The conclusions in the paper can serve as some guidance to the load adjustment of GHPS. (Author)
Pinealectomy completely prevented gonadal regression as well as reduction in body weight and white adipose tissue content of the gonadal and retroperitoneal fat deposits in male meadow voles transferred from long to short day lengths. Pineal influences on pelage characteristics depended on which parameter was assessed. For instance, the increase in guard hair length observed in short-day control voles was blocked by pinealectomy; however, a similar increase in underhair length was unaffected by removal of the pineal gland. Photoperiod-dependent changes in fat deposition, testicular activity, and guard hair length presumably rely on altered pineal secretory activity to transduce the effects of day length on the neuroendocrine axis; however, mechanisms independent of pineal activity may be capable of mediating photoperiodic control of underhair growth. PMID:2979644
Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) offers label-free, optical absorption contrast. A high-speed, high-resolution PAM system in an inverted microscope configuration with a laser pulse repetition rate of 100,000 Hz and a stationary ultrasonic transducer was built. Four-dimensional in vivo imaging of microcirculation in mouse skin was achieved at 18 three-dimensional volumes per second with repeated two-dimensional raster scans of 100 by 50 points. The corresponding twodimensional B-scan (50 A-lines) frame rate was 1800 Hz, and the one-dimensional A-scan rate was 90,000 Hz. The lateral resolution is 0.23+/-0.03 ?m for Au nano-wire imaging, which is 2.0 times below the diffraction limit.
Aim: This study was performed: 1) to assess the relationship between blood flow velocity in the internal carotid artery (CBFICA) and pial artery pulsation (cc-TQ) and 2) to evaluate flow-induced changes in pial artery compliance. Methods: Experiments were performed on 10 crossbred male rabbits. Heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF), CBFICA, the systolic-diastolic blood volume fraction in the brain circulation (CBFSDF) and cc-TQ were recorded after glucagon and acetazolamide administration. cc-TQ was measured with near-infrared transillumination back scattering sounding (NIR-T/BSS), LVEF and CBFSDF with gated scintigraphy and BP and CBFICA with electromagnetic pressure and flow transducers, respectively. Doses of drugs were chosen to exert a haemodyna...
One of the more extensive uses of directional drilling anywhere in the world has been in the development of the East Wilmington Oil Field in Long Beach, California. The Measurement-While-Drilling (MWD) directional system has been tested on several wells and proven to provide the required accuracy, along with many advantages over past methods, used in the field development. Accurate transmission by MWD of bottom-hole measurements to the surface is provided by mud pressure pulses generated in the drill pipe downhole and detected by a pressure transducer includes the means for detecting, recording and processing these pressure pulses, to translate the information from the pressure pulses to rig floor displays usable by the drilling crew. 2 refs.
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 documented and further extensions to the ...
Abstract Gaseous microemboli (GME) remain a challenge for cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) because there is a positive correlation between microemboli exposure during CPB and postoperative neurological injury. Thus, minimizing the number of GME delivered to pediatric patients undergoing CPB procedures would lead to better clinical outcomes. In this study, we used a simulated CPB model to evaluate the effectiveness of capturing GME and the degree of membrane pressure drop for a new membrane oxygenator, Capiox Baby FX05 (Terumo Corporation, Tokyo, Japan), which has an integrated arterial filter with open and closed purge line. We used identical components in this study as our clinical CPB circuit. Three emboli detection and classification quantifier transducers were placed at prepump, preoxygena...
An array of sonic transducers, useful for medical ultrasonic imaging, has individual sections thereof separately coupled for forming separate beams of sonic energy which converge, respectively, to separate foci along a common axis of the beams. The ratio of the diameter of the radiating aperture of the array relative to a wavelength of the sonic energy is chosen to provide a moderate degree of focusing so that the depth of field at one focus blends with the depth of field of the next focus. Thereby, there is formed a continuous region of substantially uniform intensity of sonic radiation along the common beam axis. Circuitry is provided for selecting one or more specific foci dependent on the bounds of a selected region to be insonified. Upon reception of sonic energy, circuitry is provided for selecting one or more specific foci as a function of the time of travel of an echo from a subject being observed to approximate a continuously varying focus in accordance ...
The use of dendrimers for preparing chemically sensitive interfaces for detecting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using surface acoustic wave (SAW) device transducers is described. Specifically, the synthesis of the dendrimers and the means by which they are affixed to SAW devices is discussed, followed by a detailed spectroscopic analysis of the surface-confined dendrimers and a discussion of their interaction with different VOCs. Most of these preliminary experiments focus on dendrimer surface modification using benzoylchloride, which leads to phenyl terminal groups linked to the dendrimer via amide groups. The results of this study lead us to conclude that dendrimers: (1) provide general specificity towards classes of functional groups and are therefore suitable for array-based sensing schemes; (2) are intermediate in structure between monolayers and polymers and exhibit the desirable properties of both; (3) can be straightforwardly attached to the surfaces of ...
To test the hypothesis that transduction of the channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) gene, a microbial-type rhodopsin gene, into retinal ganglion cells of genetically blind rats will restore functional vision, we recorded visually evoked potentials and tested the experimental rats for the presence of optomotor responses. The N-terminal fragment of the ChR2 gene was fused to the fluorescent protein Venus and inserted into an adeno-associated virus to make AAV2-ChR2V. AAV2-ChR2V was injected intravitreally into the eyes of 6-month-old dystrophic RCS (rdy/rdy) rats. Visual function was evaluated six weeks after the injection by recording visually evoked potentials (VEPs) and testing optomotor responses. The expression of ChR2V in the retina was investigated histologically. We found that VEPs could not b...
Course website from Cambridge on ceramic materials. This site contains eight lectures in PDF format (Adobe Reader required), two question sheets, five practicals (including answers), digital movies and further useful links. "There is a strong relationship between the structure of a material and its physical properties. The properties of a material whether mechanical, electrical, optical or magnetic, determine how it can be used in practical applications. In this course, the focus is on the structure / property relationship for ionic materials with electrical properties utilised in various transducer devices. The materials considered include perovskites, which have special polarisation properties exploited in ferroelectric, pyroelectric and piezoelectric devices. Other oxides, such as zirconia, have structures permitting rapid diffusion of ions, making them suitable for use in sensors, fuel cells and batteries. The scientific principles underlying the properties of ...
For the efficient operation of a cavity ringdown spectroscopy (CRDS) system utilized with a continuous-wave (cw) laser, we numerically analyze the coupling efficiency of a cw laser to a ringdown cavity in terms of changes in the scanning rate, the laser linewidth, and the mirror reflectivity. We also demonstrate a new simple design for a CRDS system that can produce a CRDS signal with only a piezoelectric transducer (PZT), without the acousto-optic modulator that is usually adopted to switch off the cw laser beam that enters the cavity. Furthermore, we investigate the feasibility of the cw CRDS technique with a fast-scanning PZT by recording a CRDS spectrum of acetylene overtones. The detection sensitivity that corresponds to the noise-equivalent absorption is found to be approximately 3 x 10(-9)/cm. PMID:18305817
This paper discusses how specialized techniques for machine condition monitoring can help to eliminate false alarms and undetected faults, leading to a truly cost effective predictive maintenance program. It is vital to base the monitoring system on the parameter which will give the most useful information about potential faults and breakdowns. This parameter is generally agreed to be vibration. While oil debris analysis and variations in temperature, geometry and machine speed can all give advance warning of faults, no other parameter can reveal as wide a range of fault types as vibration. The vibration transducers job is to accurately and faithfully convert the vibration into an electric signal for assessment. If this part of the system is weak, reliability will be badly affected. Data integrity is crucial.
Better understanding and modelling of three-phase flow through porous media is of great interest, especially for improved oil recovery methods such as gas injection processes. Early theoretical and experimental studies have already demonstrated that the wettability characteristics of the solid surface and the spreading characteristics of the fluid system hold the key roles. This observation is confirmed by our theoretical results using DLP theory on the stability and the thickness of static oil films. In most of the works related to three-phase flow processes, homogeneous wettability is assumed. There exist only a few studies demonstrating the tremendous impact of the wettability heterogeneities on gas injection. The objective of the present work is twofold: to demonstrate the effect of small scale wettability heterogeneities on gas injection efficiency, and to develop a tool to predict this impact for various patterns and spatial distributions. To this end an experimental ...
Purpose: to compare several morphometric parameters in MRI with the functional status of the articular disc in a large patient group suffering from internal derangement (ID) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Materials and methods: in a retrospective study, 320 analyzable high resolution MRI examinations of the TMJs obtained in a 1.5 T unit were evaluated in 184 patients with clinically suspected ID. The analysis included the anatomical structures and a number of morphometric parameters previously described in the literature. The parameters were compared with the position of the articular disc. Results: the disc position was categorized as ''normal'' (NDP, 21.9%, n = 70), ''anterior displacement with reduction on opening'' (AMR, 51.6%, n = 165) and ''anterior displacement without reduction on opening'' (AOR, 26.6%, n = 85). With ...
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
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
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
This paper introduces the summary of design guideline (draft) for the limit state design method for foundation structures, and examples of calculations on pile foundations. The limit states were set using the load to transformation curves, and the limit state No. 3 in particular assumed a large earthquake, a state that a foundation is fatally damaged because of rarely acting loads that lead to generation of displacement and loss of stability and functions. Ground survey coefficient, ground resistance coefficient, and ground property coefficient were defined especially as the safety coefficients. With respect to the displacement in the limit state No. 3, a restriction value was set for the plasticity of the foundation. Loads were given considerations of combination of permanent load, variation load, and accidental load, each having been set with a load coefficient. It was decided regarding earthquakes to discuss strength and toughness of ...
The synergistic effects of displacement damage and atomic hydrogen and helium on swelling of the ferritic/martensitic steel, F82H, has been investigated. The irradiation was performed at temperatures between 470 and 600 deg. C to 50 dpa (displacement per atoms) under conditions of simultaneous ion beams consisting of Fe{sup 3+}, He{sup +} and H{sup +} ions or Fe{sup 3+} and He{sup +} ions. The swelling of F82H steel under triple beams with 18 appm He/dpa and 70 appm H/dpa was larger than that under dual beams with 18 appm He/dpa. The swelling in F82H under triple beams increased with decreasing irradiation temperature from 0.1% to 3.2%, while swelling under dual beams was between 0.04% and 0.08%. On the other hand, in the case of triple beam irradiation with a high ratio of gas/dpa, the swelling tended to increase with irradiation temperature. The swelling in ferritic/martensitic steels is significantly enhanced by the synergistic effect of ...
The synergistic effects of displacement damage and atomic hydrogen and helium on swelling of the ferritic/martensitic steel, F82H, has been investigated. The irradiation was performed at temperatures between 470 and 600 deg. C to 50 dpa (displacement per atoms) under conditions of simultaneous ion beams consisting of Fe"3"+, He"+ and H"+ ions or Fe"3"+ and He"+ ions. The swelling of F82H steel under triple beams with 18 appm He/dpa and 70 appm H/dpa was larger than that under dual beams with 18 appm He/dpa. The swelling in F82H under triple beams increased with decreasing irradiation temperature from 0.1% to 3.2%, while swelling under dual beams was between 0.04% and 0.08%. On the other hand, in the case of triple beam irradiation with a high ratio of gas/dpa, the swelling tended to increase with irradiation temperature. The swelling in ferritic/martensitic steels is significantly enhanced by the synergistic effect of ...
The increasing price differential between natural gas and coal will create a demand for technology that can allow the displacement of natural gas with coal in power plants. Coal gasification is the standard approach suggested to allow coal to displace natural gas. However, the relatively high capital investment required for coal gasification will require fuel cost differentials higher than those anticipated in the near term before coal gasification replaces natural gas. One way of achieving shorter term displacement of natural gas by coal would be to develop technology that would allow coal to be used as the heat source for the endothermic reforming of natural gas. In a natural gas-fired combined cycle power plant, the endothermic heat of reforming, which would be provided by coal combustion, is recovered in the combined-cycle. Therefore, this portion of the coal`s energy would be converted to electrical power at the high ...
Evaluates geodetic surveys of rock strata in the Szombirki black coal mine with coal seams prone to rock bursts. Rock bursts are associated with accumulation of energy in the 60 m thick sandstone layers situated in the coal seam roofs. Two stages of energy release are analyzed: brittle fracture of the sandstone layer, and energy transfer (dynamic load transfer) to underlying rock strata. Effects of energy accumulation and its release on rock strata displacement were measured in mine workings. The measuring points were situated in the roofs of mine roadways influenced by advancing longwall faces. Two types of vertical displacements are comparatively evaluated: uplift before a rock burst, and subsidence after a rock burst. 5 refs.
Thrust faulting, folding, and penetrative compressional fabrics (e.g. spaced cleavage, pencils, and coal cleats) have been found in several outcrops within the central Deep River Basin (the southern Durham subbasin to the northern Wadesboro subbasin). The trend of these structures is nearly parallel to the basin, and may locally control the present geometry of the basin boundaries. These features are distributed throughout the stratigraphic section and across the entire width of the basin. In outcrops where relative timing can be determined, the compressional structures post-date all extensional and intrusive features associated with basin formation. In particular, thrusts cut across and displace basin-parallel normal faults and basin-normal cross-faults. All thrusts found to date verge northwest, and displacements of cross-fault boundaries indicate that transport was approximately 325[degree].
Supercritical CO2 is used as a new solvent for immersion deposition, a galvanic displacement process traditionally carried out in aqueous HF solutions containing metal ions, to selectively develop metal films on featured or non-featured silicon substrates. Components of supercritical fluid immersion deposition (SFID) solutions for fabricating Cu and Pd films on silicon substrates are described along with the corresponding experimental setup and procedure. Only silicon substrates exposed and reactive to SFID solutions can be coated. The highly pressurized and gas-like supercritical CO2, combined with the galvanic displacement property of immersion deposition, enables the SFID technique to selectively deposit metal films in small features. SFID may also provide a new method to fabricate palladium silicide in small features or to metallize porous silicon.
A major goal in optomechanics is to observe and control quantum behavior in a system consisting of a mechanical resonator coupled to an optical cavity. Work towards this goal has focused on increasing the strength of the coupling between the mechanical and optical degrees of freedom; however, the form of this coupling is crucial in determining which phenomena can be observed in such a system. Here we demonstrate that avoided crossings in the spectrum of an optical cavity containing a flexible dielectric membrane allow us to realize several different forms of the optomechanical coupling. These include cavity detunings that are (to lowest order) linear, quadratic, or quartic in the membrane's displacement, and a cavity finesse that is linear in (or independent of) the membrane's displacement. All these couplings are realized in a single device with extremely low optical loss and can be tuned over a wide range in situ; in particular, we find that ...
Two approaches are used to analyse X-ray or neutron scattering by crystals with different dislocation ensembles. Analogy between the above concepts is discussed. The microscopical approach takes into account the detailed displacement field due to different types of dislocation arrangement in the crystal. Frequently a phenomenological concept operating with the ideas of displacements, strains and stresses arising in the materials under deformation is applied. Unfortunately, the phenomenological concept cannot take into account that similar stress distributions may have significantly different microscopic reasons. The comparison of the results obtained by both phenomenological and microscopic descriptions of scattering enables us to understand the connection between different types of strains and stresses in the crystal with the type of the defects in it. (orig.)
Recent work has been carried out on development of isotope wear analysis and optical and eddy current technologies to provide bearing wear measurements and real time monitoring of shaft speed, shaft axial displacement and shaft orbit of the Orbit Transfer Vehicle hydrostatic bearing tester. Results show shaft axial displacement can be optically measured (at the same time as shaft orbital motion and speed) to within 0.3 mils by two fiberoptic deflectometers. Evaluation of eddy current probes showed that, in addition to measuring shaft orbital motion, they can be used to measure shaft speed without having to machine grooves on the shaft surface as is the usual practice for turbomachinery. The interim results of this condition monitoring effort are presented.
The separation and the mechanism of retention of ion associates of #alpha#-isomers of molybdic and tungstic heteropoly acids (HPA) of phosphorus(5), silicon(4), and germanium(4) with trioctylamine (TOA) on a column (80x3 mm) packed with Diasorb-130-CN (8 #mu#m) were studied in a flow of chloroform-tetrahydrofuran (THF) and chloroform-n-butanol-TOA mixtures with spectrophotometric detection at 320 nm. It is demonstrated that the adsorption of all the studied ion associates proceeds through the displacement THF molecule from the surface of the stationary phase and without the displacement of TOA molecules. Conditions for the separation of phospho- and silicomolybdic HPA and also phospho- and germanolybdic HPA were found. The chromatographic system using silica gel modified with nitrile groups as the stationary phase is of higher selective than that using ummodified silica gel.
In this work, a pre-cracked semi-circular shaped explosive simulant was loaded using a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB). A high-speed camera was used to capture the deformation and fracture process of the specimen in situ. The digital images were processed using the digital image correlation (DIC) method. Next, full displacement and strain fields were obtained. The displacement vector field shows that the specimen fractured under tensile stress action. The strain field can be used to predict the crack propagation. Results show that the method of combined DIC and SHPB is effective to study the dynamic deformation and fracture behavior of explosive simulants. In addition, the specimen was loaded using a drop weight. The fracture toughness of the specimen was preliminary measured.
Polycrystalline specimens of spinel (MgAl_2O_4) and alumina (Al_2O_3) were irradiated at room temperature and 650deg C with either dual- or triple-ion beams in order to investigate the effects of simultaneous displacement damage and helium implantation on cavity formation. The cavities in alumina were aligned along the direction of the c-axis, with diameters ranging from < 2 to 10 nm. The cavities in spinel were preferentially associated with dislocation loops and were of similar size as the cavities in alumina. Catastrophic amounts of cavitation were observed at the grain boundaries in spinel when the displacement damage level exceeded a critical value (#approx =# 20 dpa) in the presence of a fusion-relevant (#approx =# 60 appm/dpa) helium environment. (orig.).
