Attitude stability analyses for small artificial satellites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, W R; Zanardi, M C; Formiga, J K S; Cabette, R E S; Stuchi, T J

2013-01-01

The objective of this paper is to analyze the stability of the rotational motion of a symmetrical spacecraft, in a circular orbit. The equilibrium points and regions of stability are established when components of the gravity gradient torque acting on the spacecraft are included in the equations of rotational motion, which are described by the Andoyer's variables. The nonlinear stability of the equilibrium points of the rotational motion is analysed here by the Kovalev-Savchenko theorem. With the application of the Kovalev-Savchenko theorem, it is possible to verify if they remain stable under the influence of the terms of higher order of the normal Hamiltonian. In this paper, numerical simulations are made for a small hypothetical artificial satellite. Several stable equilibrium points were determined and regions around these points have been established by variations in the orbital inclination and in the spacecraft principal moment of inertia. The present analysis can directly contribute in the maintenance of the spacecraft's attitude

Small habitat size and isolation can promote species richness: second-order effects on biodiversity in shallow lakes and ponds

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Scheffer, M.; Van Geest, G.J.; Zimmer, K.; Jeppesen, E.; Søndergaard, M.; Butler, M.G.; Hanson, M.A.; Declerck, S.A.J.; De Meester, L.

2006-01-01

Contemporary ecological landscape planning is often based on the assumption that small isolated habitat patches sustain relatively few species. Here, we suggest that for shallow lakes and ponds, the opposite can be true for some groups of organisms. Fish communities tend to be poor or even absent in

Complex communities of small protists and unexpected occurrence of typical marine lineages in shallow freshwater systems.

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Simon, Marianne; Jardillier, Ludwig; Deschamps, Philippe; Moreira, David; Restoux, Gwendal; Bertolino, Paola; López-García, Purificación

2015-10-01

Although inland water bodies are more heterogeneous and sensitive to environmental variation than oceans, the diversity of small protists in these ecosystems is much less well known. Some molecular surveys of lakes exist, but little information is available from smaller, shallower and often ephemeral freshwater systems, despite their global distribution and ecological importance. We carried out a comparative study based on massive pyrosequencing of amplified 18S rRNA gene fragments of protists in the 0.2-5 μm size range in one brook and four shallow ponds located in the Natural Regional Park of the Chevreuse Valley, France. Our study revealed a wide diversity of small protists, with 812 stringently defined operational taxonomic units (OTUs) belonging to the recognized eukaryotic supergroups (SAR--Stramenopiles, Alveolata, Rhizaria--Archaeplastida, Excavata, Amoebozoa, Opisthokonta) and to groups of unresolved phylogenetic position (Cryptophyta, Haptophyta, Centrohelida, Katablepharida, Telonemida, Apusozoa). Some OTUs represented deep-branching lineages (Cryptomycota, Aphelida, Colpodellida, Tremulida, clade-10 Cercozoa, HAP-1 Haptophyta). We identified several lineages previously thought to be marine including, in addition to MAST-2 and MAST-12, already detected in freshwater, MAST-3 and possibly MAST-6. Protist community structures were different in the five ecosystems. These differences did not correlate with geographical distances, but seemed to be influenced by environmental parameters. © 2014 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Practical Soil-Shallow Foundation Model for Nonlinear Structural Analysis

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Moussa Leblouba

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Soil-shallow foundation interaction models that are incorporated into most structural analysis programs generally lack accuracy and efficiency or neglect some aspects of foundation behavior. For instance, soil-shallow foundation systems have been observed to show both small and large loops under increasing amplitude load reversals. This paper presents a practical macroelement model for soil-shallow foundation system and its stability under simultaneous horizontal and vertical loads. The model comprises three spring elements: nonlinear horizontal, nonlinear rotational, and linear vertical springs. The proposed macroelement model was verified using experimental test results from large-scale model foundations subjected to small and large cyclic loading cases.

The Effect of Pulsatile Flow on bMSC-Derived Endothelial-Like Cells in a Small-Sized Artificial Vessel Made by 3-Dimensional Bioprinting

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Kang Woog Lee

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Replacement of small-sized vessels is still challenging. This study is aimed at investigating the possibility of small-sized artificial vessels made by 3-dimensional bioprinting and the effect of pulsatile flow on bMSC-derived endothelial-like cells. Cells were harvested from rabbit bone marrow and primary cultured with or without growth factors. Endothelial differentiation was confirmed by the Matrigel tube formation assay, Western blot, and qRT-PCR. In addition, embedment of endothelial-like cells in an artificial vessel was made by 3-dimensional bioprinting, and the pulsatile flow was performed. For pumped and nonpumped groups, qRT-PCR was performed on CD31 and VE-cadherin gene expression. Endothelial-like cells showed increased gene expression of CD31 and VE-cadherin, and tube formation is observed at each week. Endothelial-like cells grow well in a small-sized artificial vessel made by 3-dimensional bioprinting and even express higher endothelial cell markers when they undergo pulsatile flow condition. Moreover, the pulsatile flow condition gives a positive effect for cell observation not only on the sodium alginate hydrogel layer but also on the luminal surface of the artificial vessel wall. We have developed an artificial vessel, which is a mixture of cells and carriers using a 3-dimensional bioprinting method, and applied pulsatile flow using a peristaltic pump, and we also demonstrated cell growth and differentiation into endothelial cells. This study suggests guidelines regarding a small-sized artificial vessel in the field of tissue engineering.

Chaotic Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm for System Identification of a Small-Scale Unmanned Helicopter

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Li Ding

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is devoted to developing a chaotic artificial bee colony algorithm (CABC for the system identification of a small-scale unmanned helicopter state-space model in hover condition. In order to avoid the premature of traditional artificial bee colony algorithm (ABC, which is stuck in local optimum and can not reach the global optimum, a novel chaotic operator with the characteristics of ergodicity and irregularity was introduced to enhance its performance. With input-output data collected from actual flight experiments, the identification results showed the superiority of CABC over the ABC and the genetic algorithm (GA. Simulations are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed algorithm and the accuracy of the identified helicopter model.

Shallow moonquakes - How they compare with earthquakes

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Nakamura, Y.

1980-01-01

Of three types of moonquakes strong enough to be detectable at large distances - deep moonquakes, meteoroid impacts and shallow moonquakes - only shallow moonquakes are similar in nature to earthquakes. A comparison of various characteristics of moonquakes with those of earthquakes indeed shows a remarkable similarity between shallow moonquakes and intraplate earthquakes: (1) their occurrences are not controlled by tides; (2) they appear to occur in locations where there is evidence of structural weaknesses; (3) the relative abundances of small and large quakes (b-values) are similar, suggesting similar mechanisms; and (4) even the levels of activity may be close. The shallow moonquakes may be quite comparable in nature to intraplate earthquakes, and they may be of similar origin.

Effects of light pollution on the emergent fauna of shallow marine ecosystems: Amphipods as a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Navarro-Barranco, Carlos; Hughes, Lauren Elizabeth

2015-05-15

Light pollution from coastal urban development is a widespread and increasing threat to biodiversity. Many amphipod species migrate between the benthos and the pelagic environment and light seems is a main ecological factor which regulates migration. We explore the effect of artificial lighting on amphipod assemblages using two kind of lights, LED and halogen, and control traps in shallow waters of the Great Barrier Reef. Both types of artificial light traps showed a significantly higher abundance of individuals for all species in comparison to control traps. LED lights showed a stronger effect over the amphipod assemblages, with these traps collecting a higher number of individuals and differing species composition, with some species showing a specific attraction to LED light. As emergent amphipods are a key ecological group in the shallow water environment, the impact of artificial light can affect the broader functioning of the ecosystem. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of small-world network topology on the conventional artificial neural network for the diagnosis of diabetes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Erkaymaz, Okan; Ozer, Mahmut

2016-01-01

Artificial intelligent systems have been widely used for diagnosis of diseases. Due to their importance, new approaches are attempted consistently to increase the performance of these systems. In this study, we introduce a new approach for diagnosis of diabetes based on the Small-World Feed Forward Artificial Neural Network (SW- FFANN). We construct the small-world network by following the Watts–Strogatz approach, and use this architecture for classifying the diabetes, and compare its performance with that of the regular or the conventional FFANN. We show that the classification performance of the SW-FFANN is better than that of the conventional FFANN. The SW-FFANN approach also results in both the highest output correlation and the best output error parameters. We also perform the accuracy analysis and show that SW-FFANN approach exhibits the highest classifier performance.

Investigation of Temperature Dynamics in Small and Shallow Reservoirs, Case Study: Lake Binaba, Upper East Region of Ghana

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Ali Abbasi

2016-03-01

Full Text Available An unsteady fully three-dimensional model of Lake Binaba (a shallow small reservoir in semi-arid Upper East Region of Ghana has been developed to simulate its temperature dynamics. The model developed is built on the Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS equations, utilizing the Boussinesq approach. As the results of the model are significantly affected by the physical conditions on the boundaries, allocating appropriate boundary conditions, particularly over a water surface, is essential in simulating the lake’s thermal structure. The thermal effects of incoming short-wave radiation implemented as a heat source term in the temperature equation, while the heat fluxes at the free water surface, which depend on wind speed, air temperature, and atmospheric stability conditions are considered as temperature boundary condition. The model equations were solved using OpenFOAM CFD toolbox. As the flow is completely turbulent, which is affected by the complex boundary conditions, a new heat transfer solver and turbulence model were developed to investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of temperature in small and shallow inland water bodies using improved time-dependent boundary conditions. The computed temperature values were compared with four days of observed field data. Simulated and observed temperature profiles show reasonable agreement where the root mean square error (RMSE over the simulation period ranges from 0.11 to 0.44 °C in temporal temperature profiles with an average value of 0.33 °C. Results indicate that the model is able to simulate the flow variables and the temperature distribution in small inland water bodies with complex bathymetry.

Artificial nests as an alternative to studies of arboreal small mammal populations: a five-year study in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil

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Diogo Loretto

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Despite the great diversity of Brazilian Atlantic forest small mammals, natural history of most species is unknown due to their cryptic and nocturnal habits, but also due to the inadequacy of methods to capture some species, especially those of arboreal habits. A new technique, based on the use of artificial nests (AN to record arboreal marsupials, is presented. Artificial nests were combined with traditional live traps to study the population ecology of four didelphid marsupial species. After 62 months of monitoring, 119 individuals were recorded 243 times (total success = 5.2%. Only 26 individuals (22% were recorded by both AN and live trap methods, and two of the four species were never captured by live traps, only by AN. Live traps alone would have provided biased data of the structure of small mammal assemblages, creating artificial tendencies in population dynamics of many species. Detectability estimates based on mark-recapture data could correct bias resulting from the use only live traps, but these estimates require that at least some individuals of each age class or stage are captured. Only the combination of AN and live traps can produce more accurate data on population dynamics and assemblage structure. This study demonstrates that artificial nests represent a new method that should be combined with live traps in studies of small mammal assemblages and populations.

Challenge to the model of lake charr evolution: Shallow- and deep-water morphs exist within a small postglacial lake

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Chavarie, Louise; Muir, Andrew M.; Zimmerman, Mara S.; Baillie, Shauna M.; Hansen, Michael J.; Nate, Nancy A.; Yule, Daniel L.; Middel, Trevor; Bentzen, Paul; Krueger, Charles C.

2016-01-01

All examples of lake charr (Salvelinus namaycush) diversity occur within the largest, deepest lakes of North America (i.e. > 2000 km2). We report here Rush Lake (1.3 km2) as the first example of a small lake with two lake charr morphs (lean and huronicus). Morphology, diet, life history, and genetics were examined to demonstrate the existence of morphs and determine the potential influence of evolutionary processes that led to their formation or maintenance. Results showed that the huronicus morph, caught in deep-water, had a deeper body, smaller head and jaws, higher eye position, greater buoyancy, and deeper peduncle than the shallow-water lean morph. Huronicus grew slower to a smaller adult size, and had an older mean age than the lean morph. Genetic comparisons showed low genetic divergence between morphs, indicating incomplete reproductive isolation. Phenotypic plasticity and differences in habitat use between deep and shallow waters associated with variation in foraging opportunities seems to have been sufficient to maintain the two morphs, demonstrating their important roles in resource polymorphism. Rush Lake expands previous explanations for lake charr intraspecific diversity, from large to small lakes and from reproductive isolation to the presence of gene flow associated with strong ecological drivers.

Investigation on shallow groundwater in a small basin using natural radioisotopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamada, Hiromasa; Komae, Takami

1996-01-01

The authors conducted an investigation on shallow groundwater using natural radioisotopes as indicators in the small basin of the Hinuma River, Kasama City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. 3 H concentrations in the groundwater showed that it originated from precipitation in the 1960's. Since 222 Rn concentrations decreased as groundwater flowed downstream, they were influenced by infiltration of surface water. Especially, during the irrigation period, the decrease of 222 Rn concentrations was remarkable in the lowland. From the distribution of 222 Rn concentrations in surface water, the sections where groundwater seeped into a river were found, and a quantitative analysis of groundwater seepage in the two sections was conducted on the basis of 222 Rn concentrations in groundwater and in surface water. The ratios of groundwater seepage to the flow at the upstream station for the two sections were about 5% and 10%, respectively. The water movement within the basin, i.e., the actual manner in which surface water infiltrated underground and groundwater seeped into a river, was clarified by analyzing the variations of natural radioisotope concentrations in water and the water balance of the basin. (author)

Shallow parsing with long short-term memory

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hammerton, J; Chen, SH; Cheng, HD; Chiu, DKY; Das, S; Duro, R; Kerre, EE; Leong, HV; Li, Q; Lu, M; Romay, MG; Ventura, D; Wu, J

2003-01-01

Applying Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) to language learning has been an active area of research in connectionism. However much of this work has involved small and/or artificially created data sets, whilst other approaches to language learning are now routinely applied to large real-world

Undesired small RNAs originate from an artificial microRNA precursor in transgenic petunia (Petunia hybrida.

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Yulong Guo

Full Text Available Although artificial microRNA (amiRNA technology has been used frequently in gene silencing in plants, little research has been devoted to investigating the accuracy of amiRNA precursor processing. In this work, amiRNAchs1 (amiRchs1, based on the Arabidopsis miR319a precursor, was expressed in order to suppress the expression of CHS genes in petunia. The transgenic plants showed the CHS gene-silencing phenotype. A modified 5' RACE technique was used to map small-RNA-directed cleavage sites and to detect processing intermediates of the amiRchs1 precursor. The results showed that the target CHS mRNAs were cut at the expected sites and that the amiRchs1 precursor was processed from loop to base. The accumulation of small RNAs in amiRchs1 transgenic petunia petals was analyzed using the deep-sequencing technique. The results showed that, alongside the accumulation of the desired artificial microRNAs, additional small RNAs that originated from other regions of the amiRNA precursor were also accumulated at high frequency. Some of these had previously been found to be accumulated at low frequency in the products of ath-miR319a precursor processing and some of them were accompanied by 3'-tailing variant. Potential targets of the undesired small RNAs were discovered in petunia and other Solanaceae plants. The findings draw attention to the potential occurrence of undesired target silencing induced by such additional small RNAs when amiRNA technology is used. No appreciable production of secondary small RNAs occurred, despite the fact that amiRchs1 was designed to have perfect complementarity to its CHS-J target. This confirmed that perfect pairing between an amiRNA and its targets is not the trigger for secondary small RNA production. In conjunction with the observation that amiRNAs with perfect complementarity to their target genes show high efficiency and specificity in gene silencing, this finding has an important bearing on future applications of ami

Undesired small RNAs originate from an artificial microRNA precursor in transgenic petunia (Petunia hybrida).

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Yulong; Han, Yao; Ma, Jing; Wang, Huiping; Sang, Xianchun; Li, Mingyang

2014-01-01

Although artificial microRNA (amiRNA) technology has been used frequently in gene silencing in plants, little research has been devoted to investigating the accuracy of amiRNA precursor processing. In this work, amiRNAchs1 (amiRchs1), based on the Arabidopsis miR319a precursor, was expressed in order to suppress the expression of CHS genes in petunia. The transgenic plants showed the CHS gene-silencing phenotype. A modified 5' RACE technique was used to map small-RNA-directed cleavage sites and to detect processing intermediates of the amiRchs1 precursor. The results showed that the target CHS mRNAs were cut at the expected sites and that the amiRchs1 precursor was processed from loop to base. The accumulation of small RNAs in amiRchs1 transgenic petunia petals was analyzed using the deep-sequencing technique. The results showed that, alongside the accumulation of the desired artificial microRNAs, additional small RNAs that originated from other regions of the amiRNA precursor were also accumulated at high frequency. Some of these had previously been found to be accumulated at low frequency in the products of ath-miR319a precursor processing and some of them were accompanied by 3'-tailing variant. Potential targets of the undesired small RNAs were discovered in petunia and other Solanaceae plants. The findings draw attention to the potential occurrence of undesired target silencing induced by such additional small RNAs when amiRNA technology is used. No appreciable production of secondary small RNAs occurred, despite the fact that amiRchs1 was designed to have perfect complementarity to its CHS-J target. This confirmed that perfect pairing between an amiRNA and its targets is not the trigger for secondary small RNA production. In conjunction with the observation that amiRNAs with perfect complementarity to their target genes show high efficiency and specificity in gene silencing, this finding has an important bearing on future applications of amiRNAs in gene

A comparative experimental approach to ecotoxicology in shallow-water and deep-sea holothurians suggests similar behavioural responses.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Alastair; Wright, Roseanna; Mevenkamp, Lisa; Hauton, Chris

2017-10-01

Exploration of deep-sea mineral resources is burgeoning, raising concerns regarding ecotoxicological impacts on deep-sea fauna. Assessing toxicity in deep-sea species is technologically challenging, which promotes interest in establishing shallow-water ecotoxicological proxy species. However, the effects of temperature and hydrostatic pressure on toxicity, and how adaptation to deep-sea environmental conditions might moderate these effects, are unknown. To address these uncertainties we assessed behavioural and physiological (antioxidant enzyme activity) responses to exposure to copper-spiked artificial sediments in a laboratory experiment using a shallow-water holothurian (Holothuria forskali), and in an in situ experiment using a deep-sea holothurian (Amperima sp.). Both species demonstrated sustained avoidance behaviour, evading contact with contaminated artificial sediment. However, A. sp. demonstrated sustained avoidance of 5mgl -1 copper-contaminated artificial sediment whereas H. forskali demonstrated only temporary avoidance of 5mgl -1 copper-contaminated artificial sediment, suggesting that H. forskali may be more tolerant of metal exposure over 96h. Nonetheless, the acute behavioural response appears consistent between the shallow-water species and the deep-sea species, suggesting that H. forskali may be a suitable ecotoxicological proxy for A. sp. in acute (≤24h) exposures, which may be representative of deep-sea mining impacts. No antioxidant response was observed in either species, which was interpreted to be the consequence of avoiding copper exposure. Although these data suggest that shallow-water taxa may be suitable ecotoxicological proxies for deep-sea taxa, differences in methodological and analytical approaches, and in sex and reproductive stage of experimental subjects, require caution in assessing the suitability of H. forskali as an ecotoxicological proxy for A. sp. Nonetheless, avoidance behaviour may have bioenergetic consequences that

Spatial and temporal variability of greenhouse gas emissions from a small and shallow temperate lake

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Praetzel, Leandra; Schmiedeskamp, Marcel; Broder, Tanja; Hüttemann, Caroline; Jansen, Laura; Metzelder, Ulrike; Wallis, Ronya; Knorr, Klaus-Holger; Blodau, Christian

2017-04-01

Small inland waters (spots" and "hot moments" that could contribute significantly to total emissions. To address this knowledge gap, we determined CO2 and CH4 emissions and dynamics to identify their controlling environmental factors in a polymictic small (1.4 ha) and shallow (max. depth approx. 1.5 m) crater lake ("Windsborn") in the Eifel uplands in south-west Germany. As Lake Windsborn has a small catchment area (8 ha) and no surficial inflows, it serves well as a model system for the identification of factors and processes controlling emissions. In 2015, 2016 and 2017 we measured CO2 and CH4 gas fluxes with different techniques across the sediment/water and water/atmosphere interface. Atmospheric exchange was measured using mini-chambers equipped with CO2 sensors and with an infra-red greenhouse gas analyzer for high temporal resolution flux measurements. Ebullition of CH4 was quantified with funnel traps. Sediment properties were examined using pore-water peepers. All measurements were carried out along a transect covering both littoral and central parts of the lake. Moreover, a weather station on a floating platform in the center of the lake recorded meteorological data as well as CO2 concentration in different depths of the water column. So far, Lake Windsborn seems to be a source for both CO2 and CH4 on an annual scale. CO2 emissions generally increased from spring to summer. Even though CO2 uptake could be observed during some periods in spring and fall, CO2 emissions in the summer exceeded the uptake. CO2 and CH4 emissions also appeared to be spatially variable between littoral areas and the inner lake. Shallow areas turned out to be "hot spots" of CO2 emissions whereas CH4 emissions were - against our expectations - highest in the center of the lake. Moreover, CH4 ebullition contributed substantially to total CH4 emissions. Our results show the importance of spatially and temporally highly resolved long-term measurements of greenhouse gas emissions and

Transient shallow reservoirs beneath small eruptive centres: Constraints from Mg-Fe interdiffusion in olivine

Science.gov (United States)

Morgado, E.; Parada, M. A.; Morgan, D. J.; Gutiérrez, F.; Castruccio, A.; Contreras, C.

2017-11-01

Small eruptive centres commonly have more primitive lavas than those associated with stratovolcanoes, an observation that has been taken to indicate a short magma residence in the crust relative to those reservoirs below stratovolcanoes. The Caburgua cones of the Andean Southern Volcanic Zone from a basaltic small eruptive centre where this can be tested. Here, we use MELTS simulations, and the available thermobarometry data to determine the conditions of olivine crystal rim formation and the Mg-Fe diffusion modelling to determine the magma residence times of those rims in the crust. Results yield timescales varying from a few days to dozens of days, and if freezing is to be avoided, can only be explained by some form of storage or slow transport through at least one shallow magma body. The longest durations of magma residence seen in the olivine rim zones are up to 471 days. These timescales are shorter than those estimated (decadal) from the nearby, more-differentiated, and well-established stratovolcano, Villarrica, which has a dominantly basaltic andesite composition. For Caburgua cones, we propose the existence of a transient reservoir, in contrast to a long-lived reservoir such as that inferred beneath the adjacent Villarrica stratovolcano.

