Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The nature and relationship of methane to coal mines is discussed and sources of information are outlined. Methods of gas analysis in general and methods for the detection of methane in use in coal mines are described. Methods of remote detection of gases and those that have application for use in underground coal mining operations are discussed. The report represents recommendations on remote methane detection systems that may find application in underground coal mines. (20 refs.)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This document contains the Proceedings of the Eleventh Thematic Conference Geologic Remote Sensing (Volume II). The conference was held February 27-29, 1996 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Presentations included in this volume address the following topics: Geologic Remote Sensing and aerial surveying as applied toward mineral exploration, monitoring of geothermal resources, petroleum exploration, the environmental effects of mining, environment and hydrology, detection of geohazards, and the GIS system and data integration. Some information regarding the use of color imagery in remote sensing is also included.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Remote detection of chemicals using LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) utilizing DIAL (Differential Absorption LIDAR) is now a standard detection technique for both military and civilian activities. We have developed a novel nonlinear optical phase conjugation system that can reduce the effects of speckle noise and atmospheric turbulence on DIAL remote detection systems. We have shown numerically and experimentally that it is possible to increase the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio for LIDAR systems under certain conditions using optical phase conjugation. This increase in S/N can result in more accurate detection of chemical effluents while simultaneously reducing the time necessary to acquire this information.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

When in resonance, Raman scattering exhibits strong enhancement ranging from four to six orders of magnitude. This physical phenomenon has been applied to remote sensing of the Earth`s atmosphere. With a 16 inch Cassegrain telescope and spectrometer/ CCD-detector system, 70-150 ppm-m of SO{sub 2} in the atmosphere has been detected at a distance of 0.5 kilometer. This system can be used to detect/monitor chemical effluence in the atmosphere by their unique Raman fingerprints. Experimental result together with detailed resonance Raman and atmospheric laser propagation effects will be discussed.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Earth degassing specifically of carbon dioxide CO2 is of increasing interest with respect to the global carbon budget, related climate effects, earthquake and volcano eruption mechanisms, as well as plant physiological reactions in gas-rich environments. Investigations in all of these disciplines require the detection of surface CO2 degassing structures and quantification of their emissions. We introduce minimal thermal change detection based on infrared imaging as a new remote sensing tool for the detection of earth surface thermal anomalies suiting among others to discover earth degassing locations of any origin. The method allows for seamless areal search and monitoring of degassing structures in any terrain. As proof of concept infrared imaging measurements were performed at the Bossol...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A multi-spectral Schottky barrier infrared detector array in which individual pixels of radiation from a remote radiating object are detected by two or more Schottky barrier infrared radiation detectors each having a different spectral response so as to provide a ''color'' discrimination for the array.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Many mines and processing facilities are in remote, difficult to access areas, or are in areas where access is limited or restricted for national reasons. In a joint project with Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, the Canadian Safeguards Support Program is investigating utility of multi- and hyperspectral remote sensing for remotely inspecting such site. With a view to eventually using the hyperspectral satellite data now coming available, airborne data over uranium and copper mine tailings and uranium processing facilities in northern Canada were acquired. The objective of this work is to demonstrate that multispectral and hyperspectral data can provide complementary and supplementary information to high-resolution panchromatic imagery for the following safeguards applications: Inspection aids (up-to-date maps of remote locations), change detection, evaluation ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The results of a study on the application of remote sensing and geophysical methods for the detection and monitoring of acid mine drainage (AMD) are summarized, with emphasis on those that appear most suitable. The study consisted of a literature review, an information survey of users and suppliers, and discussions with various experts. Space-borne sensors, airborne sensors, airborne videography and digital frame cameras, spectroradiometers, radar, and photographic data are considered. Geophysical methods are effective for measurement of sulphides, areas of active chemical oxidation, acid mine drainage, and contaminated ground water movement. The popularity and effectiveness of various geophysical methods are rated for AMD applications. 25 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs.

Science.gov (United States)

Sugarcane yellow leaf caused by Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (ScYLV) does not produce visual symptoms in most susceptible plants until late in the growing season. An experiment was conducted to determine if leaf reflectance and pigment analysis could be used to determine ScYLV infection prior to sym...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A method of detecting explosives in a vehicle includes providing a first rack on one side of the vehicle, the rack including a neutron generator and a plurality of gamma ray detectors; providing a second rack on another side of the vehicle, the second rack including a neutron generator and a plurality of gamma ray detectors; providing a control system, remote from the first and second racks, coupled to the neutron generators and gamma ray detectors; using the control system, causing the neutron generators to generate neutrons; and performing gamma ray spectroscopy on spectra read by the gamma ray detectors to look for a signature indicative of presence of an explosive. Various apparatus and other methods are also provided.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Subsurface and surface coalfires are a serious problem in many coal-producing countries. Combustion can occur within the coal seams (underground or surface), in piles of stored coal, or in spoil dumps at the surface. While consuming a non renewable energy source, coalfires promote several environmental problems. Among all GHGs that are emitted from coalfires, CO2 is the most significant because of its high quantity. In connection to this environmental problem, the core aim of the present research is to develop a hyperspectral remote sensing and radiative transfer based model that is able to estimate CO2 concentration (ppmv) from coalfires. Since 1960s remote sensing is being used as a tool to detect and monitoring coalfires. With time, remote sensing has proven a reliable tool to identify and monitor coalfires. In the present study multi-temporal, multi-sensor and multi-spectral thermal ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The thesis describes work undertaken as part of a larger remote sensing based project which aims to detect, measure and monitor coal fires in two test areas in northern China. The first main topic addressed in this thesis is the detection of fires using several different thermal remote sensing data sets. The synergistic use of the different data sets is emphasised. The second major part of the thesis deals with thermal modelling of the coal fires. Three different models are developed, which allow a fire's depth, temperature, extent, total heat output and rate of movement to be determined. The models are tested both in the laboratory and using various field data sets. A model based on the assumption that the fire is a point heat source and that the temperature distribution around it is spherically symmetrical is shown to be the most effective. A simpler, one-dimensional coal fire model and a ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ophir Corporation was awarded a contract by the U. S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory under the Project Title ''Airborne, Optical Remote Sensing of Methane and Ethane for Natural Gas Pipeline Leak Detection'' on October 14, 2002. This second six-month technical report summarizes the progress made towards defining, designing, and developing the hardware and software segments of the airborne, optical remote methane and ethane sensor. The most challenging task to date has been to identify a vendor capable of designing and developing a light source with the appropriate output wavelength and power. This report will document the work that has been done to identify design requirements, and potential vendors for the light source. Significant progress has also been made in characterizing the amount of light return available from a remote target at ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This annex provides a description of the sensor schemes and the non-destructive testing (NDT) methods that have been investigated in this project. Acoustic emission and fibre optic sensors are described in some detail whereas only the key features of well-established NDT methods are presented. Estimates of the cost of different sensor systems are given and the advantages and disadvantages of the different schemes is discussed. (au)

KoreaScience (Korea)

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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The main trends of research carried out in remote handling systems in the fields of ergonomy, robotics and reliability are presented.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This paper outlines conceptual framework for safeguards remote sensing, and suggests a strategy for overcoming the challenges to full exploitation of all types of optical satellite imagery. Since the introduction of commercial open-source high-resolution satellite imagery in 1999, it has become an important tool for verification of declarations, baseline mapping, detection and monitoring of changes and investigation of undeclared activities. Its use is still relatively restricted, but there is a growing demand for wider satellite reconnaissance support, and the Satellite Image Analysis Unit (SIAU) has recently been expanded in response. For a number of reasons, IAEA safeguards use of satellite imagery is largely based on visual interpretation by experienced image analysts of high-resolution monochromatic imagery to monitor and characterize buildings and structures on safeguards sites. The very wide range of remote sensing ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The intensity of the orthopositronium component and its lifetime have been measured in liquid nitrogen as a function of electric field. While the lifetime remains constant at about 12.5 ns, the fraction of positronium formed is about 20% at zero field and decreases monotonically to an asymptotic value near 6% as the field is raised to 3.2 MV m"-"1. The decrease is roughly exponential with a drop off rate of 2.0 MV m"-"1. The results are a further indication of the importance of Mogensen's spur mechanism in the positronium formation process. (author).