First-principles density functional theory (DFT) based calculations were performed to study the electronic and cohesive properties of all the intermediate ordered phases appearing in the transformation from bcc-based #beta# to hexagonal ordered #omega# phase in Zr_3Al alloy. Full-potential linear augmented plane wave (FPLAPW) method under the GGA was employed to establish the stability hierarchy and structure-property correlations. Further, effective pair potentials upto the fourth nearest neighbours were extracted, which, subsequently, were used for the thermodynamics analysis of the thermally-induced #beta##->##omega# transformation. The lattice collapse mechanism involving the concept of the onset of a displacement wave where the extent of collapse is viewed as an amplification of the displacement wave was employed for further analysis. (author)
Root growth is a highly dynamic process influenced by genetic background and environment. This paper reports the development of R scripts that enable root growth kinematic analysis that complements a new motion analysis tool: PlantVis. Root growth of Arabidopsis thaliana expressing a plasma membrane targeted GFP (C24 and Columbia 35S:LTI6b-EGFP) was imaged using time-lapse confocal laser scanning microscopy. Displacement of individual pixels in the time-lapse sequences was estimated automatically by PlantVis, producing dense motion vector fields. R scripts were developed to extract kinematic growth parameters and report displacement to ?0.1 pixel. In contrast to other currently available tools, Plantvis-R delivered root velocity profiles without interpolation or averaging across the root s...
This paper provides a physically-based engineering model to estimate radiation hardening of 9%Cr-steels under both displacement damage (dpa) and helium. The model is essentially based on the dispersed barrier hardening theory and the dynamic re-solution of helium under displacement cascades but incorporating a number of assumptions and simplifications [Trinkaus, J. Nucl. Mater. 318 (2003) 234-340]. As a result, the kinetics of the damage accumulation kept fixed, its amplitude is fitted on one experimental condition. The model was rationalized on an experimental database that mainly consists of 9%Cr-steels irradiated in the range of 50-600degreeC up to 50dpa and with a He-content up to 5000appm. The test temperature effect is taken into account through a normalization procedure based on the...
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 block structure.
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 ...
The Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) program intends to develop new designs for automobiles that will reduce fuel consumption by two thirds but otherwise have price, comfort, safety, and other measures of performance similar to the typical automobile now on the market. PNGV vehicle designs are expected to substitute lightweight materials, such as aluminum, magnesium, carbon-reinforced polymer composites, glass-reinforced polymer composites, and ultra- light steel, for heavier materials such as steel and iron in automobile components. The target mass of a PNGV vehicle is 1,960 pounds, as compared to the average current vehicle that weights 3,240 pounds. Other changes could include the use of different ferrous alloys, engineering changes, or incorporation of advanced ceramic components. Widespread adoption of these vehicle designs would affect materials markets and require concurrent development and adoption of supporting technologies to supply the materials and to use ...
The use of europium as a local structural probe allows the various phases appearing in the NaCaPO_4-Na_3Eu(PO_4)_2 and NaSrPO_4-Na_3Eu(PO_4)_2 systems to be detected. The broadening of the europium emission lines in going from the calcium to the strontium phases illustrates the ease of displacement of the PO_4 groups. (Auth.).
The creep crack growth properties of two versions of Alloy 800 have been compared at 500 and 600"0C in the Grade II condition in tests up to 10"4 hours duration. The two alloys were a low carbon alloy containing (wt.%) 0.024 C, 0.5 Ti, 0.3 Al (Alloy B) and a higher carbon alloy containing (wt.%) 0.038 C, 0.2-0.3 Ti, 0.2-3.0 Al (Alloy J). At 600"0C, Alloy B attained maximum age hardening in 10"2 hours, whereas J did not harden significantly in time up to 10"4 hours. Both alloys age hardened at 550"0C with Alloy J hardening more rapidly than B. The creep displacements and displacement rates in small compact tension specimens at 600"0C were smaller than Alloy B than in Alloy J. However, failure times were shorter in Alloy B because of lower displacements for crack initiation and propagation and higher crack growth rates. At 550"0C the displacements for initiation and propagation in Alloy J were smaller ...
We describe a global closed orbit feedback experiment, based upon a real time harmonic analysis of both the orbit movement and the correction magnetic fields. The feedback forces the coefficients of a few harmonics near the betatron tune to vanish, and significantly improves the global orbit stability. We present the results of the experiment in the UV ring using 4 detectors and 4 trims, in which maximum observed displacement was reduced by a factor of between 3 and 4. 4 refs., 3 figs.
Reaction kinetics for the displacement of 5-aminoquinoline (5-Aq) and diethyl sulfide (SEt{sub 2}) from cis-[PtPh{sub 2}(CO)(L)] (L = 5-Aq or SEt{sub 2}) by aliphatic amines was measured for a wide array of amines. Reaction products were characterized by IR and NMR spectroscopies and crystalk structures of selected products were reported. Steric effects on the substitutions were discussed.
Stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements are made in horizontal planes in a simplified scale model of a spray dryer using water as fluid. The sample rate was sufficient to resolve phenomena at lower frequencies. Data reveal asymmetric velocity fields in both mean fields and dynamics. Data were analysed using Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD). An important periodic event is an elongation of the jet core cross section that results in a downstream displacement of the jet towards the chamber wall.
The theoretical treatment of the relation between the critical angle of planar channeling and the characteristics of crystal lattice defects is carried out. The predictions are made about some typical forms of the critical angle dependence on the mean-square static displacement produced by defects, and then these predictions are detailed for the cases of homogeneous disordering, spherical clusters of point defects and dislocation loops. Analytical results are supported by the exact computer calculations for the defects in the intermetallic A-15 compounds.
The calculations with the broad-group cross-section library Bugle-96, and atom displacement (dpa) cross sections for iron, both derived from ENDF/B-VI data, result in higher calculated fast neutron fluxes, better agreement of calculations with radiometric dosimeter measurements, and significantly slower dpa rate attenuation through pressure vessel walls relative to the results with their predecessors: the Sailor library and ASTM iron dpa cross sections.
The device is made by a tool at the end of a flexible cable, a motor for the rotation of the flexible, a linear drive with a guide for it between the winder and the tube.
In the positive column of a neon glow discharge, two different types of ionization waves occur simultaneously. The low-dimensional chaos arising from the nonlinear interaction between the two waves is controlled by a continuous feedback technique. The control strategy is derived from the time-delayed autosynchronization method. Two spatially displaced points of observation are used to obtain the control information, using the propagation characteristics of the chaotic wave.
An FEL amplifier to generate a laser power of the order of TW at 4 {mu}m wavelength is investigated for a {gamma}-{gamma} collider. A concept of an amplifier chain consisting of a phase-displacement deceleration FELs is proposed to increase the FEL efficiency and to mitigate the requirement for the beam energy spread. The feasibility of the driving linac for the FEL system is also discussed. ((orig.)).
An FEL amplifier to generate a laser power of the order of TW at 4 #mu#m wavelength is investigated for a #gamma#-#gamma# collider. A concept of an amplifier chain consisting of a phase-displacement deceleration FELs is proposed to increase the FEL efficiency and to mitigate the requirement for the beam energy spread. The feasibility of the driving linac for the FEL system is also discussed. ((orig.)).
A beta titanium alloy was evaluated for use in orthodontic appliances. Standard mechanical tests and aspecially designed spring test were used. Two particular thermo-mechanical treatments resulted in titanium springs with 1.8 times the extension of comparable stainless steel springs, and a 2.2 fold reduction in force per unit displacement. PMID:283089
Data fusion techniques are based on the premise that two or more carefully designed NDE tests are potentially capable of offering additional information concerning the test object relative to what can be garnered from a single test. However, information from a heterogeneous set of transducers cannot be fused unless the data is mapped onto a common `format'. The eddy current method cannot, for example, provide time-of-flight information that can be combined from estimates derived from ultrasonic tests. This paper presents a simple solution to address the problem by employing the so-called Q-transform to relate diffusive fields, such as those generated by eddy current probes, and propagating wave fields generated by ultrasonic NDT sensors. The paper illustrates how the distance between a defect and a source can be extracted from eddy current data generated using carefully selected excitation signals. Numerical results and comparisons with analytical predictions are ...
Abstract in english Cytokines are molecules that were initially discovered in the immune system as mediators of communication between various types of immune cells. However, it soon became evident that cytokines exert profound effects on key functions of the central nervous system, such as food intake, fever, neuroendocrine regulation, long-term potentiation, and behavior. In the 80's and 90's our group and others discovered that the genes encoding various cytokines and their receptors are e (more) xpressed in vascular, glial, and neuronal structures of the adult brain. Most cytokines act through cell surface receptors that have one transmembrane domain and which transduce a signal through the JAK/STAT pathway. Of particular physiological and pathophysiological relevance is the fact that cytokines are potent regulators of hypothalamic neuropeptidergic systems that maintain neuroendocrine homeostasis and which regulate the body's response to stress. The mechanisms ...
The influence of low-frequency electromagnetic field irradiating by high-voltage transmission lines on signal transduction of cell in spleen cells of the rates have been studied by molecular-biology techniques. The spleen cells are extracted from skilled rates, which are exposed in the electromagnetic field of high-voltage transmission lines with 4000 V/m and 0.09-0.1 G about 400 days. The quantity or level of phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT3) in JAK-STAT signal transduction pathway of spleen cells, which are stimulated and unstimulated by IL-2, respectively, are detected by the immunoblotting and immunobiochemistry. The results show that the expression of phospho-STAT3 in spleen cell stimulated by IL-2 differ not from that in the unstimulated cell. The former is significantly large than the latter. This shows that signal transduction of cell is affected by this electromagnetic field. The spectra of infrared absorption for ...
The meeting was arranged into the following sessions: introductory; advanced ceramics and ceramic composites; ceramic and metal matrix composites; electronic materials and devices; acoustoelasticity, stress, and texture; composites-porosity, strength, and UT propagation; process modeling and monitoring; thermal wave physics; material properties, composites, surfaces, and interfaces; acoustic emission; ferromagnetic materials; new sensors; NDE reliability assessment; elastic wave scattering and propagation; image analysis, data storage, and signal processing; UT transducers; weldments and bonded materials; eddy current models; unified life cycle engineering; x rays, CT, and NMR; eddy current probes and instruments; acoustic microscopy imaging, and reconstruction; signal processing, measurement techniques, and systems; NDE applications of artificial intelligence; crack behavior influenced by history; inversion procedures for UT and EC; process control and material ...
Purpose: to evaluate the efficacy and advantages of the snare systems in the retrieval of foreign bodies from vascular system. Materials and methods: the snare technique has been used for intravascular foreign body retrieval. We performed percutaneous extraction of intravascular foreign bodies using combination multipurpose catheters and a nitinol snare loop. In this report, we evaluated the patients who had performed endovascular device reposition or foreign body retrieval from 1998 to 2001. Results: foreign body retrieval was performed in 15 patients. The foreign bodies consisted of seven fractured port catheters, one sheath fragment, one embolization coil, four wire fragments, one pace-maker transducer and one dislocated endovascular stent. In no case were surgical procedures required, and no complications were encountered. Conclusion: the snare technique is a useful and a safe method as an alternative procedure to surgery. This technique is highly effective ...
The potential of ultrasonic guided modes for use in global structural health monitoring of aging metallic aircraft can only be realized if the modes selected are able to propagate over a reasonable distance. This work studies the propagation of different modes through fuselage structure by means of mode analysis, finite element modeling and experimental measurement. Beginning with the case of a simple skin panel, the paper examines propagation across a set of structural features representing a typical monocoque fuselage and considers the effect of overlying sealant layers, bonded and sealed joints, paint layers and tapering skin. With the exception of the fundamental symmetric mode at very low frequency, no mode was found that could propagate across all features with an effective attenuation of less than 40 dB/m. This makes global monitoring of a fuselage structure using a sparse array of transducers very difficult. However, more local monitoring is possible and ...
The purpose of this project was to investigate the origin of pressure fluctuations in fluidized bed systems. The study assessed the potential for using pressure fluctuations as an indicator of fluidized bed hydrodynamics in both laboratory scale cold-models and industrial scale boilers. Both bubbling fluidized beds and circulating fluidized beds were evaluated. Testing including both cold-flow models and laboratory and industrial-scale combustors operating at elevated temperatures. The study yielded several conclusions on the relationship of pressure fluctuations and hydrodynamic behavior in fluidized beds. The study revealed the importance of collecting sufficiently long data sets to capture low frequency (on the order of 1 Hz) pressure phenomena in fluidized beds. Past research has tended toward truncated data sets collected with high frequency response transducers, which miss much of the spectral structure of fluidized bed hydrodynamics. As a result, many ...
Transcriptional regulation of the galactose-metabolizing genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae depends on three core proteins: Gal4p, the transcriptional activator that binds to upstream activating DNA sequences (UASGAL); Gal80p, a repressor that binds to the carboxyl terminus of Gal4p and inhibits transcription; and Gal3p, a cytoplasmic transducer that, upon binding galactose and adenosine 5'-triphosphate, relieves Gal80p repression. The current model of induction relies on Gal3p sequestering Gal80p in the cytoplasm. However, the rapid induction of this system implies that there is a missing factor. Our structure of Gal80p in complex with a peptide from the carboxyl-terminal activation domain of Gal4p reveals the existence of a dinucleotide that mediates the interaction between the two. Biochemical and in vivo experiments suggests that nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP) plays a key role in the initial induction event.
Intramuscular hermorrhage was induced by injecting autologous blood into the paraspinal muscle of 8 rabbits. In order to evaluate the time-dependent changes of hemorrhage observed on MRI, the animals were imaged at different stages of blood resolution at 0.02 tesla (T), and control examined with ultrasound using a 7.5 MHz linear transducer. Six inversion recovery sequences (TR=1 000 ms. TE=30 ms, and TI=18, 48, 148, 201, 302, and 398 ms) were used for the invivo calculation of T1 relaxation times. IR 1 000 (398)/30 imaging was performed before and after the Gd-DOTA administration. The hemorrhage was evident on MR images throughout the study, especially on the T2 weighted (SE 1 000/100) images. MRI showed the healing lesion longer than ultrasound. The T1 relaxation time increased during the time of resolution. Lesions on days 4 to 7 enhanced in intensity after the injection of Gd-DOTA. (orig.).
Limitations of traveling wave relaying schemes for protection of overhead extra-high voltage transmission lines are investigated. A method of analysis of traveling wave phenomena for three phase transmission lines is developed in which the interdependent phase voltages and currents are decoupled into their modal counterparts, which are approximately independent. A time domain digital simulation program is used to solve the modal transmission line equations to obtain the fault induced traveling waves detected at the relay location. The frequency dependence of the aerial modes is ignored but their losses are included. A lumped element analysis method, originally developed for transient analysis of lossy coaxial cables, is adapted here to obtain approximate solution for the fault induced traveling waves of the ground mode. Excellent agreement is found between the results obtained by this method and frequency domain methods. This time-domain method offers more flexibility than frequency ...
A study has been performed of the initial corrosion of support structure alloys in crevices of various geometries, when galvanically coupled to alloy 600. Corrosion rates were monitored continuously by measuring the galvanic current flowing in each couple, transduced by a zero impedance ammeter. Experiments were performed in a single-pass flowing electrolyte system, with AVT water pumped through alloy 600 tubing past the orifice of each crevice. Fourteen crevices were studied simultaneously in two parallel flow arms containing seven specimens each. The steady state AVT water pH/hydrazine/oxygen concentrations were controlled by microcomputer, allowing the effect of secondary water chemistry on the corrosion rate to be studied easily. Control of the crevice electrolyte composition was achieved by separately pumping electrolyte, at a low rate, directly into the crevices of the seven specimens in the lower flow arm. In addition, a high pressure syringe was used to ...
A methodology for assessing the impact of subacute concentrations of organometallic agents on bioenergetic and oxidative damage processes in animals, cells and energy transducing subcellular organelles is being developed. Several of the assays are noninvasive and thus lend themselves to human tests. At the whole-animal level we utilize a treadmill chamber where physiological parameters of exercising animals are monitored. These include parameters of whole animals' work performance such as oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide evolution and endurance. Oxidative damage can be monitored in experiments by analyzing expired air of the animals for ethane and n-pentane. These alkanes correlate with lipid peroxidation in vivo. At the cellular and subcellular levels, respiratory activity, lipid peroxidation and free radical species are assayed. Respiratory activity is measured in muscle homogenates and isolated mitochondria using substrates which feed into different ...
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.
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 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.
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, ...
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.
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.
The fluid-induced vibration level of instrumented capsule, which was manufactured for fuel irradiation test at the reactor core of HANARO, was investigated. For this purpose, the instrumented capsule was loaded at the OR site of the HANARO design verification test facility that could simulate identical flow condition as the HANARO core. Then, vibration signals of the instrumented capsule subjected to various flow conditions were measured by using vibration sensors. In time domain analysis, maximum amplitudes and RMS values of the measured acceleration and displacement signals were obtained. By using frequency domain analysis, frequency components of the fluid-induced vibration were analyzed. In addition, natural frequencies of the instrumented capsule were obtained by performing modal test. The frequency analysis results showed that the natural frequency components near 7.5Hz and 17.5Hz were dominant in the fluid-induced vibration signal. The maximum amplitude of ...
The plastic displacements around Knoop indentations made in hard titanium/aluminum multilayered films on soft aluminum alloy substrates have been studied. Indentations were cross-sectioned and imaged using the focused-ion-beam (FIB) milling and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The FIB milling method has the advantage of removing material in a localized region without producing mechanical damage to the specimen. The micrographs of the cross-sectioned indentations indicate that most of the plastic deformation around the indentation is dominated by the soft aluminum substrate. There is a very small change in the multilayered film thickness around the indentation{emdash}less than 10{percent}. The plastic deformation of the thin film resembles a membrane being deflected by a localized pressure gradient across the membrane. Stress-induced voids are also observed in the multilayered film, especially in the area around the indentation apex. ...
Activated charcoal which is the desulfurizing agent for the fuel cell plant can be used only at the normal temperature, and it must be placed upstream of the fuel gas, increasing the displacement flow of the fuel gas processed in the desulfurizer. In addition, a large quantity of activated charcoal must be filled or the frequency of its exchange must be increased because activated charcoal used at the normal temperature has little sulfur absorbing capacity. This invention is concerned with provision of a desulfurizer in the downstream of the fuel gas compressor of the fuel cell plant to remove sulfur content in the fuel gas by this desulfurizer. As a result, the displacement flow of the processing gas is decreased to increase the processing capacity of the desulfurizing agent. In addition, hydrogen recycling can be eliminated to realize compact arrangement of the equipment and economization of energy consumption. Metal oxide based desulfurizers ...