Impacts of Artificial Reefs on Surrounding Ecosystems

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Manoukian, Sarine

Artificial reefs are becoming a popular biological and management component in shallow water environments characterized by soft seabed, representing both important marine habitats and tools to manage coastal fisheries and resources. An artificial reef in the marine environment acts as an open system with exchange of material and energy, altering the physical and biological characteristics of the surrounding area. Reef stability will depend on the balance of scour, settlement, and burial resulting from ocean conditions over time. Because of the unstable nature of sediments, they require a detailed and systematic investigation. Acoustic systems like high-frequency multibeam sonar are efficient tools in monitoring the environmental evolution around artificial reefs, whereas water turbidity can limit visual dive and ROV inspections. A high-frequency multibeam echo sounder offers the potential of detecting fine-scale distribution of reef units, providing an unprecedented level of resolution, coverage, and spatial definition. How do artificial reefs change over time in relation to the coastal processes? How accurately does multibeam technology map different typologies of artificial modules of known size and shape? How do artificial reefs affect fish school behavior? What are the limitations of multibeam technology for investigating fish school distribution as well as spatial and temporal changes? This study addresses the above questions and presents results of a new approach for artificial reef seafloor mapping over time, based upon an integrated analysis of multibeam swath bathymetry data and geoscientific information (backscatter data analysis, SCUBA observations, physical oceanographic data, and previous findings on the geology and sedimentation processes, integrated with unpublished data) from Senigallia artificial reef, northwestern Adriatic Sea (Italy) and St. Petersburg Beach Reef, west-central Florida continental shelf. A new approach for observation of fish

Small Rov Marine Boat for Bathymetry Surveys of Shallow Waters - Potential Implementation in Malaysia

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Suhari, K. T.; Karim, H.; Gunawan, P. H.; Purwanto, H.

2017-10-01

Current practices in bathymetry survey (available method) are indeed having some limitations. New technologies for bathymetry survey such as using unmanned boat has becoming popular in developed countries - filled in and served those limitations of existing survey methods. Malaysia as one of tropical country has it own river/water body characteristics and suitable approaches in conducting bathymetry survey. Thus, a study on this emerging technology should be conducted using enhanced version of small ROV boat with Malaysian rivers and best approaches so that the surveyors get benefits from the innovative surveying product. Among the available ROV boat for bathymetry surveying in the market, an Indonesian product called SHUMOO is among the promising products - economically and practically proven using a few sample areas in Indonesia. The boat was equipped and integrated with systems of remote sensing technology, GNSS, echo sounder and navigational engine. It was designed for riverbed surveys on shallow area such as small /medium river, lakes, reservoirs, oxidation/detention pond and other water bodies. This paper tries to highlight the needs and enhancement offered to Malaysian' bathymetry surveyors/practitioners on the new ROV boat which make their task easier, faster, safer, economically effective and better riverbed modelling results. The discussion continues with a sample of Indonesia river (data collection and modelling) since it is mostly similar to Malaysia's river characteristics and suggests some improvement for Malaysia best practice.

Rapid shallow breathing

Science.gov (United States)

Tachypnea; Breathing - rapid and shallow; Fast shallow breathing; Respiratory rate - rapid and shallow ... Shallow, rapid breathing has many possible medical causes, including: Asthma Blood clot in an artery in the ...

Silt and gas accumulation beneath an artificial recharge spreading basin, Southwestern Utah, U.S.A.

Science.gov (United States)

Heilweil, V.M.; Solomon, D.K.; Ortiz, G.

2009-01-01

Sand Hollow Reservoir in southwestern Utah, USA, is operated for both surface-water storage and artificial recharge to the underlying Navajo Sandstone. The total volume of estimated artificial recharge between 2002 and 2007 is 85 million cubic meters (69,000 acre-feet). Since 2002, artificial recharge rates have generally been declining and are inversely correlated with the increasing surface area of the reservoir. Permeability testing of core samples retrieved from beneath the reservoir indicates that this decline may not be due to silt accumulation. Artificial recharge rates also show much seasonal variability. Calculations of apparent intrinsic permeability show that these variations can only partly be explained by variation in water viscosity associated with seasonal changes in water temperature. Sporadic seasonal trends in recharge rates and intrinsic permeability during 2002-2004 could be associated with the large fluctuations in reservoir elevation and wetted area. From 2005 through 2007, the reservoir was mostly full and there has been a more consistent seasonal pattern of minimum recharge rates during the summer and maximum rates during the autumn. Total dissolved-gas pressure measurements indicate the presence of biogenic gas bubbles in the shallow sediments beneath the shallower parts of Sand Hollow Reservoir when the water is warmer. Permeability reduction associated with this gas clogging may contribute to the decrease in artificial recharge rates during the spring and summer, with a subsequently increasing recharge rates in the autumn associated with a decline in volume of gas bubbles. Other possible causes for seasonal variation in artificial recharge rates require further investigation.

Prediction of small hydropower plant power production in Himreen Lake dam (HLD using artificial neural network

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Ali Thaeer Hammid

2018-03-01

Full Text Available In developing countries, the power production is properly less than the request of power or load, and sustaining a system stability of power production is a trouble quietly. Sometimes, there is a necessary development to the correct quantity of load demand to retain a system of power production steadily. Thus, Small Hydropower Plant (SHP includes a Kaplan turbine was verified to explore its applicability. This paper concentrates on applying on Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs by approaching of Feed-Forward, Back-Propagation to make performance predictions of the hydropower plant at the Himreen lake dam-Diyala in terms of net turbine head, flow rate of water and power production that data gathered during a research over a 10 year period. The model studies the uncertainties of inputs and output operation and there's a designing to network structure and then trained by means of the entire of 3570 experimental and observed data. Furthermore, ANN offers an analyzing and diagnosing instrument effectively to model performance of the nonlinear plant. The study suggests that the ANN may predict the performance of the plant with a correlation coefficient (R between the variables of predicted and observed output that would be higher than 0.96. Keywords: Himreen Lake Dam, Small Hydropower plants, Artificial Neural Networks, Feed forward-back propagation model, Generation system's prediction

Phytoplankton assemblage of a small, shallow, tropical African reservoir

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Moshood K Mustapha

2009-12-01

Full Text Available I measured physico-chemical properties and phytoplankton in the small, shallow tropical reservoir of Oyun (Offa, Nigeria between January 2002 and December 2003. I identified 25 phytoplankton genera in three sampling stations. Bacillariophyceae dominated (75.3%, followed by Chlorophyceae (12.2%, Cyanobacteria (11.1% and Desmidiaceae (0.73%. The high amount of nutrients (e.g. nitrate, phosphate, sulphate and silica explain phytoplankton heterogeneity (pInvestigué las propiedades físico-químicas y el fitoplancton del pequeño embalse tropical Oyun (Offa, Nigeria entre enero de 2002 y diciembre de 2003, para determinar el efecto de las propiedades físico-químicas en el fitoplancton y la producción de peces. En las tres estaciones estudiadas identifiqué 25 géneros de fitoplancton pertenecientes a cuatro clases. Bacillariophyceae dominó (75.3%, seguida de Chlorophyceae (12.2%, Desmidiaceae (11.1% y Cianobacteria (0.73%. La gran cantidad de nutrientes (e.g. nitrato, fosfato, sulfato y sílice explica la heterogeneidad del fitoplancton (p<0.05, el cual fue abundante durante la época de lluvias. La zona de transición de la reserva tuvo el conjunto más rico y abundante. Las fluctuaciones en la densidad del fitoplancton fueron resultado de la concentración estacional de los nutrientes, la presión del forrajeo y la hidrología. El embalse es eutrófico con agua excelente y fitoplancton diverso, y por tanto su producción pesquera sería alta. Estas condiciones son consecuencia de estrategias como mejores prácticas de gestión de cuencas (BPM para controlar la eutroficación y la sedimentación, y el establecimiento de prioridades legales para un buen uso del agua. Recomiendo medidas adicionales contra la oligotrofía, la hipereutrofia, el exceso de fitoplancton, las cianobacterias tóxicas, las escorrentías de residuos orgánicos y el exceso de sales disueltas.

Spatial scaling of bacterial community diversity at shallow hydrothermal vents: a global comparison

Science.gov (United States)

Pop Ristova, P.; Hassenrueck, C.; Molari, M.; Fink, A.; Bühring, S. I.

2016-02-01

Marine shallow hydrothermal vents are extreme environments, often characterized by discharge of fluids with e.g. high temperatures, low pH, and laden with elements toxic to higher organisms. They occur at continental margins around the world's oceans, but represent fragmented, isolated habitats of locally small areal coverage. Microorganisms contribute the main biomass at shallow hydrothermal vent ecosystems and build the basis of the food chain by autotrophic fixation of carbon both via chemosynthesis and photosynthesis, occurring simultaneously. Despite their importance and unique capacity to adapt to these extreme environments, little is known about the spatial scales on which the alpha- and beta-diversity of microbial communities vary at shallow vents, and how the geochemical habitat heterogeneity influences shallow vent biodiversity. Here for the first time we investigated the spatial scaling of microbial biodiversity patterns and their interconnectivity at geochemically diverse shallow vents on a global scale. This study presents data on the comparison of bacterial community structures on large (> 1000 km) and small (0.1 - 100 m) spatial scales as derived from ARISA and Illumina sequencing. Despite the fragmented global distribution of shallow hydrothermal vents, similarity of vent bacterial communities decreased with geographic distance, confirming the ubiquity of distance-decay relationship. Moreover, at all investigated vents, pH was the main factor locally structuring these communities, while temperature influenced both the alpha- and beta-diversity.

Potent and specific inhibition of glycosidases by small artificial binding proteins (affitins).

Science.gov (United States)

Correa, Agustín; Pacheco, Sabino; Mechaly, Ariel E; Obal, Gonzalo; Béhar, Ghislaine; Mouratou, Barbara; Oppezzo, Pablo; Alzari, Pedro M; Pecorari, Frédéric

2014-01-01

Glycosidases are associated with various human diseases. The development of efficient and specific inhibitors may provide powerful tools to modulate their activity. However, achieving high selectivity is a major challenge given that glycosidases with different functions can have similar enzymatic mechanisms and active-site architectures. As an alternative approach to small-chemical compounds, proteinaceous inhibitors might provide a better specificity by involving a larger surface area of interaction. We report here the design and characterization of proteinaceous inhibitors that specifically target endoglycosidases representative of the two major mechanistic classes; retaining and inverting glycosidases. These inhibitors consist of artificial affinity proteins, Affitins, selected against the thermophilic CelD from Clostridium thermocellum and lysozyme from hen egg. They were obtained from libraries of Sac7d variants, which involve either the randomization of a surface or the randomization of a surface and an artificially-extended loop. Glycosidase binders exhibited affinities in the nanomolar range with no cross-recognition, with efficient inhibition of lysozyme (Ki = 45 nM) and CelD (Ki = 95 and 111 nM), high expression yields in Escherichia coli, solubility, and thermal stabilities up to 81.1°C. The crystal structures of glycosidase-Affitin complexes validate our library designs. We observed that Affitins prevented substrate access by two modes of binding; covering or penetrating the catalytic site via the extended loop. In addition, Affitins formed salt-bridges with residues essential for enzymatic activity. These results lead us to propose the use of Affitins as versatile selective glycosidase inhibitors and, potentially, as enzymatic inhibitors in general.

Potent and specific inhibition of glycosidases by small artificial binding proteins (affitins.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agustín Correa

Full Text Available Glycosidases are associated with various human diseases. The development of efficient and specific inhibitors may provide powerful tools to modulate their activity. However, achieving high selectivity is a major challenge given that glycosidases with different functions can have similar enzymatic mechanisms and active-site architectures. As an alternative approach to small-chemical compounds, proteinaceous inhibitors might provide a better specificity by involving a larger surface area of interaction. We report here the design and characterization of proteinaceous inhibitors that specifically target endoglycosidases representative of the two major mechanistic classes; retaining and inverting glycosidases. These inhibitors consist of artificial affinity proteins, Affitins, selected against the thermophilic CelD from Clostridium thermocellum and lysozyme from hen egg. They were obtained from libraries of Sac7d variants, which involve either the randomization of a surface or the randomization of a surface and an artificially-extended loop. Glycosidase binders exhibited affinities in the nanomolar range with no cross-recognition, with efficient inhibition of lysozyme (Ki = 45 nM and CelD (Ki = 95 and 111 nM, high expression yields in Escherichia coli, solubility, and thermal stabilities up to 81.1°C. The crystal structures of glycosidase-Affitin complexes validate our library designs. We observed that Affitins prevented substrate access by two modes of binding; covering or penetrating the catalytic site via the extended loop. In addition, Affitins formed salt-bridges with residues essential for enzymatic activity. These results lead us to propose the use of Affitins as versatile selective glycosidase inhibitors and, potentially, as enzymatic inhibitors in general.

Carbonate Production by Benthic Communities on Shallow Coralgal Reefs of Abrolhos Bank, Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Reis, Vanessa Moura Dos; Karez, Cláudia Santiago; Mariath, Rodrigo; de Moraes, Fernando Coreixas; de Carvalho, Rodrigo Tomazetto; Brasileiro, Poliana Silva; Bahia, Ricardo da Gama; Lotufo, Tito Monteiro da Cruz; Ramalho, Laís Vieira; de Moura, Rodrigo Leão; Francini-Filho, Ronaldo Bastos; Pereira-Filho, Guilherme Henrique; Thompson, Fabiano Lopes; Bastos, Alex Cardoso; Salgado, Leonardo Tavares; Amado-Filho, Gilberto Menezes

2016-01-01

The abundance of reef builders, non-builders and the calcium carbonate produced by communities established in Calcification Accretion Units (CAUs) were determined in three Abrolhos Bank shallow reefs during the period from 2012 to 2014. In addition, the seawater temperature, the irradiance, and the amount and composition of the sediments were determined. The inner and outer reef arcs were compared. CAUs located on the inner reef shelf were under the influence of terrigenous sediments. On the outer reefs, the sediments were composed primarily of marine biogenic carbonates. The mean carbonate production in shallow reefs of Abrolhos was 579 ± 98 g m-2 y-1. The builder community was dominated by crustose coralline algae, while the non-builder community was dominated by turf. A marine heat wave was detected during the summer of 2013-2014, and the number of consecutive days with a temperature above or below the summer mean was positively correlated with the turf cover increase. The mean carbonate production of the shallow reefs of Abrolhos Bank was greater than the estimated carbonate production measured for artificial structures on several other shallow reefs of the world. The calcimass was higher than the non-calcareous mass, suggesting that the Abrolhos reefs are still in a positive carbonate production balance. Given that marine heat waves produce an increase of turf cover on the shallow reefs of the Abrolhos, a decrease in the cover represented by reef builders and shifting carbonate production are expected in the near future.

Decision based on big data research for non-small cell lung cancer in medical artificial system in developing country.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jia; Tan, Yanlin; Chen, Zhigang; Zhao, Ming

2018-06-01

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a high risk cancer and is usually scanned by PET-CT for testing, predicting and then give the treatment methods. However, in the actual hospital system, at least 640 images must be generated for each patient through PET-CT scanning. Especially in developing countries, a huge number of patients in NSCLC are attended by doctors. Artificial system can predict and make decision rapidly. According to explore and research artificial medical system, the selection of artificial observations also can result in low work efficiency for doctors. In this study, data information of 2,789,675 patients in three hospitals in China are collected, compiled, and used as the research basis; these data are obtained through image acquisition and diagnostic parameter machine decision-making method on the basis of the machine diagnosis and medical system design model of adjuvant therapy. By combining image and diagnostic parameters, the machine decision diagnosis auxiliary algorithm is established. Experimental result shows that the accuracy has reached 77% in NSCLC. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

SMALL ROV MARINE BOAT FOR BATHYMETRY SURVEYS OF SHALLOW WATERS – POTENTIAL IMPLEMENTATION IN MALAYSIA

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K. T. Suhari

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Current practices in bathymetry survey (available method are indeed having some limitations. New technologies for bathymetry survey such as using unmanned boat has becoming popular in developed countries - filled in and served those limitations of existing survey methods. Malaysia as one of tropical country has it own river/water body characteristics and suitable approaches in conducting bathymetry survey. Thus, a study on this emerging technology should be conducted using enhanced version of small ROV boat with Malaysian rivers and best approaches so that the surveyors get benefits from the innovative surveying product. Among the available ROV boat for bathymetry surveying in the market, an Indonesian product called SHUMOO is among the promising products – economically and practically proven using a few sample areas in Indonesia. The boat was equipped and integrated with systems of remote sensing technology, GNSS, echo sounder and navigational engine. It was designed for riverbed surveys on shallow area such as small /medium river, lakes, reservoirs, oxidation/detention pond and other water bodies. This paper tries to highlight the needs and enhancement offered to Malaysian’ bathymetry surveyors/practitioners on the new ROV boat which make their task easier, faster, safer, economically effective and better riverbed modelling results. The discussion continues with a sample of Indonesia river (data collection and modelling since it is mostly similar to Malaysia’s river characteristics and suggests some improvement for Malaysia best practice.

Contrasting magmatic structures between small plutons and batholiths emplaced at shallow crustal level (Sierras de Córdoba, Argentina)

Science.gov (United States)

Pinotti, Lucio P.; D'Eramo, Fernando J.; Weinberg, Roberto F.; Demartis, Manuel; Tubía, José María; Coniglio, Jorge E.; Radice, Stefania; Maffini, M. Natalia; Aragón, Eugenio

2016-11-01

Processes like injection, magma flow and differentiation and influence of the regional strain field are here described and contrasted to shed light on their role in the formation of small plutons and large batholiths their magmatic structures. The final geometric and compositional arrangement of magma bodies are a complex record of their construction and internal flow history. Magma injection, flow and differentiation, as well as regional stresses, all control the internal nature of magma bodies. Large magma bodies emplaced at shallow crustal levels result from the intrusion of multiple magma batches that interact in a variety of ways, depending on internal and external dynamics, and where the early magmatic, growth-related structures are commonly overprinted by subsequent history. In contrast, small plutons emplaced in the brittle-ductile transition more likely preserve growth-related structures, having a relatively simple cooling history and limited internal magma flow. Outcrop-scale magmatic structures in both cases record a rich set of complementary information that can help elucidate their evolution. Large and small granitic bodies of the Sierra Pampeanas preserve excellent exposures of magmatic structures that formed as magmas stepped through different rheological states during pluton growth and solidification. These structures reveal not only the flow pattern inside magma chambers, but also the rheological evolution of magmas in response to temperature evolution.

Carbonate Production by Benthic Communities on Shallow Coralgal Reefs of Abrolhos Bank, Brazil.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vanessa Moura Dos Reis

Full Text Available The abundance of reef builders, non-builders and the calcium carbonate produced by communities established in Calcification Accretion Units (CAUs were determined in three Abrolhos Bank shallow reefs during the period from 2012 to 2014. In addition, the seawater temperature, the irradiance, and the amount and composition of the sediments were determined. The inner and outer reef arcs were compared. CAUs located on the inner reef shelf were under the influence of terrigenous sediments. On the outer reefs, the sediments were composed primarily of marine biogenic carbonates. The mean carbonate production in shallow reefs of Abrolhos was 579 ± 98 g m-2 y-1. The builder community was dominated by crustose coralline algae, while the non-builder community was dominated by turf. A marine heat wave was detected during the summer of 2013-2014, and the number of consecutive days with a temperature above or below the summer mean was positively correlated with the turf cover increase. The mean carbonate production of the shallow reefs of Abrolhos Bank was greater than the estimated carbonate production measured for artificial structures on several other shallow reefs of the world. The calcimass was higher than the non-calcareous mass, suggesting that the Abrolhos reefs are still in a positive carbonate production balance. Given that marine heat waves produce an increase of turf cover on the shallow reefs of the Abrolhos, a decrease in the cover represented by reef builders and shifting carbonate production are expected in the near future.

Use of a parallel artificial membrane system to evaluate passive absorption and elimination in small fish.

Science.gov (United States)

Kwon, Jung-Hwan; Katz, Lynn E; Liljestrand, Howard M

2006-12-01

A parallel artificial lipid membrane system was developed to mimic passive mass transfer of hydrophobic organic chemicals in fish. In this physical model system, a membrane filter-supported lipid bilayer separates two aqueous phases that represent the external and internal aqueous environments of fish. To predict bioconcentration kinetics in small fish with this system, literature absorption and elimination rates were analyzed with an allometric diffusion model to quantify the mass transfer resistances in the aqueous and lipid phases of fish. The effect of the aqueous phase mass transfer resistance was controlled by adjusting stirring intensity to mimic bioconcentration rates in small fish. Twenty-three simple aromatic hydrocarbons were chosen as model compounds for purposes of evaluation. For most of the selected chemicals, literature absorption/elimination rates fall into the range predicted from measured membrane permeabilities and elimination rates of the selected chemicals determined by the diffusion model system.

Effect of substrate on periphyton communities and relationships among food web components in shallow hypertrophic lake

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Tomasz Mieczan

2012-07-01

Full Text Available We studied the role of natural (common reed and artificial substrata (bamboo in structuring the abundance and taxonomic composition of periphyton assemblages. Investigations were conducted in a shallow, hypertrophic lake situated in the area of Polesie Lubelskie (Eastern Poland. Periphyton communities (algae, ciliates, small metazoa and chironomids on both types of substratum were sampled monthly, from May to November of 2007. Water samples for chemical analysis were collected together with biological samples. We selected the group of ten environmental variables which are the most important in determining the habitat conditions in highly eutrophic lakes: temperature, Secchi disc visibility, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, periphytic chlorophyll-a, N-NO3, N-NH4, TP, P-PO4 and total organic carbon (TOC. The abundances of periphytic algae, ciliates, metazoa and chironomids were significantly affected by season and substrate. On natural substrata, in all studied months, periphyton communities showed higher abundances. The results of PCA analysis confirmed the distinction between periphyton communities on natural and artificial substrata. The Monte Carlo permutation test showed that the periphyton communities on common reed were the most significantly affected by temperature, N-NO3, Secchi disc visibility and TOC. The communities on artificial substrata were significantly influenced by temperature, P-PO4 and TOC. On natural substrata biomass of periphytic algae was significantly negatively correlated with abundances of all groups of potential grazers (ciliates, metazoa, chironomids. On artificial substrata the relations between components of periphytic food web were stronger; correlation coefficients between algae, protists and chironomids were significant at P<0.01. The results of analysis indicate that periphytic algae can play an important role as food source for higher trophic levels. These interactions are less significant on natural (reed

Artificial organ engineering

CERN Document Server

Annesini, Maria Cristina; Piemonte, Vincenzo; Turchetti, Luca

2017-01-01

Artificial organs may be considered as small-scale process plants, in which heat, mass and momentum transfer operations and, possibly, chemical transformations are carried out. This book proposes a novel analysis of artificial organs based on the typical bottom-up approach used in process engineering. Starting from a description of the fundamental physico-chemical phenomena involved in the process, the whole system is rebuilt as an interconnected ensemble of elemental unit operations. Each artificial organ is presented with a short introduction provided by expert clinicians. Devices commonly used in clinical practice are reviewed and their performance is assessed and compared by using a mathematical model based approach. Whilst mathematical modelling is a fundamental tool for quantitative descriptions of clinical devices, models are kept simple to remain focused on the essential features of each process. Postgraduate students and researchers in the field of chemical and biomedical engineering will find that t...