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In this study, a miniature fiber-optic radiation detector has been developed using a water-equivalent organic scintillator for electron beam therapy dosimetry. Usually, two kinds of light signals such as fluorescent and Cherenkov lights are generated in a fiber-optic radiation detector when a high-energy electron beam is irradiated. The fluorescent light signal is produced in the scintillator and is transmitted through a plastic optical fiber to a remote light-measuring device such as a PMT or a photodiode. The Cherenkov light could be also produced in the plastic optical fiber itself and be detected by a light-measuring device. Therefore, it could cause problems or limit the accuracy of the detection of a fluorescent light signal that is proportional to dose. The objectives of this study are to measure, characterize and eliminate Cherenkov light generated in a plastic optical fiber used as a component of a fiber-optic ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A survey of wetlands on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) was conducted in 1990. Wetlands occurring on ORR were identified using National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) maps and field surveys. More than 120 sites were visited and 90 wetlands were identified. Wetland types on ORR included emergent communities in shallow embayments on reservoirs, emergent and aquatic communities in ponds, forested wetland on low ground along major creeks, and wet meadows and marshes associated with streams and seeps. Vascular plant species occurring on sites visited were inventoried, and 57 species were added to the checklist of vascular plants on ORR. Three species listed as rare in Tennessee were discovered on ORR during the wetlands survey. The survey provided an intensive ground truth of the wetlands identified by NWI and offered an indication of wetlands that the NWI remote sensing techniques did not detect.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Even if there have been efforts to validate remote-sensing-based energy balance models, which provide evapotranspiration (ET) maps over a large spatial scale, few studies have been conducted to validate their performance in Korea. In this study, surface energy balance fluxes including ET were estimated and inter-compared with two different models using the Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper (TM) image over a watershed scale in Korea. While there were larger spatial discrepancies for net radiation, soil heat and sensible heat fluxes on a pixel-by-pixel basis between the two models, relatively smaller spatial discrepancies for the latent heat flux and daily ET were detected. The spatial discrepancies for the daily ET were larger in low topography and dense vegetation ranges. Despite the different par...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report presents a study on the use of computerised, continuous remote monitoring systems for fire and explosive atmosphere safety in underground coal mines. The effects of these systems on the safety level in mines are investigated, and the relationship between mine safety regulations and computerised, continuous, remote monitoring is analysed.

Science.gov (United States)

The first space photographs were obtained from V-2 rockets fired upwards from the ..... Some fraction of the incoming solar radiation is reflected towards a sensor ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The video documents the results of a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR-Phase II) project conducted for DARPA focusing on the use of all-source overhead remote sensor imagery for monitoring underground nuclear tests and related activities. The documentation includes: (1) the main unclassified body of the report; (2) a separate ground truth Annex; and (3) a separate classified Annex. Autometric's approach was to investigate the exploitation potential of the various sensors, especially the fusion of products from them in combination with each other and other available collateral data. This approach featured empirical analyses of multisensor/multispectral imagery and collateral data collected before, during, and after an actual underground nuclear test (named 'BEXAR'). Advanced softcopy digital image processing and hardcopy image interpretation techniques were investigated for the research. These included multispectral (Landsat, SPOT), ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This book contains the proceedings of the International Topical Meeting on Remote Systems and Robotics in Hostile Environments. It is organized under the following sessions: Worldwide Applications Overview; Operating Mobile Systems; Sensors and Control Systems; Space Applications; Reactor Operations and Surveillance; Remote Equipment for Hazardous Operations; Future Mobile System; Mining and Construction Operations; Special Applications; Hot Cell Applications; Processing; Reactor Operations and Maintenance; Decontamination and Waste Handling; Remote Handling Development and Demonstration.

Science.gov (United States)

Primary goal: Provide resource managers with remote sensing products that support ecosystem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A report on the Canadian Nuclear Society Conference on robotics and remote handling in the nuclear industry, September 1984. Remote handling in reactor operations, particularly in the Candu reactors is discussed, and the costs and benefits of use of remote handling equipment are considered. Steam generator inspection and repair is an area in which practical application of robotic technology has made a major advance. (U.K.).

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The compound GdPd_2Si, which is reported to order antiferromagnetically at 13 K, has been investigated by heat capacity and electrical resistivity measurement in the presence of external magnetic fields. In contrast to an earlier report, the zero-field heat capacity and resistivity data indicate two magnetic transitions at 13 and 17 K. The external magnetic field substantially influences the resistivity and heat capacity of the compound around the magnetic ordering temperature. The magnetocaloric effect, which is calculated from in-field heat capacity data, is quite large around the magnetic transition temperature. The magnetoresistance is also large near the magnetic ordering temperature. The metamagnetic transition is observed for 10 kOe magnetic field both in magnetocaloric and in magnetoresistance data. The metamagnetic transition strongly influences the magnetocaloric effect and magnetoresistance, which is large in this compound. (author). Letter-to-the-editor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

An engineering tool incorporating a scanning infrared radiometer, an image digitizer, a microcomputer, and the software to drive the system was developed to allow remote mapping of the temperature distribution in solar cavity receivers. Using enclosure analysis, the infrared image processing program extracts the irradiance map from the radiosity map of the cavity to yield an emissive power map. Using the calibration curve of the radiometer and the emissivity of the surface of the cavity, the emissive power map is transformed into a temperature map. The system was tested by comparing its calculated temperatures to temperatures measured by thermocouples at several locations on the surfaces of heated model cavity receivers. The average relative error for the cavities ranged from 4.6%--34.9%, with the relative error on the base usually less than half that on the wall. Some work was also carried out to compensate the detected radiosity field for the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

An unmanned aerial vehicle called RAVEN, said to be capable of remote tracking of onshore and offshore oil and gas facilities, has been developed by a group of graduate students from Memorial University of Newfoundland. RAVEN is claimed to be capable of performing a number of tasks under its own control without the need for human intervention, including checking onshore pipelines for damage, or scouting the path of hazardous icebergs offshore. The RAVEN was created to meet the need for real time iceberg tracking and early hazard detection, supplementing or replacing the present method of RADARSAT images and tracking by manned aircraft. The RAVEN can be launched from any platform; it can fly under conditions that would be too dangerous for a manned aircraft. Currently in the prototype stage, the first trial flight for the RAVEN is expected to take place in September 2002. The first flight will consist of five GPS waypoints set relatively close ...

CERN Document Server

Proposal for the award of a contract, without competitive tendering, for the replacement of lift machine room equipment and the installation of remote monitoring systems

International Science & Technology Center (ISTC)

Investigation of Interaction of Laser Radiation with Radioactive Deposits on the metal Surface and Creation of Experimental Stand for Development of Laser Technology for Remote Treatment of Materials Contaminated with Radioactive Substances at the Atomic Power Plants

Science.gov (United States)

... by Remote Setting., Maryland Sea Grant Extension Program. Oyster aquaculture workbook series. Publication UM-SG-MAP-95-03. ... ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The Secure Automated Fabrication (SAF) line, an automated and remotely controlled manufacturing process, is scheduled for startup in 1987 and will produce mixed uranium/plutonium oxide fuel pins for the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF). The application of robotics in the fuel fabrication and supporting operations is described.

Environmental Research Database

No further description is available

Science.gov (United States)

JPL's Robert Ferraro explains how the Remote Exploration and Experimentation ( REE) project is addressing ongoing space-exploration needs. ...

KoreaScience (Korea)

Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper provides a review of current air and spaceborne remote sensing techniques which can be used in land use planning and resource management. Emphasis is placed on the development of geographic information systems (GS). It is expected remote sensing will become the preferred tool for data acquisition, while GIS will be used to manage and distribute georeferenced land information.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Focuses on the application of remote sensing techniques to the study of coal waste mounds. The situation at the coal waste mounds in Fukuoka, Japan is cited. Guidelines on film parameters, photographic keys and tasks required to inventory, monitor and manage coal waste mounds in Japan are addressed. Application of photogrammetry, remote sensing, aerial photography and satellite imagery techniques in monitoring spoil banks is reviewed. Applicability of the techniques is discussed. 24 refs.

Environmental Research Database

DescriptionRemote sensing of the sea surface from satellites in near-polar orbits has contributed greatly to our understanding of the links between physical and biological processes in marine systems. However most of this progress has been made in open oceanic waters or major upwelling areas, and many unresolved problems are encountered in coastal regions and shelf seas. In these optically complex waters, quantitative remote sensing requires a more sophisticated interpretation strategy than that implemente [continued...

CERN Document Server

Particle Detection with drift Chambers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Metagenomics projects based on shotgun sequencing of populations of micro-organisms yield insight into protein families. We used sequence similarity clustering to explore proteins with a comprehensive dataset consisting of sequences from available databases together with 6.12 million proteins predicted from an assembly of 7.7 million Global Ocean Sampling (GOS) sequences. The GOS dataset covers nearly all known prokaryotic protein families. A total of 3,995 medium- and large-sized clusters consisting of only GOS sequences are identified, out of which 1,700 have no detectable homology to known families. The GOS-only clusters contain a higher than expected proportion of sequences of viral origin, thus reflecting a poor sampling of viral diversity until now. Protein domain distributions in the GOS dataset and current protein databases show distinct biases. Several protein domains that were previously categorized as kingdom specific are shown to have GOS examples in ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

As part of an ongoing strategic research project to find barrels of radioactive waste off San Francisco, the U.S. Navy (USN), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (GFNMS) pooled their expertise, resources, and technology to form a partnership to verify new computer enhancement techniques developed for detecting targets the size of 55 gallon barrels on sidescan sonar images. Between 1946 and 1970, approximately 47,800 large barrels and other containers of radioactive waste were dumped in the ocean west of San Francisco; the containers litter an area of the sea floor of at least 1400 km {sup 2} knows as the Farallon Island Radioactive Waste Dump. The exact location of the containers and the potential hazard the containers pose to the environment is unknown. The USGS developed computer techniques and contracted with private industry to enhance sidescan data, collected in cooperation with the GFNMS, to ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The theme of the conference was recent developments in airborne remote sensing and their applications. The proceedings contain the papers presented at 14 general sessions and 13 interactive sessions covering airborne platforms, sensor systems, airborne/spaceborne synergy, atmospheric and oceanic measurements, land cover/land use, emergency response and reconnaissance, data handling, forestry, agriculture, water resources, geospatial reference, system calibration, environmental monitoring and planning, and information product advancements. Two papers are abstracted separately.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robotics technology is successfully being transitioned from space to terrestrial applications. It is being modified and enhanced to help in the US DOE's Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Program. Some examples of these applications, ranging from large multijointed manipulators to autonomously navigated remote vehicles, are outlined in this article. They include the following: underground storage tank technology demonstration; light-duty utility arm system; remotely controlled material-handling system; remotely operated excavator; self-guided transfer vehicle. 10 figs.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Spratly Islands, located in the southern part of the South China Sea (SCS), consist of more than 100 small islands, coral reefs and banks. Remote sensing is the only way to obtain a synoptic view of all of the islands in such a large area. It has been demonstrated that satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery is a very powerful tool for monitoring meso-scale and small-scale ocean processes in a large area. In this study, satellite SAR images were used to study the ocean environment in the area of Spratly Islands. The aim was to understand the capability of satellite remote sensing to monitor ocean processes and provide information for future field studies. Two sets of high-resolution European Remote Sensing satellite (ERS)-2 SAR images over the entire Spratly Islands area were coll...