A unique method, previously proposed by the author, was applied to the heat transfer augmentation in the flow boiling field. In this method a screen sheet was put on the horizontal heated surface where bubble nucleation occurred. Generated vapor bubbles were trapped between the screen and the wall, became flat and moved along the surface. This restricted bubble behavior caused the heat transfer enhancement. Three types of the screen were tested in the present experiment and the effect of the screen was investigated on the heat transfer and two-phase flow characteristics. In two cases of them, the screen was displaced upward by the bubble nucleation. Compared with the ordinary flow boiling case, heat transfer was enhanced by a factor of 1.2 to 6 within the present experimental range. By using a simple flow model, it was made clear that the effect of the height of the displaced screen was important to evaluate the increase in pressure drop. ...
Pile foundations in several coastal and offshore structures are subjected to significant amounts of lateral loads due to wave action. Usually batter piles are adopted to resist large lateral loads. In this investigation an attempt has been made to study the behavior of batter pile in clayey soils through an experimental program carried out on instrumented model aluminium piles of 26 mm diameter in a test tank of size, 1,200 mm x 800mm x 1,100 mm. The pile was instrumented with electrical resistance type strain gauges to determine the bending moment variations along the depth of embedment of pile. Bending moment vis depth relationships were used to determine the Soil reaction (p) and lateral displacement (y) along the length of the pile for the applied load. From the bending moment vs depth curves it is found that depth of maximum bending moment is greater for negative batter pile than for vertical and positive batter pile. The data of soil reaction and lateral ...
This paper reported on a life cycle assessment (LCA) study that compared the environmental impacts of business-as-usual manure management with those of a manure management operation incorporating anaerobic digestion with combined heat and power generation. The case study was based on a medium sized dairy farm in northern New York State. The study identified the benefits resulting from the displacement of fossil fuels, and reduction of related emissions. Although anaerobic digestion of dairy manure with energy recovery through biogas combustion is viewed as a positive environmental approach to increase the use of renewable energy, there are potential negative impacts that can counteract the environmental benefits. The negative impacts are associated with emissions of methane and nitrogen species during digestion and after spreading of digester effluent. The environmental impacts and their causes should be evaluated in order to promote best management practices. ...
Accurate calculations of atomic displacement damage in materials exposed to neutrons require detailed spectra for primary recoil nuclei. Such data are not available from direct experimental measurements. Moreover, they cannot always be computed accurately starting from evaluated nuclear data libraries such as ENDF/B-V that were developed primarily for neutron transport applications, because these libraries lack detailed energy-and-angle distributions for outgoing charged particles. Fortunately, a new generation of nuclear model codes is now available that can be used to fill in the missing spectra. One example is the preequilibrium statistical-model code GNASH. For heating and damage applications, a supplementary code called RECOIL has been developed. RECOIL uses detailed reaction data from GNASH, together with angular distributions based on Kalbach-Mann systematics to compute the energy and angle distributions of recoil nuclei. The energy-angle distributions for ...
This paper provides a physically-based engineering model to estimate radiation hardening of 9%Cr-steels under both displacement damage (dpa) and helium. The model is essentially based on the dispersed barrier hardening theory and the dynamic re-solution of helium under displacement cascades but incorporating a number of assumptions and simplifications [Trinkaus, J. Nucl. Mater. 318 (2003) 234-340]. As a result, the kinetics of the damage accumulation kept fixed, its amplitude is fitted on one experimental condition. The model was rationalized on an experimental database that mainly consists of ?9%Cr-steels irradiated in the range of 50-600 deg. C up to 50 dpa and with a He-content up to 5000 appm. The test temperature effect is taken into account through a normalization procedure based on the change of the Young's modulus and the anelastic deformation that occurs at high temperature. Despite the large experimental scatter, inherent to the ...
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 atrial myocardium has been barely visible with thallium-201 myocardial scintigraphy. This is probably related to the difference in size, distance from anterior chest wall, and small coronary blood flow of the atrium, compared with the ventricle. We have encountered eight cases of visualization of the right atrial appendix (RAA). The RAA was identified from multiple projections in all cases and sometimes confirmed by radionuclide angiocardiography. Evidence derived from ECG, chest radiographs, and cardiac catheterization, indicated that the most important factor in the visualization might be the displacement of the RAA to a more anterior position.
An exact solution method for the free vibration problem of thin circular cylindrical shells is presented. The differential equations of motion are solved directly with the use of simple Fourier series as the modal displacement functions. Stokes' transformation is exploited to obtain correct series expressions for the derivatives of the Fourier series. From this method an explicit expression of the exact frequency equation can be obtained for any kind of boundary conditions. The accuracy of the present method is checked against available data. The proposed method is then used to find the modal characteristics of the thermal liner of the Fast Test Reactor (FTR). The numerical results obtained are compared with finite element method solutions. (auth)
The use of europium as a local structural probe allows the various phases appearing in the NaCaPO/sub 4/-Na/sub 3/Eu(PO/sub 4/)/sub 2/ and NaSrPO/sub 4/-Na/sub 3/Eu(PO/sub 4/)/sub 2/ systems to be detected. The broadening of the europium emission lines in going from the calcium to the strontium phases illustrates the ease of displacement of the PO/sub 4/ groups.
A conceptual design of a solar retrofit to US Gypsum's plant at Sweetwater, Texas, has been developed which provides heated air to a large gypsum board drying kiln that is currently under construction. The solar heated air displaces natural gas normally used for the process heat. The solar retrofit is composed of a tower focus collector with a cavity receiver which uses air as the heat transfer fluid. An executive summary of the conceptual design, system performance, economics, and development plan is presented. (WHK)
The lateral bearing device is made of 7 lateral supports, each positioned to allow the displacement of the steam generator due to thermal or seismic effects. Each support includes a buffer plate that can be positioned on the steam generator using a position control assembly. This control assembly consists of a screw jack arrangement where the nut is fastened via an energy absorbing layer to a footplate that is fixed to the concrete wall of the steam generator enclosure. 4 figs.
Based on the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) of density functional theory (DFT) and the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FLAPW) at the level including all electrons, the lattice parameters of graphite are calculated and optimized. Some elastic wave velocities transmitted in graphite are deduced. Using the methods of elastic wave velocity method and the atomic displacement method, the Debye frequency of graphite is obtained. The standard heat capacity, entropy, sublimation enthalpy of graphite is deduced at 289.5 k and 1 atm. The calculated results are discussed and compared with experimental data. (authors)
Considering the hardware characteristics of the laser-induced plasma X-ray source and the limitations of the conventional cone-beam reconstruction algorithm, a general cone-beam reconstruction algorithm has been developed at our laboratory, in which the motion locus of the X-ray source is an arbitrary curve corresponding to at least a 2{pi} continuous horizontal angular displacement in the coordinate system of the specimen. The preliminary simulation shows that the general cone-beam reconstruction algorithm consistently results in visually satisfactory images.
Considering the hardware characteristics of the laser-induced plasma X-ray source and the limitations of the conventional cone-beam reconstruction algorithm, a general cone-beam reconstruction algorithm has been developed at our laboratory, in which the motion locus of the X-ray source is an arbitrary curve corresponding to at least a 2{pi} continuous horizontal angular displacement in the coordinate system of the specimen. The preliminary simulation shows that the general cone-beam reconstruction algorithm consistently results in visually satisfactory images.
This paper describes the design, operation, and performance of an HVAC system installed as part of a project to demonstrate energy efficiency and environmental responsibility in commercial buildings. The systems installed in the 2180 m{sup 2} office building provide superior air quality and thermal comfort while requiring only half the electrical energy of conventional systems primarily because of the hydronic heating and cooling system. Gas use for the building is higher than expected because of longer operating hours and poor performance of the boiler/absorption chiller.
This patent describes a process for preparing poly(aryl ether ketones) by nucleophilic displacement polymerization in the presence of at least one alkali metal base selected from potassium, rubidium or cesium, and fluoride ions, which comprises adding to the polymerization: (a) an effective amount of at least one metal salt selected from lithium, sodium, alkaline earth or lanthanide chloride, bromide, iodide, sulfate, alkyl or aryl carboxylate, cyanide, borate or phosphate to slow or stop advancement of molecular weight and (b) an end-capping agent.
Copper alloys are a suitable tubing material for turbine condensers and heat exchangers. Due to problems with corrosions copper alloys increasingly are displaced by high-grade steel and titanium. Blockages and surface formation in the pipes, disturbance of the oxide coating formation, erosion and quality faults with the production are the causes for the corrosion. In the contribution under consideration counter measures are designated for the solution of the problems with corrosions. The application limits for different copper alloys are designated. Recommendations for the optimized operation are given.
Nonlinear distortion added by the loudspeaker in a hearing aid lowers the signal-to-noise ratio and may degrade the hearing aid user's ability to understand speech. The balancedarmature- type loudspeakers, predominantly used in hearing aids, are inherently nonlinear devices, as any displacement of the loudspeaker diaphragm inevitably changes the magnetic and electrical characteristics of the loudspeaker. A numerical time-domain model capable of describing these nonlinearities is presented. By simulation it is demonstrated how the output distortion could potentially be reduced significantly through careful design of the mechanical properties of the armature.
This paper presents a numerical simulation with the EUROPLEXUS fast dynamics software of a pipe whipping phenomenon occurring in the thermal hydraulic conditions of a loss of coolant accident in a PWR primary circuit. Different physical phenomena take place simultaneously during the rupture and the whipping of the pipe such as plasticity, contact, large displacements, two-phase flow regime and fluid structure interaction. Two kinds of numerical models - a simplified pipeline model and a mixed 1D/3D model - are considered and compared throughout modelling and computation. Numerical results are compared with experimental data belonging to the Aquitaine II test campaign.
Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and histopathology were used to diagnose an articular process synovial myxoma in a dog. On MR images, the tumor was characterized by distortion of the left L1-L2 articular process, widening of the articular process joint, and the presence of a mass contiguous with the synovium of the articular process that displaced the spinal cord. The tumor was T2-hyperintense, T1-hypointense, relative to muscle, and had mild contrast enhancement. The MR features of articular process synovial myxoma may be distinct from other diseases of the articular process joint.
This study presents a semi-active vibration control of a scaled two-span bridge structure. Magneto-rheological fluid dampers are utilized as the semi-active energy absorbing devices, and a bridge vibration control system is developed. Closed-loop control system based on fuzzy logic is used to suppress the bridge deck motion under random excitation. It is demonstrated that this fuzzy logic control system can significantly reduce the relative deck displacement using about 60% less power compared to passive on state, while the absolute deck acceleration remains practically unchanged.
The electronic structure of the clusters (V/sub 3/Si/sub 4/)/sup 12 -/, (Nb/sub 3/Sn/sub 4/)/sup 12 -/(Mo/sub 3/Ge/sub 4/)/sup 15 -/ in crystalline V/sub 3/Si, Nb/sub 3/Sn, Mo/sub 3/Ge compounds is calculated by the Extended Hueckel method. The influence of different types of radiation induced defects on the density of states at the Fermi level (the anti-site defects, the displacement of atoms in linear chains, the vacancy-interstitial type defects) is considered.
The electronic structure of the clusters [V_3Si_4]"1"2"-, [Nb_3Sn_4]"1"2"-[Mo_3Ge_4]"1"5"- in crystalline V_3Si, Nb_3Sn, Mo_3Ge compounds is calculated by the Extended Hueckel method. The influence of different types of radiation induced defects on the density of states at the Fermi level (the anti-site defects, the displacement of atoms in linear chains, the vacancy-interstitial type defects) is considered. (author).
The electromagnetic properties of a prototype gravitational wave detector, based on two coupled superconducting microwave cavities, were tested. The radio-frequency (rf) detection system was carefully analysed. With the use of piezoelectric crystals small harmonic displacements of the cavity walls were induced and the parametric conversion of the electromagnetic field inside the cavities explored. Experimental results of bandwidth and sensitivity of the parametric converter versus stored energy and voltage applied to the piezoelectric crystal are reported. A rf control loop, developed to stabilize phase changes on signal paths, gave a 125 dBc rejection of the drive mode on a time scale of 1 h.
Nanoindentation was performed on a Mo-alloy single crystal to investigate effects of focused ion beam (FIB) milling on mechanical behavior. On a non-FIB-milled surface, pop-ins were observed on all load-displacement curves corresponding to a transition from elastic to plastic deformation. Similar pop-ins were not detected on surfaces subjected to FIB milling. This difference indicates that FIB milling introduces damage that obviates the need for dislocation nucleation during subsequent deformation. A second effect of FIB milling is that it increased the surface hardness. Together, these effects could be the source of the size effects reported in the literature on micropillar tests.
The conceptual design of the support structures of the EM muon chambers is presented. On each side of the detector the EM chambers are arranged in four layers: one layer of MDTs and the three layers of TGCs. The chambers are mounted on four individual wheel structures per side. The four wheels are inclined by 1.23% and suspended from two longitudinal beams parallel to the beam axis. In order to allow for the opening of the ATLAS detector the wheels can be displaced longitudinally over a distance of 6 m. In addition individual wheels can be separated from each other by up to 1 m for maintenance purposes.
The objectives of this project was to: (1) quantify the pore scale mechanisms that determine the wettability state of a reservoir, (2) study the effect of crude oil, brine and mineral compositions in the establishment of mixed wet states, (3) clarify the effect of mixed - wettability on oil displacement efficiency in waterfloods, (4) develop a new tracer technique to measure wettability, fluid distributions, residual saturation's and relative permeabilities, and (5) develop methods for properly incorporating wettability in up-scaling from pore to core to reservoir scales.
Two patients with femoral neck fractures, one displaced and one undisplaced, are presented. Preoperative intravital staining with tetracycline and Tc-MDP scintimetry both showed intact femoral head circulation while Tc-MDP-scintimetry 1 week after operation showed pronounced circulatory deficiency. Sr/sup 85/-scintimetry performed at the same time was inconclusive. Segmental collapse was observed radiographically, 8 and 12 months postoperatively. The major vascular injury resulting in avascularity most probably occured during the procedure of osteosynthesis, and Tc-MDP-scintimetry was found suitable for early postoperative recognition of avascular necrosis in both fractures.
Two patients with femoral neck fractures, one displaced and one undisplaced, are presented. Preoperative intravital staining with tetracycline and Tc-MDP scintimetry both showed intact femoral head circulation while Tc-MDP-scintimetry 1 week after operation showed pronounced circulatory deficiency. SR"8"5-scintimetry performed at the same time was inconclusive. Segmental collapse was observed radiographically, 8 and 12 months postoperatively. The major vascular injury resulting in avascularity most probably occured during the procedure of osteosynthesis, and Tc-MDP-scintimetry was found suitable for early postoperative recognition of avascular necrosis in both fractures. (author).
The increasing sophistication of modern cars and todays tendency of developing compact vehicles more adapted to urban traffic have led to increased performance requirements from alternators and their bearings. This paper describes todays criteria for the design of alternators and of their bearings (improvement of tightness, design of race, grease, specific steels) and the final validation of the products. The last part of the paper describes the new CARB toroidal roller bearing developed by SKF which can support misalignments and internal axial displacements under high rotation speeds. (J.S.)
The susceptibility of CHN35VT-VD and 08CH18N10T stainless steels to stress corrosion cracking in water environment, simulating water solution found in threaded holes, was investigated using rising load line displacement tests of precracked C(T) specimens. To judge the role of oxidant on stress corrosion cracking of both stainless steels, the effect of dissolved oxygen content (fully deaerated water, water aerated at the beginning of the test) was studied. 7 refs.
The Minami-Iwaki trunk line now under construction by Tokyo Electric Power Company is an UHV transmission line which covers 130km from the central region of the Abukuma highlands, Fukushima Prefecture, through the northern ridge of the Kanto Plain to Imaichi City, Tochigi Prefecture and has 235 steel towers. About 30% of the ground along the above route is mainly layers of sand and gravel. Accordingly it has become urgent to design rationally the pile foundations in the sand and gravel layers. Hence the company has studied an estimation method of the ultimate bearing power of cast-in-place piles penetrating the sand and gravel layers and the displacement of pile heads. In this report, the result of the above study is described. The company has so far used the equations in accordance to the Meyerhof equations for the estimations of the ultimate bearing power and this time, this equations have been examined for its application to the sand and gravel layers, and for ...
An analogue of hGH isolated from plerocercoids of the tapeworm Spirometra mansonoides displaces ["1"2"5I]hGH from its receptors in rabbit, rat, and hamster liver membranes. Biologically, plerocercoid growth factor (PGF) is more similar to hGH than to other mammalian GH's but has not been shown to bond human cells. Receptors specific for hGH have been described on cultured human lymphocytes (IM-9). In this study, the authors compared the binding of PGF and hGH in IM-9 cells and in rabbit hepatic membranes. IM-9 lymphocytes (12 x 10"6 cells/tube) were incubated with ["1"2"5I]hGH and increasing concentrations of hGH (ng/ml) or PGF (serial dilutions) for 90 min at 30"0 C. Specific binding (B_0 - NSB) was determined for each dose of hGH or PGF and the binding curves were analyzed by logit-log regression. The results show that PGF displaced ["1"2"5I]hGH from human cells in a dose dependent manner (r = 0.98). Based on the IM-9 assay, 1 ml of the PGF ...
Mechanisms and associated energetics for adatom diffusion on the (100) and (110) surfaces of Ni, Cu, Rh, Pd, and Ag are investigated. Self-diffusion was studied on (100) and (I 10) surfaces of Ni, Cu, Pd and Ag using corrected effective medium method (CEM) and approximation to CEM used for molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo studies (MD/MC-CEM). Self-diffusion on Pd(100), Ag(100), Ni(110), Cu(110), Pd(110), and Ag(110) is accomplished by classical diffusion: the adatom hops from its equilibrium adsorption site over an intervening bridge site to an adjacent equilibrium site. Self-diffusion on Ni(100) and Cu(100) proceeds by atomic-exchange diffusion: the adatom on the surface displaces an atom in the first surface layer. Aside from explicit inclusion of the kinetic-exchange-correlation energy, it is critical to include enough movable atoms in the calculation to insure correct energetics. Distortions induced by these diffusion mechanisms, especially atomic exchange, ...