Food Web Responses to Artificial Mixing in a Small Boreal Lake

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Lauri Arvola

2017-07-01

Full Text Available In order to simulate food web responses of small boreal lakes to changes in thermal stratification due to global warming, a 4 year whole-lake manipulation experiment was performed. Within that time, period lake mixing was intensified artificially during two successive summers. Complementary data from a nearby lake of similar size and basic water chemistry were used as a reference. Phytoplankton biomass and chlorophyll a did not respond to the greater mixing depth but an increase was observed in the proportional abundance of diatoms, and the proportional abundance of cryptophytes also increased immediately after the onset of mixing. Obligate anoxic green sulphur bacteria vanished at the onset of mixing but gradually recovered after re-establishment of hypolimnetic anoxic conditions. No major effect on crustacean zooplankton was found, but their diversity increased in the metalimnion. During the mixing, the density of rotifers declined but protozoan density increased in the hypolimnion. Littoral benthic invertebrate density increased during the mixing due to Ephemeroptera, Asellus aquaticus and Chironomidae, whereas the density of Chaoborus larvae declined during mixing and lower densities were still recorded one year after the treatment. No structural changes in fish community were found although gillnet catches increased after the onset of the study. The early growth of perch (Perca fluviatilis increased compared to the years before the mixing and in comparison to the reference lake, suggesting improved food availability in the experimental lake. Although several food web responses to the greater mixing depth were found, their persistence and ecological significance were strongly dependent on the extent of the disturbance. To better understand the impacts of wind stress on small lakes, long term whole-lake experiments are needed.

Criteria and evaluation of shallow land burial sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chandra, U.

1986-01-01

The criteria for shallow ground disposal of radioactive wastes as developed by Nuclear Regulatory Commission-US and International Atomic Energy Agency are discussed. Emphasis has been given to: elaboration of various basic components of a national Strategy for radioactive waste disposal; development of technical requirements; environmental standards, consensus among scientific community and public confidence. Aspects of site selection, evaluation/characterization and site suitability are dealt with. Some results of characterization of a site for tempory storage of low level solid radioactive wastes in Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares-IPEN-CNEN/Sao Paulo are described. The methods used for hydrological characterization include use of artificial tritium for unsaturated zone and radioactive tracers like I-131, Cr 51 Cl 3 , Cr 51 EDTA, Br 82 for the saturated zone. (Author) [pt

Criteria and evaluation of shallow land burial sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chandra, U.

1987-01-01

The criteria for shallow ground disposal of radioactive wastes as developed by Nuclear Regulatory Comission-US and International Atomic Energy Agency are discussed. Emphasis has been given to: elaboration of various basic components of a national strategy for radioactive waste disposal; development of technical requirements; environmental standards, consensus among scientific community and public confidence. Aspects of site selection, evaluation/characterization and site suitability are dealt with. Some results of characterization of a site for temporary storage of low level solid radioactive wastes in Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN - CNEN/Sao Paulo are described. The methods used for hydrological characterization include use of artificial tritium for unsaturated zone and radioactive tracers like I - 131, Cr 51 Cl 3 , Cr 51 EDTA, Br 82 for the saturated zone. (Author) [pt

Sentence Processing in an Artificial Language: Learning and Using Combinatorial Constraints

Science.gov (United States)

Amato, Michael S.; MacDonald, Maryellen C.

2010-01-01

A study combining artificial grammar and sentence comprehension methods investigated the learning and online use of probabilistic, nonadjacent combinatorial constraints. Participants learned a small artificial language describing cartoon monsters acting on objects. Self-paced reading of sentences in the artificial language revealed comprehenders'…

A DISTRIBUTED SMART HOME ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEM

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lynggaard, Per

2013-01-01

A majority of the research performed today explore artificial intelligence in smart homes by using a centralized approach where a smart home server performs the necessary calculations. This approach has some disadvantages that can be overcome by shifting focus to a distributed approach where...... the artificial intelligence system is implemented as distributed as agents running parts of the artificial intelligence system. This paper presents a distributed smart home architecture that distributes artificial intelligence in smart homes and discusses the pros and cons of such a concept. The presented...... distributed model is a layered model. Each layer offers a different complexity level of the embedded distributed artificial intelligence. At the lowest layer smart objects exists, they are small cheap embedded microcontroller based smart devices that are powered by batteries. The next layer contains a more...

Acoustic MIMO communications in a very shallow water channel

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Yuehai; Cao, Xiuling; Tong, Feng

2015-12-01

Underwater acoustic channels pose significant difficulty for the development of high speed communication due to highly limited band-width as well as hostile multipath interference. Enlightened by rapid progress of multiple input multiple output (MIMO) technologies in wireless communication scenarios, MIMO systems offer a potential solution by enabling multiple spatially parallel communication channels to improve communication performance as well as capacity. For MIMO acoustic communications, deep sea channels offer substantial spatial diversity among multiple channels that can be exploited to address simultaneous multipath and co-channel interference. At the same time, there are increasing requirements for high speed underwater communication in very shallow water area (for example, a depth less than 10 m). In this paper, a space-time multichannel adaptive receiver consisting of multiple decision feedback equalizers (DFE) is adopted as the receiver for a very shallow water MIMO acoustic communication system. The performance of multichannel DFE receivers with relatively small number of receiving elements are analyzed and compared with that of the multichannel time reversal receiver to evaluate the impact of limited spatial diversity on multi-channel equalization and time reversal processing. The results of sea trials in a very shallow water channel are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of very shallow water MIMO acoustic communication.

Reducing organic contamination of shallow areas in brackish lagoons during rearing fish in cages in polyculture

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P. Shekk

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Purpose. The development of the technology of the controlled rearing of marine fish remains one of the priority strategic trends of development of national mariculture. A study of the possibility of using polyculture for cage culture has a particular interest. Joint cultivation of several species of fish in the same cage, as practice of fish farming has demonstrated, does not have a tangible positive effect. At the same time, the use of cages of special design can provide significant additional fish products through the use of additional aquaculture objects. The ecological state of water areas, where the cages are located, is of great importance. High fish stocking density and the use of artificial feeds can serve as a source of powerful biogenic and organic pollution, which is especially important for shallow water areas with weak water exchange. The purpose of the study is to develop the methods for joint fish production in cage mariculture capable to provide high fish production and to weaken organic pollution of shallow water areas where cage farms are located. Methodology. The studies were conducted in 1999 and 2004. Cages of special design (internal 10 m3 and external 18.75 m3 installed in the brackish Shabolat Lagoon were used for rearing, steelhead trout, haarder, grass goby and round goby in polyculture. The standard aquaculture research methods were used. For express-analysis of environment hydrochemical parameters in cage location area the following devices were used: "ECOTEST-2000 T" (О2, NO2, NO3, NH4, CO2, phosphates, pH; termooksimetr "АJА-101М" (Т; О2; "pH meter-150 M; Refractometer "ATAGO-100" (salinity and water density. Findings. The results of marine fish cultivation in cages in polyculture in the shallow Shabolat lagoon are presented. It has been shown that joint cultivation of salmon, mullet and gobies in specially designed cages in shallow marine lagoons allows using artificial and natural feeds more fully and

Shallow Lunar Seismic Activity and the Current Stress State of the Moon

Science.gov (United States)

Watters, Thomas R.; Weber, Renee C.; Collins, Geoffrey C.; Johnson, Catherine L.

2017-01-01

A vast, global network of more than 3200 lobate thrust fault scarps has been revealed in high resolution Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) images. The fault scarps are very young, less than 50 Ma, based on their small scale and crisp appearance, crosscutting relations with small-diameter impact craters, and rates of infilling of associated small, shallow graben and may be actively forming today. The population of young thrust fault scarps provides a window into the recent stress state of the Moon and offers insight into the origin of global lunar stresses. The distribution of orientations of the fault scarps is non-random, inconsistent with isotropic stresses from late-stage global contraction as the sole source of stress. Modeling shows that tidal stresses contribute significantly to the current stress state of the lunar crust. Tidal stresses (orbital recession and diurnal tides) superimposed on stresses from global contraction result in non-isotropic compressional stress and may produce thrust faults consistent with lobate scarp orientations. At any particular point on the lunar surface, peak compressive stress will be reached at a certain time in the diurnal cycle. Coseismic slip events on currently active thrust faults are expected to be triggered when peak stresses are reached. Analysis of the timing of the 28 the shallow moonquakes recorded by the Apollo seismic network shows that 19 indeed occur when the Moon is closer to apogee, while only 9 shallow events occur when the Moon is closer to perigee. Here we report efforts to refine the model for the current stress state of the Moon by investigating the contribution of polar wander. Progress on relocating the epicentral locations of the shallow moonquakes using an algorithm designed for sparse networks is also reported.

De Novo Design of Bioactive Small Molecules by Artificial Intelligence.

Science.gov (United States)

Merk, Daniel; Friedrich, Lukas; Grisoni, Francesca; Schneider, Gisbert

2018-01-01

Generative artificial intelligence offers a fresh view on molecular design. We present the first-time prospective application of a deep learning model for designing new druglike compounds with desired activities. For this purpose, we trained a recurrent neural network to capture the constitution of a large set of known bioactive compounds represented as SMILES strings. By transfer learning, this general model was fine-tuned on recognizing retinoid X and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor agonists. We synthesized five top-ranking compounds designed by the generative model. Four of the compounds revealed nanomolar to low-micromolar receptor modulatory activity in cell-based assays. Apparently, the computational model intrinsically captured relevant chemical and biological knowledge without the need for explicit rules. The results of this study advocate generative artificial intelligence for prospective de novo molecular design, and demonstrate the potential of these methods for future medicinal chemistry. © 2018 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE- BENEFITS, CHALLENGES AND ETHICAL ISSUES

OpenAIRE

Elena Juganaru Andreou

2017-01-01

Nowadays, all big companies and most of small businesses are focused on increasing profitability and improving competitiveness. With this goal in mind, many of them turned to replace many tasks performed by humans with Artificial Intelligence. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is receiving an increasing attention lately and the debate is fiercely growing with a question not being answered yet: will it change the world for the better or for worse?

Artificial heart

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1984-10-18

Super-pure plutonium-238 could use heat produced during fission to power an implanted artificial heart. Three model hearts have worked for some time. Concern that excess heat would make the procedure unsafe for humans has broadened the search for another energy source, such as electrohydraulic drive or an external power battery. A back pack approach may provide an interim solution until materials are developed which can withstand heart activity and be small enough for implantation.

Analysis of spurious oscillation modes for the shallow water and Navier-Stokes equations

Science.gov (United States)

Walters, R.A.; Carey, G.F.

1983-01-01

The origin and nature of spurious oscillation modes that appear in mixed finite element methods are examined. In particular, the shallow water equations are considered and a modal analysis for the one-dimensional problem is developed. From the resulting dispersion relations we find that the spurious modes in elevation are associated with zero frequency and large wave number (wavelengths of the order of the nodal spacing) and consequently are zero-velocity modes. The spurious modal behavior is the result of the finite spatial discretization. By means of an artificial compressibility and limiting argument we are able to resolve the similar problem for the Navier-Stokes equations. The relationship of this simpler analysis to alternative consistency arguments is explained. This modal approach provides an explanation of the phenomenon in question and permits us to deduce the cause of the very complex behavior of spurious modes observed in numerical experiments with the shallow water equations and Navier-Stokes equations. Furthermore, this analysis is not limited to finite element formulations, but is also applicable to finite difference formulations. ?? 1983.

Unravelling the nocturnal appearance of bogue Boops boops shoals in the anthropogenically modified shallow littoral.

Science.gov (United States)

Mavraki, N; Georgiadis, M; Koutsikopoulos, C; Tzanatos, E

2016-05-01

In the present study the role of the nocturnal migration of bogue Boops boops shoals to anthropogenically modified shallow littoral locations was examined, evaluating four alternative hypotheses: (1) feeding, (2) reproduction, (3) attraction of B. boops to artificial light and (4) concealment in the darkness related to predation avoidance. All hypotheses apart from predation avoidance were rejected, as B. boops tended to concentrate in shaded locations of wider illuminated areas, a finding not only important concerning fish behaviour, but also with significant management implications. © 2016 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Shallow layer modelling of dense gas clouds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ott, S.; Nielsen, M.

1996-11-01

The motivation for making shallow layer models is that they can deal with the dynamics of gravity driven flow in complex terrain at a modest computational cost compared to 3d codes. The main disadvantage is that the air-cloud interactions still have to be added `by hand`, where 3d models inherit the correct dynamics from the fundamental equations. The properties of the inviscid shallow water equations are discussed, focusing on existence and uniqueness of solutions. It is demonstrated that breaking waves and fronts pose severe problems, that can only be overcome if the hydrostatic approximation is given up and internal friction is added to the model. A set of layer integrated equations is derived starting from the Navier-Stokes equations. The various steps in the derivation are accompanied by plausibility arguments. These form the scientific basis of the model. The principle of least action is introduced as a means of generating consistent models, and as a tool for making discrete equations for numerical models, which automatically obey conservation laws. A numerical model called SLAM (Shallow LAyer Model) is presented. SLAM has some distinct features compared to other shallow layer models: A Lagrangian, moving grid; Explicit account for the turbulent kinetic energy budget; The entrainment rate is estimated on the basis of the local turbulent kinetic energy; Non-hydrostatic pressure; and Numerical methods respect conservation laws even for coarse grids. Thorney Island trial 8 is used as a reference case model tuning. The model reproduces the doughnut shape of the cloud and yield concentrations in reasonable agreement with observations, even when a small number of cells (e.g. 16) is used. It is concluded that lateral exchange of matter within the cloud caused by shear is important, and that the model should be improved on this point. (au) 16 ills., 38 refs.

Snorkelling and trampling in shallow-water fringing reefs: Risk assessment and proposed management strategy

Science.gov (United States)

Hannak, Judith S.; Kompatscher, Sarah; Stachowitsch, Michael; Herler, Jürgen

2011-01-01

Shallow reefs (reef flats tourism that includes swimmers, snorkellers and reef walkers but have largely been neglected in past studies. We selected a fringing reef along the lagoon of Dahab (Sinai, Egypt) as a model for a management strategy. Point-intercept line transects were used to determine substrate composition, coral community and condition, and the coral damage index (CDI) was applied. Approximately 84% of the coral colonies showed signs of damage such as breakage, partial mortality or algal overgrowth, especially affecting the most frequent coral genus Acropora. Questionnaires were used to determine the visitors’ socio-economic background and personal attitudes regarding snorkelling, SCUBA-diving and interest in visiting a prospective snorkelling trail. Experiencing nature (97%) was by far the strongest motivation, and interest in further education about reef ecology and skill training was high. Less experienced snorkellers and divers – the target group for further education and skill training – were those most prepared to financially support such a trail. We therefore recommend a guided underwater snorkelling trail and restricting recreational use to a less sensitive ‘ecotourism zone’ while protecting the shallow reef flat. Artificial structures can complete the trail and offer the opportunity to snorkel over deeper areas at unfavourable tide or wind conditions. This approach provides a strategy for the management and conservation of shallow-water reefs, which are facing increasing human impact here and elsewhere. PMID:21708420

In Defense of Artificial Replacement.

Science.gov (United States)

Shiller, Derek

2017-06-01

If it is within our power to provide a significantly better world for future generations at a comparatively small cost to ourselves, we have a strong moral reason to do so. One way of providing a significantly better world may involve replacing our species with something better. It is plausible that in the not-too-distant future, we will be able to create artificially intelligent creatures with whatever physical and psychological traits we choose. Granted this assumption, it is argued that we should engineer our extinction so that our planet's resources can be devoted to making artificial creatures with better lives. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Limitations of shallow nets approximation.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Shao-Bo

2017-10-01

In this paper, we aim at analyzing the approximation abilities of shallow networks in reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces (RKHSs). We prove that there is a probability measure such that the achievable lower bound for approximating by shallow nets can be realized for all functions in balls of reproducing kernel Hilbert space with high probability, which is different with the classical minimax approximation error estimates. This result together with the existing approximation results for deep nets shows the limitations for shallow nets and provides a theoretical explanation on why deep nets perform better than shallow nets. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Processing of hazardous material, or damage treatment method for shallow layer underground storage structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ito, Hiroshi; Sakaguchi, Takehiko; Nishioka, Yoshihiro.

1997-01-01

In radioactive waste processing facilities and shallow layer underground structures for processing hazardous materials, sheet piles having freezing pipes at the joint portions are spiked into soils at the periphery of a damaged portion of the shallow layer underground structure for processing or storing hazardous materials. Liquid nitrogen is injected to the freezing pipes to freeze the joint portions of adjacent sheet piles. With such procedures, continuous waterproof walls are formed surrounding the soils at the peripheries of the damaged portion. Further, freezing pipes are disposed in the surrounding soils, and liquid nitrogen is injected to freeze the soils. The frozen soils are removed, and artificial foundation materials are filled in the space except for the peripheries of the damaged portion after the removal thereof, and liquid suspension is filled in the peripheries of the damaged portion, and restoration steps for closing the damaged portion are applied. Then, the peripheries of the damaged portion are buried again. With such procedures, series of treatments for removing contaminated soils and repairing a damaged portion can be conducted efficiently at a low cost. (T.M.)

Fundamentals of Shallow Water Acoustics

CERN Document Server

Katsnelson, Boris; Lynch, James

2012-01-01

Shallow water acoustics (SWA), the study of how low and medium frequency sound propagates and scatters on the continental shelves of the world's oceans, has both technical interest and a large number of practical applications. Technically, shallow water poses an interesting medium for the study of acoustic scattering, inverse theory, and propagation physics in a complicated oceanic waveguide. Practically, shallow water acoustics has interest for geophysical exploration, marine mammal studies, and naval applications. Additionally, one notes the very interdisciplinary nature of shallow water acoustics, including acoustical physics, physical oceanography, marine geology, and marine biology. In this specialized volume, the authors, all of whom have extensive at-sea experience in U.S. and Russian research efforts, have tried to summarize the main experimental, theoretical, and computational results in shallow water acoustics, with an emphasis on providing physical insight into the topics presented.

Porphyrin and fullerene-based artificial photosynthetic materials for photovoltaics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Imahori, Hiroshi; Kashiwagi, Yukiyasu; Hasobe, Taku; Kimura, Makoto; Hanada, Takeshi; Nishimura, Yoshinobu; Yamazaki, Iwao; Araki, Yasuyuki; Ito, Osamu; Fukuzumi, Shunichi

2004-01-01

We have developed artificial photosynthetic systems in which porphyrins and fullerenes are self-assembled as building blocks into nanostructured molecular light-harvesting materials and photovoltaic devices. Multistep electron transfer strategy has been combined with our finding that porphyrin and fullerene systems have small reorganization energies, which are suitable for the construction of light energy conversion systems as well as artificial photosynthetic models. Highly efficient photosynthetic electron transfer reactions have been realized at ITO electrodes modified with self-assembled monolayers of porphyrin oligomers as well as porphyrin-fullerene linked systems. Porphyrin-modified gold nanoclusters have been found to have potential as artificial photosynthetic materials. These results provide basic information for the development of nanostructured artificial photosynthetic systems

Combined effects of climate change and bank stabilization on shallow water habitats of chinook salmon.

Science.gov (United States)

Jorgensen, Jeffrey C; McClure, Michelle M; Sheer, Mindi B; Munn, Nancy L

2013-12-01

Significant challenges remain in the ability to estimate habitat change under the combined effects of natural variability, climate change, and human activity. We examined anticipated effects on shallow water over low-sloped beaches to these combined effects in the lower Willamette River, Oregon, an area highly altered by development. A proposal to stabilize some shoreline with large rocks (riprap) would alter shallow water areas, an important habitat for threatened Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), and would be subject to U.S. Endangered Species Act-mandated oversight. In the mainstem, subyearling Chinook salmon appear to preferentially occupy these areas, which fluctuate with river stages. We estimated effects with a geospatial model and projections of future river flows. Recent (1999-2009) median river stages during peak subyearling occupancy (April-June) maximized beach shallow water area in the lower mainstem. Upstream shallow water area was maximized at lower river stages than have occurred recently. Higher river stages in April-June, resulting from increased flows predicted for the 2080s, decreased beach shallow water area 17-32%. On the basis of projected 2080s flows, more than 15% of beach shallow water area was displaced by the riprap. Beach shallow water area lost to riprap represented up to 1.6% of the total from the mouth to 12.9 km upstream. Reductions in shallow water area could restrict salmon feeding, resting, and refuge from predators and potentially reduce opportunities for the expression of the full range of life-history strategies. Although climate change analyses provided useful information, detailed analyses are prohibitive at the project scale for the multitude of small projects reviewed annually. The benefits of our approach to resource managers include a wider geographic context for reviewing similar small projects in concert with climate change, an approach to analyze cumulative effects of similar actions, and estimation of the

Effects of small peptides, probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics on growth performance, digestive enzymes, and oxidative stress in orange-spotted grouper, Epinephelus coioides, juveniles reared in artificial seawater

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Tao; Cheng, Yongzhou; Chen, Xiaoyan; Liu, Zhaopu; Long, Xiaohua

2017-01-01

Aquaculture production efficiency may increase by using feed additives. This study investigated the effects of different dietary additives [w/w: 2% small peptides, 0.01% probiotics ( Bacillus licheniformis) and 0.2% prebiotics (inulin)] on growth performance, digestive enzyme activities, and oxidative stress in juvenile Epinephelus coioides reared in artificial seawater of two salt concentrations (13.5 vs. 28.5). Weight gain rate was significantly higher in fish fed the diet supplemented with small peptides, B. licheniformis, inulin, or synbiotics than that in fish fed the basal diet; the greatest weight gain rate was found in fish fed the small peptide treatment [56.0% higher than basal diet]. Higher feed efficiency was detected in fish fed the diet supplemented with small peptides than that of fish in the other dietary treatments. Total protease activity in the stomach and intestines was highest in fish fed the small peptide-treated diet, whereas lipase activity was highest in those fed synbiotics (combination of Bacillus licheniformis and inulin) than that in fish fed the other treatments. Antioxidant enzyme (total superoxide dismutase and catalase) activities and hepatic malondialdehyde content were higher in fish receiving the dietary supplements and maintained in artificial seawater containing 13.5 salinity compared with those in the control (28.5). Hepatic catalase activity in grouper fed the diets with small peptides or synbiotics decreased significantly compared with that in control fish. Overall, the three types of additives improved growth rate of juvenile grouper and digestive enzymes activities to varying degrees but did not effectively improve antioxidant capacity under low-salinity stress conditions.

3D seismic surveys for shallow targets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lawton, D.C.; Stewart, R.R.; Bertram, M.B. [Calgary Univ., AB (Canada). Dept. of Geoscience, Consortium for Research in Elastic Wave Exploration Seismology

2008-07-01

Although 3D seismic surveys are generally used to map deep hydrocarbon plays, this study demonstrated that they can be useful for characterizing shallow targets, such as oilsands deposits. A high-resolution 3D seismic survey was undertaken to map shallow stratigraphy near Calgary, Alberta. The project demonstrated the efficacy of reflection seismic surveys for shallow targets ranging from 100 to 500 metres. The purpose of the program was to map shallow stratigraphy and structure to depths of up to 500m, and to investigate shallow aquifers in the study area. The results of the survey illustrated the opportunity that 3D seismic surveys provide for mapping shallow reflectors and the acquisition geometry needed to image them. Applications include mapping the distribution of shallow aquifers, delineating shallow coals and investigating oilsands deposits. 2 refs., 5 figs.