Science.gov (United States)

Apr 14, 2010 ... The payload uses a remote infrared thermometer (Kelvin-Video), a thermohygrometer (Iva-6A), a heat-loss thermoanemometer/thermometer (TTM-2) ...

Science.gov (United States)

metric temperatures has been prepared showing the surface water temper- ... occasion, gray levels show different densities for similar water temper- ...

Science.gov (United States)

... a Networked Embedded Sensing Toolkit (MSR Sense ... edging due to mis-registration than the ... Langrebe, Signal theory in multisensor remote sensing ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has developed a mobile field laboratory for remote measurement of atmospheric processes and observables that are important in global climate change, dispersal of hazardous materials, and atmospheric pollution. Specific observables of interest are water vapor, trace gases, aerosol size and density, wind, and temperature. The goal is to study atmospheric processes continuously for extended periods in remote field locations. This laboratory has just reached field ready status with sensors for aerosol and trace gas measurement based on established techniques. A development program is underway to enhance the sensor suite with several new techniques and instruments that are expected to significantly extend the state of the art in remote trace gas analysis. The new sensors will be incorporated into the lab during the next two years.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The use and application of remote sensing data for monitoring the environmental impacts of open cast lignite mining in Eastern Germany is described. This investigation is based on the digital analysis of several Landsat-TM and ERS-1 data sets acquired from 1989 to 1994. The characteristics of the imagery enable quantitative analysis of different open cast mine features, such as waste, water bodies, change of land use, reclamation processes and estimation of vegetation cover in the affected areas. On the basis of the Maximum Likelihood Classification of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data the open cast mining areas were separated into bare open cast areas and areas of less and dense vegetation. The bare open cast areas were classified with respect to type of different sediments and the vegetation was seperated into different classes according to the age of the vegetation and the density cover. Apart from these, water bodies within the mining areas were classified into ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The authors identify a need for a device which can remotely measure methane in coal mines. Similar techniques which have been used to measure atmospheric pollutants are discussed. These techniques include adsorption, Raman scattering and fluorescence. While differential adsorption and Raman scattering techniques have potential there are a number of problems to be resolved before they could be applied effectively. It is felt that an area which may provide suitable technology sometime in the future is in the field of laser sources. 6 refs., 4 tabs.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The neocortex plays a critical role in the gradual formation and storage of remote declarative memories. Because the circuitry mechanisms of systems-level consolidation are not well understood, the...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

J-STORE (Japan)

Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

Accurate crop growth monitoring and yield forecasting are significant to food security and sustainable development of agriculture. However, regional crop growth simulation faces the difficulties in determining the spatial distribution of some model parameters and initial conditions. In this study, regional biomasses at turn-green stage of winter wheat were re-estimated by linking WOFOST model and Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) synthesized from remote sensing data. Moreover, we proposed a way of combining evapotranspiration derived from satellite remote sensing data to crop grow simulation model. Thus, the regional initial available soil water and irrigation at earring stage were re-initialized and re-estimated by using remote sensing data. Those methods were well applied to simulate the growth and development for winter wheat at local site. After regionalizing of weather data, crop model parameters and initial ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This document presents a summary of the work performed in support of the Buried Waste Robotics Program Subsurface Mapping Project. The project objective was to demonstrate the feasibility of remotely characterizing buried waste sites. To fulfill this objective, a remotely-operated vehicle, equipped with several sensors, was deployed at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. Descriptions of the equipment and areas involved in the project are included in this report. Additionally, this document provides data that was obtained during characterization operations at the Cold Test Pit and the Subsurface Disposal Area, both at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory's Radioactive Waste Management Complex, and at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant. The knowledge gained from the experience, that can be applied to the next generation remote-characterization system, is extensive and is presented in this report.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Remote sensing of total suspended solids (TSS) by satellite techniques in estuaries and bays plays an important role in monitoring water quality over a large area. It is valuable to the management of coastal water environment and ecosystems. In this study, remote sensing mapping of TSS was conducted to investigate the effects of rainstorm events on Apalachicola Bay. A rainstorm event (October 7-8, 2008) was selected for a period when wind speeds were weak and the river inflow was almost steady. TSS mapping of MODIS images before and after the rainstorm event showed substantial increase of TSS induced by the rainstorm. Using an image during low river discharge before the rainstorm as a reference, TSS distribution was mapped by an improved regression model using MODIS image after a rainstorm...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Remote sensing is the most practical method available to managers of fire-prone forests for quantifying and mapping fire impacts. Differenced Normalised Burn Ratio (?NBR) is among the most widely used spectral indices for the mapping of burn severity but is difficult to interpret in terms of fire-related changes in key biophysical attributes and processes. We propose to quantify burn severity as a change in the leaf area index (?LAI) of a stand. LAI is a key biophysical attribute of forests, and is central to understanding their water and carbon cycles. Previous studies have suggested that changes in canopy LAI may be a major contributor to ?NBR and to the composite burn index (CBI) that is frequently used in combination with the NBR to assess burn severity on the ground. We applied remote...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Raniganj and Jharia regions together have been for long the single largest coal supplier in India, now contributing about a quarter of the total output in the country. Numerous reasons such as improper mining techniques and policy, as well as unauthorized mining caused surface and subsurface coalfires in these areas. These coalfires burn millions of tonnes of valuable coal resources, creating severe environmental problems and posing enormous operational difficulties of mining. After first use of remote sensing as a tool to identify coalfires in 1960s, with the time, the efficiency of remote sensing to identify and monitoring coalfires has been well established by several researchers. With the knowledge of local geological setting and density sliced surface temperature image the spatial dis...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Man-made endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) present a threat to biodiversity, even in remote areas. To date, numerous wildlife species have been affected by EDCs in the environment, but it is likely...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

There are two major distinct activities involved with reprocessing of nuclear fuel. They are: a) Mechanical handling of the fuel in the head end plants; and b) chemical dissolution and separation of unused fuel, useful by-products and waste products. Plants and facilities associated with the former include significant remote handling equipment that is designed for handling of fuel for normal production processes. These equipment are selected and designed to meet the design throughput of the plant taking into consideration ease of their operation and maintenance in conjunction with statutory regulations on safety and operator dose uptake. Nevertheless, during the life of the plant, there are instances when special equipment is called for to access part of the plant and undertake tasks such as inspection, maintenance and modification to improve the existing process. BNFL has much experience in the design and application of remote handling ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This article reviews briefly a range of the latest monitoring and controlling equipment for use in coal mines. This includes pressure transmitters, shale/coal discriminator, nucleonic bunker level indicator, automatic steering and monitoring system, oscilloscope/multimeter, and microprocessor based digital display controllers. 1 fig.

Science.gov (United States)

Mar 2, 2011 ... CCT's software is capable of simultaneously handling incoming ... has been using CCTK to automate its remote control rocket cryogenic fueling systems. ... seismic, infrared, and proximity sensor data with auto-tracking ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Within the next 30 years, the proportion of urban dwellers will rise from under half to two thirds of the world’s population. Such a shift will entail massive public health consequences,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundIn the past two decades the east African highlands have experienced several major malaria epidemics. Currently there is a renewed interest in exploring the possibility...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