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 ...
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 visual assessment and ...
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 ...
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...
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...
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
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.
Previous investigations have shown promising results in using the directional cross-correlation method to estimate velocity vectors. The velocity vector estimate provides information on both velocity direction and magnitude. The direction is estimated by beamforming signals along directions in the range $[0^{\\circ}; 180^{\\circ}[$ and identifying the direction that produces the largest correlation across emissions. An estimate of the velocity magnitude is obtained from the spatial shift between signals beamformed along the estimated direction. This paper expands these investigations to include estimations of the vector velocities of a larger region by combining the estimations along several scan lines. In combination with a B-mode image, the vector velocities are displayed as an image of the investigated region with a color indicating the magnitude, and arrows showing the direction of the flow. Using the RASMUS experimental ultrasound scanner, measurements have been carried out in a ...
The p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75"N"T"R) is a death receptor which belongs to the tumor necrosis factor receptor super-family of membrane proteins. This study shows that p75"N"T"R retarded cell cycle progression by induced accumulation of cells in G0/G1 and a reduction in the S phase of the cell cycle. The rescue of tumor cells from cell cycle progression by a death domain deleted (#DELTA#DD) dominant-negative antagonist of p75"N"T"R showed that the death domain transduced anti-proliferative activity in a ligand-independent manner. Conversely, addition of NGF ligand rescued retardation of cell cycle progression with commensurate changes in components of the cyclin/cdk holoenzyme complex. In the absence of ligand, p75"N"T"R-dependent cell cycle arrest facilitated an increase in apoptotic nuclear fragmentation of the prostate cancer cells. Apoptosis of p75"N"T"R expressing cells occurred via the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway leading to a sequential caspase-9 and ...
Airbag pressure vessels for the north-American market mainly are made by forging and by the use of steel alloys. In Europe aluminum alloys are common and the manufacturing process is extrusion of circular blanks - made from cold rolled plates - in a form applying a 100 t press at room temperature. Then by heat treatment the strength/hardness of the material is properly adjusted and after that the pressure vessel parts have to be continuously inspected with an inspection and handling cycle time of 3 s. Inspection of the axis-symmetric parts is asked for surface breaking extrusion defects as well as for surface parallel delaminations in the bulk volume. Furthermore, the material strength is a quality characteristic that has to be nondestructively registered and documented. The inspection is performed by eddy current probes and an EMAT, of which the eddy current impedance measurements are used for surface breaking extrusion defect detection and sizing (single frequency technique with ...
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the interobserver agreement of ultrasonographic assessment of finger and toe joints in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by 2 investigators with different medical backgrounds. METHODS: Ultrasonography and clinical examination were performed on 150 small joints of 30 patients with active RA. A General Electric LOGIQ 500 ultrasound unit with a 7-13-MHz linear array transducer was used. In each patient, 5 preselected small joints (second and third metacarpophalangeal, second proximal interphalangeal, first and second metatarsophalangeal) were examined independently on the same day by 2 ultrasound investigators (an experienced musculoskeletal radiologist and a rheumatologist with limited ultrasound training). Joint effusion, synovial thickening, bone erosions, and power Doppler signal were evaluated in accordance with an introduced 4-grade semiquantitative scoring system, on which the investigators had reached consensus prior to the study. ...
The effects of upwind turbine wakes on the performance of a FloWind 17-m VAWT were investigated through a series of field experiments conducted at the FloWind windfarm on Cameron Ridge, Tehachapi, California. The field experiment was conducted within a VAWT array consisting of more than nine VAWTs with separations 3D crosswised by 8D downwind (where D is the turbine diameter) in a staggered configuration. The array is the upwind three rows of VAWTS in a total of six rows that are on top of the Cameron Ridge plateau. The terrain features in the vicinity are reasonably regular, with an upslope of 7 deg on the average; however, several local irregularities are present. The annual hourly averaged wind speed exceeds 8 m/s at the site. The wind field and the power-outputs of nine turbines within the array were measured with wind sensors and power transducers. Nine Gill propeller and 18 Maximum cup anemometers and one direction sensor were mounted on portable and stack-up ...
High-intensity contact ultrasound (HICU) under MRI guidance may provide minimally invasive treatment of endocavitary digestive tumors in the esophagus, colon or rectum. In this study, a miniature receive-only coil was integrated into an endoscopic ultrasound applicator to offer high-resolution MRI guidance of thermotherapy. A cylindrical plastic support with an incorporated single element flat transducer (9.45 MHz, water cooling tip) was made and equipped with a rectangular RF loop coil surrounding the active element. The integrated coil provided significantly higher sensitivity than a four-element extracorporeal phased array coil, and the standard deviation of the MR thermometry (SDT) improved up to a factor of 7 at 10 mm depth in tissue. High-resolution morphological images (T1w-TFE and IR-T1w-TSE with a voxel size of 0.25 x 0.25 x 3 mm3) and accurate thermometry data (the PRFS method with a voxel size of 0.5 x 0.5 x 5 mm3, 2.2 s/image, 0.3 deg. C voxel-wise SDT) ...
Large scale experiments were performed to determine the effectiveness of thermal glow plug igniters to burn hydrogen in a condensing steam environment due to the presence of water sprays. The experiments were designed to determine if a detonation or accelerated flame could occur in a hydrogen-air-steam mixture which was initially nonflammable due to steam dilution but was rendered flammable by rapid steam condensation due to water sprays. Eleven Hydrogen Igniter Tests were conducted in the test vessel. The vessel was instrumented with pressure transducers, thermocouple rakes, gas grab sample bottles, hydrogen microsensors, and cameras. The vessel contained two prototypic engineered systems: (1) a deliberate hydrogen ignition system and (2) a water spray system. Experiments were conducted under conditions scaled to be nearly prototypic of those expected in Advanced Light Water Reactors (such as the Combustion Engineering (CE) System 80+), with prototypic spray drop ...
There is a crescent interest in the scientific community in the study of natural circulation phenomenon. New generation of compact nuclear reactors uses the natural circulation of the fluid as a system of cooling and of residual heat removal in case of accident or shutdown. The objective of this paper is to present a study through the comparison of experimental data and numerical simulation for the natural circulation phenomenon in one and two-phase flow regime. An experimental circuit built with glass tubes is used for the experiments. Thus, it allows the thermal hydraulic phenomena visualization. There is an electric heater as the heat source, a heat exchanger as the heat sink and an expansion tank to accommodate fluid density excursions. The circuit instrumentation consists of thermocouples and pressure meters to better keep track of the flow and heat transfer phenomena. Instrumentation data acquisition is performed through a computer interface developed with LABVIEW. Previous ...
The goal of the present study was to describe the clinical, haematological and ultrasonographic findings and treatment of 17 cattle with pyelonephritis. Fifteen cattle had an abnormal general condition, which varied in severity; five animals had signs of colic. The urine was brownish-red in 11 animals and cloudy in 13. Clumps of purulent material were seen in the urine of nine animals and clots of blood in two. The specific gravity was lower than normal in 13 animals and ranged from 1.005 to 1.020. A urine test strip revealed protein in 16 animals, blood in 16 and leukocytes in 12. Bacteriological examination of urine yielded Corynebacterium renale in 11 animals, Arcanobacter pyogenes in two and Escherichia coli in one. Rectal examination revealed abnormalities of the urinary tract in 11 animals; there was dilatation of the left ureter and/or enlargement of the left kidney in eight cases, and dilatation of the right ureter and/or enlargement of the right kidney in three others. The ...
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 ...
The lateral bearing device is made of 7 lateral supports, each positioned to allow the displacement of the steam generator due to thermal or seismic effects. Each support includes a buffer plate that can be positioned on the steam generator using a position control assembly. This control assembly consists of a screw jack arrangement where the nut is fastened via an energy absorbing layer to a footplate that is fixed to the concrete wall of the steam generator enclosure. 4 figs.
The aim of this paper is to numerically explore the non-linear two-dimensional unsteady potential flow over a Savonius rotor and to develop a code for predicting its aerodynamics performances. In the model developed, the rotor is represented in a median plane by two semicircles, displaced along their common diameter. The two semicircles can be considered to produce lifting effects. As a result, they are modelled by a collection of discrete vortices on their contours. The flow field is then governed by the Laplace equation. The versatile Neumann boundary condition, applied over the contour of the semicircles and the Kutta Joukowsky condition applied at the four extremities of the semicircles have been used in the modelling. The torque distribution of the stationary rotor and the unsteady pressure field on the blades of the rotating rotor, predicted by the code developed, have been compared and validated by some experimental data. (author)
Based on the CFD-code FLUENT trademark, theoretical studies were conducted of the influences of incineration chamber geometry (direct, countercurrent and center flow) on the combustion process. The boundary conditions, e.g., the thermal input and the waste grate, were kept constant. Close attention was paid to the distribution of flow, spe-cies, and temperatures. In addition, the influence of a dis-placement body at the end of the combustion chamber was tested. The variation of different wall materials and the prediction of problem areas concerning corrosion, slagging, and contamination completed the studies. Close to the chamber walls, high CO-concentrations may indi-cate corrosion; particle flow may indicate where contami-nation, slagging or erosion could occur. (orig.)
Riparian agricultural environments in eastern Australia are widely used for cattle grazing, but are also preferred habitat for native, soil-disturbing mammals such as the bare-nosed wombat (Vombatus ursinus). We examined the effects of mound construction by wombats, and track development by cattle and wombats, on soil displacement in a riparian landscape at high and low levels of cattle usage. Splash erosion was measured on mounds and inter-mounds with splashboards, and changes in the profiles of cattle-wombat tracks were assessed using a profilemeter. Twice as much soil was detached by splash erosion from mounds than inter-mounds, irrespective of cattle usage, and about three-times more coarse sand and 40% more fine sand was detached from mounds and inter-mounds at the high cattle sites. ...
A series of hydrogenation/dehydrogenation cycles have been performed on palladium wire samples, stressed by a constant mechanical tension, in order to investigate the changes in electrical and mechanical properties. A large increase of palladium electrical resistivity has been reported due to the combined effects of the production of defects linked to hydrogen insertion into the host lattice and the stress applied to the sample. An increase of the palladium sample strain due to hydrogenation/dehydrogenation cycles in ????? phase transitions is observed compared to the sample subjected to mechanical tension only. The loss of initial metallurgical properties of the sample occurs already after the first hydrogen cycle, i.e. a displacement from the initial metallic behavior (increase of the resistivity and decrease of thermal coefficient of resistivity) to a worse one occurs already after the first hydrogen cycle. A linear correlation between palladium resistivity and ...
The paper gives a detailed overview of the history of subsidence engineering in South African collieries. Surface displacements resulting from total-seam extraction are discussed, and the important role of local geology is highlighted. It is shown that the differences in subsidence behaviour between South African and European collieries can be attributed to the presence of competent strata in the overburden of South African coal seams. Criteria are given for the prediction of the most important subsidence parameters, and a new model for the simulation of surface subsidence above total-extraction panels is introduced. The final section of the paper deals with the damage to surface structures caused by total-seam extraction. A brief summary of the most important undermining experiments in South African collieries is given, and it is concluded that local experiences of damage compare with those in Europe. 32 refs., 9 figs., 3 tabs.
Evaluates effects of longwall mining of black coal seams in the Lower Silesian coal basin on industrial stacks. Deviation of three stacks in the Walbrzych coking plant was measured one year long. The stacks, constructed in 1902-1904, and reconstructed in 1937-1938 were made of stack bricks. Foundations of the 54.00 m, 52.80 m and 64.50 m high stacks were situated at depths of 4.00 to 5.50 m. Ground subsidence and curvature were analyzed. Direction of stack deviation in relation to the direction of longwall mining was evaluated. Analyses showed there was no correlation between direction of stack deviation and ground inclination. Deviation, which increased with growing stack height, depended on displacement of stack foundations. 3 refs.
Peculiar velocities induce apparent line of sight displacements of galaxies in redshift space, distorting the pattern of clustering in the radial versus transverse directions. On large scales, the amplitude of the distortion yields a measure of the dimensionless linear growth rate \\ff of fluctuations, which is related to the cosmological density \\Omega and the linear bias factor b in linearly biassed standard cosmology by \\ff \\approx \\Omega^{0.6} /b. To make the maximum statistical use of the data in a wide angle redshift survey, and for the greatest accuracy, the spherical character of the distortion needs to be treated properly, rather than in the simpler plane parallel approximation. In the linear regime, the redshift space correlation function is described by a spherical distortion operator acting on the true correlation function. It is pointed out here that there exists an operator, which is essentially the logarithmic derivative with respect to pair ...
A module is described with a receiver having a solar energy acceptance opening and supported by a mounting ring along the optic axis of a parabolic mirror in coaxial alignment for receiving solar energy from the mirror, and a solar flux modulator plate for varying the quantity of solar energy flux received by the acceptance opening of the module. The modulator plate is characterized by an annular, plate-like body, the internal diameter of which is equal to or slightly greater than the diameter of the solar energy acceptance opening of the receiver. Slave cylinders are connected to the modulator plate for supporting the plate for axial displacement along the axis of the mirror thereby shading the opening with respect to solar energy flux reflected from the surface of the mirror to the solar energy acceptance opening.
Very important performances in the practical use of solid propellants are combustion and physical properties. Among the present solid propellants, composite propellants used ammonium perchlorate (AP) as oxidizers are adopted widely now due to these excellent performances. Recently, a combination of ammonium nitrates (AN) as oxidizers and azido polymers as binders in expected as the propellants which control decrease of combustion properties and satisfy unsensitivity. However, in order to use these azido polymers/AN propellants in practice, further, it is necessary to improve the specific impulse and the burning rate. In this report, aiming to improve the combustion properties of BAMO/NMMO/AN propellants, the sensitivity and the combustion properties of propellants added high energetic plasticizers in binders, further, displaced a part of AN to cyclotetramethylenetetranitramine (HMX) and double based base-grain (BG) are described. 8 refs., 3 figs., 3 tabs.
Abstract in english Ru(1%)/SiO2 and Cu(1%)Ru(1%)/SiO2 catalysts were prepared by cogelation. The effect of pH and the amount of water on the physical-chemical properties and the catalytic properties of them were analyzed. The acid medium increased the formation of microporosity and the formation of small size of metallic ruthenium particle. The variation of the water quantity used in the gelation not modify considerably the texture neither the dispersion of the noble metal. The reduction lev (more) el of all prepared catalyst was similar, showing displacement in some of reduction peaks. The toluene hydrogenation indicated that the conversion and the quantity of hydrogenate product varied with the pH and the quantity of water used in the gelation. The addition of copper to Ru/SiO2 catalysts diminished the reactive conversion and their hydrogenant activity
More than sixty base-isolated buildings have been built in Japan. A number of base-isolation systems were considered in our research, which was intended to establish the effectiveness of base-isolation systems. We conducted research on silicone rubber bearings. Generally, silicone rubber is durable and its characteristics are not dependent on the temperature within the relevant design range. The first part of the report covers material and elements testing. After the bearings were installed in the building, we performed forced vibration tests in both the horizontal and vertical directions. These test results form the next section. After several experiments, we carried out earthquake observations. We report on the effectiveness of the system in reducing response acceleration during a small displacement. This system was installed in the building in March 1992
Abstract Introduction. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an effective procedure for the treatment of neuropathic extremity pain, with success rates approaching 70%. However, mechanical failures, including breakage and migration, can significantly limit the long-term effectiveness of SCS. A systematic analysis of surgical techniques was undertaken by a consensus group, coupled with extensive in vivo and in vitro biomechanical testing of system components. Methods. A computer model based on morphometric data was used to predict movement in a standard SCS system between an anchored lead and pulse generator placed in various locations. These displacements were then used to determine a realistic range of forces exerted on components of the SCS system. Laboratory fixtures were constructed to subj...
A pipe whip test is one of the main subjects of the pipe rupture tests performed in Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. In 1979, the pipe whip test of 4B, sch-80 pipe will be done under the BWR condition. As the preliminary analysis of this test, the pipe whip analysis of 4B, sch-80 pipe was implemented in order to make clear of the influences of the physical parameters on the pipe whip behavior. The pipe whip analysis was treated as nonlinear dynamic analysis of pipe-restraint system by using the general purpose finite element program ADINA. Overhang length, clearance between pipe and restraint, restraint length and cross section area of restraint were taken as physical parameters. It was clarified through this analysis how restraint displacement, restraint strain and distribution of energy between pipe and restraint were influenced by these parameters. (author).
The irradiation behavior of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} under a fusion reactor environment was simulated by simultaneous irradiation of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} by the triple ion beams and the respective single ion beams of O{sup 2+}, He{sup +} and H{sup +}. The microstructural changes in Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} caused by the irradiation were measured by Raman spectroscopy and FT-IR photoacoustic spectroscopy. The results suggest that the formation of TiO{sub 2} due to displacements by irradiation occurs, and the irradiation defects generated by irradiation trap hydrogen and increase the amount of hydroxyl near the surface. Such phenomena are believed to significantly affect the chemical form of the released tritium and the tritium inventory in the breeding materials of a fusion reactor.
The irradiation behavior of Li_2TiO_3 under a fusion reactor environment was simulated by simultaneous irradiation of Li_2TiO_3 by the triple ion beams and the respective single ion beams of O"2"+, He"+ and H"+. The microstructural changes in Li_2TiO_3 caused by the irradiation were measured by Raman spectroscopy and FT-IR photoacoustic spectroscopy. The results suggest that the formation of TiO_2 due to displacements by irradiation occurs, and the irradiation defects generated by irradiation trap hydrogen and increase the amount of hydroxyl near the surface. Such phenomena are believed to significantly affect the chemical form of the released tritium and the tritium inventory in the breeding materials of a fusion reactor.