Estimation of organ motion for gated PET imaging in small animal using artificial tumor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Woo, Sang Keun; Yu, Jung Woo; Lee, Yong Jin [Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2011-10-15

The image quality is lowered by reducing of contrast and signal due to breathing and heart motion when acquire Positron Emission Tomography (PET) image of small animal tumor. Therefore motion correction is required for betterment of quantitative estimation of tumor. The gated PET using external monitoring device is commonly used for motion correction. But that method has limitation by reason of detection from the outside. Therefore, we had devised the in-vivo motion assessment. In-vivo motion has been demonstrated in lung, liver and abdomen region of rats by coated molecular sieve. In PET image analysis, count and SNR were drawn in the target region. The motion compensation PET image for optimal gate number was confirmed by FWHM. Artificial motion evaluation of tumor using molecular sieve suggests possibility of motion correction modeling without external monitoring devices because it estimates real internal motion of lung, liver, and abdomen. The purpose of this study was to assess the optimal gates number for each region and to improve quantitative estimation of tumor

Carbon dioxide fixation by artificial photosynthesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ibusuki, Takashi; Koike, Kazuhide; Ishitani, Osamu [National Inst. for Resources and Environment, AIST, MITI, Tsukuba, Ibaraki (Japan)

1993-12-31

Green plants can absorb atmospheric CO{sub 2} and transform it to sugars, carbohydrates through their photosynthetic systems, but they become the source of CO{sub 2} when they are dead. This is the reason why artificial leaves which can be alive forever should be developed to meet with global warming due to the increase of CO{sub 2} concentration. The goal of artificial photosynthesis is not to construct the same system as the photosynthetic one, but to mimic the ability of green plants to utilize solar energy to make high energy chemicals. Needless to say, the artificial photosynthetic system is desired to be as simple as possible and to be as efficient as possible. From the knowledge on photosynthesis and the results of previous investigations, the critical components of artificial photosynthetic system are understood as follows: (1) light harvesting chromophore, (2) a center for electron transfer and charge separation, (3) catalytic sites for converting small molecules like water and CO{sub 2} (mutilelectron reactions) which are schematically described.

A New Small Drifter for Shallow Water Basins: Application to the Study of Surface Currents in the Muggia Bay (Italy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmelo Nasello

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A new small drifter prototype for measuring current immediately below the free surface in a water basin is proposed in this paper. The drifter dimensions make it useful for shallow water applications. The drifter transmits its GPS location via GSM phone network. The drifter was used to study the trajectory of the surface current in the Muggia bay, the latter containing the industrial harbor of the city of Trieste (Italy. The analysis has been carried out under a wide variety of wind conditions. As regards the behavior of the drifter, the analysis has shown that it is well suited to detect the water current since its motion is marginally affected by the wind. The study has allowed detecting the main features of the surface circulation within the Muggia bay under different meteorological conditions. Also, the study has shown that the trajectory of the surface current within the bay is weakly affected by the Coriolis force.

Contrasting impacts of light reduction on sediment biogeochemistry in deep- and shallow-water tropical seagrass assemblages (Green Island, Great Barrier Reef).

Science.gov (United States)

Schrameyer, Verena; York, Paul H; Chartrand, Kathryn; Ralph, Peter J; Kühl, Michael; Brodersen, Kasper Elgetti; Rasheed, Michael A

2018-05-01

Seagrass meadows increasingly face reduced light availability as a consequence of coastal development, eutrophication, and climate-driven increases in rainfall leading to turbidity plumes. We examined the impact of reduced light on above-ground seagrass biomass and sediment biogeochemistry in tropical shallow- (∼2 m) and deep-water (∼17 m) seagrass meadows (Green Island, Australia). Artificial shading (transmitting ∼10-25% of incident solar irradiance) was applied to the shallow- and deep-water sites for up to two weeks. While above-ground biomass was unchanged, higher diffusive O 2 uptake (DOU) rates, lower O 2 penetration depths, and higher volume-specific O 2 consumption (R) rates were found in seagrass-vegetated sediments as compared to adjacent bare sand (control) areas at the shallow-water sites. In contrast, deep-water sediment characteristics did not differ between bare sand and vegetated sites. At the vegetated shallow-water site, shading resulted in significantly lower hydrogen sulphide (H 2 S) levels in the sediment. No shading effects were found on sediment biogeochemistry at the deep-water site. Overall, our results show that the sediment biogeochemistry of shallow-water (Halodule uninervis, Syringodium isoetifolium, Cymodocea rotundata and C. serrulata) and deep-water (Halophila decipiens) seagrass meadows with different species differ in response to reduced light. The light-driven dynamics of the sediment biogeochemistry at the shallow-water site could suggest the presence of a microbial consortium, which might be stimulated by photosynthetically produced exudates from the seagrass, which becomes limited due to lower seagrass photosynthesis under shaded conditions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Extreme diel dissolved oxygen and carbon cycles in shallow vegetated lakes.

Science.gov (United States)

Andersen, Mikkel R; Kragh, Theis; Sand-Jensen, Kaj

2017-09-13

A common perception in limnology is that shallow lakes are homogeneously mixed owing to their small water volume. However, this perception is largely gained by downscaling knowledge from large lakes to their smaller counterparts. Here we show that shallow vegetated lakes (less than 0.6 m), in fact, undergo recurring daytime stratification and nocturnal mixing accompanied by extreme chemical variations during summer. Dense submerged vegetation effectively attenuates light and turbulence generating separation between warm surface waters and much colder bottom waters. Photosynthesis in surface waters produces oxygen accumulation and CO 2 depletion, whereas respiration in dark bottom waters causes anoxia and CO 2 accumulation. High daytime pH in surface waters promotes precipitation of CaCO 3 which is re-dissolved in bottom waters. Nocturnal convective mixing re-introduces oxygen into bottom waters for aerobic respiration and regenerated inorganic carbon into surface waters, which supports intense photosynthesis. Our results reconfigure the basic understanding of local environmental gradients in shallow lakes, one of the most abundant freshwater habitats globally. © 2017 The Author(s).

Law of Strata Pressure Behavior in Shallow Coal Seam

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Jian; Liu, Leibin; Zheng, Zhiyang

2018-02-01

The law of strata pressure behavior in shallow coal seam is analyzed, according to the load data of Jinjie Coal Mine 31109 working face hydraulic supports. The first weighting distance of main roof is 80 m, and the periodic weighting distance of main roof is about 20 m. And according to the load data in the middle and both ends of the working face, the working resistance of hydraulic supports and the setting load are a bit small, so they couldn’t meet the needs of supporting roof. Then, the front abutment pressure of working face is analyzed by numerical simulation. It does not only explain the reason that the load is too big, but also explains the reason that the strata pressure behavior in shallow coal seam is serious. The length of undamaged main roof rock beam verifies the correctness of the periodic weighting distance.

Comparison of concentrations of natural and artificial radionuclides in Plankton from French Polynesian and Australian coastal waters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poletiko, C.; Twining, J.R.; Jeffree, R.A.

1994-01-01

Zooplankton samples from French Polynesian and Australian coastal waters were analysed for natural and artificial radionuclides. Quality control was assured by correlating replicate analyses between three laboratories and by participation in an international intercomparison exercise. Pu239/240 was detected sporadically among samples from both regions, with the highest levels being more consistently found in Tuamotu-Gambier samples. The artificial radionuclides Cs-137, Cs-134, Sr-90 and Co-60 were not detected. Of the natural nuclides, Ac-228 was detected in shallow continental waters off Northern Australia and an inverse relationship (P<0.02) was established between plankton density and their Po-210 concentration. (authors). 2 figs., 2 tabs., 9 refs

Evaporite deposition in a shallow perennial lake, Qaidam basin, western China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schubel, K.A.; Lowenstein, T.K. (SUNY, Binghampton, NY (United States)); Spencer, R.J. (Univ. of Calgary, Alberta (Canada)); Pengxi, Z. (Institute of Salt Lakes, Xining (China))

1991-03-01

Evaporites accumulate in ephemeral saline-pans, shallow perennial lakes or lagoons, and deep perennial systems. Continuous brine trench exposures of Holocene evaporites from the Qaidam basin provide criteria for the recognition of shallow perennial lake sediments. Based on Landsat photographs, lateral extent of beds (at least 7 km), and sequence thicknesses (maximum 2.5 m), the paleolake is interpreted to have been less than 2.5 m deep and at least 120 km{sup 2} in area. Sediments consist of laminated siliciclastic mud overlain by mud-halite couplets (mm- to cm-scale layers), which represent one vertical shallowing- and concentrating-upwards sequence. The basal laminite marks the onset of deposition in this shallow perennial paleolake. Syndepositional halite textures and fabrics in the overlying mud-halite couplets include cumulates, rafts, and chevrons, draped by mud laminae, and halite layers truncated by horizontal dissolution surfaces (increasing in frequency upwards). Paleolake brines, determined from fluid inclusion melting temperatures, are Na-Mg-Cl-rich and evolve from 0.84 m Mg{sup 2} to 1.52 m Mg{sup 2+} (near the surface). Combinations of the following criteria may be used for the recognition of shallow, nonstratified, perennial lake sediments: lateral continuity of layers; muds undisrupted by subaerial exposure; vertical bottom-growth of halite; halite layers conformably overlain by mud; halite layers truncated by nonuniformly spaced horizontal dissolution surfaces; erosional scours and channels filled with cross-laminated gypsum, halite, and siliciclastic sand and mud; and salinity fluctuations over small stratigraphic intervals within an overall concentrating-upwards sequence.

Shallow End Response from ATEM

Science.gov (United States)

Vetrov, A.

2014-12-01

Different geological, hydrological, environmental and engineering targets are located shallow underground. The information collected with ATEM systems might be very useful for their study; although there are many deeper targets that the ATEM systems are traditionally used for. The idea to raise magnetic moment output and get deeper penetration response was one of the goals of ATEM systems development during the last decade. The shallow geology response was a trade for such systems, which sometimes were almost blind in the first hundred meter under surface. The possibility to achieve shallow end response from ATEM systems has become significant subject in last years. Several airborne TDEM systems got second higher frequency and lower magnetic moment signal to pick up shallow response together with deep one. Having a potential advantage such implementation raises complication and cost of the system. There's no need to receive 500 meter deep response when exploring shallow geology. P-THEM system having a compact size transmitter and relatively light weight is working on one base frequency at a time, but this frequency can be preset before a flight considering survey goals. A study of shallow geology response of the P-THEM system working on different base frequency has been conducted in 2014 in Ontario. The Alliston test area located in Southern Ontario has been flown with the P-THEM system working on base frequencies 30Hz and 90Hz. Results of the observations will be discussed in the presentation. The shallow end data can be used for mineral exploration applications and also for hydrological and environmental studies.

Knowledge representation an approach to artificial intelligence

CERN Document Server

Bench-Capon, TJM

1990-01-01

Although many texts exist offering an introduction to artificial intelligence (AI), this book is unique in that it places an emphasis on knowledge representation (KR) concepts. It includes small-scale implementations in PROLOG to illustrate the major KR paradigms and their developments.****back cover copy:**Knowledge representation is at the heart of the artificial intelligence enterprise: anyone writing a program which seeks to work by encoding and manipulating knowledge needs to pay attention to the scheme whereby he will represent the knowledge, and to be aware of the consequences of the ch

Snorkelling and trampling in shallow-water fringing reefs: risk assessment and proposed management strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Hannak, Judith S; Kompatscher, Sarah; Stachowitsch, Michael; Herler, Jürgen

2011-10-01

Shallow reefs (reef flats impacted by growing tourism that includes swimmers, snorkellers and reef walkers but have largely been neglected in past studies. We selected a fringing reef along the lagoon of Dahab (Sinai, Egypt) as a model for a management strategy. Point-intercept line transects were used to determine substrate composition, coral community and condition, and the coral damage index (CDI) was applied. Approximately 84% of the coral colonies showed signs of damage such as breakage, partial mortality or algal overgrowth, especially affecting the most frequent coral genus Acropora. Questionnaires were used to determine the visitors' socio-economic background and personal attitudes regarding snorkelling, SCUBA-diving and interest in visiting a prospective snorkelling trail. Experiencing nature (97%) was by far the strongest motivation, and interest in further education about reef ecology and skill training was high. Less experienced snorkellers and divers--the target group for further education and skill training--were those most prepared to financially support such a trail. We therefore recommend a guided underwater snorkelling trail and restricting recreational use to a less sensitive 'ecotourism zone' while protecting the shallow reef flat. Artificial structures can complete the trail and offer the opportunity to snorkel over deeper areas at unfavourable tide or wind conditions. This approach provides a strategy for the management and conservation of shallow-water reefs, which are facing increasing human impact here and elsewhere. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Artificial Consciousness or Artificial Intelligence

OpenAIRE

Spanache Florin

2017-01-01

Artificial intelligence is a tool designed by people for the gratification of their own creative ego, so we can not confuse conscience with intelligence and not even intelligence in its human representation with conscience. They are all different concepts and they have different uses. Philosophically, there are differences between autonomous people and automatic artificial intelligence. This is the difference between intelligence and artificial intelligence, autonomous versus a...

Seismic Response of Tunnel Lining for Shallow-Bias Tunnel with a Small Clear Distance under Wenchuan Earthquake

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Hui

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In order to study the internal force characteristics of shallow-bias tunnel with a small clear distance in earthquake, a large-scale shaking table slope model test was designed, and the geometric scale was 1 : 10. In the model test, the Wenchuan (WC seismic wave was used as the excitation wave. Then, the three-dimensional numerical model was established by using MIDAS-NX, and the reliability of the numerical model was verified by comparing the acceleration of the test results. The axial force, bending moment, and shear force of the tunnel cross section and longitudinal direction were calculated by the numerical model under different excitation directions included the horizontal direction (X, the vertical direction (Z, and the horizontal and vertical direction (XZ. The results show the following. (1 The internal force of right arch foot of left hole and the left arch foot of right hole is larger than other part of the tunnels because the distance between the two tunnels is smaller and they interact with each other. (2 The loading direction of single direction loading method is different and the variation trend of tunnel force are different, so the loading direction of seismic wave has a significant influence on the seismic force response of the tunnel. (3 All of the internal force values of tunnel lining under the seismic wave action in bidirection are larger than those in single direction. The value is not a simple superposition of two directions and has some coupling effect. The influence of the vertical seismic wave cannot be ignored in dynamic response research. These results improve the understanding of the rock slope with small spacing tunnel under seismic action.

Spatial and temporal small-scale variation in groundwater quality of a shallow sandy aquifer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjerg, Poul Løgstrup; Christensen, Thomas Højlund

1992-01-01

The groundwater quality of a shallow unconfined sandy aquifer has been characterized for pH, alkalinity, chloride, nitrate, sulfate, calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium in terms of vertical and horizontal variations (350 groundwater samples). The test area is located within a farmland lot....... The geology of the area described on the basis of 31 sediment cores appears relatively homogeneous. Large vertical and horizontal variations were observed. The vertical variations are strongly affected by the deviating composition of the agricultural infiltration water. The horizontal variations show very...

Artificial climate experiment facility in Institute for Environmental Sciences

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hisamatsu, Shunichi [Department of Radioecology, Institute for Environmental Sciences, Rokkasho, Aomori (Japan)

1999-03-01

The Institute for Environmental Sciences is now constructing the artificial climate experiment facility (ACEF) to research the effect of climate on movement of elements in the various environments. The ACEF will have one large, and five small artificial climate experiment chambers. The large chamber is designed to simulate climate conditions in all Japan. It will equip systems to simulate sunshine, rainfall (including acid rain), snowfall and fog (including acid fog). `Yamase` condition will also be reproduced in it. Yamase is a Japanese term describing the characteristic weather condition occurring mainly on the Pacific Ocean side at the northern Japan. While the small chamber will not have rainfall, snowfall and fog systems, radioisotopes will be used in the two small chambers which will be set up in a radioisotope facility. We describe here the outline of the ACEF and the preliminary research programs being undertaken using both kinds of chambers. (author)

Artificial climate experiment facility in Institute for Environmental Sciences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hisamatsu, Shunichi

1999-01-01

The Institute for Environmental Sciences is now constructing the artificial climate experiment facility (ACEF) to research the effect of climate on movement of elements in the various environments. The ACEF will have one large, and five small artificial climate experiment chambers. The large chamber is designed to simulate climate conditions in all Japan. It will equip systems to simulate sunshine, rainfall (including acid rain), snowfall and fog (including acid fog). 'Yamase' condition will also be reproduced in it. Yamase is a Japanese term describing the characteristic weather condition occurring mainly on the Pacific Ocean side at the northern Japan. While the small chamber will not have rainfall, snowfall and fog systems, radioisotopes will be used in the two small chambers which will be set up in a radioisotope facility. We describe here the outline of the ACEF and the preliminary research programs being undertaken using both kinds of chambers. (author)

On the complexity of neural network classifiers: a comparison between shallow and deep architectures.

Science.gov (United States)

Bianchini, Monica; Scarselli, Franco

2014-08-01

Recently, researchers in the artificial neural network field have focused their attention on connectionist models composed by several hidden layers. In fact, experimental results and heuristic considerations suggest that deep architectures are more suitable than shallow ones for modern applications, facing very complex problems, e.g., vision and human language understanding. However, the actual theoretical results supporting such a claim are still few and incomplete. In this paper, we propose a new approach to study how the depth of feedforward neural networks impacts on their ability in implementing high complexity functions. First, a new measure based on topological concepts is introduced, aimed at evaluating the complexity of the function implemented by a neural network, used for classification purposes. Then, deep and shallow neural architectures with common sigmoidal activation functions are compared, by deriving upper and lower bounds on their complexity, and studying how the complexity depends on the number of hidden units and the used activation function. The obtained results seem to support the idea that deep networks actually implements functions of higher complexity, so that they are able, with the same number of resources, to address more difficult problems.

Shallow-Water Mud Acoustics

Science.gov (United States)

2015-09-30

1 DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. Shallow-Water Mud Acoustics William L. Siegmann...models and methods that explain observed material and acoustic properties of different physical types of shallow-ocean mud sediments. Other goals...are to assess prior data relating to the acoustic properties of mud and to provide guidance in the development and interpretation of experiments. A

Natural - synthetic - artificial!

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Peter E

2010-01-01

The terms "natural," "synthetic" and "artificial" are discussed in relation to synthetic and artificial chromosomes and genomes, synthetic and artificial cells and artificial life.......The terms "natural," "synthetic" and "artificial" are discussed in relation to synthetic and artificial chromosomes and genomes, synthetic and artificial cells and artificial life....

FECAL COLIFORM BACTERIA AND FACTORS RELATED TO ITS GROWTH AT THE SEKOTONG SHALLOW WELLS, WEST NUSA TENGGARA, INDONESIA

OpenAIRE

Doni Marisi Sinaga; Mark Gregory Robson; Beatrix Trikurnia Gasong; Adonia Getse Halel; Dian Pertiwi

2016-01-01

Background: The poor sanitation and small numbers of households who own toilet in Sekotong regency may relate to the diarrheal events due to the fecal coliform contamination in drinking water. Aim: This paper aims to provide the concentrations of fecal coliform bacteria in shallow well waters and the factors associated to its growth. Method: Fifteen groundwater samples were collected from 5 shallow wells to provide the concentrations of total fecal coliform bacteria (FC), mercury conce...

The impact of small benthic passive suspension feeders in shallow marine ecosystems: the hydroids as an example

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gili, J.-M.; Alvà, V.; Coma, R.; Orejas, C.; Pagès, F.; Ribes, M.; Zabala, M.; Arntz, W.; Bouillon, J.; Boero, F.; Hughes, R.G.

1998-01-01

Benthic suspension feeders are abundant in littoral and shallow sub-littoral ecosystems, where they feed on the plankton and on organic matter suspended in the water column. Recent studies indicate that active suspension feeders with powerful water filtration mechanisms (e.g., bivalve molluscs) may

A passive exoskeleton with artificial tendons: design and experimental evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

van Dijk, Wietse; van der Kooij, Herman; Hekman, Edsko

2011-01-01

We developed a passive exoskeleton that was designed to minimize joint work during walking. The exoskeleton makes use of passive structures, called artificial tendons, acting in parallel with the leg. Artificial tendons are elastic elements that are able to store and redistribute energy over the human leg joints. The elastic characteristics of the tendons have been optimized to minimize the mechanical work of the human leg joints. In simulation the maximal reduction was 40 percent. The performance of the exoskeleton was evaluated in an experiment in which nine subjects participated. Energy expenditure and muscle activation were measured during three conditions: Normal walking, walking with the exoskeleton without artificial tendons, and walking with the exoskeleton with the artificial tendons. Normal walking was the most energy efficient. While walking with the exoskeleton, the artificial tendons only resulted in a negligibly small decrease in energy expenditure. © 2011 IEEE

Electron spin exchange of shallow donor muonium states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Senba, Masayoshi

2005-01-01

Shallow donor muonium states with small hyperfine frequencies, recently observed in II-VI semiconductor compounds, have a number of unique features that present both opportunities and challenges in understanding muon spin dynamics in the presence of Heisenberg spin exchange. First, the shallow muonium state in CdSe with hyperfine frequency ω 0 /2π ∼ 0.1 MHz is already in the high field regime even in the earth's magnetic field, where only two precession frequencies are observable by the muon spin rotation (μSR) technique. Second, unlike in the case of more conventional muonium species with a larger hyperfine frequency, the μSR signal of shallow muonium states can be observed even in the transition region, between the slow spin-flip regime and the fast spin-flip regime, where the spin-flip rate and the hyperfine frequency are comparable. The muon spin dynamics in the transition region has not been theoretically explored previously, mainly because normal muonium in vacuum gives no observable signal in this region. Third, in the case of shallow muonium states, the incoherent process defined to be those spin-flip collisions that cause changes in muon spin precession frequencies, becomes crucially important in the transition region, where the incoherent process is entirely negligible in more conventional muonium species. By taking incoherent multiple collisions into account, an analytical expression for the time evolution of the muon spin polarization in Mu is derived, where Mu undergoes repeated spin-flip collisions. Comparisons with Monte Carlo calculations show that the analytical expression obtained in this work can reliably be used to analyse experimental data for shallow donor states not only in the slow spin-flip regime, but also in the transition region up to the onset of the fast regime. The present work confirms a recent experimental finding that, in the transition region, the initial phases of the two precession components of shallow donor states

SHALLOW HABITATS IN TWO RHODE ISLAND SYSTEMS: II. PATTERNS OF SIZE, STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONAL GROUPS

Science.gov (United States)

We are examining habitats in small estuarine coves that may be important for the development of ecological indicators of integrity. We sampled nekton in Coggeshall Cove (shallow estuarine cove) in summer 1999 and 2000 and Ninigret Pond (coastal lagoon) in summer 2000. Coggeshall ...