This contribution documents the satellite data archives, data processing methods and temporal Fourier analysis (TFA) techniques used to create the remotely sensed datasets on the DVD distributed...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper describes the technical design and performance of the diagnostic system installed in the tokamak TCABR to measure parameters of the plasma edge. The system consists of four Langmuir probes under remote control. (author)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mining lakes are of a world-wide challenging problem caused by the well known acid mine drainage (AMD) and the dynamics of it. In the past, there was no possibility to monitor these mining lakes for an investigation of chemical and biological parameters. But, in general, remote sensing methods are suitable for a monitoring of natural lakes, and now, at the first time, those can be used for a distinction of acid mining lakes in central Germany into different types. In acid mining lakes unusual absorption and scattering properties exist due to the water constituents which are quite different in their optical properties to those of natural lakes. The artificial lakes show high concentrations of metal ions and compounds. This fact was used to discriminate the mining lakes into initial stage, early stage, transitional state and late state. The result is a map of the area where the mining lakes are presented at their current stage. The present method is a proven solution ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Remote sensing data over North America document the ubiquity of secondary aerosols resulting from a combination of primary biogenic and anthropogenic emissions. The spatial and temporal distribution...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Data Acquisition System for the CDMS II dark matter experiment was designed and built when the experiment moved to its new underground installation at the Soudan Lab. The combination of remote operation and increased data load necessitated a completely new design. Elements of the original LabView system remained as stand-alone diagnostic programs, but the main data processing moved to a VME-based system with custom electronics for signal conditioning, trigger formation and buffering. The data rate was increased 100-fold and the automated cryogenic system was linked to the data acquisition. A modular server framework with associated user interfaces was implemented in Java to allow control and monitoring of the entire experiment remotely.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report addresses remote monitoring of coal waste impoundments for stability. Existing automated geotechnical monitoring systems are described and reviewed along with details of instruments suitable for such systems. An impoundment in West Virginia, which was in the construction stage, was instrumented and monitored between July 1979 and May 1981. Sensors that measure surface and subsurface parameters including settlement, horizontal deflection, surface tilt, pore water pressure, seepage, pond level, and meteorlogical parameters were installed. Recommendations for improving and expanding the capabilities of the monitoring system are given.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The Fast Flux Test Facility near Richland, Washington, utilizes computer control for reactor refueling and other related core component handling and processing tasks. The computer controlled tasks described in this paper include core component transfers within the reactor vessel, core component transfers into and out of the reactor vessel, remote duct measurements of irradiated core components, remote duct cutting, and finally, transferring irradiated components out of the reactor containment building for off-site shipments or to long term storage. 3 refs., 16 figs.

Science.gov (United States)

PMID:12722515

Science.gov (United States)

Lecturo on Firewalls, VPNs, Intrusion Detection, and filters

KoreaScience (Korea)

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Science.gov (United States)

... Accession Number : ADD330829. Title : NOZZLE WEAR DETECTION IN ABRASIVE WATERJET CUTTING SYSTEMS,. Corporate Author : ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We consider the possibility of detecting a heavy Higgs boson ([ital m][sub [ital H

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The history of explosives vapor detection includes almost every detection strategy known to man. Initial attempts to utilize these techniques were dismal failures. However, with the development of the Electron Capture Detector (ECD), the first promising detection of explosives vapors became possible. The present commercial explosives detectors detect the higher vapor pressure materials but not the whole spectrum. This paper describes the basic properties of explosives molecules and our research to utilize these properties for increased detection sensitivity.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The intention of this study is to show the high potential of remote sensing data to keep an eye on longterm processes in large regions with widespread tasks and questions. The results of two projects (sponsored by the BMBF - Ministry of Education and Science, Germany and the country of Saxony-Anhalt) are taken into account to give an impression of the chances provided by the application of hyperspectral airborne scanner data and satellite images. So these two projects focus at the applicability of various methods to use remote sensing data for a long- term monitoring of former lignite open-cast mining areas. Apart from the traditional pixelorientated analysis, the application and combination of new object orientated methods (e.g. segmentation, texture analysis) were investigated to distinguish between the following typical vegetation types: Spontaneous revegetation of plant communities; reforestation areas; recultivated grass seeding areas; ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The production of radiopharmaceuticals used in positron emission tomography (PET) can require large amounts of activity at the start of synthesis in order to yield sufficient labeled material for clinical studies. Several investigators have developed remote and automated systems for the routine production of PET radiopharmaceuticals in order to reduce radiation exposure to personnel. Such devices, however, suffer from limited flexibility and can be relatively complicated in design. These systems are also limited to the production of a single or a few closely related compounds. Furthermore, changes in chemistry would require considerable modifications in hardware and/or software in order to bring the device back into operation. To circumvent the above limitations associated with the remote production of PET radiopharmaceuticals, the authors have investigated the use of laboratory robotics as a flexible alternative to the synthesis of several ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Government facilities such as the US Department of Energy's Savannah River Plant (SRP) near Aiken, South Carolina, often use remote sensing data to assist in environmental management. Airborne multispectral scanner (MSS) data have been acquired at SRP since 1981. Various types of remote sensing data have been used to map and characterize wetlands. Regional Landsat MSS and TM satellite data have been used for wetlands mapping by various government agencies and private organizations. Furthermore, SPOT MSS data are becoming available and provide opportunities for increased spacial resolution and temporal coverage for wetlands mapping. This paper summarizes the initial results from using five dates of SPOT MSS data from April through October, 1987, as a means to monitor seasonal wetland changes in freshwater wetlands of the SRP. 11 refs., 4 figs.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radioactive waste shipping and receiving facilities presently planned for commercial and defence high level nuclear waste will handle waste packages at frequencies far in excess of those in common practice today. If current limits for radiation levels at the cask surface and current handling methods are used, high cumulative personnel exposure to ionizing radiation is projected to occur. To reduce these exposure levels, alternate handling methods are being developed and demonstrated. The production nature of cask receiving operations suggests commercial robotics be incorporated into a remote handling system to reduce predicted worker exposure to acceptable levels while maintaining or increasing throughput. The first phase of cask handling system development culminated in a proof-of-principle test demonstrating the feasibility of performing cask receiving and unloading operations in a remote and partially automated manner. (author).

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radioactive waste shipping and receiving facilities presently planned for commercial and defense nuclear waste will handle waste packages at frequencies far in excess of those in common practice today. Unacceptable personnel exposure to ionizing radiation is projected to occur if current limits for radiation levels at the cask surface and current handling methods are used. To reduce these exposure levels, alternate handling methods are being developed and demonstrated. The production nature of cask receiving operations suggests commercial robotics be incorporated into a remote handling system to reduce predicted worker exposure to acceptable levels, while maintaining or increasing throughput. The first phase of cask handling system development culminated in a proof-of-principle test demonstrating the feasibility of performing cask receiving and unloading operations in a remote and partially automated manner. 6 refs., 12 figs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This patent describes a method of hydraulically mining a surface of a mining location comprising: a. determining the dimensions of the surface of the mining location from a fixed point at the location; b. constructing at a second location remote from the mining location a visual representation of the surface form the determined dimensions of the mining location with respect to the fixed point; c. jetting water under high pressure against a selected area on the surface of the mining location; d. determining changes in the dimensions of the selected area of the surface of the mining location; e. reconstructing at the second location a new visual representation of the surface from the determined changes of the location during the jetting of the water; and f. redirecting the jetted water under high pressure utilizing data from the reconstructed visual representation.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In order to analyze changes in human settlement in Xuzhou city during the past 20 years, changes in land cover and vegetation were investigated based on multi-temporal remote sensing Landsat TM images. We developed a hierarchical classifier system that uses different feature inputs for specific classes and conducted a classification post-processing approach to improve its accuracy. From our statistical analysis of changes in urban land cover from 1987 to 2007, we conclude that built-up land areas have obviously increased, while farmland has seen in a continuous loss due to urban growth and human activities. A NDVI difference approach was used to extract information on changes in vegetation. A false change information elimination approach was developed based on prior knowledge and statistic...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In this paper we demonstrate the capabilities of our ArcGIS-based software development that includes an adapted database system and a GIS tool for storage, combined analysis and visualization of leveling data and interferometric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) deformation measurements. Preprocessed remote sensing image data are stored with metadata that include all processing routines and parameters. This allows reproduction and traceability of all processing steps. Deformation monitoring is supported through data searching and selection based on a variety of criteria. A methods toolbox allows spatio-temporal analyses for points, lines and areas (e.g. subsidence basins) in a graphical manner.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Extracting mining subsidence land from remote sensing (RS) images is one of important research contents for environment monitoring in mining area. The accuracy of traditional extracting models based on spectral features is low. In order to extract subsidence land from RS images with high accuracy, some domain knowledge should be imported and new models should be proposed. This paper, in terms of the disadvantage of traditional extracting models, imports domain knowledge from practice and experience, converts semantic knowledge into digital information, and proposes a new model for the specific task. By selecting the Luan mining area as a study area, this new model is tested based on GIS and related knowledge. The result shows that the proposed method is more precise than traditional methods and can satisfy the demands of land subsidence monitoring in mining area. 10 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Conversion of Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory radioactive sodium-bearing waste into a single solid waste form by evaporation was demonstrated in both flask-scale and pilot-scale agitated thin film evaporator tests. A sodium-bearing waste simulant was adjusted to represent an evaporator feed in which the acid from the distillate is concentrated, neutralized, and recycled back through the evaporator. The advantage to this flowsheet is that a single remote-handled transuranic waste form is produced in the evaporator bottoms without the generation of any low-level mixed secondary waste. However, use of a recycle flowsheet in sodium-bearing waste evaporation results in a 50% increase in remote-handled transuranic volume in comparison to a non-recycle flowsheet.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The optically stimulated luminescent (OSL) radiation dosimeter technically surveys a wide dynamic measurement range and a high sensitivity. Optical fiber dosimeters provide capability for remote monitoring of the radiation in the locations which are difficult-to-access and hazardous. In addition, optical fiber dosimeters are immune to electrical and radio-frequency interference. In this paper, a novel remote optical fiber radiation dosimeter is described. The optical fiber dosimeter takes advantage of the charge trapping materials CaS:Ce, Sm that exhibit OSL. The measuring range of the dosimeter is from 0.1 to 100 Gy. The equipment is relatively simple and small in size, and has low power consumption. This device is suitable for measuring the space radiation dose and also can be used in high radiation dose condition and other dangerous radiation occasions. (authors)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bone metastases of an Ewing's sarcoma were detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), when bone scan, CT and plain films were still normal. This is due to the ability of MRI to detect intramedullary metastases before involvement of the cortex. (Auth.).