Counter-current regeneration of 2-stage sodium zeolite softeners has been employed in reducing hardness leakage level of steamflooding water to less than 1 ppm when raw water contains as much as 5,000 ppm of the total dissolved solids. Hardness leakage is caused by sodium displacement of calcium and magnesium from the bottom of the exchanger bed. This study presents nomographs providing for rapid calculations to be made, for which a convenient operational mode does not already exist. The nomographs relate the hardness leakage as a function of salt quality and influent water quality and present solutions for predicting the leakage level, salt quality requirement or the treatability of raw water required for steamflooding projects.
The three tasks were completed during this reporting period. During this quarter, work focused on a local structural analysis of the Table Rock field, greater Green River basin (GGRB) in southwestern Wyoming. The ultimate objective of the local analysis is to apply the techniques developed and demonstrated during earlier phases of the project in the Rulison Field area of the Piceance basin for sweet-spot delineation. The primary goal of this work is to focus in on the Table Rock field area in the northern Washakie basin of the Greater Green River basin in support of Union Pacific Resources and DOE planned horizontal drilling efforts. The work plan for the quarter of April 1, 1998--June 30, 1998 consisted of three tasks: (1) Acquire necessary seismic data and depth-convert, (2) Map major fault geometry and analyze displacement vectors, (3) Develop and initiate a natural fracture prediction study.
The interaction between a lower hybrid wave and a fusion alpha particle displaces the alpha particle simultaneously in space and energy. This results in coupled diffusion. Diffusion of alphas down the density gradient could lead to their transferring energy to the wave. This could, in turn, put energy into current drive. Here we calculate numerical solutions for the alpha energy transfer and study a range of conditions that are favourable for wave amplification from alpha energy. We find that it is possible for fusion alpha particles to transfer a large fraction of their energy to the lower hybrid wave. The numerical calculation shows that the net energy transfer is not sensitive to the value of the diffusion coefficient over a wide range of practical values. An extension of this idea, the use of a lossy boundary to enhance the energy transfer, is investigated. This technique is shown to offer a large potential benefit. (Author).
The interaction between a lower hybrid wave and a fusion alpha particle displaces the alpha particle simultaneously in space and energy. This results in coupled diffusion. Diffusion of alphas down the density gradient could lead to their transferring energy to the wave. This could, in turn, put energy into current drive. Here we calculate numerical solutions for the alpha energy transfer and study a range of conditions that are favourable for wave amplification from alpha energy. We find that it is possible for fusion alpha particles to transfer a large fraction of their energy to the lower hybrid wave. The numerical calculation shows that the net energy transfer is not sensitive to the value of the diffusion coefficient over a wide range of practical values. An extension of this idea, the use of a lossy boundary to enhance the energy transfer, is investigated. This technique is shown to offer a large potential benefit. (Author).
The interaction between a lower hybrid wave and a fusion alpha particle displaces the alpha particle simultaneously in space and energy. This results in coupled diffusion. Diffusion of alphas down the density gradient could lead to their transferring energy to the wave. This could, in turn, put energy into current drive. An initial analytic study was done by Fisch and Rax. Here the authors calculate numerical solutions for the alpha energy transfer and study a range of conditions that are favorable for wave amplification from alpha energy. They find that it is possible for fusion alpha particles to transfer a large fraction of their energy to the lower hybrid wave. The numerical calculation shows that the net energy transfer is not sensitive to the value of the diffusion coefficient over a wide range of practical values. An extension of this idea, the use of a lossy boundary to enhance the energy transfer, is investigated. This technique is shown to offer a large ...
We model coral community response to bleaching and mass mortality events which are predicted to increase in frequency with climate change. The model was parameterized for the Arabian/Persian Gulf, but is generally applicable. We assume three species groups (Acropora, faviids, and Porites) in two life-stages each where the juveniles are in competition but the adults can enter a size-refuge in which they cannot be competitively displaced. An aggressive group (Acropora species) dominates at equilibrium, which is not reached due to mass mortality events that primarily disadvantage this group (compensatory mortality, >90% versus 25% in faviids and Porites) roughly every 15 years. Population parameters (N individuals, carrying capacity) were calculated from satellite imagery and in situ transect...
Changes in mass density of amorphous Pd{sub 80}Si{sub 20} were monitored in situ during irradiation with He{sup 2+} and H{sup +} ions at temperatures below 100 K and during subsequent thermal treatment. The mass density decreased with increasing ion fluence and exponentially approached a saturation value of -1.2%, corresponding to a recombination volume of 190 atomic volumes. The initial swelling rate was 2.3 atomic volumes/displaced atom. The mass density of the irradiated material increased during subsequent thermal treatment, and the irradiation-induced decrease of the mass density recovered completely at room temperature.
Inert markers (evaporated tungsten and silver) were used in growth studies of silicides formed both by thermal annealing and by ion mixing in the Ni/Si, Pd/Si, and Cr/Si systems. The markers were initially imbedded inside silicides and backscattering spectrometry was used to determine the marker displacement after different processing conditions. The results obtained in thermal annealing are quite consistent with that found in previous investigations. Ni is the dominant diffusing species in Ni_2Si, while Si is the diffusing species in CrSi_2. In Pd_2Si, both Pd and Si are moving species with Pd the faster of the two. In contrast, in growth of silicides by ion irradiation Si is the faster diffusing species in all three systems.
Inert markers (evaporated tungsten and silver) were used in growth studies of silicides formed both by thermal annealing and by ion mixing in the Ni/Si, Pd/Si, and Cr/Si systems. The markers were initially imbedded inside silicides and backscattering spectrometry was used to determine the marker displacement after different processing conditions. The results obtained in thermal annealing are quite consistent with that found in previous investigations. Ni is the dominant diffusing species in Ni/sub 2/Si, while Si is the diffusing species in CrSi/sub 2/. In Pd/sub 2/Si, both Pd and Si are moving species with Pd the faster of the two. In contrast, in growth of silicides by ion irradiation Si is the faster diffusing species in all three systems.
Many nondestructive beam position monitors are known. However, these devices can not be used for DC particle beam diagnostics. We investigated a method of beam diagnostics applicable for the operative control of DC high power e-beam inside closed waveguide. A design of the detector for determination of{open_quote} center of mass {close_quote} position of DC particle beam was developed. It was shown that the monitor can be used as a nondestructive method for the beam position control in resonators. Magnetic field of the particle beam outside a resonator is used. The detector consists of the steel yokes and magnetic field sensors. The sensors measure magnetic fluxes in the steel yokes fixed outside the resonator. When the particle beam changes its position, these magnetic fluxes also change. Beam displacement sensitivity of the monitor depends on the steel yoke dimensions. The detector sensitivity is equal to 1 Gauss/mm for the conditions adequate to the FOM-FEM ...
Vacuum pressure standards of the orifice-flow type require known gas flows of 10/sup -6/ mol/s (10/sup -2/ atm cm/sup 3//s at 0 /sup 0/C) and less. Known gas flows can also be used to calibrate ''standard'' leaks by comparing the pressures generated when flows from the leak and the flowmeter are alternately passed through a constant conductance. Two constant-pressure, piston displacement flowmeters developed at the National Bureau of Standards are described that can generate flows between 10/sup -6/ and 10/sup -10/ mol/s with an estimated uncertainty of 0.8% to 2%. Comparisons of the flowmeters with alternate calibration techniques, and repeated low-range leak and vacuum gauge calibrations, have been used to confirm the estimated uncertainty and random errors of the flowmeter.
To study #beta# #reversible# #omega#-transformation in pseudo-#beta#-titanium alloy VT30, doped by hydrogen, methods of X-ray diffraction and thermodifferential analyses are used. It is established that in the process of heating of the hardened alloy from 0.004-0.1% H first formation and then dissolution of #omega# phase take place. An increase in hydrogen content to 0.1% decreases thermal effect of the processes and does not affect the temperature of #beta# #reversible# #omega#-transformation. Introduction of hydrogen in the concentration of 0.2% and higher suppresses completely #beta# #reversible# #omega# - transformation. A decrease in heating rate displaces #beta# #reversible# #omega#-transformation to lower temperatures.
Approximately 95% of the world`s integrated chips are packaged using a hot, high pressure transfer molding process. The stress created by the flow of silica powder loaded epoxy can displace the fine bonding wires and can even distort the metalization patterns under the protective chip passivation layer. In this study the authors developed a technique to measure the mechanical stress over the surface of an integrated circuit during the molding process. A CMOS test chip with 25 diffused resistor stress sensors was applied to a commercial lead frame. Both compression and shear stresses were measured at all 25 locations on the surface of the chip every 50 milliseconds during molding. These measurements have a fine time and stress resolution which should allow comparison with computer simulation of the molding process, thus allowing optimization of both the manufacturing process and mold geometry.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of collagen membrane and Bio-Oss coverage in healing of an onlay graft to the mandible. Twelve adult sheep each received an onlay bone graft (experiment 1), bone graft+Bio-Gide (experiment 2), and bone graft+Bio-Oss/Bio-Gide (experiment 3) on the lateral surface of the mandible. The animals were euthanized at 4, 8, 12 or 16 weeks after surgery, and findings were analysed by routine microscopy and immunohistochemistry for proliferation (Ki67) and apoptotic (Caspase-3) markers. Grafts were fully incorporated in all specimens. Pronounced resorption was observed in experiment 1. Minimal loss of graft volume was seen in experiment 2 specimens without membrane displacement. A remarkable increase in the augmented region of the mandible was obse...
The Gravity Probe-B (GP-B) spacecraft, designed to test predictions of general relativity, will fly in the mid 1990s. It will carry four electrostatically suspended gyroscopes in a cryogenic environment and will have a drag-free control system to minimize disturbances on the gyroscopes. The Stanford Test of Equivalence Principle (STEP) spacecraft, to fly later, will carry a set of test masses under very similar conditions. The possibility of using differential measurements of the GP-B gyroscopes suspension forces and the STEP tests mass displacement readout to form single-axis gravity gradiometers is explored. It is shown that the noise in the suspension systems is sufficiently small in the relevant frequency range, and that enough information is collected to compensate for the spacecrafts' attitude motion. Finally, using Breakwell's flat-earth approximation, these experiments are compared to other geodesy experiments and predict the contribution ...
We obtain and investigate the regular eigenfunctions of simple differential operators xr dr+1/dxr+1, r = 1, 2, ..., with the eigenvalues equal to 1. With the help of these eigenfunctions, we construct a non-unitary analogue of a boson displacement operator which will be acting on the vacuum. In this way, we generate collective quantum states of the Fock space which are normalized and equipped with the resolution of unity with the positive weight functions that we obtain explicitly. These states are thus coherent states in the sense of Klauder. They span the truncated Fock space without first r lowest-lying basis states: |0), |1), ..., |r - 1). These states are squeezed, sub-Poissonian in nature and reminiscent of photon-added states in Agarwal and Tara (1991 Phys. Rev. A 43 492).
The concepts of general flow and thermal boundary conditions are introduced to treat the interaction between indoor and outdoor thermal environments in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The results from a multi-zone model are used to supply the general flow boundary conditions. The energy balance equation at wall-air interfaces is used to supply the general thermal boundary conditions. An example calculation in a 13-room building shows that infiltration influences indoor air flow patterns considerably. The air flow in a room ventilated by displacement is measured and simulated. Two surface coatings are considered, i.e. black walls and aluminum walls. Implementation of these two boundary conditions is essential in predicting air flow patterns, air quality, and thermal comfort in a real building. (author)
The purpose of this paper is to check up a GPS (global positioning system) impact on scientific research activities of the Geodetic Society of Japan. First, it is mentioned that the conventional geoid-based concept of 'gravity anomaly' should be changed to a new definition, according to the GPS-determined ellipsoidal height system. Secondly, the results of many experiments, which have been made to monitor ocean-plate motions relative to the Japanese island-arcs, demonstrate that GPS is a powerful tool for obtaining temporal changes in horizontal displacement induced by the plate motion. Therefore, it is suggested that terrestrial measurements, such as triangulation and long-range leveling, would be replaced by GPS measurements in near future. Moreover, it is pointed out that GPS geodesy should play an important role in monitoring secular sea level trend due to global warming of the atmosphere and ocean. 19 refs., 4 figs.
We demonstrate experimentally that the route to a jammed state for a set of bi-dispersed frictional disks, subjected to uni-axial compression from a random initial unjammed state, consists of a consolidation state, a fragile jammed state, and finally a rigid jammed state. In the consolidation regime, the pressure on the sides increases very slowly with the packing fraction {phi} and there are no detectable stress chains. In the fragile jammed state, stress chains are visible, the pressure increases exponentially with {phi}, and the fraction of moving disks drops exponentially. Eventually, a final regime where particle displacements are below our resolution and the pressure varies approximately linearly with {phi} is reached. We argue that this scenario is generic for ather mal frictional compressed particles.
A nanosuspension of magnetically tagged metronidazole was developed by the solvent displacement method coupled with ultrasonication and was evaluated for its physicochemical properties. The drug release from metronidazole magnetic nanosuspension at pH 1.2 and 7.0 shows maximum correlation coefficient for zero order and Higuchi model, respectively. The anthelmintic activity of the formulated metronidazole magnetic nanosuspension was evaluated on Indian earthworms (Pheretima poi). Metronidazole magnetic nanosuspension at a dose of 10 and 50 mg/ml shortened by 31% and 34%, respectively, the mean time to death of the earthworms when compared against a non-magnetic metronidazole suspension. Thus, the developed metronidazole magnetic nanosuspension showed potent, controlled and targeted drug action and might be a good therapeutic avenue in combating infectious GI disorders.
Initial rates of resistivity-measured low-temperature damage production by fission-spectrum fast neutrons have been determined for 14 metals in the same very well characterized irradiation facility. Six of these metals were fcc, 5 bcc, and 3 hcp. Most were of quite high purity. Observed damage rates, after correction for all known extraneous resistivity-producing effects, were compared with rates predicted by the damage calculation code RECOIL, using parameters chosen from the literature. These parameters, effective displacement threshold energy, E/sub d/, and Frenkel-pair resistivity, rho/sub F/, were in many cases only best estimates, the further refinement of which may be aided by the present results. Damage efficiencies (measured/predicted rates) follow the same trends by crystal classes as seen in other fast-neutron studies.
Palladium deposition on Pt(110) electrodes was studied. Differently from Pt(111) and Pt(100), first and further layers cannot be distinguished in this case only through the voltammetric behavior of hydrogen and anion adsorption. The potential of zero total charge (pztc) was determined as a function of the amount of deposited Pd using CO charge displacement experiments and voltammetric curves. The variation of the voltammetric charge due to hydrogen and anion adsorption has been followed during Pd deposition. The voltammetric charge between 0.06 and 0.4V first decreases to a minimum, then increases and finally becomes stable, suggesting that the surface is finally covered with a Pd multilayer. The pztc and CO oxidation charge show similar behavior. CO oxidation, NO reduction and Cu UPD were...
Diurnal and seasonal thermal constancy, a greatly delayed seasonal temperature maximum, and summer cool and winter warm conditions characterize the stream environment below a deep-release dam in Colorado. Low diversity index and equitability values and changes in macroinvertebrate species composition may result from failure of the temperature regime to provide the thermal stimuli essential for various life-cycle phenomena. It is hypothesized that the following sublethal effects, directly or indirectly resulting from the modified temperature regime, may further alter macroinvertebrate community structure: reduction of niche overlap and a shift toward an equilibrium community as a consequence of reduced environmental fluctuation; more intense competition associated with greater productivity; elimination of major invertebrate predators; and failure of the limited temperature range to provide optimal temperatures for various physiological processes. Effects of the temperature regime on ...
A six-axis active vibration isolation system (AVIS) is designed by using the direct driven guide and ball contact mechanisms in order to have no cross-coupling between actuators. The point contact configuration gives an advantage of having an easy assembly of eight voice coil actuators to an upper and a base plate. A voice coil actuator is used since it can provide a large displacement and sufficient bandwidth required for vibration control. The AVIS is controlled considering the effect of flexible vibration mode in the upper plate and velocity sensor dynamics. A loop shaping technique and phase margin condition are applied to design a vibration controller. The performances of the AVIS are investigated in the frequency domain and finally validated by comparing with the passive isolation system. The scanning profiles of the specimen are compared together by using the atomic force microscope. The robustness of the AVIS is verified by showing the impulse response. ...
A review of the deep-level defects observed in both electron- and proton-irradiated GaAs solar cells is presented. Studies of the effects of periodic and continuous thermal annealing on the radiation-induced electron and hole traps and the recombination parameters in GaAs solar cells were made for a wide range of electron and proton energies, fluence, annealing temperature and annealing time. A refined model for numerical simulations of the displacement damage was developed for computing the defect density and the cell parameters in the electron- and proton-irradiated GaAs solar cells. Excellent agreement was obtained between the calculated values and the experimental data for the proton-irradiated GaAs solar cells. (orig.).
We consider a minimal model of GUT scalar dark matter (DM) stabilized by the discrete gauge matter parity $P_{X}$ that arises from breaking of $SO(10)$. The dark sector comprises the complex singlet $S$ and the inert doublet $H_{2}$. GUT scale parameters are evaluated to the electroweak scale via Renormalization Group Equations (RGEs). Experimental and theoretical constraints limit the DM mass to the 80 GeV to 2 TeV range. The EW symmetry breaking is radiative and can occur via RGE running and 1-loop matching corrections from integrating out DM. Because the next-to-lightest scalar is almost degenerate with DM, it gives a background free displaced decay vertex at the LHC.
ABSTRACT Crack tip opening angle (CTOA) is becoming one of the most accepted methods for characterizing fully plastic fracture. It provides a measure of the resistance to fracture for a material in cases where there is a large degree of stable-tearing crack extension during the fracture process. Our current pipeline research uses the CTOA test as an alternative, or addition, to the CTOD (crack tip opening displacement) and the fracture energy characterization provided by the J-integral approach. A test technique was developed for measurement of CTOA that uses a modified double cantilever beam (MDCB) specimen. A digital camera and image analysis software were used to record the progression of the crack tip and to estimate the CTOA. In this article, CTOA data on crack growth orientations per...