Artificial neural network modelling

CERN Document Server

Samarasinghe, Sandhya

2016-01-01

This book covers theoretical aspects as well as recent innovative applications of Artificial Neural networks (ANNs) in natural, environmental, biological, social, industrial and automated systems. It presents recent results of ANNs in modelling small, large and complex systems under three categories, namely, 1) Networks, Structure Optimisation, Robustness and Stochasticity 2) Advances in Modelling Biological and Environmental Systems and 3) Advances in Modelling Social and Economic Systems. The book aims at serving undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers in ANN computational modelling. .

Effect of dissolution on the load–settlement behavior of shallow foundations

KAUST Repository

Cha, Minsu

2016-03-10

Mineral dissolution and solid-liquid phase change may cause settlement or affect the bearing capacity of shallow foundations. The effect of gradual grain dissolution on small-scale shallow foundation behavior is investigated using the discrete element method. Results show that dissolution is most detrimental during early stages, as initially contacting particles shrink and force chains must reform throughout the medium. Porosity tends to increase during dissolution and force chains evolve into strong localized forces with a honeycomb topology. Higher settlements are required to mobilize bearing resistance in postdissolution sediments than in pre-dissolution ones. Subsurface mineral dissolution beneath a footing under load is the worst condition; in fact, settlements in such cases are higher than when a foundation load is applied on a sediment that has already experienced dissolution. © the author(s) or their institution(s).

Effect of dissolution on the load–settlement behavior of shallow foundations

KAUST Repository

Cha, Minsu; Santamarina, Carlos

2016-01-01

Mineral dissolution and solid-liquid phase change may cause settlement or affect the bearing capacity of shallow foundations. The effect of gradual grain dissolution on small-scale shallow foundation behavior is investigated using the discrete element method. Results show that dissolution is most detrimental during early stages, as initially contacting particles shrink and force chains must reform throughout the medium. Porosity tends to increase during dissolution and force chains evolve into strong localized forces with a honeycomb topology. Higher settlements are required to mobilize bearing resistance in postdissolution sediments than in pre-dissolution ones. Subsurface mineral dissolution beneath a footing under load is the worst condition; in fact, settlements in such cases are higher than when a foundation load is applied on a sediment that has already experienced dissolution. © the author(s) or their institution(s).

Reproductive biology of the deep brooding coral Seriatopora hystrix: Implications for shallow reef recovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Prasetia, Rian; Sinniger, Frederic; Hashizume, Kaito; Harii, Saki

2017-01-01

Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs, between 30 and 150 m depth) are hypothesized to contribute to the recovery of degraded shallow reefs through sexually produced larvae (referred to as Deep Reef Refuge Hypothesis). In Okinawa, Japan, the brooder coral Seriatopora hystrix was reported to be locally extinct in a shallow reef while it was found abundant at a MCE nearby. In this context, S. hystrix represents a key model to test the Deep Reef Refuge Hypothesis and to understand the potential contribution of mesophotic corals to shallow coral reef recovery. However, the reproductive biology of mesophotic S. hystrix and its potential to recolonize shallow reefs is currently unknown. This study reports for the first time, different temporal scales of reproductive periodicity and larval settlement of S. hystrix from an upper mesophotic reef (40 m depth) in Okinawa. We examined reproductive seasonality, lunar, and circadian periodicity (based on polyp dissection, histology, and ex situ planula release observations) and larval settlement rates in the laboratory. Mesophotic S. hystrix reproduced mainly in July and early August, with a small number of planulae being released at the end of May, June and August. Compared to shallow colonies in the same region, mesophotic S. hystrix has a 4-month shorter reproductive season, similar circadian periodicity, and smaller planula size. In addition, most of the planulae settled rapidly, limiting larval dispersal potential. The shorter reproductive season and smaller planula size may result from limited energy available for reproduction at deeper depths, while the similar circadian periodicity suggests that this reproductive aspect is not affected by environmental conditions differing with depth. Overall, contribution of mesophotic S. hystrix to shallow reef rapid recovery appears limited, although they may recruit to shallow reefs through a multistep process over a few generations or through random extreme mixing such as typhoons.

Steady flow in shallow channel bends

OpenAIRE

De Vriend, H.J.

1981-01-01

Making use of a mathematical model solving the complete NavierStokes equations for steady flow in coiled rectangular pipes, fully-developed laminar flow in shallow curved channels is analysed physically and mathematically. Transverse convection of momentum by the secondary flow is shown to cause important deformations of the main velocity distribution. The model is also used to investigate simplified computation methods for shallow channels. The usual 'shallow water approximation' is shown to...

Design and optimization of multi-class series-parallel linear electromagnetic array artificial muscle.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jing; Ji, Zhenyu; Shi, Xuetao; You, Fusheng; Fu, Feng; Liu, Ruigang; Xia, Junying; Wang, Nan; Bai, Jing; Wang, Zhanxi; Qin, Xiansheng; Dong, Xiuzhen

2014-01-01

Skeletal muscle exhibiting complex and excellent precision has evolved for millions of years. Skeletal muscle has better performance and simpler structure compared with existing driving modes. Artificial muscle may be designed by analyzing and imitating properties and structure of skeletal muscle based on bionics, which has been focused on by bionic researchers, and a structure mode of linear electromagnetic array artificial muscle has been designed in this paper. Half sarcomere is the minimum unit of artificial muscle and electromagnetic model has been built. The structural parameters of artificial half sarcomere actuator were optimized to achieve better movement performance. Experimental results show that artificial half sarcomere actuator possesses great motion performance such as high response speed, great acceleration, small weight and size, robustness, etc., which presents a promising application prospect of artificial half sarcomere actuator.

Artificial intelligence

CERN Document Server

Hunt, Earl B

1975-01-01

Artificial Intelligence provides information pertinent to the fundamental aspects of artificial intelligence. This book presents the basic mathematical and computational approaches to problems in the artificial intelligence field.Organized into four parts encompassing 16 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the various fields of artificial intelligence. This text then attempts to connect artificial intelligence problems to some of the notions of computability and abstract computing devices. Other chapters consider the general notion of computability, with focus on the interaction bet

DTMs Assessment to the Definition of Shallow Landslides Prone Areas

Science.gov (United States)

Martins, Tiago D.; Oka-Fiori, Chisato; Carvalho Vieira, Bianca; Montgomery, David R.

2017-04-01

Predictive methods have been developed, especially since the 1990s, to identify landslide prone areas. One of the examples it is the physically based model SHALSTAB (Shallow Landsliding Stability Model), that calculate the potential instability for shallow landslides based on topography and physical soil properties. Normally, in such applications in Brazil, the Digital Terrain Model (DTM), is obtained mainly from conventional contour lines. However, recently the LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) system has been largely used in Brazil. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate different DTM's, generated from conventional data and LiDAR, and their influence in generating susceptibility maps to shallow landslides using SHALSTAB model. For that were analyzed the physical properties of soil, the response of the model when applying conventional topographical data and LiDAR's in the generation of DTM, and the shallow landslides susceptibility maps based on different topographical data. The selected area is in the urban perimeter of the municipality of Antonina (PR), affected by widespread landslides in March 2011. Among the results, it was evaluated different LiDAR data interpolation, using GIS tools, wherein the Triangulation/Natural Neighbor presented the best performance. It was also found that in one of evaluation indexes (Scars Concentration), the LiDAR derived DTM presented the best performance when compared with the one originated from contour lines, however, the Landslide Potential index, has presented a small increase. Consequently, it was possible to assess the DTM's, and the one derived from LiDAR improved very little the certitude percentage. It is also noted a gap in researches carried out in Brazil on the use of products generated from LiDAR data on geomorphological analysis.

Artificial Consciousness or Artificial Intelligence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Spanache Florin

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Artificial intelligence is a tool designed by people for the gratification of their own creative ego, so we can not confuse conscience with intelligence and not even intelligence in its human representation with conscience. They are all different concepts and they have different uses. Philosophically, there are differences between autonomous people and automatic artificial intelligence. This is the difference between intelligence and artificial intelligence, autonomous versus automatic. But conscience is above these differences because it is neither conditioned by the self-preservation of autonomy, because a conscience is something that you use to help your neighbor, nor automatic, because one’s conscience is tested by situations which are not similar or subject to routine. So, artificial intelligence is only in science-fiction literature similar to an autonomous conscience-endowed being. In real life, religion with its notions of redemption, sin, expiation, confession and communion will not have any meaning for a machine which cannot make a mistake on its own.

An Experimental Investigation of the Dynamic Behavior of an In-Plane MEMS Shallow Arch Under Electrostatic Excitation

KAUST Repository

Ramini, Abdallah

2016-01-20

We present experimental investigation of the nonlinear dynamics of a clamped-clamped in-plane MEMS shallow arch when excited by an electrostatic force. We explore the dynamic behaviors of the in-plane motion of the shallow arches via frequency sweeps in the neighborhood of the first resonance frequency. The shallow arch response is video microscopy recorded and analyzed by means of digital imaging. The experimental data show local softening behavior for small DC and AC loads. For high voltages, the experimental investigation reveals interesting dynamics, where the arch exhibits a dynamic snap-Through behavior. These attractive experimental results verify the previously reported complex behavior of in-plane MEMS arches and show promising results to implement these structures for variety of sensing and actuation applications. © Copyright 2015 by ASME.

Functional characterization of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus small capsid protein by bacterial artificial chromosome-based mutagenesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sathish, Narayanan; Yuan Yan

2010-01-01

A systematic investigation of interactions amongst KSHV capsid proteins was undertaken in this study to comprehend lesser known KSHV capsid assembly mechanisms. Interestingly the interaction patterns of the KSHV small capsid protein, ORF65 suggested its plausible role in viral capsid assembly pathways. Towards further understanding this, ORF65-null recombinant mutants (BAC-Δ65 and BAC-stop65) employing a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) system were generated. No significant difference was found in both overall viral gene expression and lytic DNA replication between stable monolayers of 293T-BAC36 (wild-type) and 293T-BAC-ORF65-null upon induction with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, though the latter released 30-fold fewer virions to the medium than 293T-BAC36 cells. Sedimentation profiles of capsid proteins of ORF65-null recombinant mutants were non-reflective of their organization into the KSHV capsids and were also undetectable in cytoplasmic extracts compared to noticeable levels in nuclear extracts. These observations collectively suggested the pivotal role of ORF65 in the KSHV capsid assembly processes.

Penguin colony attendance under artificial lights for ecotourism.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez, Airam; Holmberg, Ross; Dann, Peter; Chiaradia, André

2018-03-30

Wildlife watching is an emerging ecotourism activity around the world. In Australia and New Zealand, night viewing of little penguins attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors per year. As penguins start coming ashore after sunset, artificial lighting is essential to allow visitors to view them in the dark. This alteration of the nightscape warrants investigation for any potential effects of artificial lighting on penguin behavior. We experimentally tested how penguins respond to different light wavelengths (colors) and intensities to examine effects on the colony attendance behavior at two sites on Phillip Island, Australia. At one site, nocturnal artificial illumination has been used for penguin viewing for decades, whereas at the other site, the only light is from the natural night sky. Light intensity did not affect colony attendance behaviors of penguins at the artificially lit site, probably due to penguin habituation to lights. At the not previously lit site, penguins preferred lit paths over dark paths to reach their nests. Thus, artificial light might enhance penguin vision at night and consequently it might reduce predation risk and energetic costs of locomotion through obstacle and path detection. Although penguins are faithful to their path, they can be drawn to artificial lights at small spatial scale, so light pollution could attract penguins to undesirable lit areas. When artificial lighting is required, we recommend keeping lighting as dim and time-restricted as possible to mitigate any negative effects on the behavior of penguins and their natural habitat. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Solute transport dynamics in small, shallow groundwater-dominated agricultural catchments: insights from a high-frequency, multisolute 10 yr-long monitoring study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. H. Aubert

2013-04-01

Full Text Available High-frequency, long-term and multisolute measurements are required to assess the impact of human pressures on water quality due to (i the high temporal and spatial variability of climate and human activity and (ii the fact that chemical solutes combine short- and long-term dynamics. Such data series are scarce. This study, based on an original and unpublished time series from the Kervidy-Naizin headwater catchment (Brittany, France, aims to determine solute transfer processes and dynamics that characterise this strongly human-impacted catchment. The Kervidy-Naizin catchment is a temperate, intensive agricultural catchment, hydrologically controlled by shallow groundwater. Over 10 yr, five solutes (nitrate, sulphate, chloride, and dissolved organic and inorganic carbon were monitored daily at the catchment outlet and roughly every four months in the shallow groundwater. The concentrations of all five solutes showed seasonal variations but the patterns of the variations differed from one solute to another. Nitrate and chloride exhibit rather smooth variations. In contrast, sulphate as well as organic and inorganic carbon is dominated by flood flushes. The observed nitrate and chloride patterns are typical of an intensive agricultural catchment hydrologically controlled by shallow groundwater. Nitrate and chloride originating mainly from organic fertilisers accumulated over several years in the shallow groundwater. They are seasonally exported when upland groundwater connects with the stream during the wet season. Conversely, sulphate as well as organic and inorganic carbon patterns are not specific to agricultural catchments. These solutes do not come from fertilisers and do not accumulate in soil or shallow groundwater; instead, they are biogeochemically produced in the catchment. The results allowed development of a generic classification system based on the specific temporal patterns and source locations of each solute. It also considers the

A new method of artificial latent fingerprint creation using artificial sweat and inkjet printer.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Sungwook; Hong, Ingi; Han, Aleum; Seo, Jin Yi; Namgung, Juyoung

2015-12-01

In order to study fingerprinting in the field of forensic science, it is very important to have two or more latent fingerprints with identical chemical composition and intensity. However, it is impossible to obtain identical fingerprints, in reality, because fingerprinting comes out slightly differently every time. A previous research study had proposed an artificial fingerprint creation method in which inkjet ink was replaced with amino acids and sodium chloride solution: the components of human sweat. But, this method had some drawbacks: divalent cations were not added while formulating the artificial sweat solution, and diluted solutions were used for creating weakly deposited latent fingerprint. In this study, a method was developed for overcoming the drawbacks of the methods used in the previous study. Several divalent cations were added in this study because the amino acid-ninhydrin (or some of its analogues) complex is known to react with divalent cations to produce a photoluminescent product; and, similarly, the amino acid-1,2-indanedione complex is known to be catalyzed by a small amount of zinc ions to produce a highly photoluminescent product. Also, in this study, a new technique was developed which enables to adjust the intensity when printing the latent fingerprint patterns. In this method, image processing software is used to control the intensity of the master fingerprint patterns, which adjusts the printing intensity of the latent fingerprints. This new method opened the way to produce a more realistic artificial fingerprint in various strengths with one artificial sweat working solution. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Whispering galleries and the control of artificial atoms.

Science.gov (United States)

Forrester, Derek Michael; Kusmartsev, Feodor V

2016-04-28

Quantum computation using artificial-atoms, such as novel superconducting circuits, can be sensitively controlled by external electromagnetic fields. These fields and the self-fields attributable to the coupled artificial-atoms influence the amount of quantum correlation in the system. However, control elements that can operate without complete destruction of the entanglement of the quantum-bits are difficult to engineer. Here we investigate the possibility of using closely-spaced-linear arrays of metallic-elliptical discs as whispering gallery waveguides to control artificial-atoms. The discs confine and guide radiation through the array with small notches etched into their sides that act as scatterers. We focus on π-ring artificial-atoms, which can generate their own spontaneous fluxes. We find that the micro-discs of the waveguides can be excited by terahertz frequency fields to exhibit whispering-modes and that a quantum-phase-gate composed of π-rings can be operated under their influence. Furthermore, we gauge the level of entanglement through the concurrence measure and show that under certain magnetic conditions a series of entanglement sudden-deaths and revivals occur between the two qubits. This is important for understanding the stability and life-time of qubit operations using, for example, a phase gate in a hybrid of quantum technologies composed of control elements and artificial-atoms.

Distribution of metals in fauna, flora and sediments of wet detention ponds and natural shallow lakes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stephansen, D.A.; Nielsen, A.H.; Hvitved-Jacobsen, T.

2014-01-01

Fauna, flora, and sediment were collected from 9 wet detention ponds receiving stormwater runoff and 11 small natural shallow lakes. The fauna and flora samples were sorted into species or groups of species and, together with sediments, analyzed for aluminum, copper, iron, zinc, arsenic, cadmium,...

Novel approach to the fabrication of an artificial small bone using a combination of sponge replica and electrospinning methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Yang-Hee; Lee, Byong-Taek, E-mail: lbt@sch.ac.kr [Department of Biomedical Engineering and Materials, School of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University 366-1, Ssangyong-dong, Cheonan, Chungnam 330-090 (Korea, Republic of)

2011-06-15

In this study, a novel artificial small bone consisting of ZrO{sub 2}-biphasic calcium phosphate/polymethylmethacrylate-polycaprolactone-hydroxyapatite (ZrO{sub 2}-BCP/PMMA-PCL-HAp) was fabricated using a combination of sponge replica and electrospinning methods. To mimic the cancellous bone, the ZrO{sub 2}/BCP scaffold was composed of three layers, ZrO{sub 2}, ZrO{sub 2}/BCP and BCP, fabricated by the sponge replica method. The PMMA-PCL fibers loaded with HAp powder were wrapped around the ZrO{sub 2}/BCP scaffold using the electrospinning process. To imitate the Haversian canal region of the bone, HAp-loaded PMMA-PCL fibers were wrapped around a steel wire of 0.3 mm diameter. As a result, the bundles of fiber wrapped around the wires imitated the osteon structure of the cortical bone. Finally, the ZrO{sub 2}/BCP scaffold was surrounded by HAp-loaded PMMA-PCL composite bundles. After removal of the steel wires, the ZrO{sub 2}/BCP scaffold and bundles of HAp-loaded PMMA-PCL formed an interconnected structure resembling the human bone. Its diameter, compressive strength and porosity were approximately 12 mm, 5 MPa and 70%, respectively, and the viability of MG-63 osteoblast-like cells was determined to be over 90% by the MTT (3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. This artificial bone shows excellent cytocompatibility and is a promising bone regeneration material.

Artificial engineering of secondary lymphoid organs.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Jonathan K H; Watanabe, Takeshi

2010-01-01

Secondary lymphoid organs such as spleen and lymph nodes are highly organized immune structures essential for the initiation of immune responses. They display distinct B cell and T cell compartments associated with specific stromal follicular dendritic cells and fibroblastic reticular cells, respectively. Interweaved through the parenchyma is a conduit system that distributes small antigens and chemokines directly to B and T cell zones. While most structural aspects between lymph nodes and spleen are common, the entry of lymphocytes, antigen-presenting cells, and antigen into lymphoid tissues is regulated differently, reflecting the specialized functions of each organ in filtering either lymph or blood. The overall organization of lymphoid tissue is vital for effective antigen screening and recognition, and is a feature which artificially constructed lymphoid organoids endeavor to replicate. Synthesis of artificial lymphoid tissues is an emerging field that aims to provide therapeutic application for the treatment of severe infection, cancer, and age-related involution of secondary lymphoid tissues. The development of murine artificial lymphoid tissues has benefited greatly from an understanding of organogenesis of lymphoid organs, which has delineated cellular and molecular elements essential for the recruitment and organization of lymphocytes into lymphoid structures. Here, the field of artificial lymphoid tissue engineering is considered including elements of lymphoid structure and development relevant to organoid synthesis. (c) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sentence processing in an artificial language: Learning and using combinatorial constraints.

Science.gov (United States)

Amato, Michael S; MacDonald, Maryellen C

2010-07-01

A study combining artificial grammar and sentence comprehension methods investigated the learning and online use of probabilistic, nonadjacent combinatorial constraints. Participants learned a small artificial language describing cartoon monsters acting on objects. Self-paced reading of sentences in the artificial language revealed comprehenders' sensitivity to nonadjacent combinatorial constraints, without explicit awareness of the probabilities embedded in the language. These results show that even newly-learned constraints have an identifiable effect on online sentence processing. The rapidity of learning in this paradigm relative to others has implications for theories of implicit learning and its role in language acquisition. 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

HF Radar Sea-echo from Shallow Water

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Josh Kohut

2008-08-01

Full Text Available HF radar systems are widely and routinely used for the measurement of ocean surface currents and waves. Analysis methods presently in use are based on the assumption of infinite water depth, and may therefore be inadequate close to shore where the radar echo is strongest. In this paper, we treat the situation when the radar echo is returned from ocean waves that interact with the ocean floor. Simulations are described which demonstrate the effect of shallow water on radar sea-echo. These are used to investigate limits on the existing theory and to define water depths at which shallow-water effects become significant. The second-order spectral energy increases relative to the first-order as the water depth decreases, resulting in spectral saturation when the waveheight exceeds a limit defined by the radar transmit frequency. This effect is particularly marked for lower radar transmit frequencies. The saturation limit on waveheight is less for shallow water. Shallow water affects second-order spectra (which gives wave information far more than first-order (which gives information on current velocities, the latter being significantly affected only for the lowest radar transmit frequencies for extremely shallow water. We describe analysis of radar echo from shallow water measured by a Rutgers University HF radar system to give ocean wave spectral estimates. Radar-derived wave height, period and direction are compared with simultaneous shallow-water in-situ measurements.

Performance Analysis of High-Speed Deep/Shallow Recessed Hybrid Bearing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lei Wang

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The present paper proposes a theoretical analysis of the performance of deep/shallow recessed hybrid bearing. It is intended that, on the basis of the numerical results drawn from this study, appropriate shallow recess depth and width can be determined for use in the bearing design process. By adopting bulk flow theory, the turbulent Reynolds equation and energy equation are modified and solved numerically including concentrated inertia effects at the recess edge with different depth and width of shallow recess. The results indicate that the load capacity, drag torque increases as the depth of shallow recess is shallower and the width ratio (half angle of deep recess versus half angle of shallow recess is smaller. In contrast, the flow rate decreases as the depth of shallow recess is shallower and the width ratio is smaller. Nevertheless, the appropriate design of the depth and width of shallow recess might well induce the performance of high-speed deep/shallow recessed hybrid bearing.

Turbulence effects on warm-rain formation in precipitating shallow convection revisited

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Seifert

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Two different collection kernels which include turbulence effects on the collision rate of liquid droplets are used as a basis to develop a parameterization of the warm-rain processes autoconversion, accretion, and self-collection. The new parameterization is tested and validated with the help of a 1-D bin microphysics model. Large-eddy simulations of the rain formation in shallow cumulus clouds confirm previous results that turbulence effects can significantly enhance the development of rainwater in clouds and the occurrence and amount of surface precipitation. The detailed behavior differs significantly for the two turbulence models, revealing a considerable uncertainty in our understanding of such effects. In addition, the large-eddy simulations show a pronounced sensitivity to grid resolution, which suggests that besides the effect of sub-grid small-scale isotropic turbulence which is parameterized as part of the collection kernel also the larger turbulent eddies play an important role for the formation of rain in shallow clouds.

Generation of artificial earthquake time histories for seismic design at Hanford, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salmon, M.W.; Kuilanoff, G.