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) has been used extensively to detect genetic variation. We used this method to detect and identify Yersinia pestis KIM5 ciprofloxacin-resistant...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Here we describe the fabrication, optimization, and application of a microfluidic device that integrates microdialysis (MD) sampling, microchip electrophoresis (ME), and electrochemical detection...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Due to the serovar diversity in Haemophilus (H.) parasuis, it is difficult to develop a universal serological method for detection of this pathogen....Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

Palladium chloride films have been found to be useful as ... when suitably prepared palladium chlo- ride films are exposed ... Like the palladium chloride ( PdCl2) ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The waste monitoring system in use at Los Alamos National Laboratory`s Plutonium Facility, TA-55, is a computer-based system that proves real-time information on industrial effluents. Remote computers monitor discharge events and data moves from one system to another via a local area network. This report describes the history, system design, summary, instrumentation list, displays, trending screens, and layout of the waste monitoring system.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The need is substantiated for using remote control of technological processes on blowout dangerous beds. A method is proposed for this control based on recording with the help of AGZ apparatus for gas release into the roadway. Distinguishing features are indicated for the change in methane concentration in the roadway with normal occurrence of the process and in the case of blowout of coal and gas.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A semi-automatic system which considers operation in a face by monitoring technological parameters of an extraction vehicle and a longwall conveyor is examined. The system records in tabular form the location, progress made, operating and down time of an extraction vehicle and operating and down time of the conveyor. A description of the operating principle system and systems for arrangement of the remote sensing and central recording device are presented. (Note: extraction vehicle not identified: LTN)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This is the first volume in a series of books to be published by Prentice Hall on Environmental and Intelligent Manufacturing Systems. The editors have assembled an interdisciplinary collection of authors from industry, government, and academia, that provide a broad range of expertise on robotics and remote systems. Readily accessible to practicing engineers, the book provides case studies and introduces new technology applicable to remote operations in unstructured and/or hazardous environments. Chapter 1 gives an overview of the US Environmental Protection Agency's efforts to apply robotic technology to assist in the operations at hazardous waste sites. The next chapter focuses on the theory and implementation of robust impedance control for robotic manipulators. Chapter 3 presents a discussion on the integration of failure tolerance into robotic systems. The next two chapters address the issue of sensory feedback and its indispensable role ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Remote Alaskan communities pay economic and environmental penalties for electricity, because they must import diesel as their primary fuel for electric power production, paying heavy transportation costs and potentially causing environmental damage with empty drums, leakage, and spills. For these reasons, remote villages offer a viable niche market where sustainable energy systems based on renewable resources and advanced energy storage technologies can compete favorably on purely economic grounds, while providing environmental benefits. These villages can also serve as a robust proving ground for systematic analysis, study, improvement, and optimization of sustainable energy systems with advanced technologies. This paper presents an analytical optimization of a remote power system for a hypothetical Alaskan village. The analysis considers the potential of generating renewable energy (e.g., wind and solar), along with the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A decision must be made regarding whether the United State`s stockpile of neptunium should be discarded into the waste stream or kept for the production of Pu-238. Although the cost of long term storage is not inconsequential, to dispose of the material means the closing of our option to maintain control over our Pu-238 stockpile. Within the Fuels and Materials Examination Facility at Hanford there exists a remotely operated facility that can be converted for neptunium storage. This paper describes the facility and the anticipated handling requirements.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Asean Brown Boveri (ABB) developed Glass (Global access for service and support), a monitoring system for the remote control and management of ABB supplied equipment and other equipment through the Internet. Glass can be applied for many different systems, e.g. automated substations of electric power distribution systems or train equipment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Geoinformatics, of which remote sensing, global positioning system and geographical information system are kernel components, has developed rapidly and become applicable in the last ten years. In this paper, the recent development and advantages of geoinformatics are introduced; some achievements and understanding in applications for environmental protection in mining areas are also described. 7 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In the paper, a potential of solar energy for drying of medicinal plants in Polish conditions is estimated and development of solar drying technologies is presented. The results of economic assessment of flat-plate solar collectors applied for drying of medicinal plants on a farm are promising. In some specific conditions, e.g. drying of wild grown medicinal plants in remote areas, even application of photovoltaic modules for driving of a fan of a solar dryer is a profitable option and enables easy control of the drying air temperature.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Atlantic Wind Test Site was established in 1980 as a laboratory to facilitate the evaluation and demonstration of wind energy systems and equipment. This annual report describes its organization and management, facilities, major projects, and the outlook for the future. Major projects include wind diesel; AWTS-IREQ collaboration; remote community data acquisition; lagerwey test program; Alaska Energy Authority Project; public education; Atlantic Orient Corporation 15/50 Project; and the soft VAWT project.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Software quality assurance (SQA) for robotic systems used in nuclear waste applications is vital to ensure that the systems operate safely and reliably and pose a minimum risk to humans and the environment. This paper describes the SQA approach for the control and data acquisition system for a robotic system being developed for remote surveillance and inspection of underground storage tanks (UST) at the Hanford Site.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Motor proteins couple steps in ATP binding and hydrolysis to conformational switching both in and remote from the active site. In our kinesin·AMPPPNP crystal structure, closure of the active...Full Text Available

KoreaScience (Korea)

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KoreaScience (Korea)

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... 14 Face Detection ..... 14 Automated Mapping ...

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KoreaScience (Korea)

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KoreaScience (Korea)

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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Published in summary form only.

KoreaScience (Korea)

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Science.gov (United States)

This paper addresses the major issues beginning teachers face in their first postings to rural areas in Australia. The issues go beyond pedagogy. Beginning teachers need to understand social factors affecting rural communities so they can link lessons to the realities experienced by students. Geographic isolation affects the provision of education in terms of time taken to travel, cost, terrain, and technology. Rural communities have groups that are socially isolated from each other and from the staff in schools. In order to teach effectively, teachers need to be aware of the social context of the community in which they live and work. Teachers in rural areas suffer from professional isolation and often confront teaching situations for which they have had little formal preparation. Communities in remote places often move quickly to adopt technological means to overcome their isolation. Teachers in rural areas need to identify and promote the media skills of ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) interim examination and maintenance (IEM) cell is used for the remote disassembly of irradiated fuel and material experiments. The absorber open-test assembly (AOTA) is a 12-m (40-ft)-long instrumented absorber (control-rod-material) test assembly. Its primary purpose is to characterize the FFTF control-rod-material reaction rate during reactor operation. Instrumentation allowed temperature and pressure measurements at various locations in several absorber pins during reactor operation. After residing several months in the reactor, the assembly was transferred to the IEM cell by the closed-loop ex-vessel machine (CLEM) for separation of the irradiated portion of the experiment from the instrument stalk. After separation, the 3.6-m (12-ft)-long assembly was processed through the sodium removal system and shipped off-site for examination. This success allowed the timely completion of a major task on the FFTF operations schedule.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is developing a treatment process for remote-handled (RH) liquid transuranic mixed waste governed by the concept of minimizing the volume of waste requiring disposal. This task is to be accomplished by decontaminating the bulk components so the process effluent can be disposed with less risk and expense. Practical processes have been demonstrated on the laboratory scale for removing cesium 137 and strontium 90 isotopes from the waste, generating a concentrated waste volume, and rendering the bulk of the waste nearly radiation free for downstream processing. The process is projected to give decontamination factors of 10{sup 4} for cesium and 10{sup 3} for strontium. Because of the extent of decontamination, downstream processing will be contact handled. The transuranic, radioactive fraction of the mixed waste stream will be solidified using a thin-film evaporator and/or microwave solidification system. Resultant solidified ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

R and D of the robot control system was conducted in the following items: 1) integrated open control system, 2) remote control robot manipulation language, 3) human factor robot use built-in LAN system, 4) built-in actuator driver. In 1), there were some problems to be pointed out around the system, but the effectiveness was confirmed as system architecture of each verification item. In 2), development/design were made of RCML(R-Cube Manipulation Language) as a remote robot manipulation language, telecommunication protocol, and the experimental system, and the international standardization was targeted. In 3), the R and D was conducted of the realtime telecommunication protocol which clears the standards for the distributed control required for construction of human factor robot and the advanced realtime micro-controller, ULSI, which is the one that the protocol was made IC. In 4), an intelligent connector for built-in actuator was developed ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The feasibility of developing a fusion power monitor based on a fluid activation detector is considered here. The activation fluid may be either a liquid or a gas and its composition can be selected from a number of candidate materials to provide desired activation and decay characterisitcs. Performance calculations indicate that ordinary water would be a nearly ideal activation fluid. The "1"6O(n,p)"1"6N reaction has a threshold at about 10 MeV and a cross section energy dependence giving it a predominant response for unmoderated D-T fusion neutrons. Adequate activation can be obtained at moderate flow rates for remote counting away from the high radiation area of the reactor. The 7.16 sec half-life of "1"6N is ideal for remote counting with subsequent decay in a small hold-up tank to eliminate activity build-up in the recycled water.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

BHP Petroleum (BHPP) has now operated the 164 tonne per day Methanol Research Plant (MRP) located on the outskirts of Melbourne, Australia for over one year. This plant was commissioned in 1994 making first methanol on 17th October and has operated since then, selling product by pipeline to two local customers, ICI Adhesives and Borden Australia. The plant is based on the Leading Concept Methanol technology (LCM) licensed from ICI Katalco. Since 1985 BHPP has been involved in the development of Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) technology for the production of oil and gas offshore. In order to utilize the gas associated with oil on remote offshore oil production facilities the combination of gas conversion to methanol and existing FPSO technology is being investigated. The LCM technology being commercialized at the MRP is part of the strategy to demonstrate and develop LCM technology such that it could be located on the deck of a floating vessel in ...