This study performs a dynamic analysis of the rub-impact rotor supported by two couple stress fluid film journal bearings. The strong nonlinear couple stress fluid film force, nonlinear rub-impact force and nonlinear suspension (hard spring) are presented and coupled together in this study. The displacements in the horizontal and vertical directions are considered for various non-dimensional speed ratios. The numerical results show that the dynamic behaviors of the system vary with the dimensionless speed ratios, the dimensionless unbalance parameters and the dimensionless parameter, l*. Inclusive of the periodic, sub-harmonic, quasi-periodic and chaotic motions are found in this analysis. The results of this study contribute to a further understanding of the nonlinear dynamics of a rotor-...
Titanium stabilized austenitic steel is sensitive to SCC in the secondary water under the horizontal steam generator operating conditions. SCC was observed under crevice conditions both at the primary collector flanges and the heat exchange tubes. In the crevice environment sulfates and chlorides as aggressive species and silicates and alumino-silicates as ''non-aggressive'' species are present in significant amounts. Local water chemistry parameters were evaluated using the MULTEQ Code. SCC experiments were carried out by rising displacement tests ar 275 deg C in an environment simulating the crevice conditions. Crack growth rate and K{sub IS}8C{sub C} were determined for the environment where contents of some species were from 10{sup 2} to 10{sup 4} times higher than in blowdowns. (authors)
Titanium stabilized austenitic steel is sensitive to SCC in the secondary water under the horizontal steam generator operating conditions. SCC was observed under crevice conditions both at the primary collector flanges and the heat exchange tubes. In the crevice environment sulfates and chlorides as aggressive species and silicates and alumino-silicates as ''non-aggressive'' species are present in significant amounts. Local water chemistry parameters were evaluated using the MULTEQ Code. SCC experiments were carried out by rising displacement tests ar 275 deg C in an environment simulating the crevice conditions. Crack growth rate and K_I_S8C_C were determined for the environment where contents of some species were from 10"2 to 10"4 times higher than in blowdowns. (authors)
The plastic deformation behavior of formed CICC for the superconducting Tokamac fusion device was examined and appropriate manufacturing information was provided. A relation between travel of the bending roller and spring back displacement was obtained via virtual manufacturing. The radius of CICC after forming was expressed as a function of the bend-roll travel. The maximum von Mises stress after spring back was also monitored for the SAGBO prediction. Next, the variation of the CICC cross-sectional area was examined during the first turn and during conduit bending with the largest curvature. Finally, the coil radius was measured and compared with the data generated from the virtual manufacturing. The measured data showed similar pattern as predicted one. Using the mapping function found to match with the real data, the data from the virtual manufacturing may facilitate accurate manufacturing.
The plastic deformation behavior of formed CICC for the superconducting Tokamac fusion device was examined and appropriate manufacturing information was provided. A relation between travel of the bending roller and spring back displacement was obtained via virtual manufacturing. The radius of CICC after forming was expressed as a function of the bend-roll travel. The maximum von Mises stress after spring back was also monitored for the SAGBO prediction. Next, the variation of the CICC cross-sectional area was examined during the first turn and during conduit bending with the largest curvature. Finally, the coil radius was measured and compared with the data generated from the virtual manufacturing. The measured data showed similar pattern as predicted one. Using the mapping function found to match with the real data, the data from the virtual manufacturing may facilitate accurate manufacturing.
This paper describes the study of particles' dispersion in an isotropic turbulent flow. The particle's motion and the turbulent flow characteristics are calculated independently. While the particles' displacement is computed by the author's code, the flow is simulated with a commercial code : PowerFLOW. The particles and the flow are coupled through the relative velocity component of the aerodynamic force. When the simulated flow is turbulent, a turbulence regeneration model is used in order to get the flow instantaneous velocity. Validation of the method is done by comparing the particles' dispersion obtained with experimental results from literature and with the results calculated by FLUENT. Good accordance is found between numerical studies and experimental results. However, comparison between results of PowerFLOW coupled to the author's code and results from FLUENT shows differences when the particle's path goes through the turbulent boundary layer. (author)
Four general topics are covered in respect to the natural space radiation environment: (1) particles trapped by the earth`s magnetic field, (2) cosmic rays, (3) radiation environment inside a spacecraft, (4) laboratory radiation sources. The interaction of radiation with materials is described by ionization effects and displacement effects. Total-dose effects on MOS devices is discussed with respect to: measurement techniques, electron-hole yield, hole transport, oxide traps, interface traps, border traps, device properties, case studies and special concerns for commercial devices. Other device types considered for total-dose effects are SOI devices and nitrided oxide devices. Lastly, single event phenomena are discussed with respect to charge collection mechanisms and hard errors. (GHH)
The atomic mechanism of a glass-to-liquid transition in a monatomic Lennard-Jones (LJ) glass was studied using the molecular dynamics (MD) method. Glassy models were heated up from low temperature at two different heating rates and a glass-to-liquid transition found to occur at the higher heating rate. The temperature dependence of the potential energy, mean-squared-displacements (MSD) of the atoms and the self-intermediate scattering function indicate clearly that a glass transition occurs in the system. The atomic mechanism of the glass-to-liquid transition was investigated by analyzing the spatio-temporal arrangement of liquid-like atoms in the system upon heating. Liquid-like atoms were detected using the Lindemann-melting-like criterion. Upon heating, liquid-like atoms occur at temper...
Mung bean seedlings inoculated with Enterobacter asburiae PSI3, a gluconic acid-producing rhizosphere isolate, enhanced plant growth in the presence of phytotoxic levels of Cd2+ in gnotobiotic pot experiments as compared to the uninoculated Cd-treated plants. Addition of organic acids to Cd-stressed seedlings promoted root elongation. Hematoxylin competition assays showed that organic acids could displace Cd2+ from the Cd2+: hematoxylin complex in the same order of effectiveness as was found for restoration of root net elongation viz. oxalate?>?malate?>?succinate while gluconate was effective at higher concentrations. Root associated Cd2+, assessed by hematoxylin staining of roots was found to be reduced when roots were treated with organic acid. Cd stress increased antioxidant enzymes suc...
The quantum nature of the electromagnetic field imposes a fundamental limit on the sensitivity of optical precision measurements such as spectroscopy, microscopy, and interferometry. The so-called quantum limit is set by the zero-point fluctuations of the electromagnetic field, which constrain the precision with which optical signals can be measured. In the world of precision measurement, laser-interferometric gravitational wave (GW) detectors are the most sensitive position meters ever operated, capable of measuring distance changes on the order of 10^-18 m RMS over kilometer separations caused by GWs from astronomical sources. The sensitivity of currently operational and future GW detectors is limited by quantum optical noise. Here we demonstrate a 44% improvement in displacement sensitivity of a prototype GW detector with suspended quasi-free mirrors at frequencies where the sensitivity is shot-noise-limited, by injection of a squeezed state of light. This ...
The Burrard Thermal Generating Station is located at Port Moody, British Columbia, and burns natural gas to supply steam to six turbine units for generating up to 912 MW of electricity. The Burrard plant accounts for ca 8.7% of the provincial generating capability. Burrard is expected to continue to fill a vital role as a supplier of displaceable firm energy to the British Columbia Hydro system. In parallel with a renewed focus on Burrard from a system planning perspective, there have also been concerns about air pollution from the plant in the context of its possible effect on the region's air quality. To address this and other issues surrounding Burrard's future, B.C. Hydro established a project team to conduct a utilization study. The team's work focused on the role of Burrard in providing a reliable and profitable role in electricity generation, the options for dealing with the air quality issue, and the implications of choosing one ...
The geological structure of Mesita del Buey at Technical Area 54 (TA-54) was examined using precise surveying of the contact between units 1v and 2 of the Tshirege Member of the Bandelier Tuff at 3.5 km along the north wall of Pajarito Canyon and 0.6 km along the north wall of a tributary to Canada del Buey. Estimated structure contours on this contact indicate typical strikes of N40E to N70E along this part of Mesita del Buey, although the apparent strike of the tuff is E-W at the western part of the survey. Typical dips are 1.0{degree} to 2.0{degree} to the east or southeast, with an estimated maximum dip of 3.2{degree} near the west end of Material Disposal Area G. Thirty seven faults with vertical displacements of 5 to 65 cm were observed in outcrop along the Pajarito Canyon traverse, and, due to the incomplete exposure of the unit 1v-unit 2 contact, many more faults of this magnitude undoubtedly exist. The faults have a wide range in strike and have either ...
A large negative ion source for JT-60U produces high current ion beam from a wide extraction area of 45 cm x 110 cm. On the other hand, a cross-sectional area of the negative ion based neutral beam (NNB) injection port on JT-60U is narrow, about 50 cm x 60 cm. In order to inject the neutral beam at a high geometric efficiency, i.e. to suppress beam loss in the beamline, it is necessary to steer the beam for both compensation of undesirable beam deflection in extractor and focusing of the beam. For the JT-60U, two methods are provided for the required beam steering. Among them the results of beam steering experiment by aperture displacement and the design study are summarized in the present report. The experiment was carried out with 400 keV negative ion source, which has the three stage accelerator of similar structure as the JT-60U ion source, at Negative Ion Acceleration Test Stand (NIAS). High energy negative ion beams of the same perveance as that of 500 keV ...
This is a build-and-scrap-and-build job, in which a new No. 1 generator is constructed while the existing plant stays in operation in the same site. Since interference between the new and the existing systems are unavoidable in such work, protection is sufficiently provided and measurements are frequently performed when the work comes to involve important structures positioned close to each other, such as the existing No. 1 and No. 2 OF (oil-filled) cables transmitting power from the existing power plant to Minami-Yokohama Substation of Tokyo Electric Power Co., Ltd., and the newly planned discharge channel or the existing covered sewerage and the newly planned discharge outlet. Now that the newly planned discharge channel intercepts the OF cables at three places and is installed to pass under the existing cable duct, it once happened that the duct supporting piles were severed for the cables to suspend in the air though temporarily. During this episode, the cables were protected by a ...
Space particles act on semiconductor devices by creating charges (electrons, holes) in the silicon and the silicon dioxide, and by creating displacement damage. These primary phenomena alter the electrical parameters of MOS and bipolar devices (threshold voltage V_t, mobility #mu#, conductivity #sigma#, current gain #beta#). The dose rate is not important in space (a few rad (Si)/h) but as the durations of space expeditions are on average from seven to twelve years, the total dose is an aggravating factor in the behaviour of the electrical parameters and also in device operation. The total dose effect from the beginning of charge creation (ionization) to the parameter shifts is reviewed. One can note that this effect is permanent because there will almost always be charge creation in space. Another important phenomenon is called the Single Event Upset (S.E.U.) and caused by the heavy ions and the protons which come from the galactic rays. The consequence of S.E.U. ...
The Eagle Flat basin, an intermontane basin in Trans-Pecos Texas, is being considered as a possible site for the Texas repository of low-level radioactive wastes. Intermontane basins and associated normal faults formed in response to Basin and Range tectonism that began about 24 Ma ago. The most active late Tertiary and Quaternary faults occur within the Hueco Bolson (HB) and the Salt Basin/Salt Flat/Lobo Valley, west and east, respectively, of the proposed repository. Several faults of the southeast HB which are within 50 km of the site, displace middle Pleistocene deposits 10 to 24 m. The most recent surface rupture in the southeast HB probably occurred on the Amargosa fault during the Holocene. Upper Pleistocene deposits are offset 2.5 to 4.5 m, and middle Pleistocene deposits are displaced 24 m. Fault scarps within 50 km east of the proposed repository are associated with faults bounding the Salt Basin/Salt Flat/Lobo Valley. In the southern ...
A three-dimensional, three-phase, multiple-component numerical simulator was developed to investigate transport and growth of microorganisms in porous media and the impacts of microbial activities on oil recovery. The microbial activities modeled in this study included: (1) growth, retention, chemotaxis, and end product inhibition of growth, (2) the formation of metabolic products, and (3) the consumption of nutrients. Major mechanisms for microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) processes were modeled as follows: (1) improvement in sweep efficiency of a displacement process due to in situ plugging of highly-permeable production zones by cell mass or due to improved mobility control achieved by increasing the viscosity of the displacing fluid with a biopolymer, and (2) solubilization and mobilization of residual oil in porous media due to the reduction of the interfacial tension between oleic and aqueous phases by the production of a ...
Various types of nuclear power plants are being constructed and operated in Korea, and in terms of regulatory control, a method of examining and evaluating the structural integrity of containment structure is being used. Generally, after the construction has been completed, all containment structure go through a Structural Integrity Test(hereinafter SIT) in which the displacement occurring in a structure under greater internal pressure than it was designed for is measured and the result is comparatively assessed with the allowed criteria. Most of the nuclear power plants in Korea are American type plants and their SIT uses the Invar-wire and Extensometer methods. These existing methods are expected to be used for the APR1400 plant currently being built unless some other reliable alternative technique is presented. This tendency can be observed in other countries, such as Japan, and there is thus insufficient effort to enhance the reliability of SIT through the ...
Various types of nuclear power plants are being constructed and operated in Korea, and in terms of regulatory control, a method of examining and evaluating the structural integrity of containment structure is being used. Generally, after the construction has been completed, all containment structure go through a Structural Integrity Test(hereinafter SIT) in which the displacement occurring in a structure under greater internal pressure than it was designed for is measured and the result is comparatively assessed with the allowed criteria. Most of the nuclear power plants in Korea are American type plants and their SIT uses the Invar-wire and Extensometer methods. These existing methods are expected to be used for the APR1400 plant currently being built unless some other reliable alternative technique is presented. This tendency can be observed in other countries, such as Japan, and there is thus insufficient effort to enhance the reliability of SIT through the ...
Experimental investigations were performed to assess the effects of different shaped obstructions on flame propagation in a rectangular confinement, 235 mm in height, with a 1000 x 950mm cross section and a large top-venting area of 1000 x 320mm. Four different single obstacles were used: rectangular, cylindrical, triangular, and square cross-sections with blockage ratios of 5 and 10%. Temporally resolved flame front images were recorded by a high-speed video camera to investigate the interaction between a propagating flame and the obstacle. The local flame displacement speeds and their probability density functions (pdfs) were obtained for the different obstacles. Before the freely propagating flame impinges on the obstacle, the flame propagation speed remains close to the laminar burning velocity, regardless of the obstacles used. As the propagating flame impinges on the obstacle, the local propagation speed increases due to the expansion of the burnt gas and the ...
This report describes the results of a program conducted at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) and Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) to identify alternative methods to measure the surface level in the waste tanks. This program examined commercially available devices for measuring the distance to a target. This is a continuation of a program started in FY93. In the first test sequence, tests were performed.on five devices to determine their applicability to measure the surface level in the waste tanks. The devices were the Enraf-Nonius{trademark} Model 872 Radar Gauge, the Enraf-Nonius{trademark} Model 854 Advanced Technology Gauge (ATG), the Stanley Tool Laser Measuring Device, the Robertshaw Inven-Tel{reg_sign} Precision Level Gauge, and the Micro Switch Model 942 Acoustic Sensor. In addition, discussions were held with several manufacturer representatives regarding other potential devices. The results of these tests were documented in a previous report. Two additional devices ...
We study the high-energy emission of the Galactic black hole candidate GX 339-4 using INTEGRAL/SPI and simultaneous RXTE/PCA data. By the end of January 2007, when it reached its peak luminosity in hard X-rays, the source was in a bright hard state. The SPI data from this period show a good signal to noise ratio, allowing a detailed study of the spectral energy distribution up to several hundred keV. As a main result, we report on the detection of a variable hard spectral feature (>150 keV) which represents a significant excess with respect to the cutoff power law shape of the spectrum. The SPI data suggest that the intensity of this feature is positively correlated with the 25 - 50 keV luminosity of the source and the associated variability time scale is shorter than 7 hours. The simultaneous PCA data, however, show no significant change in the spectral shape, indicating that the source is not undergoing a canonical state transition. We ...
In May 1985, a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit was issued for the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant, a nuclear weapons components production facility located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and operated by Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., for the US Department of Energy. As a condition of the permit, a Biological Monitoring and Abatement Program (BMAP) was developed to demonstrate that the effluent limitations established for the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant protect the classified uses of the receiving stream (East Fork Poplar Creek), in particular, the growth and propagation of fish and aquatic life, as designated by the Tennessee Department of Health and Environment. A second purpose for the BMAP is to document the ecological effects resulting from implementation of a water pollution control program that will include construction of nine new wastewater treatment facilities over the next 4 years. Because of the complex nature of the effluent discharged to East Fork Poplar Creek and ...
We present 14 years of contemporaneous photometric and spectroscopic observations of 28 solar analog stars, taken with the Tennessee State University Automatic Photometric Telescopes at Fairborn Observatory and the Solar-Stellar Spectrograph at Lowell Observatory. These are the best observed and most nearly Sun-like of the targets in our magnitude-limited (V #<=# 7.5) sample. The correlations between luminosity and activity reveal the expected inverse activity-brightness correlations for active stars. Strong direct correlations between activity and brightness are not prevalent for the less active solar age stars, but are precision limited. The Sun does not appear to have unusually low photometric variability when compared with the most Sun-like inactive solar analogs. We present evidence that the activity index R'_H_K is not a good discriminant of Maunder Minimum candidate stars. On the basis of a star that appears to have transitioned from a ...
Identifying stable isotope variation and mineralogical changes in fractured rock may help establish the history of climatic and geomorphological processes that might affect the isolation properties of a waste repository site. This study examines the use of the stable isotope ratios of oxygen ({sup 18}O/{sup 16}O) and carbon ({sup 13}C/{sup 12}C) in authigenic minerals as hydrogeochemical tools tracing low-temperature rock-water interaction in variably-saturated fractured stuff. Isotopic compositions of fracture-filling and rock matrix minerals in the Apache Leap tuff, near Superior, Arizona were concordant with geothermal temperatures and in equilibrium with water isotopically similar to present-day meteoric water and groundwater. Oxygen and carbon isotope ratios of fracture-filling, in unsaturated fractured tuff, displayed an isotopic gradient believed to result from near-surface isotopic enrichment due to evaporation rather than the effects of rock-water ...