1991-01-01

The purpose of the development of artificial time-histories is to provide the designer with ground motion estimates which will meet the requirements of the design guidelines at the Hanford site. In particular, the artificial time histories presented in this paper were prepared to assist designers of the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP) with time histories that envelop the requirements for both a large magnitude earthquake (MI > 6.0) and a small magnitude, near-field earthquake (MI < 5. 0). A background of the requirements for both the large magnitude and small magnitude events is presented in this paper. The work done in generating time histories which produce response spectra matching those of the design seismic events is also presented. Finally, some preliminary results from studies performed using the small-magnitude near-filed earthquake time-history are presented

Tracking artificial sweeteners and pharmaceuticals introduced into urban groundwater by leaking sewer networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolf, Leif; Zwiener, Christian; Zemann, Moritz

2012-07-15

There is little quantitative information on the temporal trends of pharmaceuticals and other emerging compounds, including artificial sweeteners, in urban groundwater and their suitability as tracers to inform urban water management. In this study, pharmaceuticals and artificial sweeteners were monitored over 6 years in a shallow urban groundwater body along with a range of conventional sewage tracers in a network of observation wells that were specifically constructed to assess sewer leakage. Out of the 71 substances screened, 24 were detected at above the analytical detection limit. The most frequent compounds were the iodinated X-ray contrast medium amidotrizoic acid (35.3%), the anticonvulsant carbamazepine (33.3%) and the artificial sweetener acesulfame (27.5%), while all other substances occurred in less than 10% of the screened wells. The results from the group of specifically constructed focus wells within 10 m of defective sewers confirmed sewer leaks as being a major entrance pathway into the groundwater. The spatial distribution of pharmaceuticals and artificial sweeteners corresponds well with predictions by pipeline leakage models, which operate on optical sewer condition monitoring data and hydraulic information. Correlations between the concentrations of carbamazepine, iodinated X-ray contrast media and artificial sweeteners were weak to non-existent. Peak concentrations of up to 4130 ng/l of amidotrizoic acid were found in the groundwater downstream of the local hospital. The analysis of 168 samples for amidotrizoic acid, taken at 5 different occasions, did not show significant temporal trends for the years 2002-2008, despite changed recommendations in the medical usage of amidotrizoic acid. The detailed results show that the current mass balance approaches for urban groundwater bodies must be adapted to reflect the spatially distributed leaks and the variable wastewater composition in addition to the lateral and horizontal groundwater fluxes. Crown

A memory-based shallow parser for spoken Dutch

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Canisius, S.V.M.; van den Bosch, A.; Decadt, B.; Hoste, V.; De Pauw, G.

2004-01-01

We describe the development of a Dutch memory-based shallow parser. The availability of large treebanks for Dutch, such as the one provided by the Spoken Dutch Corpus, allows memory-based learners to be trained on examples of shallow parsing taken from the treebank, and act as a shallow parser after

Distribution of artificial radionuclides in deep sediments of the Mediterranean Sea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia-Orellana, J.; Pates, J.M.; Masque, P.; Bruach, J.M.; Sanchez-Cabeza, J.A.

2009-01-01

Artificial radionuclides enter the Mediterranean Sea mainly through atmospheric deposition following nuclear weapons tests and the Chernobyl accident, but also through the river discharge of nuclear facility effluents. Previous studies of artificial radionuclides impact of the Mediterranean Sea have focussed on shallow, coastal sediments. However, deep sea sediments have the potential to store and accumulate pollutants, including artificial radionuclides. Deep sea marine sediment cores were collected from Mediterranean Sea abyssal plains (depth > 2000 m) and analysed for 239,240 Pu and 137 Cs to elucidate the concentrations, inventories and sources of these radionuclides in the deepest areas of the Mediterranean. The activity - depth profiles of 210 Pb, together with 14 C dating, indicate that sediment mixing redistributes the artificial radionuclides within the first 2.5 cm of the sedimentary column. The excess 210 Pb inventory was used to normalize 239,240 Pu and 137 Cs inventories for variable sediment fluxes. The 239,240 Pu/ 210 Pb xs ratio was uniform across the entire sea, with a mean value of 1.24 x 10 -3 , indicating homogeneous fallout of 239,240 Pu. The 137 Cs/ 210 Pb xs ratio showed differences between the eastern (0.049) and western basins (0.030), clearly significant impact of deep sea sediments from the Chernobyl accident. The inventory ratios of 239,240 Pu/ 137 Cs were 0.041 and 0.025 in the western and eastern basins respectively, greater than the fallout ratio, 0.021, showing more efficient scavenging of 239,240 Pu in the water column and major sedimentation of 137 Cs in the eastern basin. Although areas with water depths of > 2000 m constitute around 40% of the entire Mediterranean basin, the sediments in these regions only contained 2.7% of the 239,240 Pu and 0.95% of the 137 Cs deposited across the Sea in 2000. These data show that the accumulation of artificial radionuclides in deep Mediterranean environments is much lower than predicted by

Artificial skin and patient simulator comprising the artificial skin

NARCIS (Netherlands)

2011-01-01

The invention relates to an artificial skin (10, 12, 14), and relates to a patient simulator (100) comprising the artificial skin. The artificial skin is a layered structure comprising a translucent cover layer (20) configured for imitating human or animal skin, and comprising a light emitting layer

Artificial Intelligence.

Science.gov (United States)

Information Technology Quarterly, 1985

1985-01-01

This issue of "Information Technology Quarterly" is devoted to the theme of "Artificial Intelligence." It contains two major articles: (1) Artificial Intelligence and Law" (D. Peter O'Neill and George D. Wood); (2) "Artificial Intelligence: A Long and Winding Road" (John J. Simon, Jr.). In addition, it contains two sidebars: (1) "Calculating and…

Natural Language Processing with Small Feed-Forward Networks

OpenAIRE

Botha, Jan A.; Pitler, Emily; Ma, Ji; Bakalov, Anton; Salcianu, Alex; Weiss, David; McDonald, Ryan; Petrov, Slav

2017-01-01

We show that small and shallow feed-forward neural networks can achieve near state-of-the-art results on a range of unstructured and structured language processing tasks while being considerably cheaper in memory and computational requirements than deep recurrent models. Motivated by resource-constrained environments like mobile phones, we showcase simple techniques for obtaining such small neural network models, and investigate different tradeoffs when deciding how to allocate a small memory...

Artificial organs: recent progress in artificial hearing and vision.

Science.gov (United States)

Ifukube, Tohru

2009-01-01

Artificial sensory organs are a prosthetic means of sending visual or auditory information to the brain by electrical stimulation of the optic or auditory nerves to assist visually impaired or hearing-impaired people. However, clinical application of artificial sensory organs, except for cochlear implants, is still a trial-and-error process. This is because how and where the information transmitted to the brain is processed is still unknown, and also because changes in brain function (plasticity) remain unknown, even though brain plasticity plays an important role in meaningful interpretation of new sensory stimuli. This article discusses some basic unresolved issues and potential solutions in the development of artificial sensory organs such as cochlear implants, brainstem implants, artificial vision, and artificial retinas.

Justification of Shallow-Water Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Ostapenko, V. V.

2018-01-01

The basic conservation laws of shallow-water theory are derived from multidimensional mass and momentum integral conservation laws describing the plane-parallel flow of an ideal incompressible fluid above the horizontal bottom. This conclusion is based on the concept of hydrostatic approximation, which generalizes the concept of long-wavelength approximation and is used for justifying the applicability of the shallow-water theory in the simulation of wave flows of fluid with hydraulic bores.

2010 Hudson River Shallow Water Sediment Cores

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Hudson River Shallow Water Mapping project characterizes the bottom of the Hudson River Estuary in shallow water (<3 m). The characterization includes...

Biologically inspired robots as artificial inspectors

Science.gov (United States)

Bar-Cohen, Yoseph

2002-06-01

Imagine an inspector conducting an NDE on an aircraft where you notice something is different about him - he is not real but rather he is a robot. Your first reaction would probably be to say 'it's unbelievable but he looks real' just as you would react to an artificial flower that is a good imitation. This science fiction scenario could become a reality at the trend in the development of biologically inspired technologies, and terms like artificial intelligence, artificial muscles, artificial vision and numerous others are increasingly becoming common engineering tools. For many years, the trend has been to automate processes in order to increase the efficiency of performing redundant tasks where various systems have been developed to deal with specific production line requirements. Realizing that some parts are too complex or delicate to handle in small quantities with a simple automatic system, robotic mechanisms were developed. Aircraft inspection has benefitted from this evolving technology where manipulators and crawlers are developed for rapid and reliable inspection. Advancement in robotics towards making them autonomous and possibly look like human, can potentially address the need to inspect structures that are beyond the capability of today's technology with configuration that are not predetermined. The operation of these robots may take place at harsh or hazardous environments that are too dangerous for human presence. Making such robots is becoming increasingly feasible and in this paper the state of the art will be reviewed.

A Study on the Bandwidth Characteristics of Pleated Pneumatic Artificial Muscles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rino Versluys

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Pleated pneumatic artificial muscles have interesting properties that can be of considerable significance in robotics and automation. With a view to the potential use of pleated pneumatic artificial muscles as actuators for a fatigue test bench (high forces and small displacements, the bandwidth characteristics of a muscle-valve system were investigated. Bandwidth is commonly used for linear systems, as the Bode plot is independent of the amplitude of the input signal. However, due to the non-linear behaviour of pleated pneumatic artificial muscles, the system's gain becomes dependent on the amplitude of the input sine wave. As a result, only one Bode plot is insufficient to clearly describe or identify a non-linear system. In this study, the bandwidth of a muscle-valve system was assessed from two perspectives: a varying amplitude and a varying offset of the input sine wave. A brief introduction to pneumatic artificial muscles is given. The concept of pleated pneumatic artificial muscles is explained. Furthermore, the different test methods and experimental results are presented.

Is evaporative colling important for shallow clouds?

Science.gov (United States)

Gentine, P.; Park, S. B.; Davini, P.; D'Andrea, F.

2017-12-01

We here investigate and test using large-eddy simulations the hypothesis that evaporative cooling might not be crucial for shallow clouds. Results from various Shallow convection and stratocumulus LES experiments show that the influence of evaporative cooling is secondary compared to turbulent mixing, which dominates the buoyancy reversal. In shallow cumulus subising shells are not due to evaporative cooling but rather reflect a vortical structure, with a postive buoyancy anomaly in the core due to condensation. Disabling evaporative cooling has negligible impact on this vortical structure and on buoyancy reversal. Similarly in non-precipitating stratocumuli evaporative cooling is negeligible copmared to other factors, especially turbulent mixing and pressure effects. These results emphasize that it may not be critical to icnlude evaporative cooling in parameterizations of shallow clouds and that it does not alter entrainment.

Study of interaction of shallow groundwater and river along the Cisadane and Ciliwung river of Jakarta basin and its management using environmental isotopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sidauruk, P.; Syafalni; Satrio

2012-01-01

The environmental isotopes were employed to study the interaction of shallow groundwater and river along the Cisadane River and Ciliwung River in Jakarta basin. The rapid growth and development of Jakarta and its surrounding cities, coupled with increasing industrial and other business sectors have impacted on the demand of the water supply for the area. These investigations have been conducted to determine the interaction between shallow groundwater and the river. The 14 C results showed that the groundwater samples (above 40 m) which were close to the river influenced the iso-age contour of 14 C, which indicated the contributions of river water. The analysis of stable isotopes 18 O and Deuterium from the river implied that the river water from upstream to downstream was influenced by the mixing of the river water with the human activities in the upstream (the isotopic compositions becoming enriched). Further, the 18 O and Deuterium data revealed that rivers of Cisadane and Ciliwung are contributing to recharge the shallow groundwater in Jakarta, especially in the nearby river bank. In general, the quality of the shallow groundwater along the rivers is good and is suitable as fresh water resource. Due to pollution and declining water table problems in the Jakarta basin, the artificial recharge wells is shown to be a good way out to delineate the problems as indicated by pilot project conducted at Kelurahan Kramat Jati, using infiltration basin method. (author)

Artificial intelligence system for technical diagnostics of photomasks

OpenAIRE

Kozin A. A.; Kozina Yu. Yu.

2012-01-01

The developed artificial intelligence system has a high level of noise immunity, so its inclusion in the hardware and software for technical diagnostics of photomasks will reduce the hardware requirements for its execution, and thereby reduce the cost of the complex. As a result it will allow to make a small-scale production profitable.

Physical and chemical consequences of artificially deepened thermocline in a small humic lake - a paired whole-lake climate change experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Forsius, M.; Saloranta, T.; Arvola, L.; Salo, S.; Verta, M.; Ala-Opas, P.; Rask, M.; Vuorenmaa, J.

2010-05-01

Climate change with higher air temperatures and changes in cloud cover, radiation and wind speed alters the heat balance and stratification patterns of lakes. A paired whole-lake thermocline manipulation experiment of a small (0.047 km2) shallow dystrophic lake (Halsjärvi) was carried out in southern Finland. A thermodynamic model (MyLake) was used for both predicting the impacts of climate change scenarios and for determining the manipulation target of the experiment. The model simulations assuming several climate change scenarios indicated large increases in the whole-lake monthly mean temperature (+1.4-4.4 °C in April-October for the A2 scenario), and shortening of the length of the ice covered period by 56-89 days. The thermocline manipulation resulted in large changes in the thermodynamic properties of the lake, and those were rather well consistent with the simulated future increases in the heat content during the summer-autumn season. The manipulation also resulted in changes in the oxygen stratification, and the expansion of the oxic water layer increased the spatial extent of the sediment surface oxic-anoxic interfaces. The experiment also affected several other chemical constituents; concentrations of TotN, NH4 and organic carbon showed a statistically significant decrease, likely due to both unusual hydrological conditions during the experiment period and increased decomposition and sedimentation. Changes in mercury processes and in the aquatic food web were also introduced. In comparison with the results of a similar whole-lake manipulation experiment in a deep, oligotrophic, clear-watered lake in Norway, it is evident that shallow dystrophic lakes, common in the boreal region, are more sensitive to physical perturbations. This means that projected climate change may strongly modify their physical and chemical conditions in the future.

Tools to Perform Local Dense 3D Reconstruction of Shallow Water Seabed.

Science.gov (United States)

Avanthey, Loïca; Beaudoin, Laurent; Gademer, Antoine; Roux, Michel

2016-05-17

Tasks such as distinguishing or identifying individual objects of interest require the production of dense local clouds at the scale of these individual objects of interest. Due to the physical and dynamic properties of an underwater environment, the usual dense matching algorithms must be rethought in order to be adaptive. These properties also imply that the scene must be observed at close range. Classic robotized acquisition systems are oversized for local studies in shallow water while the systematic acquisition of data is not guaranteed with divers. We address these two major issues through a multidisciplinary approach. To efficiently acquire on-demand stereoscopic pairs using simple logistics in small areas of shallow water, we devised an agile light-weight dedicated system which is easy to reproduce. To densely match two views in a reliable way, we devised a reconstruction algorithm that automatically accounts for the dynamics, variability and light absorption of the underwater environment. Field experiments in the Mediterranean Sea were used to assess the results.

Uncertainty on shallow landslide hazard assessment: from field data to hazard mapping

Science.gov (United States)

Trefolini, Emanuele; Tolo, Silvia; Patelli, Eduardo; Broggi, Matteo; Disperati, Leonardo; Le Tuan, Hai

2015-04-01

Shallow landsliding that involve Hillslope Deposits (HD), the surficial soil that cover the bedrock, is an important process of erosion, transport and deposition of sediment along hillslopes. Despite Shallow landslides generally mobilize relatively small volume of material, they represent the most hazardous factor in mountain regions due to their high velocity and the common absence of warning signs. Moreover, increasing urbanization and likely climate change make shallow landslides a source of widespread risk, therefore the interest of scientific community about this process grown in the last three decades. One of the main aims of research projects involved on this topic, is to perform robust shallow landslides hazard assessment for wide areas (regional assessment), in order to support sustainable spatial planning. Currently, three main methodologies may be implemented to assess regional shallow landslides hazard: expert evaluation, probabilistic (or data mining) methods and physical models based methods. The aim of this work is evaluate the uncertainty of shallow landslides hazard assessment based on physical models taking into account spatial variables such as: geotechnical and hydrogeologic parameters as well as hillslope morphometry. To achieve this goal a wide dataset of geotechnical properties (shear strength, permeability, depth and unit weight) of HD was gathered by integrating field survey, in situ and laboratory tests. This spatial database was collected from a study area of about 350 km2 including different bedrock lithotypes and geomorphological features. The uncertainty associated to each step of the hazard assessment process (e.g. field data collection, regionalization of site specific information and numerical modelling of hillslope stability) was carefully characterized. The most appropriate probability density function (PDF) was chosen for each numerical variable and we assessed the uncertainty propagation on HD strength parameters obtained by

Artificial intelligence system for technical diagnostics of photomasks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kozin A. A.

2012-02-01

Full Text Available The developed artificial intelligence system has a high level of noise immunity, so its inclusion in the hardware and software for technical diagnostics of photomasks will reduce the hardware requirements for its execution, and thereby reduce the cost of the complex. As a result it will allow to make a small-scale production profitable.

[Artificial organs].

Science.gov (United States)

Raguin, Thibaut; Dupret-Bories, Agnès; Debry, Christian

2017-01-01

Research has been fighting against organ failure and shortage of donations by supplying artificial organs for many years. With the raise of new technologies, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, many organs can benefit of an artificial equivalent: thanks to retinal implants some blind people can visualize stimuli, an artificial heart can be proposed in case of cardiac failure while awaiting for a heart transplant, artificial larynx enables laryngectomy patients to an almost normal life, while the diabetic can get a glycemic self-regulation controlled by smartphones with an artificial device. Dialysis devices become portable, as well as the oxygenation systems for terminal respiratory failure. Bright prospects are being explored or might emerge in a near future. However, the retrospective assessment of putative side effects is not yet sufficient. Finally, the cost of these new devices is significant even if the advent of three dimensional printers may reduce it. © 2017 médecine/sciences – Inserm.

Upper Silurian reef mounds on a shallowing carbonate ramp, Devon Island, Arctic Canada

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dixon, O A [Ottawa Univ., ON (Canada); Graf, G C [Chevron Canada Resources, Calgary, AB (Canada)

1992-03-01

Near Gascoyne Inlet, the topmost Douro and lowermost Barlow Inlet formations record overall upward shallowing from ramp to shallow shelf conditions. This transitional sequence contains bioherms of various sizes, from small isolated reef mounds 1-2 m across to larger, compound reef mounds over 50 m thick and 60 m across, as well as distictive inter- and pre-reef mound facies. The larger reef mounds show stages intermediate in character between those in sponge-dominated reef mounds of the Douro Formation and in larger stromatoporoid-crinoid dominated reefs in the Barlow Inlet Formation. Three principal reef mounds developed in turn. An initial partly lithified lime mudstone, containing scattered corals and apparently relict sponge-cryptomicrobial fabrics, developed on sheets of oncolitic storm debris in mainly low energy conditions between storm and fairweather wave bases. With gradual shallowing and progressively higher energy conditions above fairweather wave base, a middle facies of coral- and crinoid-rich mudstone developed. An abrupt deepening restored conditions of low energy, and the ensuing upper facies of the reef mounds is more varied, comprising sparsely fossiliferous and locally fenestral lime mudstones, patchy coral bafflestone and bindstone, coarse encrinites and substantially culminating stromatoporoid bindstone. 36 refs., 14 figs., 5 tabs.

An interim report on shallow-flaw fracture technology development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pennell, W.E.; Bass, B.R.; Bryson, J.W.; McAfee, W.J.

1995-01-01

Shallow-flaw fracture technology is being developed for application to the safety assessment of radiation-embrittled nuclear reactor pressure vessels (RPVS) containing flaws. Fracture mechanics tests on RPV steel, coupled with detailed elastic-plastic finite-element analyses of the crack-tip stress fields, have shown that (1) constraint relaxation at the crack tip of shallow surface flaws results in increased data scatter but no increase in the lower-bound fracture toughness, (2) the nil ductility temperature (NDT) performs better than the reference temperature for nil ductility transition (RT NDT ) as a normalizing parameter for shallow-flaw fracture toughness data, (3) biaxial loading can reduce the shallow-flaw fracture toughness, (4) stress-based dual-parameter fracture toughness correlations cannot predict the effect of biaxial loading on shallow-flaw fracture toughness because in-plane stresses at the crack tip are not influenced by biaxial loading, and (5) a strain-based dual-parameter fracture toughness correlation can predict the effect of biaxial loading on shallow-flaw fracture toughness

Stability of Bifurcating Stationary Solutions of the Artificial Compressible System

Science.gov (United States)

Teramoto, Yuka

2018-02-01

The artificial compressible system gives a compressible approximation of the incompressible Navier-Stokes system. The latter system is obtained from the former one in the zero limit of the artificial Mach number ɛ which is a singular limit. The sets of stationary solutions of both systems coincide with each other. It is known that if a stationary solution of the incompressible system is asymptotically stable and the velocity field of the stationary solution satisfies an energy-type stability criterion, then it is also stable as a solution of the artificial compressible one for sufficiently small ɛ . In general, the range of ɛ shrinks when the spectrum of the linearized operator for the incompressible system approaches to the imaginary axis. This can happen when a stationary bifurcation occurs. It is proved that when a stationary bifurcation from a simple eigenvalue occurs, the range of ɛ can be taken uniformly near the bifurcation point to conclude the stability of the bifurcating solution as a solution of the artificial compressible system.

Closure of shallow underground injection wells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Veil, J.A.; Grunewald, B.

1993-01-01

Shallow injection wells have long been used for disposing liquid wastes. Some of these wells have received hazardous or radioactive wastes. According to US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations, Class IV wells are those injection wells through which hazardous or radioactive wastes are injected into or above an underground source of drinking water (USDW). These wells must be closed. Generally Class V wells are injection wells through which fluids that do not contain hazardous or radioactive wastes are injected into or above a USDW. Class V wells that are responsible for violations of drinking water regulations or that pose a threat to human health must also be closed. Although EPA regulations require closure of certain types of shallow injection wells, they do not provide specific details on the closure process. This paper describes the regulatory background, DOE requirements, and the steps in a shallow injection well closure process: Identification of wells needing closure; monitoring and disposal of accumulated substances; filling and sealing of wells; and remediation. In addition, the paper describes a major national EPA shallow injection well enforcement initiative, including closure plan guidance for wells used to dispose of wastes from service station operations

The artificial beetle, or a brief manifesto for engineered biomimicry

Science.gov (United States)

Bartl, Michael H.; Lakhtakia, Akhlesh

2015-03-01

The artificial beetle is possibly the Holy Grail for practitioners of engineered biomimicry. An artificial beetle could gather and relay data and images from compromised environments on earth and other planets to decision makers. It could also be used for surveillance of foes and friends alike, and will require ethical foresight and oversight. What would it take to develop an artificial beetle? Several biotemplating techniques can be harnessed for the replication of external structural features of beetle bodies, and thus preserve functionalities such as coloration of the exoskeleton and the hydrophobicity of wings. The body cavity must host a power supply, motors to move the wings for flight, sensors to capture ambient conditions and images, and data transmitters and receivers to communicate with a remote command center. All of these devices must be very small and reliable.