Science.gov (United States)

The optically stimulated luminescent (OSL) radiation dosimeter technically surveys a wide dynamic measurement range and a high sensitivity. Optical fiber dosimeters provide capability for remote monitoring of the radiation in the locations which are difficult-to-access and hazardous. In addition, optical fiber dosimeters are immune to electrical and radio-frequency interference. In this paper, a novel remote optical fiber radiation dosimeter is described. The optical fiber dosimeter takes advantage of the charge trapping materials CaS:Ce, Sm that exhibit OSL. The measuring range of the dosimeter is from 0.1 to 100 Gy. The equipment is relatively simple and small in size, and has low power consumption. This device is suitable for measuring the space radiation dose and also can be used in high radiation dose condition and other dangerous radiation occasions. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (10475112), Western Light ...

Science.gov (United States)

In this paper we discuss recent work at the Advanced Technology Centre of BAE Systems on photonic technology, in particular photonic crystal fibres, applied to infra-red and electro-optic countermeasure systems. The use of Photonic Crystal fibres or holey fibres in countermeasure systems could significantly simplify platform integration by enabling remote location of laser sources, the generation of multiple wavelengths or continuum generation from a single pump source .The paper will describe the development of these fibres, drawing examples from recent civil collaborative research projects such as PFIDEL and LAMPS.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Active Magnetospheric Particle Tracer Explorers (AMPTE) program provided important information on the behavior of clouds of plasma artificially injected into the solar wind and the earth's magnetosphere. Now that the releases are over, data from the satellites are being analyzed to investigate the processes by which the ambient solar wind mass, momentum, and energy are transferred to the magnetosphere. Work in progress at APL indicates that the solar wind is much more inhomogeneous than previously believed, that the solar wind constantly buffets the magnetosphere, and that ground observers may remotely sense these interactions as geomagnetic pulsations. 8 refs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Savannah River Site has successfully used robots, teleoperators, and remote video to reduce exposure to ionizing radiation, improve worker safety, and improve the quality of operations. Previous reports have described the use of mobile teleoperators in coping with a high level liquid waste spill, the removal of highly contaminated equipment, and the inspection of nuclear reactor vessels. This report will cover recent applications at the Savannah River, as well as systems which SRS has delivered to other DOE site customers.

CERN Document Server

We present here the preliminary design of ARIES-Devasthal Faint Object Spectrograph and Camera (ADFOSC), which is a multi-mode instrument for both imaging and spectroscopy. ADFOSC is the first-generation instrument to be mounted at the axial port of the Cassegrain focus on our new 3.6m optical telescope to be installed at Devasthal, Nainital. The main design goals of the instrument are : the instrument will have capability of broad- and narrow-band imaging, low-medium resolution spectroscopy, and imaging polarimetry. The operating wavelength range will be from 360 to 1000 nm and the instrument will have remote-control capability.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Multitemporal TM images are used to collect information about the extension and variation of water influx subsidence in coal district in order to provide a reference for the harnessing and utilization of water influx subsidence. The multitemporal TM images are used as a blended data group for the analysis of the principal components to reflect the expanding water influx subsidence in the past years. Because of the differences in the environment and imaging condition, 'unitary' order is used to enhance the 'coherence' and 'comparability' of the original TM images. 5 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Remote Teaching Assistant (RTA) software currently under development at UC Davis allows students and Teaching Assistants (TA`s) to interact through multimedia communication via the Internet. To resolve the problem of TA unavailability and limited knowledge, an Expert Teaching Assistant (ETA) module is being developed. When TA`s are not on-line, students in need of help consult ETA. The focus of this research is the development and integration of ETA with RTA, the establishment of an architecture suitable for use with education (the domain) in any sub-domain (course), and the creation of a mechanism usable by non-technical personnel to maintain knowledge bases.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The results of finite element calculations detailing the interactions of eddy currents with fine collinear slots in nonferromagnetic and ferromagnetic conductors are presented. These are applicable to both remote field eddy current inspection tools and conventional reflected impedance eddy current probes. The calculations show that, while fine slots have little interaction with collinear induced currents in nonferromagnetic conductors, there are much larger effects in ferromagnetic conductors. This is due to magnetic field interactions. The term eddy current inspection' is therefore somewhat restrictive and the much broader term electromagnetic inspection' is proposed.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The notion of hardened systems can be found in several applications (nuclear power plants, alarm systems, research installations..). Their development correspond to the functional necessity to take into account a specific radiative environment. The starting point of each hardening study is the definition of the radiative environmental constraints representative of the application. In addition to these external constraints, the specific functional characteristics of each system are considered: control or interface systems in nuclear industry, in-board control systems, remote handling systems, etc. This paper summarizes the methodology followed according to the experience gained in previous studies and anticipating the future needs. (J.S.). 6 refs., 5 figs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The purpose of this project is to integrate a variety of geographic information systems capabilities and telecommunication technologies for potential use in geographic network and visualization applications. The specific technical goals of the project were to design, develop, and simulate the components of an audio/visual geographic communications system to aid future real-time monitoring, mapping and managing of transport vehicles. The system components of this feasibility study are collectively referred to as a Geographic Visualization and Communications System (GVCS). State-of-the-art techniques will be used and developed to allow both the vehicle operator and network manager to monitor the location and surrounding environment of a transport vehicle during shipment.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The role of robotics and remote handling equipment in future nuclear power plant maintenance activities is discussed in the context of artificial intelligence applications. Special requirements manipulators, control systems, and man-machine interfaces for nuclear applications are noted. Tasks might include inspection with cameras, eddy current probes, and leak detectors; the collection of material samples; radiation monitoring; and the disassembly, repair and reassembly of a variety of system components. A robot with vision and force sensing and an intelligent control system that can access a knowledge base is schematically described. Recent advances in image interpretation systems are also discussed.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A novel device called the gas expansion model (GEM) is being developed at the Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory for testing in the 400-MW(th) fast flux test facility (FFTF) reactor. Incorporation of the GEM into liquid-metal reactor designs is intended to measurably contribute to the achievement of inherent safety, by allowing the reactor to passively shut down even in the extremely remote (hypothetical) event of an unprotected (no scram) loss-of-flow accident. The purpose of this paper is to describe the GEM and present predictive analyses of the effectiveness of the device during unprotected loss-of-flow experiments in the FFTF.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We describe a position-sensitive event-counting microchannel plate detector with a quadrant anode readout system that combines the advantages of several centroid-finding readout techniques. The relative amount of charge collected by each quadrant of the anode mounted behind the output side of the microchannel plate is used to localize each event. The position-sensitive area is about 80% of the active microchannel plate surface. By changing a single voltage a remote-controlled image magnification can be achieved. Due to a correction function that minimizes image distortions the imaging characteristics of this low-cost readout system are similar to those of expensive resistive anodes. (orig.).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A new surveillance system for Oil-Filled cable, which can provide continuous monitoring, using a newly developed optical gas sensor that can detect the concentration of the gas dissolved in the oil with extremely high sensitivity has been developed. It was proved that the degree of deterioration of the insulating oil can be detected by measuring C{sub 2}H{sub 2} and CH{sub 4} by investigating the relation between the degree of deterioration and amount of combustible gas generated. In order to detect extremely small amounts of gas, a new gas detecting method using absorption line of the gas using a frequency modulated technique has been developed. The gas detection ability was also confirmed by examination using a 66 kV of cable and the possibility of detection at an early stage is expected.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This document describes the development testing phase associated with the OTA Shear activity and defines the controls to be in place throughout the testing. The purpose of the OTA Shear Program was to provide equipment that is needed for the processing of 40 foot long, sodium wetted, irradiated core components previously used in the FFTF reactor to monitor fuel and materials tests. There are currently 15 of these OTA test stalks located in the Test Assembly Conditioning Station (TACS) inerted vault. These need to be dispositioned for a shutdown mission to eliminate this highly activated, high dose inventory prior to turnover to the ERC since they must be handled by remote operations. These would also need to be dispositioned for a restart mission to free up the vault they currently reside in. The waste handling and cleaning equipment in the J33M Cell was designed and built for the handling of reactor components up to the standard 12 foot length. This program will ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The low budgets of local governments and Federal States in Germany as well as lack of financial means of renters delaying thorough modernisation of existing heating systems in residential and public buildings, novel heat supply and related customer services are emerging on the market. Heat supply companies and housing construction associations increasingly use modern electronics and telecommunication systems for heating system upgrading and reliable operation and maintenance. This option holds an enormous potential of saving money today and in the future. Installation of remote control and maintenance systems and the related telephone-based services offer fast repair and other services via electronic telecommunications systems, thus saving money and manpower for the repair services of heat suppliers or plumbers, or financial losses due to rents being docked for broken down heating systems. Such remote control and maintenance systems however ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundEpilepsy is a common neurological disorder characterized by recurrent electrophysiological activities, known as seizures. Without the appropriate detection strategies,...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This paper discusses the possible detection of magnetic monopoles and monopole tachyons. Topics considered include insects, astrophysics, general relativity theory, plants, and biotechnology. The paper was presented at an international symposium on non-conventional energy technology.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The W-259 project will provide upgrades to the 2706-T/TA Facility to comply with Federal and State of Washington environmental regulations for secondary containment and leak detection. The project provides decontamination activities supporting the environmental restoration mission and waste management operations on the Hanford Site.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