The present investigation was conducted at Ismaillia Research Station-Agricultural Research Center, Ismaillia Governorate, during the two successive seasons of 2000 and 2001. Two varieties of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L) namely Giza 4 and Giza 5 were treated with gamma ray doses; 10,15, 20, 25 Kr in order to induce genetic variability and to study the importance of the relative contribution of peanut yield components by employing some statistical procedures, i.e. simple correlation, multiple linear regression and stepwise regression analysis. The results showed that, there was significant positive correlation between seed yield/plant and no. of pods/plant, 100 seed weight, shelling percentage and pod yield/plant, and there was significant positive correlation between pod yield/plant and no of seed/plant,100 pod weight and 100 seed weight. The multiple linear regression analysis clearly showed that the relative contribution (R"2%) of the yield components, no. of ...
Starting from the original collective Hamiltonian of Bohr and separating the beta and gamma variables as in the X(5) model of Iachello, an exactly soluble model corresponding to a harmonic oscillator potential in the beta-variable (to be called X(5)-$\\beta^2$) is constructed. Furthermore, it is proved that the potentials of the form $\\beta^{2n}$ (with n being integer) provide a ``bridge'' between this new X(5)-$\\beta^2$ model (occuring for n=1) and the X(5) model (corresponding to an infinite well potential in the beta-variable, materialized for n going to infinity. Parameter-free (up to overall scale factors) predictions for spectra and B(E2) transition rates are given for the potentials $\\beta^2$, $\\beta^4$, $\\beta^6$, $\\beta^8$, corresponding to E(4)/E(2) ratios of 2.646, 2.769, 2.824, and 2.852 respectively, compared to the E(4)/E(2) ratios of 2.000 for U(5) and 2.904 for X(5). Hints about nuclei showing this ...
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 that in the vacuum ...
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between histomorphometric variables of cancellous bone structure and ultimate compressive strength (UCS) in the second lumbar vertebra (L2) and to determine whether structural variables in the iliac crest are predictive of the same variables and of UCS in L2. At autopsy, 7.5 mm diameter cores were removed from the iliac crest and from L2 of 29 subjects who had died suddenly without bone disease. Cancellous bone volume (BV/TV, %) was significantly lower in L2 than in iliac crest due to lower trabecular number (Tb.N, per mm) and thickness (Tb.Th, microns). There were significant correlations between iliac crest and L2 for BV/TV, Tb.N and trabecular separation (Tb.Sp, microns), but not for Tb.Th. BV/TV was negatively correlated, and Tb.Sp was positively correlated with age at both sites. Tb.Th was not significantly correlated with age in the iliac crest, but a ...
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 variable in ...
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 variability in the predicted travel times. ...
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 findings, of disease ...
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 aim of this paper is to present and evaluate control strategies for adjustment and preservation of air quality, thermal and visual comfort for buildings' occupants while, simultaneously, energy consumption reduction is achieved. Fuzzy PID, fuzzy PD and adaptive fuzzy PD control methods are applied. The inputs to any controller are: the PMV index affecting thermal comfort, the CO{sub 2} concentration affecting indoor air quality and the illuminance level affecting visual comfort. The adaptive fuzzy PD controller adapts the inputs and outputs scaling factors and is based on a second order reference model. More specifically, the scaling factors are modified according to a sigmoid type function, in such a way that the measured variable to be as closer as possible to the reference model. The adaptive fuzzy PD controller is compared to a non-adaptive fuzzy PD and to an ON-OFF one. The comparison criteria are the energy required and the controlled ...
It is currently unclear if the potential for West Nile virus transmission by mosquito vectors in the eastern United States is related to landscape or climate factors or both. We compared abundance of vector species between urban and suburban neighborhoods of Henrico County, VA, in relation to the following factors: temperature, precipitation, canopy cover, building footprint, and proximity to drainage infrastructure. Mosquitoes were collected throughout the 2005, 2006, and 2007 seasons and tested for West Nile virus (WNV) in pools of 10-50. Test results of mosquito pools were compared to average site abundance from 37 sites in Henrico County, VA; abundance was then examined in relation to ecological variables. Urban infrastructure was positively correlated with the abundance of Culex pipiens L./Cx. restuans, and our findings implicate combined sewer overflow systems as large contributors to Culex vector populations. No measure of urbanization examined in our study ...
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 Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis states that pollution levels increase as a country develops, but begin to decrease as rising incomes pass beyond a turning point. In EKC analyses, the relationship between environmental degradation and income is usually expressed as a quadratic function with the turning point occurring at a maximum pollution level. Other explanatory variables have been included in these models, but income regularly has had the most significant effect on indicators of environmental quality. One variable consistently omitted in these relationships is the price of energy. This paper analyzes previous models to illustrate the importance of prices in these models and then includes prices in an econometric EKC framework testing energy/income and CO{sub 2}/income relationships. These long-run price/income models find that income is no longer the most relevant indicator of environmental quality or energy demand. Indeed, ...
The Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis states that pollution levels increase as a country develops, but begin to decrease as rising incomes pass beyond a turning point. In EKC analyses, the relationship between environmental degradation and income is usually expressed as a quadratic function with the turning point occurring at a maximum pollution level. Other explanatory variables have been included in these models, but income regularly has had the most significant effect on indicators of environmental quality. One variable consistently omitted in these relationships is the price of energy. This paper analyzes previous models to illustrate the importance of prices in these models and then includes prices in an econometric EKC framework testing energy/income and CO_2/income relationships. These long-run price/income models find that income is no longer the most relevant indicator of environmental quality or energy demand. Indeed, we ...
The instrument ball bearings are the key components of movable components for various kinds of measuring and control instruments; they often operate in the environmental condition of high-speed and light preload. In general, the non metal, disposable oilimpregnated retainer material has been used for these kinds of high precision miniature bearing. The engineering practice shows that the common failure mode of them is the wear which appears under the condition of insufficient lubrication condition. As the results, the vibration and noise will be enlarged, so does the frictional torque, which makes the ball bearings to lose its original working accuracy. It is the lifetime test of bearings that can enable the designers and manufacturers to chose the material of the bearing properly, optimize the product structure, mend the manufacturing technique process, and to enhance the technical level of the bearing products significantly. In this paper, the wear lifetime tester has been designed ...
This report describes the LIFECC computer program developed for the purpose of calculating the cost of energy produced by wind systems according to the principles of life cycle costing (LCC). Following a brief explanation of the LCC concept and its advantages, input variables to the program and their importance to various program users, including manufacturers and designers, utilities, various institutions and consumers, are explained. A detailed user's guide to the program is then provided, together with a sensitivity analysis which discusses the impact of key variables on wind system cost of energy and the importance of cash flow to the wind system purchaser. Sample cases of program output and an LIFECC program listing are provided.
As is well documented, subprime mortgage markets carried significant default risk. This paper investigates the relationship between default risk premium, stock market conditions and macroeconomic variables during the financial crisis. Using iTraxx Japan Credit Default Swap (CDS) index spreads covering the period from March 2006 to November 2009, we employ a time-varying dynamic factor model with Markov regime switching to generate regime probabilities for default risk. We analyze the sensitivity of default risk premium changes to stock market conditions and macroeconomic variables by using two-state Markov switching models: a crisis regime sparked by rising loan defaults in the sub-prime mortgage market, and a non-crisis regime. We found strong evidence that the relationship between defaul...
The broad use of Six Sigma in the improvement of all types of processes has provided new insight for how to design, analyze, and interpret formulation studies and mixture experiments. Experience has shown that, consistent with the Pareto principle, there are typically three to six key variables that have major effects on the performance of the process. Identifying these key variables increases your ability to control and optimize the process. Applying this concept to formulation studies suggests that we should be searching for those critical few components that are driving the performance of the product formulation. This thinking changes how we approach both the design and analysis phases of product formulation studies, including the reassessment of formulations in use today. A review of t...
Our investigation concerns the class of Josephson-like systems, sharing the same nonlinear Hamiltonian. Among the latter a Josephson junction with an external biasing circuit is considered. We diagonalize the fully nonlinear Hamiltonian (in the superconductive regime of the junction) in the Fock space of the TBHA (two-boson Heisenberg algebra) and prove that such algebra leads quite naturally to the theoretical realization of codewords and logical operators: the codewords are defined as the even and odd coherent states of the TBHA, while the logical operators are expressed in terms of operators in the same algebra. Our theoretical construction corresponds to a continuous variable quantum computation scheme; the continuous variables are identified in terms of the physical operators of the junction. The link between this scheme and the technique of fermionization of bosonic systems is also discussed.
This research will be helpful for people to display the 2-dimensiona projective models of 4-variable actual problems in many fields, in order to investigate deeply those actual problems. By using the theory of N-dimensional finite rotation group of the regular polytopes, the author established the 2-dimensional projective model of 4-dimensional rectangular coordinate system, and deduced a transformation matrix, and adopt it to display successfully the 2-dimensional overall shapes of two most complicated regular polytopes 120-Cell and 600-Cell. In the meantime, the author calculated all the vertex coordinates and determine the joint relationships between adjacent vertices of the regular polytopes 120-Cell and 600-Cell. Also, this provided a pattern for displaying the 2-dimensional projective model of 4-variable actual problem.
Although incompressible fluid flows can be regarded as a particular case of a general problem, numerical methods and the mathematical formulation aimed to solve compressible and incompressible flows have their own peculiarities, in such a way, that it is generally not possible to attain both regimes with a single approach. In this work, we start from a typically compressible formulation, slightly modified to make use of pressure variables and, through augmenting the stabilising parameters, we end up with a simplified model which is able to deal with a wide range of flow regimes, from supersonic to low speed gas flows. The resulting methodology is flexible enough to allow for the simulation of liquid flows as well. Examples using conservative and pressure variables are shown and the results are compared to those published in the literature, in order to validate the method. (author)
Early technical history of electric supply to electric railways is briefly reviewed as an introduction to the following seven papers included in this special issue on technologies for saving energy in railway operation. Continuous power supply played a significant role in the early history of railway technologies. The variable voltage variable frequency (VVVF) power electronic technology had also a substantial impact on railway traction systems after 1980s. VVVF technology made it possible to have more efficient drives, downsize rolling stocks, and develop regenerative brakes. Because detailed discussions on each technical development are presented in the following papers, the general remarks of those technologies made in this introduction provide logical links to the ideas presented in th...
Viddi, F. A., Hucke-Gaete, R., Torres-Florez, J. P., and Ribeiro, S. 2010. Spatial and seasonal variability in cetacean distribution in the fjords of northern Patagonia, Chile. - ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 959-970. Compared with other Chilean coastal areas, little is known about the diversity and distribution of cetaceans in northern Patagonian fjords. Between December 2000 and November 2001, surveys on platforms of opportunity were undertaken in southern Chile to evaluate species richness and the spatial and seasonal distribution of cetaceans. Nine species were recorded, blue, humpback, and minke whales, Peales dolphin, Chilean dolphin, killer whale, false killer whale, bottlenose dolphin, and Cuviers beaked whale. The pattern of cetacean distribution displayed significant season...
Possible factors regulating phytoplankton variability in the Arabian (Persian) Gulf were analyzed on the basis of satellite observations and meteorological data (1997-2009), including remotely-sensed chlorophyll a concentration (CHL), sea surface temperature, wind, solar radiation, precipitation, and aerosols. Shallow waters of northwestern Gulf influenced by Shatt Al-Arab River discharge were more productive than open Gulf waters, although seasonal CHL patterns in this and other shallow regions looked unrealistic likely because the CHL signal was obscured by bottom reflection. Therefore our further analyses focused on the open Gulf waters, which show a subtropical seasonal CHL cycle with maximum in winter and minimum in spring-summer. This cycle, however, was decoupled from the seasonal e...
It is not clear whether males in all mammalian species adjust their copulatory behavior when faced with risk of sperm competition (RSC). Previous work on meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus, indicated that males increase their sperm expenditure but not the number of ejaculations in the presence of odors of a conspecific male. The present study follows up on this work and asks whether male meadow voles modify any aspect of their copulatory behavior when they face a RSC. We examined 46 variables of copulatory behavior and found that the presence of odors from a conspecific male did not affect any of these variables. Thus, male meadow voles, unlike some other species of mammals, do not adjust their copulatory behavior when exposed to cues associated with an elevated RSC.
Many of the world's coral reefs suffered high coral mortality during the 1998 ENSO, with the highest mortality in the western Indian Ocean (WIO). A meta-analysis of field data on change in coral cover across the 1998 ENSO event was conducted for 36 major reef areas in the WIO, and relationship of the change with the historical sea-surface temperature (SST) variability investigated. WIO reefs were categorized into three major SST groups of differing coral cover change. Cover change was negatively associated with standard deviation (SD) SST until about SD 2.3, with increasing flatness of the SST frequency distributions. It increased with further increase in SD as the SST distributions became strongly bimodal in the Arabian/Persian Gulf area. The study indicates that environmental resistance/...
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 dose-reduction approach to ...
Abstract In this first systematic attempt to characterize the intranight optical variability (INOV) of TeV-detected blazars, we have monitored a well-defined set of nine TeV blazars on total 26 nights during 2004-10. In this R- or V-band-monitoring programme only one blazar was monitored per night and the minimum duration was close to 4-h, the average being 5.3 h per night. Using the CCD for strictly simultaneous photometry of the blazar and nearby reference stars (N-star photometry), an INOV detection threshold of -1-2-per cent was achieved in the densely sampled differential light curves derived from our data. We have further expanded the sample by including another 13 TeV blazars, taking advantage of the availability in the literature of INOV data, including those published earlier in o...
Native to Southeast Asia, Hygrophila polysperma is an invasive aquatic weed of lotic habitats in the southern United States and Mexico. An increase in the number of water bodies invaded by hygrophila since 1990 suggests that current methods employed to control this weed are inadequate. Classical biological control may be a viable option for long term regulation of hygrophila in the invaded range. In this study, we used the Maximum Entropy Species Distribution Model (MaxEnt) to prioritize climatically suitable native habitats in India and Bangladesh for conducting exploratory surveys to collect biological control agents. In total, 164 point occurrences from the United States and Mexico and 20 predictor variables, including 19 bioclimatic variables and altitude, were used to predict the nati...
A dense Pd-Ag membrane reactor (MR) with 100% hydrogen selectivity packed with either Rh/La2O3 or Rh/La2O3-SiO2 as catalysts was used to carry out the dry reforming of methane. The membrane reactor simulation was performed using a well-known reactor model. For this purpose, we employed the equations derived from complete kinetic studies of the dry reforming of methane reaction in connection with both catalysts. In addition, we developed the kinetic equation for the reverse water gas shift reaction (RWGS). The combination of detailed kinetic studies with the measured permeation flux for the Pd-Ag membrane allowed a complete comparison between experimental and simulated operation variables. The variables studied for both catalysts were methane conversion and hydrogen permeation as a function...
One of the most common types of functions in mathematics, physics, and engineering is a sum of products, sometimes called a partition function. After "normalization," a sum of products has a natural graphical representation, called a normal factor graph (NFG), in which vertices represent factors, edges represent internal variables, and half-edges represent the external variables of the partition function. In physics, so-called trace diagrams share similar features. We believe that the conceptual framework of representing sums of products as partition functions of NFGs is an important and intuitive paradigm that, surprisingly, does not seem to have been introduced explicitly in the previous factor graph literature. Of particular interest are NFG modifications that leave the partition function invariant. A simple subclass of such NFG modifications offers a unifying view of the Fourier transform, tree-based reparameterization, loop calculus, and ...
The disrupted magnetic braking theory for the period gap of cataclysmic variable systems is used to study the binary evolution of low-mass main-sequence-like stars with white dwarf companions. The model is able to reproduce the observed location and width of the gap provided that the average mass transfer rates above the upper edge of the gap are greater than about 1.9 x 10 to the -9th solar masses/yr. For the case of angular momentum loss by magnetic braking, the slope of the mass transfer rate with respect to orbital period is shown to range from 3.4 to 3.7. For the evolutionary sequences considered, the He-3 abundance at the surface of the secondary exceeds 0.0015 after the complete mixing phase, resulting in modifications in the nuclear burning development of nova explosions. 31 refs.
Because the state of a free-floating space robot model is uncertain and sudden changes in the model parameters might undermine the stability of the system, this paper proposes a control strategy based on a variable structure neural integrated controller. This scheme does not need a precise space robot model, making use of the radial basis function neural network ability approach to learn about an uncertain model. The network weights are adjusted online in real-time. During the early period of the control phase and parameter changes, the variable structure controller compensates for the uncertain model which the neural network could not learn well. It also creates global asymptotic stability for the whole closed-loop system. Simulation results show that the controller can handle bad changea...
Variability in production is one of the largest factors that negatively impacts construction project performance. A common construction practice to protect production systems from variability is the use of buffers (Bf). Construction practitioners and researchers have proposed buffering approaches for different production situations, but these approaches have faced practical limitations in their application. A multiobjective analytic model (MAM) is proposed to develop a graphical solution for the design of Work-In-Process (WIP) Bf in order to overcome these practical limitations to Bf application, being demonstrated through the scheduling of repetitive building projects. Multiobjective analytic modeling is based on Simulation?Optimization (SO) modeling and Pareto Fronts concepts. Simulation...
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 variable size 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...
Estimates of climate change impacts are plague with uncertainties from many physical, biological, and social-economic processes. Among the urgent research priorities, more comprehensive assessments of impacts that better represent the uncertainties are needed. Here, we develop a new super-ensemble-based probabilistic projection approach to account for the uncertainties from CO2 emission scenarios, climate change scenarios, and biophysical processes in impact assessment model. We demonstrate the approach in addressing the probabilistic changes of maize production in the North China Plain in future. The new process-based general crop model, MCWLA [Tao, F., Yokozawa, M. Zhang, Z., 2009. Modelling the impacts of weather and climate variability on crop productivity over a large area: a new proc...
In undirected graphical models, learning the graph structure and learning the functions that relate the predictive variables (features) to the responses given the structure are two topics that have been widely investigated in machine learning and statistics. Learning graphical models in two stages will have problems because graph structure may change after considering the features. The main contribution of this paper is the proposed method that learns the graph structure and functions on the graph at the same time. General graphical models with binary outcomes conditioned on predictive variables are proved to be equivalent to multivariate Bernoulli model. The reparameterization of the potential functions in graphical model by conditional log odds ratios in multivariate Bernoulli model offers advantage in the representation of the conditional independence structure in the model. Additionally, we impose a structure penalty on groups of ...