Polychaete functional diversity in shallow habitats: Shelter from the storm

Science.gov (United States)

Wouters, Julia M.; Gusmao, Joao B.; Mattos, Gustavo; Lana, Paulo

2018-05-01

Innovative approaches are needed to help understanding how species diversity is related to the latitudinal gradient at large or small scales. We have applied a novel approach, by combining morphological and biological traits, to assess the relative importance of the large scale latitudinal gradient and regional morphodynamic drivers in shaping the functional diversity of polychaete assemblages in shallow water habitats, from exposed to estuarine sandy beaches. We used literature data on polychaetes from beaches along the southern and southeastern Brazilian coast together with data on beach types, slope, grain size, temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll a concentration. Generalized linear models on the FDis index for functional diversity calculated for each site and a combined RLQ and fourth-corner analysis were used to investigate relationships between functional traits and environmental variables. Functional diversity was not related to the latitudinal gradient but negatively correlated with grain size and beach slope. Functional diversity was highest in flat beaches with small grain size, little wave exposure and enhanced primary production, indicating that small scale morphodynamic conditions are the primary drivers of polychaete functional diversity.

An integrated architecture for shallow and deep processing

OpenAIRE

Crysmann, Berthold; Frank, Anette; Kiefer, Bernd; Müller, Stefan; Neumann, Günter; Piskorski, Jakub; Schäfer, Ulrich; Siegel, Melanie; Uszkoreit, Hans; Xu, Feiyu; Becker, Markus; Krieger, Hans-Ulrich

2011-01-01

We present an architecture for the integration of shallow and deep NLP components which is aimed at flexible combination of different language technologies for a range of practical current and future applications. In particular, we describe the integration of a high-level HPSG parsing system with different high-performance shallow components, ranging from named entity recognition to chunk parsing and shallow clause recognition. The NLP components enrich a representation of natural language te...

Shallow system rejuvenation and magma discharge trends at Piton de la Fournaise volcano (La Réunion Island)

Science.gov (United States)

Coppola, D.; Di Muro, A.; Peltier, A.; Villeneuve, N.; Ferrazzini, V.; Favalli, M.; Bachèlery, P.; Gurioli, L.; Harris, A. J. L.; Moune, S.; Vlastélic, I.; Galle, B.; Arellano, S.; Aiuppa, A.

2017-04-01

Basaltic magma chambers are often characterized by emptying and refilling cycles that influence their evolution in space and time, and the associated eruptive activity. During April 2007, the largest historical eruption of Piton de la Fournaise (Île de La Réunion, France) drained the shallow plumbing system (> 240 ×106 m3) and resulted in collapse of the 1-km-wide summit crater. Following these major events, Piton de la Fournaise entered a seven-year long period of near-continuous deflation interrupted, in June 2014, by a new phase of significant inflation. By integrating multiple datasets (lava discharge rates, deformation, seismicity, gas flux, gas composition, and lava chemistry), we here show that the progressive migration of magma from a deeper (below sea level) storage zone gradually rejuvenated and pressurized the above-sea-level portion of the magmatic system consisting of a vertically-zoned network of relatively small-volume magma pockets. Continuous inflation provoked four small (CO2 enrichment of summit fumaroles, and involving emission of less differentiated lavas, to end with, (iii) three short-lived (∼2 day-long) pulses in lava and gas flux, coupled with arrival of cumulative olivine at the surface and deflation. The activity observed at Piton de la Fournaise in 2014 and 2015 points to a new model of shallow system rejuvenation and discharge, whereby continuous magma supply causes eruptions from increasingly deeper and larger magma storage zones. Downward depressurization continues until unloading of the deepest, least differentiated magma triggers pulses in lava and gas flux, accompanied by rapid contraction of the volcano edifice, that empties the main shallow reservoir and terminates the cycle. Such an unloading process may characterize the evolution of shallow magmatic systems at other persistently active effusive centers.

Groundwater penetrating radar and high resolution seismic for locating shallow faults in unconsolidated sediments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wyatt, D.E.

1993-01-01

Faults in shallow, unconsolidated sediments, particularly in coastal plain settings, are very difficult to discern during subsurface exploration yet have critical impact to groundwater flow, contaminant transport and geotechnical evaluations. This paper presents a case study using cross-over geophysical technologies in an area where shallow faulting is probable and known contamination exists. A comparison is made between Wenner and dipole-dipole resistivity data, ground penetrating radar, and high resolution seismic data. Data from these methods were verified with a cone penetrometer investigation for subsurface lithology and compared to existing monitoring well data. Interpretations from these techniques are compared with actual and theoretical shallow faulting found in the literature. The results of this study suggests that (1) the CPT study, combined with the monitoring well data may suggest that discontinuities in correlatable zones may indicate that faulting is present (2) the addition of the Wenner and dipole-dipole data may further suggest that offset zones exist in the shallow subsurface but not allow specific fault planes or fault stranding to be mapped (3) the high resolution seismic data will image faults to within a few feet of the surface but does not have the resolution to identify the faulting on the scale of our models, however it will suggest locations for upward continuation of faulted zones (4) offset 100 MHz and 200 MHz CMP GPR will image zones and features that may be fault planes and strands similar to our models (5) 300 MHz GPR will image higher resolution features that may suggest the presence of deeper faults and strands, and (6) the combination of all of the tools in this study, particularly the GPR and seismic may allow for the mapping of small scale, shallow faulting in unconsolidated sediments

Hydro-geochemical modeling of subalpine urbanized area: geochemical characterization of the shallow and deep aquifers of the urban district of Como (first results).

Science.gov (United States)

Terrana, Silvia; Brunamonte, Fabio; Frascoli, Francesca; Ferrario, Maria Francesca; Michetti, Alessandro Maria; Pozzi, Andrea; Gambillara, Roberto; Binda, Gilberto

2016-04-01

One of the greatest environmental and social-economics threats is climate change. This topic, in the next few years, will have a significant impact on the availability of water resources of many regions. This is compounded by the strong anthropization of water systems that shows an intensification of conflicts for water resource exploitation. Therefore, it is necessary a sustainable manage of natural resources thorough knowledge of the hosting territories. The development of investigation and data processing methods are essential to reduce costs for the suitable use and protection of resources. Identify a sample area for testing the best approach is crucial. This research aims to find a valid methodology for the characterization, modeling and management of subalpine urban aquifers, and the urban district of Como appears perfect. The city of Como is located at the southern end of the western sector of Lake Como (N Italy). It is a coastal town, placed on a small alluvial plain, therefore in close communication with the lake. The plain is drained by two streams, which are presently artificially buried, and have an underground flow path in the urban section till the mouth. This city area, so, is suitable for this project as it is intensely urbanized, its dimensions is not too extensive and it is characterized by two aquifers very important and little known. These are a shallow aquifer and a deep aquifer, which are important not only for any water supply, but also for the stability of the ground subsidence in the city. This research is also the opportunity to work in a particular well-known area with high scientific significance; however, there is complete absence of information regarding the deep aquifer. Great importance has also the chosen and used of the more powerful open source software for this type of area, such as PHREEQC, EnvironInsite, PHREEQE etc., used for geological and geochemical data processing. The main goal of this preliminary work is the

Artificial urinary conduit construction using tissue engineering methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Kloskowski, Tomasz; Pokrywczyńska, Marta; Drewa, Tomasz

2015-01-01

Incontinent urinary diversion using an ileal conduit is the most popular method used by urologists after bladder cystectomy resulting from muscle invasive bladder cancer. The use of gastrointestinal tissue is related to a series of complications with the necessity of surgical procedure extension which increases the time of surgery. Regenerative medicine together with tissue engineering techniques gives hope for artificial urinary conduit construction de novo without affecting the ileum. In this review we analyzed history of urinary diversion together with current attempts in urinary conduit construction using tissue engineering methods. Based on literature and our own experience we presented future perspectives related to the artificial urinary conduit construction. A small number of papers in the field of tissue engineered urinary conduit construction indicates that this topic requires more attention. Three main factors can be distinguished to resolve this topic: proper scaffold construction along with proper regeneration of both the urothelium and smooth muscle layers. Artificial urinary conduit has a great chance to become the first commercially available product in urology constructed by regenerative medicine methods.

Controlled CO2 injection into a shallow aquifer and leakage detection monitoring practices at the K-COSEM site, Korea

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, S. S.; Joun, W.; Ju, Y. J.; Ha, S. W.; Jun, S. C.; Lee, K. K.

2017-12-01

Artificial carbon dioxide injection into a shallow aquifer system was performed with two injection types imitating short- and long-term CO2 leakage events into a shallow aquifer. One is pulse type leakage of CO2 (6 hours) under a natural hydraulic gradient (0.02) and the other is long-term continuous injection (30 days) under a forced hydraulic gradient (0.2). Injection and monitoring tests were performed at the K-COSEM site in Eumseong, Korea where a specially designed well field had been installed for artificial CO2 release tests. CO2-infused and tracer gases dissolved groundwater was injected through a well below groundwater table and monitoring were conducted in both saturated and unsaturated zones. Real-time monitoring data on CO2 concentration and hydrochemical parameters, and periodical measurements of several gas tracers (He, Ar, Kr, SF6) were obtained. The pulse type short-term injection test was carried out prior to the long-term injection test. Results of the short-term injection test, under natural hydraulic gradient, showed that CO2 plume migrated along the preferential pathway identified through hydraulic interference tests. On the other hand, results of the long-term injection test indicated the CO2 plume migration path was aligned to the forced hydraulic gradient. Compared to the short-term test, the long-term injection formed detectable CO2 concentration change in unsaturated wellbores. Recovery data of tracer gases made breakthrough curves compatible to numerical simulation results. The monitoring results indicated that detection of CO2 leakage into groundwater was more effectively performed by using a pumping and monitoring method in order to capture by-passing plume. With this concept, an effective real-time monitoring method was proposed. Acknowledgement: Financial support was provided by the "R&D Project on Environmental Management of Geologic CO2storage" from the KEITI (Project number : 2014001810003)

In-plant natural versus artificial aging study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shaw, M.

1989-01-01

A few years ago, cable specimens and small electrical components were placed in the reactor buildings of several operating nuclear plants in the United States. Temperature and radiation at the specimen locations are being monitored during the life of the plants. Measured physical properties of materials removed periodically during planned outages over the next 10 to 30 years will be compared with properties of artificially aged materials in identical specimens to assess artificial aging practice. This will also lead to improved lifetime predictions for cables and equipment. The study is being performed by the University of Connecticut's Institute for Materials Science in collaboration with U. S. utilities under the sponsorship of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). Cofunding is being provided by Northeast Utilities and Detroit Edison. This paper gives the status of the study, along with some preliminary results

Kinetic rate of iron release during artificial CO{sub 2} injection in a shallow aquifer: preliminary results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rillard, J. [Earth Sciences Department UMR CNRS 5276 University of Lyon 1, Villeurbanne (France); INERIS French National Institut of Environmental and Industrial Risk Survey, Underground Risk Division,, Verneuil en Hallate (France); Gombert, P.; Toulhoat, P. [INERIS French National Institut of Environmental and Industrial Risk Survey, Underground Risk Division,, Verneuil en Hallate (France); Zuddas, P. [Earth Sciences Department UMR CNRS 5276 University of Lyon 1, Villeurbanne (France); University Pierre and Marie Curie Paris-Sorbonne, ISTEP, Paris (France)

2013-07-01

We performed an injection of CO{sub 2}-saturated water in a shallow aquifer following a 'push-pull' test protocol. A specific protocol was designed to measure in situ fluid pH and redox potential with careful sampling. We found increases of dissolved calcium, magnesium, alkalinity, iron and manganese, and other trace elements. Concentrations of Fe resulting from reactivity were estimated using measured concentrations of Fe corrected by a calculated fluid dynamics coefficient. Thermodynamic equilibrium calculations suggested that ferri-hydrite Fe(OH){sub 3} dissolution is the main source of iron release. The kinetic rate of Fe(OH){sub 3} dissolution estimated by a surface protonation model indicates that the reaction order is two. Since laboratory experimental results show a reaction order of zero, we propose that the mechanism of ferri-hydrite dissolution proceeds by a more complex mechanism under natural conditions. (authors)

Inverse Reliability Task: Artificial Neural Networks and Reliability-Based Optimization Approaches

OpenAIRE

Lehký , David; Slowik , Ondřej; Novák , Drahomír

2014-01-01

Part 7: Genetic Algorithms; International audience; The paper presents two alternative approaches to solve inverse reliability task – to determine the design parameters to achieve desired target reliabilities. The first approach is based on utilization of artificial neural networks and small-sample simulation Latin hypercube sampling. The second approach considers inverse reliability task as reliability-based optimization task using double-loop method and also small-sample simulation. Efficie...

Shallow cumuli ensemble statistics for development of a stochastic parameterization

Science.gov (United States)

Sakradzija, Mirjana; Seifert, Axel; Heus, Thijs

2014-05-01

According to a conventional deterministic approach to the parameterization of moist convection in numerical atmospheric models, a given large scale forcing produces an unique response from the unresolved convective processes. This representation leaves out the small-scale variability of convection, as it is known from the empirical studies of deep and shallow convective cloud ensembles, there is a whole distribution of sub-grid states corresponding to the given large scale forcing. Moreover, this distribution gets broader with the increasing model resolution. This behavior is also consistent with our theoretical understanding of a coarse-grained nonlinear system. We propose an approach to represent the variability of the unresolved shallow-convective states, including the dependence of the sub-grid states distribution spread and shape on the model horizontal resolution. Starting from the Gibbs canonical ensemble theory, Craig and Cohen (2006) developed a theory for the fluctuations in a deep convective ensemble. The micro-states of a deep convective cloud ensemble are characterized by the cloud-base mass flux, which, according to the theory, is exponentially distributed (Boltzmann distribution). Following their work, we study the shallow cumulus ensemble statistics and the distribution of the cloud-base mass flux. We employ a Large-Eddy Simulation model (LES) and a cloud tracking algorithm, followed by a conditional sampling of clouds at the cloud base level, to retrieve the information about the individual cloud life cycles and the cloud ensemble as a whole. In the case of shallow cumulus cloud ensemble, the distribution of micro-states is a generalized exponential distribution. Based on the empirical and theoretical findings, a stochastic model has been developed to simulate the shallow convective cloud ensemble and to test the convective ensemble theory. Stochastic model simulates a compound random process, with the number of convective elements drawn from a

Simulating deep convection with a shallow convection scheme

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Hohenegger

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Convective processes profoundly affect the global water and energy balance of our planet but remain a challenge for global climate modeling. Here we develop and investigate the suitability of a unified convection scheme, capable of handling both shallow and deep convection, to simulate cases of tropical oceanic convection, mid-latitude continental convection, and maritime shallow convection. To that aim, we employ large-eddy simulations (LES as a benchmark to test and refine a unified convection scheme implemented in the Single-column Community Atmosphere Model (SCAM. Our approach is motivated by previous cloud-resolving modeling studies, which have documented the gradual transition between shallow and deep convection and its possible importance for the simulated precipitation diurnal cycle.

Analysis of the LES reveals that differences between shallow and deep convection, regarding cloud-base properties as well as entrainment/detrainment rates, can be related to the evaporation of precipitation. Parameterizing such effects and accordingly modifying the University of Washington shallow convection scheme, it is found that the new unified scheme can represent both shallow and deep convection as well as tropical and mid-latitude continental convection. Compared to the default SCAM version, the new scheme especially improves relative humidity, cloud cover and mass flux profiles. The new unified scheme also removes the well-known too early onset and peak of convective precipitation over mid-latitude continental areas.

Shallow Carbon Export from an Iron fertilised Plankton Bloom in the Southern Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Sanders, R.; Pollard, R.; Morris, P.; Statham, P.; Moore, C. M. M.; Lucas, M.

2009-04-01

Some regions of the global ocean, notably the Southern Ocean, have high levels of macronutrients yet low levels of chlorophyll (the high nutrient, low chlorophyll or HNLC condition). Numerous artificial iron fertilization experiments conducted in the Southern Ocean have resulted in enhanced phytoplankton biomass and macronutrient drawdown. However the subsequent long-term biogeochemical consequences of such iron fertilization are unclear due in part to the limited size and duration of such experiments. An alternative way to assess the affect of iron over the Southern Ocean biological carbon pump is to observe the evolution of plankton production in regions of the Southern Ocean where shallow topography and Ocean currents interact to promote to release terrestrial iron into HNLC waters. During 2004-5 RRS Discovery conduced a complex programme of observations in such a region around the Crozet Islands in the SW Indian Ocean. The results of this programme, focussing on a quantitative estimate of carbon export per unit iron addition, will be presented.

Artificial sweeteners in a large Canadian river reflect human consumption in the watershed.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Spoelstra

Full Text Available Artificial sweeteners have been widely incorporated in human food products for aid in weight loss regimes, dental health protection and dietary control of diabetes. Some of these widely used compounds can pass non-degraded through wastewater treatment systems and are subsequently discharged to groundwater and surface waters. Measurements of artificial sweeteners in rivers used for drinking water production are scarce. In order to determine the riverine concentrations of artificial sweeteners and their usefulness as a tracer of wastewater at the scale of an entire watershed, we analyzed samples from 23 sites along the entire length of the Grand River, a large river in Southern Ontario, Canada, that is impacted by agricultural activities and urban centres. Municipal water from household taps was also sampled from several cities within the Grand River Watershed. Cyclamate, saccharin, sucralose, and acesulfame were found in elevated concentrations despite high rates of biological activity, large daily cycles in dissolved oxygen and shallow river depth. The maximum concentrations that we measured for sucralose (21 µg/L, cyclamate (2.4 µg/L [corrected], and saccharin (7.2 µg/L are the highest reported concentrations of these compounds in surface waters to date anywhere in the world. Acesulfame persists at concentrations that are up to several orders of magnitude above the detection limit over a distance of 300 km and it behaves conservatively in the river, recording the wastewater contribution from the cumulative population in the basin. Acesulfame is a reliable wastewater effluent tracer in rivers. Furthermore, it can be used to assess rates of nutrient assimilation, track wastewater plume dilution, separate human and animal waste contributions and determine the relative persistence of emerging contaminants in impacted watersheds where multiple sources confound the usefulness of other tracers. The effects of artificial sweeteners on aquatic biota

Symmetric truncations of the shallow-water equations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rouhi, A.; Abarbanel, H.D.I.

1993-01-01

Conservation of potential vorticity in Eulerian fluids reflects particle interchange symmetry in the Lagrangian fluid version of the same theory. The algebra associated with this symmetry in the shallow-water equations is studied here, and we give a method for truncating the degrees of freedom of the theory which preserves a maximal number of invariants associated with this algebra. The finite-dimensional symmetry associated with keeping only N modes of the shallow-water flow is SU(N). In the limit where the number of modes goes to infinity (N→∞) all the conservation laws connected with potential vorticity conservation are recovered. We also present a Hamiltonian which is invariant under this truncated symmetry and which reduces to the familiar shallow-water Hamiltonian when N→∞. All this provides a finite-dimensional framework for numerical work with the shallow-water equations which preserves not only energy and enstrophy but all other known conserved quantities consistent with the finite number of degrees of freedom. The extension of these ideas to other nearly two-dimensional flows is discussed

Artificial intelligence

CERN Document Server

Ennals, J R

1987-01-01

Artificial Intelligence: State of the Art Report is a two-part report consisting of the invited papers and the analysis. The editor first gives an introduction to the invited papers before presenting each paper and the analysis, and then concludes with the list of references related to the study. The invited papers explore the various aspects of artificial intelligence. The analysis part assesses the major advances in artificial intelligence and provides a balanced analysis of the state of the art in this field. The Bibliography compiles the most important published material on the subject of

Natural vs. artificial groundwater recharge, quantification through inverse modeling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. Hashemi

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Estimating the change in groundwater recharge from an introduced artificial recharge system is important in order to evaluate future water availability. This paper presents an inverse modeling approach to quantify the recharge contribution from both an ephemeral river channel and an introduced artificial recharge system based on floodwater spreading in arid Iran. The study used the MODFLOW-2000 to estimate recharge for both steady- and unsteady-state conditions. The model was calibrated and verified based on the observed hydraulic head in observation wells and model precision, uncertainty, and model sensitivity were analyzed in all modeling steps. The results showed that in a normal year without extreme events, the floodwater spreading system is the main contributor to recharge with 80% and the ephemeral river channel with 20% of total recharge in the studied area. Uncertainty analysis revealed that the river channel recharge estimation represents relatively more uncertainty in comparison to the artificial recharge zones. The model is also less sensitive to the river channel. The results show that by expanding the artificial recharge system, the recharge volume can be increased even for small flood events, while the recharge through the river channel increases only for major flood events.

Shallow Melt Apparatus for Semicontinuous Czochralski Crystal Growth

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, T.; Ciszek, T. F.

2006-01-10

In a single crystal pulling apparatus for providing a Czochralski crystal growth process, the improvement of a shallow melt crucible (20) to eliminate the necessity supplying a large quantity of feed stock materials that had to be preloaded in a deep crucible to grow a large ingot, comprising a gas tight container a crucible with a deepened periphery (25) to prevent snapping of a shallow melt and reduce turbulent melt convection; source supply means for adding source material to the semiconductor melt; a double barrier (23) to minimize heat transfer between the deepened periphery (25) and the shallow melt in the growth compartment; offset holes (24) in the double barrier (23) to increase melt travel length between the deepened periphery (25) and the shallow growth compartment; and the interface heater/heat sink (22) to control the interface shape and crystal growth rate.

Tools to Perform Local Dense 3D Reconstruction of Shallow Water Seabed

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Loïca Avanthey

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Tasks such as distinguishing or identifying individual objects of interest require the production of dense local clouds at the scale of these individual objects of interest. Due to the physical and dynamic properties of an underwater environment, the usual dense matching algorithms must be rethought in order to be adaptive. These properties also imply that the scene must be observed at close range. Classic robotized acquisition systems are oversized for local studies in shallow water while the systematic acquisition of data is not guaranteed with divers. We address these two major issues through a multidisciplinary approach. To efficiently acquire on-demand stereoscopic pairs using simple logistics in small areas of shallow water, we devised an agile light-weight dedicated system which is easy to reproduce. To densely match two views in a reliable way, we devised a reconstruction algorithm that automatically accounts for the dynamics, variability and light absorption of the underwater environment. Field experiments in the Mediterranean Sea were used to assess the results.

Artificial control of muscle by endoneural multi electrode stimulation and sensing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rutten, Wim; Bouwman, R.L.M.