PurposeSatisfaction of search (SOS) occurs when an abnormality is missed because another abnormality has been detected. This research studied whether the severity...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

We have evaluated the performance of two rapid, low-cost methods for the detection of ofloxacin (OFX) resistance with 95 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from countries with high...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis and the PCR assay were used in combination with dilution plating on a semiselective medium to detect and enumerate propagules of Trichoderma...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

A latex agglutination (LA) test was evaluated for the detection of human rotaviruses in stool specimens. Both antiserum and immunoglobulin G (IgG)-sensitized latex particles were used, with IgG-coated...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

PurposeThe aim of this investigation was to exploit lens-specific glycated crystallins as an immunogen to detect human glycated crystallins and their circulating autoantibodies in...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

With the advent of dense maps of human genetic variation, it is now possible to detect positive natural selection across the human genome. Here we report an analysis of over 3 million polymorphisms...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bobbin-coil-type eddy current probes, which are conventionally used for nondestructive inspection of steam generator tubes in pressurized-water-type nuclear power plants, have poor detectability for circumferential flaws. Hence a new type of eddy current probe was proposed to detect effectively the magnetic flux component disturbed by a flaw and thus to eliminate the flaw direction dependency on the flaw detectability. In the course of development of the proposed method, structures of the probe were investigated based on the measurement of magnetic fields induced by exciting flat coils with several shapes. The new type of probe proposed here consists of differential pick-up coils detecting magnetic flux and exciting coils having a parallelogrammic shape, and its structure was fabricated experimentally in order to detect flaws independently of their directions. Nondestructive flaw ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

We compared MRSA Select to mannitol-salt agar with 8 μg/ml cefoxitin for the detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from 6,199 clinical...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The direct detection of pyrazinamide resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis is sufficiently difficult that many laboratories do not attempt it. Most pyrazinamide resistance is caused...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We have discovered interstellar rubidium by observing the resonance line of Rb I at 7800 A toward zeta Oph. This is the heaviest element yet detected within the interstellar medium, and our detection of this element is important for understanding the history of nucleosynthesis in the solar neighborhood.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

A serodiagnostic test has been developed for the detection of Plasmodium falciparum in infected blood. Using parasite antigens and infected red blood cells from in vitro...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The dielectrophoretic (DEP) crossover method has been applied to the detection of cell responses to toxicants. Time and dose responses of the human cultured leukemia (HL-60) line were measured...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

A sensitive assay based on the polymerase chain reaction for the detection of Ockelbo virus RNA was developed. Two primer pairs from the gene coding for the E2 glycoprotein were chosen. By use of a...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Since bearing is in wide use as basic parts for rotary machines, detection and diagnosis of its defects are important in practical use. To discriminate defect portions by early detection of roller bearing flaking, the conventional parameter method using peakedness is poor. Thus to directly obtain difference in waveform, the new method was applied to such detection which uses KDI as the scale of a difference in waveform, and a most neighborhood classification rule based on KDI. The detection and discrimination abilities of this method was studied mainly in experiment. The experiment used a bench scale rotor and a supporting bearing, and attempted detection and discrimination of no flaking, outer ring flaking and inner ring flaking. As a result, this method could detect and discriminate fine flaking which was never detected by conventional ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

A nonmammalian test system for germ-cell mutagenesis has been developed by using the Japanese medaka fish. We describe a system for detecting DNA alterations in F1 progeny descended from the gamma-irradiated...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In this paper the authors prove a uniqueness theorem for the electric detection of cavities in a three dimensional solid from Cauchy data measured on the surface. The cavities, finite in number, are assumed to be insulating. The surfaces of the cavities are assumed to be smooth on the complement of a set that is, in some sense, negligible. (orig.)

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

We prepared polyclonal antibody specific to Mycoplasma pneumoniae and examined the conditions influencing the ability of an indirect immunofluorescence test to detect the specific antigen in respiratory...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

There is no gold standard diagnostic test for the detection of bovine cryptosporidiosis. Infection is usually highest in 2-week-old calves, and these calves also excrete high numbers of oocysts. These...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

We proposed a faster pedigree-based generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction algorithm, called PedG-MDR II (PII), to detect gene-gene interactions underlying complex traits. Inherited...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Synthetic complementary oligonucleotides are useful hybridization probes for the detection of mRNAs and genes encoding proteins for which only a partial amino acid sequence is known. Usually this involves...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

... 1959). It was not possible for us, however, to detect any reaction of this type in the annials immunized with brucela. Considering ...

Science.gov (United States)

Sep 16, 2010 ... Taking military operations as an example, there is evidence that stress-related behavioral disorders and mental conditions such as anxiety, ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

(Apr 1974). Japan Murakami, Akira . Saga Univ. (Japan). Dept. of

KoreaScience (Korea)

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Science.gov (United States)

... Loss of Heterozygosity in Normal Breast Epithelial Tissue and Benign Breast Lesions in BRCA1/2 Carriers with Breast Cancer. ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This invention relates to new phosphor materials and to combinatorial methods of synthesizing and detecting the same. In addition, methods of using phosphors to generate luminescence are also disclosed.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The neutron detector is cased in a metal envelop and has one detector with a very sensitive fission chamber and a second detector with a fission chamber less sensitive that the first one and a boron coated ionisation chamber for reducing gamma radiation detection.

CERN Document Server

The indirect detection of particle dark matter (DM) is based on the search for anomalous components in cosmic rays (CRs) due to the annihilation of DM pairs in the galactic halo, on the top of the standard astrophysical production. These additional exotic components are potentially detectable at Earth as spectral distortions for the various cosmic radiations: $\\chi + \\chi \\to q \\bar{q}, W^+ W^-, ... \\to \\bar{p}, \\bar{D}, e^+ \\gamma and \

Science.gov (United States)

We sequenced 16S rRNA genes from the vaginal swab contents of a postmenopausal woman with asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis (BV). Sequences from Atopobium vaginae were the most commonly detected. In a survey of 35 other postmenopausal women, this organism was detected in 44% with BV but not in any subjects deemed healthy. PMID:15071062

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

We investigated the presence of XMRV in a cohort of Quebec patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). DNA was purified from activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and PCR was used to detect XMRV gag and env in 72 patients. Anti-XMRV antibodies were searched in sera of 62 patients by Western blot analysis. Attempts to detect XMRV antigens was made, using immunofluorescence with Gag anti-p30 antiserum on activated PBMC from 50 patients. Plasma viremia was measured by RT-PCR on 9 subjects. Finally, detection of infectious virus in 113 CFS subjects was made by co-culture of PHA+IL-2 activated PBMC with human LNCaP carcinoma cells, and by infecting the same susceptible cells with plasma, using a reverse transcriptase (RT) assay as a readout in both experiments. No detection of ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A method and device have been provided for distinguishing Africanized honeybees from European honeybees. The method is based on the discovery of a distinct difference in the acoustical signatures of these two species of honeybees in flight. The European honeybee signature has a fundamental power peak in the 210 to 240 Hz range while the Africanized honeybee signature has a fundamental power peak in the 260 to 290 Hz range. The acoustic signal produced by honeybees is analyzed by means of a detecting device to quickly determine the honeybee species through the detection of the presence of frequencies in one of these distinct ranges. The device includes a microphone for acoustical signal detection which feeds the detected signal into a frequency analyzer which is designed to detect the presence of either of the known fundamental wingbeat frequencies unique to the acoustical signatures ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A method is described for controlling fuel injection in a diesel engine having a fuel injection nozzle, comprising the steps of: detecting an idling state of the diesel engine and pressure in a combustion chamber; obtaining a pressure increment rate from the pressure detected by the detecting step; selecting a valve opening pressure of the fuel injection nozzle at a relatively low level when the idling state is detected by the detecting step, thereby setting a two peaks characteristics of a fuel injection rate; and controlling the fuel injection nozzle in response to the pressure increment rate so that the pressure increment rate in the combustion chamber is maintained within a predetermined value by changing a fuel injection quantity of a pilot injection from the fuel injection nozzle.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The fault detection and diagnosis system for gas engines was developed to improve the reliability of cogeneration systems (CGS). Most of existing fault detection systems monitor the trend of each part condition of engines and diagnose faults based on trend change, resulting in slow detection. Although early detection systems are available, those are complex, expensive and poor in flexibility and applicability. Since CGSs combined with gas engines increased to 1/3 of the whole CGS, engine troubles cause possible serious faults. The fault diagnosis system was thus developed to prevent serious faults which can early detect, in particular, abnormal conditions of parts around a combustion chamber such as ignition plug, intake valve and exhaust valve by monitoring exhaust pressure waveforms in an exhaust collector. Since this system can detect progressive occurrence ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Presently, high wind potentials in remote areas may not be utilized for electricity production due to limited grid transmission capacity and/or difficulties in matching the electricity production with the demand. The overall project objective is to help overcome these bottlenecks, i.e. to identify and analyze methods and technologies for making it viable to utilize more of the wind potential in remote areas. The suggestion is to develop a power control concept for wind turbines which will even out the power fluctuations and make it possible to increase the wind energy penetration. The main options are to combine wind power with a pumped hydro power storage or with an AC/DC converter and battery storage. The AC/DC converter can either be an `add-on` type or it can be designed as an integrated part of a variable speed wind turbine. The idea is that combining wind power with the power control concept will make wind power more firm and possible to ...