Short-duration measurements have been widely used to screen for exposures to elevated radon concentrations in individual houses or at state or regional levels. However, a number of factors, including spatial and temporal variability in radon concentrations, must be considered before comparison to concentration guidelines can be made. Daily variations in radon concentration can lead to inherent measurement uncertainties ranging from 20 to 100+ percent. Differences in radon concentration due to seasonal effects and/or sampling location are also variable, and do not appear to be regionally consistent. Winter/summer concentration ratios, for example, have been observed to vary by as much as a factor of 10 in basements and by a factor of 5 in first floors. In this paper the implications of these uncertainties on the use of short-term sampling for inferring long-term exposures are discussed.
A variable-compression ratio, direct-injection diesel engine (VCR) has been designed and assembled at Southwest Research Institute with the intention of examining the current procedures for rating the ignition quality of diesel fuels and the meaning of ignition delay as an indicator of ignition and combustion quality. Using a slightly modified ASTM D 613 procedure, the engine has been used to rate the ignition quality of 43 different test fuels. The ratings obtained in the VCR engine are compared to the corresponding rating obtained using the standard cetane rating procedure. Some of the problems associated with the standard procedure became apparent during these experiments. The experimental results are discussed in terms of the problems and the advantages of a proposed VCR-based rating procedure.
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, ...
The problem of electrical parameters identification in complex systems, and in particular in electric railway traction systems, is considered. Parameters are determined by an indirect approach: only the terminal variables (voltages and currents and, impedance and admittance, which can be readily calculated) are measured and the per-unit-length electrical parameters are determined using a multiconductor transmission line model of the track section under test. It will be shown that some parameters cannot be measured directly, that they are not constant with frequency and that they may depend on other external conditions. An indirect method for parameters identification is proposed through an adaptive algorithm (AA), so that the calculated terminal variables match the measured ones. The AA is...
In this study, usage of a variable speed refrigeration system in latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) system is investigated to increase energy storage efficiency. Four different compressor speed control cases are compared to obtain a constant heat transfer fluid (HTF) temperature at the inlet of the energy storage tank. These control cases are (i) control with evaporation temperature, (ii) control with ethylene glycol temperature at the outlet section of evaporator, (iii) control with suction pressure of the compressor and (iv) on/off control. By means of the experimental analysis the best control strategy is obtained as control with Case (ii), in terms of stability of inlet temperature of heat transfer fluid, variations of energy efficiency of LHTES and coefficient of performance (...
In this study, ethanol organosolv pretreatment was investigated and optimized for the pretreatment of empty palm fruit bunch using (1) response surface methodology based on three-variable central composite design and (2) the combined severity parameters. The reaction parameters studied were sulfuric acid concentration (0.5-2.0%), reaction temperature (160-200^oC) and residence time (45-90min). Both models provide valuable and complementary informations: using combined severity parameters, very good predictions were obtained concerning xylan and lignin extraction whereas central composite design is the best model for glucose production. The optimal values of the variables were as the followings: sulfuric acid 2.0% w/w, 160^oC, 78min and the experimental values (96.0%) concerning glucose and...
The objective of this study is to analyze the effects of heat loss characterized by a percentage of the fuel's energy, friction and variable specific heats of working fluid on the performance of an air standard Otto cycle with a restriction of maximum cycle temperature. A more realistic and precise relationship between the fuel's chemical energy and the heat leakage that is based on a pair of inequalities is derived through the resulting temperature. The variations in power output and thermal efficiency with compression ratio, and the relations between the power output and the thermal efficiency of the cycle are presented. The results show that the power output as well as the efficiency where maximum power output occurs will increase with increase of the maximum cycle temperature. The temp...
An adaptive contingency selection process is set up which produces outage lists in order to guarantee on-line network security control. The quality index system used so far did not detect and reveal all critical variables due to observation problems in the mapping of two functions. The new process uses the results of the outage simulation computing of the system status just past for the drawing up of an up-to-date outage list. A linear correcting function transform the G{sub 2}-values of the standard quality index method - which still incorporate the observation problem effect - into improved values G. Studies which use data from realstic high-voltage networks prove that the detection of critical variables is far superior to ordinary methods. (orig.).
In this paper we examine the relationship between covariance and unitarity for quantum gravity in Ashtekar variables. A usual description would discard half of the original Lorentz group, in exchange for the resulting simplifications of general relativity. We start by quantizing a trivial SL(2,C) gauge theory resulting in a nonunitary covariant theory. By the addition of a total time derivative we transform this into a unitary theory of the Ashtekar description of gravity with complete accountability of the degrees of freedom. We find that covariance on the spacetime level bears a direct relationship to covariance on the level ofthe quantum fields themselves. This procedure can in principle be applied to any totally constrained system, and bears a resemblance to the Gupta--Bleuler method. Finally, we make some observation regarding the loop representation of the SL(2,C) connection.
One of the goals of the DARPA Virtual Soldier Project is to aid the field medic in the triage of a casualty. In Phase I, we are currently collecting 12 baseline experimental physiological variables and a cardiac gated Computed Tomography (CT) imagery for use in an prototyping a futuristic electronic medical record, the "Holomer". We are using physiological models and Kalman filtering to aid in diagnosis and predict outcomes in relation to cardiac injury. The physiological modeling introduces another few hundred variables. Reducing the complexity of the above into easy-to-read text to aid in the triage by the field medic is the challenge with multiple display solutions. A description of the possible techniques follows. PMID:15718701
A multivariate bioprocess control approach, capable of tracking a pre-set process trajectory correlated to the biomass or product concentration in the bioprocess is described. The trajectory was either a latent variable derived from multivariate statistical process monitoring (MSPC) based on partial least squares (PLS) modeling, or the absolute value of the process variable. In the control algorithm the substrate feed pump rate was calculated from on-line analyzer data. The only parameters needed were the substrate feed concentration and the substrate yield of the growth-limiting substrate. On-line near-infrared spectroscopy data were used to demonstrate the performance of the control algorithm on an Escherichia coli fed-batch cultivation for tryptophan production. The controller showed good ability to track a defined biomass trajectory during varying process dynamics. The robustness of the control was high, despite significant external ...
Biodynamic parameters of the ragworm Nereis diversicolor from southern Spain and south England were experimentally derived to assess the inter-population variability of physiological parameters of the bioaccumulation of Ag, Cd and Zn from water and sediment. Although there were some limited variations, these were not consistent with the local metal bioavailability nor with temperature changes. Incorporating the biodynamic parameters into a defined biodynamic model, confirmed that sediment is the predominant source of Cd and Zn accumulated by the worms, accounting in each case for 99% of the overall accumulated metals, whereas the contribution of dissolved Ag to the total accumulated by the worm increased from about 27 to about 53% with increasing dissolved Ag concentration. Standardised va...
Three geothermal direct heat applications were examined to derive a set of cost estimates from which one could determine the effect of changes in system parameters (temperature, flow, load, etc.) on the cost of heat. For each application, a set of resource characteristics and system inputs were chosen to best represent a site specific baseline condition. The baseline estimated cost of heat was calculated along with other cost estimates representing optimistic and pessimistic conditions, bracketing the range any input variable might reasonably take. Regression equations based upon these cost estimates were developed for each application to quantitatively relate changes in cost to changes in the input variables. These three equations and their accompanying nomographs serve as easily understandable planning tools for direct heat geothermal energy projects.
Energy harvesting systems stimulate the development of power management for low power consumption applications. Improving the converter efficiency of power management circuits has become a significant issue in energy harvesting system design. This paper presents a variable step-down conversion ratio switched capacitor (SC) DC-DC converter to advance the converter efficiency of charge on the stored capacitor in a wireless monitoring system of orthopedic implants. The converter is designed to work at 1 MHz switching frequency and achieves 15 to 2 V conversion. Measurement results show that the converter efficiency can reach 42% including all circuit power consumption, which is much higher than previous work. (semiconductor integrated circuits)
Abstract Objective:- This study explored 12-month outcome and its associations to social adjustment-related variables in patients with first-episode non-affective psychosis in Finland and Spain. Methods:- Forty-nine Finnish and 37 Spanish patients were evaluated at admission on various characteristics of social adjustment. Outcome was measured for 68 (79%) patients by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Global Assessment Scale, and Grip on Life. Results:- One-fourth of the patients experienced psychotic symptoms at follow-up. Sixty per-cent of the patients showed good global functioning and Grip on Life. In both patient groups, poor earlier global functioning, weak social network, poor Grip on Life, and psychological dependence on family of origin were associated with poor outcome. In the ...
Results of an investigation made to develop methods of making iron castings having wall thicknesses as small as 2.5 mm in green sand molds are presented. It was found that thin wall ductile and compacted graphite iron castings can be made and have properties consistent with heavier castings. Green sand molding variables that affect casting dimensions were also identified.
This article describes the state-of-the-art HVAC system at the Philadelphia Marriott Hotel. Thermal comfort and indoor air quality are emphasized. The system uses a hybrid gas absorption/electric centrifugal chilled water plant, variable flow pumping, water-side economizers to provide free cooling, central air handling units with air-side economizers and flow monitoring equipment.
Given a random variable $F$ regular enough in the sense of the Malliavin calculus, we are able to measure the distance between its law and almost any continuous probability law on the real line. The bounds are given in terms of the Malliavin derivative of $F$. Our approach is based on the theory of It\\^o diffusions and the stochastic calculus of variations. Several examples are considered in order to illustrate our general results.
This book comprises an up-to-date description of the astrophysical characteristics of the sun, including modern techniques used in solar research. Provides an historical background of solar research and techniques and covers the necessary astrophysics for solar studies, energy generation in the interior, the convection zone, the non- thermally heated layers, and solar wind are described in detail. Also considers the sun in relation to other stars, including information on its variable outputs of light, charged particles, and fields.
After a brief survey of the known level measurement methods the particularities of the radiometric measurement of the still utilisable residual volume of a bulk material in a large bin are discussed. At constant angle of repose the measurement in a suitably positioned plane of measurement suffices, at variable angle of repose two planes of measurement are required. The probable working ranges for a 1300-t lime bin are estimated.
Wax appearance temperature (WAT) of three petroleum waxes in different solvent systems under varying thermal conditions has been determined. It is observed that this temperature mainly is a function of the concentration of the wax and the solubility parameter ([delta]) of the solvent taken. This dependence of WAT has been quantified in terms of these variables in the form of mathematical equation and nomographs. (orig.)
One of the main goals in the operation of a cupola furnace is to keep the molten iron properties within prescribed bounds while maintaining the most economical operation for the cupola. In this paper the authors present a procedure to obtain the nominal values for the manipulated process variables. The nominal values are calculated by solving a constrained nonlinear programming optimization problem. Two different optimization problems are discussed and examples for using the procedure are presented.
Plasma confinement by permanent magnets has been studied. An analytic formula for the field of a single bar magnet has been obtained. Generalization to various configurations of multidipole fields has also been found. Any two-dimensional field may now be completely described by a simple function of complex variables in closed form. Vector potential has also been obtained by integrating over a prescribed Riemann surface. The confinement of plasma by multidipole fields then becomes obvious through conservation principles.
A mathematical model is proposed for three-phase filtering which is a particular case of a more general model of filtering multiple component mixtures and makes it possible to describe three-phase filtering flows under conditions where the pressure of saturation is variable in time and in space. In the proposed model, the system of unknown functions is selected so that it makes it possible to trace fairly simply the pressure of saturation and to compute the corresponding equation coefficients.
We report the of the existence of RV Tauri stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). This class of variable star has hitherto been unidentified in the Magellanic Clouds. In light and color curve behavior the RV Tauri stars appear to be an extension of the Type II Cepheids to longer periods. A single period-luminosity-color relationship is seen to describe both the Type II Cepheids and the RV Tauri stars in the LMC.
The long-range correlation properties in the hourly time variability of geochemical signals measured in a 70 m depth well at Triponzo (Umbria region), are investigated by the detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA). DFA is a data processing method that allows for the detection of scaling behaviors in observational time series even in the presence of non-stationarities. The procedure adopted has allowed for the unambiguous identification of possible correlations among the recorded signals and local earthquakes.
It is shown that a sufficient condition for a model describing the motion of a particle on a coset space to possess a Fundamental Poisson bracket Relation, and consequently charges in involution, is that it must be a symmetric space. The conditions, a Hamiltonian, or any functions of the canonical variables, has to satisfy in order to commute with these charges, are studied. It is show that, for the case of the noncompact symmetric spaces, these conditions lead to an algebraic structure which lays an important role in the construction of conserved quantities.
The hierarchy of integrable nonlinear equations associated with the quadratic bundle is considered. The expressions for the solution of linearization of these equations and their conservation law in the terms of solutions of corresponding Lax pairs are found. It is shown for the first member of the hierarchy that the conservation law is connected with the solution of linearized equation due to the Noether's theorem. The local hierarchy and three nonlocal ones of the infinitesimal symmetries and conservation laws explicitly expressed through the variables of the nonlinear equations are derived. (author)
BackgroundThe beta-defensin gene cluster (DEFB) at chromosome 8p23.1 is one of the most copy number (CN) variable regions of the human genome. Whereas individual DEFB CNs have been...Full Text Available
Analyzing the risk of a safeguards system, in particular the security of a computer network based on the notion of fuzzy sets and linguistic variables, addresses concerns such as complexity and inherent imprecision in estimating the possibility of loss or compromise. Automated risk analysis allows the risk to be determined for an entire system based on estimates for lowest level components and the component weight. In addition, for each component (asset) we select the most effective combination of protection mechanisms against a given set of threats.
The theoretical evolution of a horizontal branch star of Population II is followed through the helium burning in the core phase and is compared with the results given by other investigators. The m- fluence of different physics and interpolation schemes in the opacity tables is discussed. Some thoughts are given on the explanation of the erratic period variations observed in some of the RR Lyrae variables in the globular clusters. (auth)
Energy conservative building design has triggered greater interests in developing flexible and sophisticated air conditioning systems capable of achieving enhanced energy-savings potential without sacrificing the desired thermal comfort and indoor air quality (IAQ). This research work greatly aimed at achieving enhanced energy conservation, good thermal comfort and better IAQ for space conditioning with the application of combined variable refrigerant volume (VRV) and variable air volume (VAV) air conditioning (A/C) systems. Experimental investigation on the proposed combined air conditioning system with the application of intelligent fuzzy logic controller was performed for summer and winter climatic conditions to substantiate the energy-savings capability. The proposed system experimentally analyzed under fixed ventilation, demand controlled ventilation (DCV) and combined DCV and economizer cycle (EC) ventilation techniques effectively ...
Protocol changes and options contained within US Environmental Protection Agency whole effluent toxicity tests represent variables that have the potential to affect bioassay performance and interpretation of results. Variables evaluated in this study include: the change in allowable age in the Pimephales promelas acute bioassay from up to 90 d to a maximum of 14 d, age-specific acute responses of P. promelas among the allowable ages of 1 to 14 d, change in the chronic growth endpoint definition from final mass to biomass, differences between hemacytometer and fluorometer measurements in the Selenastrum capricornutum protocol, and options for statistical interpretation of species sensitivity in multiple test/species screening bioassays. Clear age-related sensitivity and precision differences were observed in acute responses of P. promelas. Results obtained using the younger age classes were typically more variable in studies ...
Electrochemical cyclic potentiodynamic polarization (CPP) experiments were performed on several candidate high-performance waste package container materials to evaluate their susceptibility to localized corrosion in aqueous environments relevant to the potential underground high-level nuclear waste repository. This paper presents the results of this study showing the effects of chloride ion (Cl) concentrations, pH, temperature, and electrochemical potential scan rate on the pitting corrosion behavior of these materials.
We propose a continuum description for the axial separation of granular materials in a long rotating drum. The model, operating with two local variables, concentration difference and the dynamic angle of repose, describes both initial transient traveling wave dynamics and long-term segregation of the binary mixture. Segregation proceeds through ultraslow logarithmic coarsening. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}
An unusual S1-nuclease sensitive microsatellite (STMS) has been found in the single copy, rat polymeric immunoglobulin receptor gene (PIGR) terminal exon. In Fisher rats, elements within or beyond the...Full Text Available
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a monogenic disease characterized by a high variability of disease severity and outcome that points to the role of environmental factors and modulating genes that shape the course...Full Text Available
A non-recursive model is proposed and empirically tested with data of opponents of nuclear power. In explaining conventional and unconventional participation the theory of collective action is applied and modified in two respects: the perceived influence on the elimination of collective evils are taken into account; the selective incentives considered are non-material ones. These modifications proved to be valid: the collective good variables and non-material incentives were important determinants for the two forms of participation. Another result was that there is a reciprocal causal relationship between conventional and unconventional participation.
This demonstration project uses modern simulation techniques to illustrate the important technologies and design variables that an auto-designer would consider in production a high efficiency, low emissions vehicle. Simulation and modeling techniques use the idea of capturing the relationships between real components of the systems with mathematical equations. These equations are then solved on a computer to simulate the behavior or performance of the system under various conditions. In the current demonstration project, we focus on many variations of a hydrogen-powered vehicle.
Canonical gravity in real Ashtekar-Barbero variables is generalized to allow for fermionic matter. The resulting torsion changes several expressions in Holst's original vacuum analysis, which are explicitly displayed here. This in turn requires adaptations to the known canonical (loop) quantization of gravity coupled to fermions, which is discussed on the basis of the classical analysis.
The catalytic liquefaction of a Chinese bituminous coal was simulated by artificial neural network. Three liquefaction variables, catalyst loading, reaction temperature and reaction time were used as inputs and tetrohydrofuran (THF) conversion and toluene (T) conversion were used as outputs. The artificial neural network, trained by the experimental data, could represent the liquefaction process, with a mean squared deviation of less than 0.025. 7 refs.,1 fig., 3 tabs.
The report gives results of a pilot-plant study of the ammonia absorption/ammonium bisulfate regeneration process for removing SO2 from the stack gas of coal-fired power plants. Data were developed on the effects of such operating variable in the absorption of SO2 by ammoniacal l...