Science.gov (United States)

Information about surface soil moisture conditions is of critical importance to real-world applications such as agricultural production, water resource management, flood prediction, fire prediction, water supply, military mobility, etc.. Near-surface soil moisture is currently available from non-ideal sensor configuration observations, and two missions targeted at measuring near-surface soil moisture with ideal sensor configuration are expected before the end of the decade (the European Space Agency (ESA), Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Hydrospheric states "Hydros" mission). Though remote sensing can make spatially comprehensive measurements of surface soil moisture, it cannot provide information on the entire land surface hydrologic system, and the measurements represent only a snap shot in time. Alternatively, land surface hydrology process models may be used to predict the temporal ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Energy storage systems with extremely high specific energy (>400 Wh/kg) have been designed that use lightweight pressure vessels to contain the gases generated by reversible (unitized) regenerative fuel cells (URFCs).[1] URFC systems are being designed and developed for a variety of applications, including high altitude long endurance (HALE) solar rechargeable aircraft (SRA), zero emission vehicles (ZEVs), hybrid energy storage/propulsion systems for spacecraft, energy storage for remote (off-grid) power sources, and peak shaving for on-grid applications.[1-10] Energy storage for HALE SRA was the original application for this set of innovations, and a prototype solar powered aircraft (Pathfinder-Plus) recently set another altitude record for all propeller-driven aircraft on August 6, 1998, when it flew to 80,285 feet (24.47 km).[11

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The circulating cooling water flowrate of GNPS and LNPS is totally about 190 m"3/s. Both stations are located on the western coast of semi-closed Daya Bay. A lot of studies concerning thermal impact of GNPS and LNPS have been carried out since 1987, including mathematical model, physical model, on-site survey and satellite remote sensing, etc. This paper describes the hydrological features of Daya Bay and discharge characteristics of circulating water of GNPS and LNPS, estimates the actual thermal impact of GNPS and LNPS, and indicates that it is advantageous for the dilution of circulating water while the two discharge channels of GNPS and LNPS are combined together towards east

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Describes temperature and humidity sensing devices used in mine rescue operations. Chemical indicators use chemical substances that melt at predetermined temperatures and display the actual temperature in the range of 40-50 C. Electronic temperature monitoring devices release acoustic signals as soon as a temperature of 40 or 45 C has been exceeded. A more recent piece of equipment combines the ULR rescue communication set with remote temperature sensing. A digital meter that measures temperature and humidity in the range of -100 to +200 C and 3 to 98% respectively has also been developed. The Central Mine Rescue Station in Bytom, Poland has developed equipment that permits body temperature and pulse rate of a rescuer to be measured and transmitted by radio over a distance of up to 50 m. Safe threshold values can be set for each individual rescuer.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The new oil price environment is sending industry engineers back to the drawing board. The search is on for cost effective and perhaps unconventional deepwater production systems. One candidate for Gulf of Mexico deepwater tracts is a tanker-based floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) system. Substantial experience with tanker-based FPSO systems has proven them to be cost effective when the field is remote from existing production facilities and pipelines. A tanker-based system offers the unique feature of integrating production, storage, and offloading capabilities into a single unit. Such systems can be installed in 12 to 15 months and can even be leased, significantly improving an operator's cash flow.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Environmental assessment in an arid coal mining area requires an understanding of the influences of coal mining, the arid climate and ecological remediation. To that end, we selected vegetation as the key environmental factor to observe. Remote sensing approaches to monitoring the spatio-temporal variation of vegetation caused by mining activities, the arid climate and ecological remediation in the Shengdong coal mining area are described. Over a large regional scale it was found that the vegetation was improved as a result of ecological remediation activities. At the local scale, however, the vegetation coverage and soil moisture in the mined areas were slightly lower than those in un-mined areas due to mining subsidence. These differences are partly attributed to ground fissures that inj...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We report on the software aspects of the development of a switch-based data acquisition system at Fermilab. This paper describes how, with the goal of providing an ``integrated systems engineering`` environment, several powerful software tools were put in place to facilitate extensive exploration of all aspects of the design. These tools include a simulation package, graphics package and an Expert System shell which have been integrated to provide an environment which encourages the close interaction of hardware and software engineers. This paper includes a description of the simulation, user interface, embedded software, remote procedure calls, and diagnostic software which together have enabled us to provide real-time control and monitoring of a working prototype switch-based data acquisition (DAQ) system.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

It is acknowledged that fluorescence line height (FLH) algorithms are still hampered by the uncertainty of fluorescence peak position. The fluorescence peak moves to longer wavelengths with the increase of chlorophyll a concentration. In this article, the fluorescence enveloped area (FEA), which integrates the fluorescence height and the fluorescence peak position, was used to estimate the chlorophyll a concentration in the coastal waters of the Pearl River Estuary. The FEA algorithm was developed from in situ data of chlorophyll a concentration, total suspended matter (TSM) concentration and above-water remote sensing reflectance, which were collected at 37 sampling stations in the Pearl River Estuary during two cruises. The results showed that the FEA algorithm made a better estimation o...

Science.gov (United States)

We present a quantum secure direct communication scheme achieved by swapping quantum entanglement. In this scheme a set of ordered Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) pairs is used as a quantum information channel for sending secret messages directly. After insuring the safety of the quantum channel, the sender Alice encodes the secret messages directly by applying a series local operations on her particle sequences according to their stipulation. Using three EPR pairs, three bits of secret classical information can be faithfully transmitted from Alice to remote Bob without revealing any information to a potential eavesdropper. By both Alice and Bob's GHZ state measurement results, Bob is able to read out the encoded secret messages directly. The protocol is completely secure if perfect quantum channel is used, because there is not a transmission of the qubits carrying the secret message between Alice and Bob in the public channel.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nuclear battery produces electricity by converting radiation energy into electrical energy. Energy carried by particles emitted by a radioisotope nuclei is much higher than that released in chemical reaction. Reaction with nuclei can potentially produce electricity thousand to million times higher than that of chemical reaction. Unlike NPP that produces large scale alternating current using thermodynamic cycle such as Rankine or Brayton cycles, nuclear battery is designed like other battery or fuel cell, to produce direct current (DC). However, both battery utilize the energy or particles radiating from nuclei of a radioisotope. In this paper, several types of nuclear battery as an energy converter are discussed, including their working mechanisms and examples. Nuclear battery is potential to become a long-life power source for use in wide range of applications, including in medical areas and for instruments in remote areas and outer space.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Remote, offshore gas reserves have long been a challenging deepwater petroleum resource to tap. Natural gas in many offshore regions is plentiful, but lacks access to the market because of the logistical challenges and costs. Most large offshore gas discoveries are capped, and gas associated with oil production is re-injected into the reservoir or is flared. A more attractive option is to convert the gas into a liquid product on a floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel. However, some conventional process technologies are not well suited for operation on floating vessels that are highly space and weight constrained and may challenge vessel stability during inclement weather. Microchannel process technology units under development offer intensified processes that are suit...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The rate and intensity of land use land cover (LULC) change has increased considerably during the past couple of decades. Mining brings significant alterations in LULC specifically due to its impact on forests. Parts of Central India are well endowed with both forests and minerals. Here, the conflict between human interests and nature has intensified over time. Monitoring and assessment of such conflicts are important for land management and policy making. Remote sensing and Geographical Information System have the potential to serve as accurate tools for environmental monitoring. Understanding the importance of landscape metrics in land use planning is challenging but important. These metrics calculated at landscape, class, and patch level provide an insight into changing spatiotemporal d...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In order to promote environmental damage monitoring and environmental impacts assessment caused by mining in China, the most significant project that uses advanced Earth Observation technology to assess environmental impacts caused by mining, namely MINEO (assessment and monitoring the environmental impact of mining activities in Europe using advanced Earth Observation technology) was introduced and its enlightenment to China were investigated. It was proposed that an integrated technical framework of monitoring environmental impacts caused by mining be designed, quantitative inversion of biological and environmental parameters from RS data be emphasised, hyperspectral Remote Sensing be applied, RS and GIS be integrated with professional models, multi-object applications of RS be implemented, and related standards and specification be drawn up based on typical case study sites. 23 refs., 1 fig.

Science.gov (United States)

This paper is part of a study that assessed the level of commitment of primary schools of remote area dwellers (RADs) to basic education between October 2004 and April 2005. The research question focused on the level of commitment of schools to universal basic education, school-community partnership in school governance and parental involvement in the way the curriculum was delivered. Questionnaire and interviews were used. The results show a significant relationship between teachers' perceptions and variables such as district, qualifications, age, location, and experience. There is consistency between teachers' perceptions and children's academic performance. It has been found that learner achievement in RADs schools is low and that parents are not actively involved in their children's education due to the policy environment and school management practices.