1991-01-01

Artificial electrical stimulation of motor nerves for muscle control can be made selective by using intrafascicular micro electrode arrays which contact many individual or small groups of nerve fibres. If at the same time te electrode arrays could record afferent information from the stimulated

Training Small Networks for Scene Classification of Remote Sensing Images via Knowledge Distillation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guanzhou Chen

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Scene classification, aiming to identify the land-cover categories of remotely sensed image patches, is now a fundamental task in the remote sensing image analysis field. Deep-learning-model-based algorithms are widely applied in scene classification and achieve remarkable performance, but these high-level methods are computationally expensive and time-consuming. Consequently in this paper, we introduce a knowledge distillation framework, currently a mainstream model compression method, into remote sensing scene classification to improve the performance of smaller and shallower network models. Our knowledge distillation training method makes the high-temperature softmax output of a small and shallow student model match the large and deep teacher model. In our experiments, we evaluate knowledge distillation training method for remote sensing scene classification on four public datasets: AID dataset, UCMerced dataset, NWPU-RESISC dataset, and EuroSAT dataset. Results show that our proposed training method was effective and increased overall accuracy (3% in AID experiments, 5% in UCMerced experiments, 1% in NWPU-RESISC and EuroSAT experiments for small and shallow models. We further explored the performance of the student model on small and unbalanced datasets. Our findings indicate that knowledge distillation can improve the performance of small network models on datasets with lower spatial resolution images, numerous categories, as well as fewer training samples.

Do shallow soil, low water availability, or their combination increase the competition between grasses with different root systems in karst soil?

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yajie; Li, Zhou; Zhang, Jing; Song, Haiyan; Liang, Qianhui; Tao, Jianping; Cornelissen, Johannes H C; Liu, Jinchun

2017-04-01

too small to get sufficient water and nutrients from dry, shallow soil, while shallow-rooted plants will maintain a dominant position with their already adaptive strategy in respect of root biomass allocation and root growth.

Work behaviors of artificial muscle based on cation driven polypyrrole.

Science.gov (United States)

Fujisue, Hisashi; Sendai, Tomokazu; Yamato, Kentaro; Takashima, Wataru; Kaneto, Keiichi

2007-06-01

A soft actuator mimicking natural muscles (artificial muscle) has been developed using a flexible conducting polymer of polypyrrole films, which were driven by electrical stimulus in a saline solution. The work characteristics were studied under various load stresses and found to behave like natural muscles. The artificial muscles shrunk and stiffened by the positive electrical stimulus by 2-3% at the maximum force of 5 MPa, and relaxed by application of negative voltages. At larger load stresses, the artificial muscle shrunk slowly as natural muscles do. The driving current also lasted longer at larger loads, indicating that the muscle sensed the magnitude of the load stress. During contraction of the muscle, the conversion efficiency from the electrical input and mechanical output energies was estimated to be around 0.06%. The maximum volumetric work was approximately estimated to be 100 kJ m(-3). These figures are unexpectedly small compared with those of natural muscles.

Shallow gas in Cenozoic sediments of the Southern North Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Trampe, Anna F.; Lutz, Rüdiger; Franke, Dieter; Thöle, Hauke; Arfai, Jashar

2013-04-01

Shallow petroleum systems in the southern North Sea are known for several decades but they were not actively explored for a long time. In recent years these unconventional shallow petroleum systems are studied in greater detail and one shallow gas field (A-12) is in production in the Netherlands. Additionally, oil was encountered in Miocene sandstones in the southern Danish North Sea (Lille John well) just north of the Danish-German border. Seismic amplitude anomalies are an indication for hydrocarbons in sediments. Therefore we have mapped the occurrence of seismic amplitude anomalies in the German North Sea based on more than 25.000 km of 2D seismic data and around 4.000 km2 of 3D seismic data. Amplitude anomalies are ubiquitous phenomena in the study area. These anomalies are not only caused by hydrocarbons but also by changing lithologies e.g. peat or fluid migration. Therefore several classes of seismic anomalies, e.g. bright spots, chimneys, blanking areas and velocity pull-down were mapped. Examples for these classes were studied with AVO (amplitude variation with offset) analyses to verify the existence or non-existence of gas in the sediments. Shallow gas can be produced and transported through the dense pipeline grid of the southern and central North Sea or it could be burned offshore close to wind parks in small power plants and the electric energy then transported through the existing power connections of the wind parks. Thus enabling a continuous energy supply during calm wind periods. This study is carried out within the framework of the project "Geoscientific Potential of the German North Sea (GPDN)" in which the Cenozoic sedimentary system was mapped in great detail. A detailed model of delta evolution (Baltic river system) was developed which serves as a structural framework. The studied interval is time equivalent to the Utsira formation which is used offshore Norway for sequestration of CO2. These different possibilities of using or exploiting

Biodiversity in intertidal rock pools: informing engineering criteria for artificial habitat enhancement in the built environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Firth, Louise B; Schofield, Meredith; White, Freya J; Skov, Martin W; Hawkins, Stephen J

2014-12-01

Coastal defence structures are proliferating to counter rising and stormier seas. With increasing concern about the ecological value of built environments, efforts are being made to create novel habitat to increase biodiversity. Rock pools are infrequent on artificial structures. We compared biodiversity patterns between rock pools and emergent rock and assessed the role of pool depth and substratum incline in determining patterns of biodiversity. Rock pools were more taxon rich than emergent substrata. Patterns varied with depth and incline with algal groups being more positively associated with shallow than deeper habitats. Substratum incline had little influence on colonising epibiota, with the exception of canopy algae in deeper habitats where vertical surfaces supported greater taxon richness than horizontal surfaces. The creation of artificial rock pools in built environments will have a positive effect on biodiversity. Building pools of varying depths and inclines and shore heights will provide a range of habitats, increase environmental heterogeneity, therefore creating more possible ecological niches, promoting local biodiversity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Artificial Leaf Based on Artificial Photosynthesis for Solar Fuel Production

Science.gov (United States)

2017-06-30

collect light energy and separate charge for developing new types of nanobiodevices to construct ”artificial leaf” from solar to fuel. or Concept of...AFRL-AFOSR-JP-TR-2017-0054 Artificial Leaf Based on Artificial Photosynthesis for Solar Fuel Production Mamoru Nango NAGOYA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY...display a currently valid OMB control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ORGANIZATION. 1. REPORT DATE (DD-MM-YYYY)      30-06-2017 2

CO2/Brine transport into shallow aquifers along fault zones.

Science.gov (United States)

Keating, Elizabeth H; Newell, Dennis L; Viswanathan, Hari; Carey, J W; Zyvoloski, G; Pawar, Rajesh

2013-01-02

Unintended release of CO(2) from carbon sequestration reservoirs poses a well-recognized risk to groundwater quality. Research has largely focused on in situ CO(2)-induced pH depression and subsequent trace metal mobilization. In this paper we focus on a second mechanism: upward intrusion of displaced brine or brackish-water into a shallow aquifer as a result of CO(2) injection. Studies of two natural analog sites provide insights into physical and chemical mechanisms controlling both brackish water and CO(2) intrusion into shallow aquifers along fault zones. At the Chimayó, New Mexico site, shallow groundwater near the fault is enriched in CO(2) and, in some places, salinity is significantly elevated. In contrast, at the Springerville, Arizona site CO(2) is leaking upward through brine aquifers but does not appear to be increasing salinity in the shallow aquifer. Using multiphase transport simulations we show conditions under which significant CO(2) can be transported through deep brine aquifers into shallow layers. Only a subset of these conditions favor entrainment of salinity into the shallow aquifer: high aspect-ratio leakage pathways and viscous coupling between the fluid phases. Recognition of the conditions under which salinity is favored to be cotransported with CO(2) into shallow aquifers will be important in environmental risk assessments.

Caribbean shallow water Corallimorpharia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hartog, J.C.den

1980-01-01

The present paper comprises a review of the Caribbean shallow water Corallimorpharia. Six species, belonging to four genera and three families are treated, including Pseudocorynactis caribbeorum gen. nov. spec. nov., a species with tentacular acrospheres containing the largest spirocysts ever

Elevating bioavailability of curcumin via encapsulation with a novel formulation of artificial oil bodies.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Ming-Tsung; Tsai, Tong-Rong; Lee, Chun-Yann; Wei, Yu-Sheng; Chen, Ying-Jie; Chen, Chun-Ren; Tzen, Jason T C

2013-10-09

Utilization of curcumin has been limited due to its poor oral bioavailability. Oral bioavailability of hydrophobic compounds might be elevated via encapsulation in artificial seed oil bodies. This study aimed to improve oral bioavailability of curcumin via this encapsulation. Unfortunately, curcumin was indissoluble in various seed oils. A mixed dissolvent formula was used to dissolve curcumin, and the admixture was successfully encapsulated in artificial oil bodies stabilized by recombinant sesame caleosin. The artificial oil bodies of relatively small sizes (150 nm) were stably solidified in the forms of powder and tablet. Oral bioavailability of curcumin with or without encapsulation in artificial oil bodies was assessed in Sprague-Dawley male rats. The results showed that encapsulation of curcumin significantly elevated its bioavailability and provided the highest maximum whole blood concentration (Cmax), 37 ± 28 ng/mL, in the experimental animals 45 ± 17 min (t(max)) after oral administration. Relative bioavailability calculated on the basis of the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) was increased by 47.7 times when curcumin was encapsulated in the artificial oil bodies. This novel formulation of artificial oil bodies seems to possess great potential to encapsulate hydrophobic drugs for oral administration.

Guidance Index for Shallow Landslide Hazard Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheila Avalon Cullen

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Rainfall-induced shallow landslides are one of the most frequent hazards on slanted terrains. Intense storms with high-intensity and long-duration rainfall have high potential to trigger rapidly moving soil masses due to changes in pore water pressure and seepage forces. Nevertheless, regardless of the intensity and/or duration of the rainfall, shallow landslides are influenced by antecedent soil moisture conditions. As of this day, no system exists that dynamically interrelates these two factors on large scales. This work introduces a Shallow Landslide Index (SLI as the first implementation of antecedent soil moisture conditions for the hazard analysis of shallow rainfall-induced landslides. The proposed mathematical algorithm is built using a logistic regression method that systematically learns from a comprehensive landslide inventory. Initially, root-soil moisture and rainfall measurements modeled from AMSR-E and TRMM respectively, are used as proxies to develop the index. The input dataset is randomly divided into training and verification sets using the Hold-Out method. Validation results indicate that the best-fit model predicts the highest number of cases correctly at 93.2% accuracy. Consecutively, as AMSR-E and TRMM stopped working in October 2011 and April 2015 respectively, root-soil moisture and rainfall measurements modeled by SMAP and GPM are used to develop models that calculate the SLI for 10, 7, and 3 days. The resulting models indicate a strong relationship (78.7%, 79.6%, and 76.8% respectively between the predictors and the predicted value. The results also highlight important remaining challenges such as adequate information for algorithm functionality and satellite based data reliability. Nevertheless, the experimental system can potentially be used as a dynamic indicator of the total amount of antecedent moisture and rainfall (for a given duration of time needed to trigger a shallow landslide in a susceptible area. It is

Artificially Structured Semiconductors to Model Novel Quantum Phenomena

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pinczuk, Aron [Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States). Dept. of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics; Wind, Shalom J. [Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States). Dept. of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics

2018-01-13

Award Period: September 1st, 2013 through February 15th, 2017 Submitted to the USDOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences By Aron Pinczuk and Shalom J. Wind Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics Columbia University New York, NY 10027 January 2017 Award # DE-SC0010695 ABSTRACT Research in this project seeks to design, create and study a class of tunable artificial quantum structures in order to extend the range and scope of new and exciting physical phenomena and to explore the potential for new applications. Advanced nanofabrication was used to create an external potential landscape that acts as a lattice of confinement sites for electrons (and/or holes) in a two-dimensional electron gas in a high perfection semiconductor in such a manner that quantum interactions between different sites dictate the significant physics. Our current focus is on ‘artificial graphene’ (AG) in which a set of quantum dots (or sites) are patterned in a honeycomb lattice. The combination of leading edge nanofabrication with ultra-pure semiconductor materials in this project extends the frontier for small period, low-disorder AG systems, enabling the exploration of graphene physics in a semiconductor platform. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION Contemporary condensed matter science has entered an era of discovery of new low-dimensional materials, such as graphene and other atomically thin materials, that exhibit exciting new physical phenomena that were previously inaccessible. Concurrent with the discovery and development of these new materials are impressive advancements in nanofabrication, which offer an ever-expanding toolbox for creating a myriad of high quality patterns at nanoscale dimensions. This project started about four years ago. Among its major achievements are the realizations of very small period artificial lattices with honeycomb topology in GaAs quantum wells. In our most recent work the periods of the ‘artificial graphene’ (AG) lattices extend down to 40 nm. These

Generative Artificial Intelligence : Philosophy and Theory of Artificial Intelligence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Zant, Tijn; Kouw, Matthijs; Schomaker, Lambertus; Mueller, Vincent C.

2013-01-01

The closed systems of contemporary Artificial Intelligence do not seem to lead to intelligent machines in the near future. What is needed are open-ended systems with non-linear properties in order to create interesting properties for the scaffolding of an artificial mind. Using post-structuralistic

A multidisciplinary methodological approach for slope stability assessment of an area prone to shallow landslides

Science.gov (United States)

Bordoni, Massimiliano; Meisina, Claudia; Valentino, Roberto; Bittelli, Marco; Battista Bischetti, Gian; Vercesi, Alberto; Chersich, Silvia; Giuseppina Persichillo, Maria

2016-04-01

Rainfall-induced shallow landslides are widespread slope instabilities phenomena in several hilly and mountainous contexts all over the world. Due to their high density of diffusion also in small areas, they can provoke important damages to terrains, infrastructures, buildings, and, sometimes, loss of human lives. Shallow landslides affect superficial soils of limited thickness (generally lower than 2 m), located above weathered or not bedrock levels. Their triggering mechanism is strictly linked to the hydrological response of the soils to rainfall events. Thus, it becomes fundamental a comprehensive analysis of the soil properties which can influence the susceptibility of a slope to shallow landslides. In this study, a multidisciplinary approach was followed for the characterization of the soils and the individuation of the triggering conditions in an area particularly prone to shallow failures, for slope stability assessment. This area corresponded to the hilly sector of North-Eastern Oltrepò Pavese (Lombardy Region, Northern Italy), where the density of shallow landslides is really high, reaching more than 36 landslides per km2. The soils of the study area were analyzed through a multidisciplinary characterization, which took into account for the main geotechnical, mechanical and mineralogical parameters and also for the main pedological features of the materials. This approach allowed for identifying the main features and the horizons which could influence the soil behavior in relation to the conditions that are preparatory to shallow landslides development. In a test-site slope, representative of the main geomorphological, geological and landslides distribution characteristics typical of the study area, a continuous in time monitoring of meteorological (rainfall amount, air temperature, air humidity, atmospheric pressure, net solar radiation, wind speed and direction) and hydrological (soil water content, pore water pressure) parameters was implemented. In

Electrostatically Tunable Nanomechanical Shallow Arches

KAUST Repository

Kazmi, Syed N. R.

2017-11-03

We report an analytical and experimental study on the tunability of in-plane doubly-clamped nanomechanical arches under varied DC bias conditions at room temperature. For this purpose, silicon based shallow arches are fabricated using standard e-beam lithography and surface nanomachining of a highly conductive device layer on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer. The experimental results show good agreement with the analytical results with a maximum tunability of 108.14% for 180 nm thick arch with a transduction gap of 1 μm between the beam and the driving/sensing electrodes. The high tunability of shallow arches paves the ways for highly tunable band pass filtering applications in high frequency range.

Artificial life and Piaget.

Science.gov (United States)

Mueller, Ulrich; Grobman, K H.

2003-04-01

Artificial life provides important theoretical and methodological tools for the investigation of Piaget's developmental theory. This new method uses artificial neural networks to simulate living phenomena in a computer. A recent study by Parisi and Schlesinger suggests that artificial life might reinvigorate the Piagetian framework. We contrast artificial life with traditional cognitivist approaches, discuss the role of innateness in development, and examine the relation between physiological and psychological explanations of intelligent behaviour.

Computational modeling of shallow geothermal systems

CERN Document Server

Al-Khoury, Rafid

2011-01-01

A Step-by-step Guide to Developing Innovative Computational Tools for Shallow Geothermal Systems Geothermal heat is a viable source of energy and its environmental impact in terms of CO2 emissions is significantly lower than conventional fossil fuels. Shallow geothermal systems are increasingly utilized for heating and cooling of buildings and greenhouses. However, their utilization is inconsistent with the enormous amount of energy available underneath the surface of the earth. Projects of this nature are not getting the public support they deserve because of the uncertainties associated with

ODMR of shallow donors in Zn-doped LEC-grown InP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trombetta, J.M.; Kennedy, T.A.

1990-01-01

ODMR spectra observed while monitoring the shallow donor-shallow acceptor pair emission in Zn-doped LEC-grown InP display strong features in the region near the conduction electron value of g = 1.20. In addition to a previously observed narrow line, the authors observe a much broader resonance which dominates at low photoexcitation intensity. This broader line is interpreted as the unresolved exchange split resonances of electrons bound to residual shallow donors. The exchange broadening arises from interaction with nearby paramagnetic centers. Both resonances result in a decrease in the shallow-donor-to shallow-acceptor radiative recombination and give evidence for pair recombination processes which compete with this emission

Memory-Based Shallow Parsing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tjong Kim Sang, E.F.

2002-01-01

We present memory-based learning approaches to shallow parsing and apply these to five tasks: base noun phrase identification, arbitrary base phrase recognition, clause detection, noun phrase parsing and full parsing. We use feature selection techniques and system combination methods for improving

Combination of statistical and physically based methods to assess shallow slide susceptibility at the basin scale

Science.gov (United States)

Oliveira, Sérgio C.; Zêzere, José L.; Lajas, Sara; Melo, Raquel

2017-07-01

Approaches used to assess shallow slide susceptibility at the basin scale are conceptually different depending on the use of statistical or physically based methods. The former are based on the assumption that the same causes are more likely to produce the same effects, whereas the latter are based on the comparison between forces which tend to promote movement along the slope and the counteracting forces that are resistant to motion. Within this general framework, this work tests two hypotheses: (i) although conceptually and methodologically distinct, the statistical and deterministic methods generate similar shallow slide susceptibility results regarding the model's predictive capacity and spatial agreement; and (ii) the combination of shallow slide susceptibility maps obtained with statistical and physically based methods, for the same study area, generate a more reliable susceptibility model for shallow slide occurrence. These hypotheses were tested at a small test site (13.9 km2) located north of Lisbon (Portugal), using a statistical method (the information value method, IV) and a physically based method (the infinite slope method, IS). The landslide susceptibility maps produced with the statistical and deterministic methods were combined into a new landslide susceptibility map. The latter was based on a set of integration rules defined by the cross tabulation of the susceptibility classes of both maps and analysis of the corresponding contingency tables. The results demonstrate a higher predictive capacity of the new shallow slide susceptibility map, which combines the independent results obtained with statistical and physically based models. Moreover, the combination of the two models allowed the identification of areas where the results of the information value and the infinite slope methods are contradictory. Thus, these areas were classified as uncertain and deserve additional investigation at a more detailed scale.

Formation Conditions and Sedimentary Characteristics of a Triassic Shallow Water Braided Delta in the Yanchang Formation, Southwest Ordos Basin, China.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ziliang Liu

Full Text Available A large, shallow braided river delta sedimentary system developed in the Yanchang Formation during the Triassic in the southwest of the Ordos basin. In this braided delta system, abundant oil and gas resources have been observed, and the area is a hotspot for oil and gas resource exploration. Through extensive field work on outcrops and cores and analyses of geophysical data, it was determined that developments in the Late Triassic produced favorable geological conditions for the development of shallow water braided river deltas. Such conditions included a large basin, flat terrain, and wide and shallow water areas; wet and dry cyclical climate changes; ancient water turbulence; dramatic depth cycle changes; ancient uplift development; strong weathering of parent rock; and abundant supply. The shallow water braided river delta showed grain sediment granularity, plastic debris, and sediment with mature composition and structure that reflected the strong hydrodynamic environment of large tabular cross-bedding, wedge cross-bedding, and multiple positive rhythms superimposed to form a thick sand body layer. The branch river bifurcation developed underwater, and the thickness of the sand body increased further, indicating that the slope was slow and located in shallow water. The seismic responses of the braided river delta reflected strong shallow water performance, indicated by a progradation seismic reflection phase axis that was relatively flat; in addition, the seismic reflection amplitude was strong and continuous with a low angle and extended over considerable distances (up to 50 km. The sedimentary center was close to the provenance, the width of the river was large, and a shallow sedimentary structure and a sedimentary rhythm were developed. The development of the delta was primarily controlled by tectonic activity and changes in the lake level; as a result, the river delta sedimentary system eventually presented a "small plain, big front

Formation Conditions and Sedimentary Characteristics of a Triassic Shallow Water Braided Delta in the Yanchang Formation, Southwest Ordos Basin, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Ziliang; Shen, Fang; Zhu, Xiaomin; Li, Fengjie; Tan, Mengqi

2015-01-01

A large, shallow braided river delta sedimentary system developed in the Yanchang Formation during the Triassic in the southwest of the Ordos basin. In this braided delta system, abundant oil and gas resources have been observed, and the area is a hotspot for oil and gas resource exploration. Through extensive field work on outcrops and cores and analyses of geophysical data, it was determined that developments in the Late Triassic produced favorable geological conditions for the development of shallow water braided river deltas. Such conditions included a large basin, flat terrain, and wide and shallow water areas; wet and dry cyclical climate changes; ancient water turbulence; dramatic depth cycle changes; ancient uplift development; strong weathering of parent rock; and abundant supply. The shallow water braided river delta showed grain sediment granularity, plastic debris, and sediment with mature composition and structure that reflected the strong hydrodynamic environment of large tabular cross-bedding, wedge cross-bedding, and multiple positive rhythms superimposed to form a thick sand body layer. The branch river bifurcation developed underwater, and the thickness of the sand body increased further, indicating that the slope was slow and located in shallow water. The seismic responses of the braided river delta reflected strong shallow water performance, indicated by a progradation seismic reflection phase axis that was relatively flat; in addition, the seismic reflection amplitude was strong and continuous with a low angle and extended over considerable distances (up to 50 km). The sedimentary center was close to the provenance, the width of the river was large, and a shallow sedimentary structure and a sedimentary rhythm were developed. The development of the delta was primarily controlled by tectonic activity and changes in the lake level; as a result, the river delta sedimentary system eventually presented a "small plain, big front" character.

Investigation of genetic structure between deep and shallow populations of the southern Rock Lobster, Jasus edwardsii in Tasmania, Australia.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erin M J Morgan

Full Text Available The southern rock lobster, Jasus edwardsii, shows clear phenotypic differences between shallow water (red coloured and deeper water (pale coloured individuals. Translocations of individuals from deeper water to shallower waters are currently being trialled as a management strategy to facilitate a phenotypic change from lower value pale colouration, common in deeper waters, to the higher value red colouration found in shallow waters. Although panmixia across the J. edwardsii range has been long assumed, it is critical to assess the genetic variability of the species to ensure that the level of population connectivity is appropriately understood and translocations do not have unintended consequences. Eight microsatellite loci were used to investigate genetic differentiation between six sites (three shallow, three deep across southern Tasmania, Australia, and one from New Zealand. Based on analyses the assumption of panmixia was rejected, revealing small levels of genetic differentiation across southern Tasmania, significant levels of differentiation between Tasmania and New Zealand, and high levels of asymmetric gene flow in an easterly direction from Tasmania into New Zealand. These results suggest that translocation among Tasmanian populations are not likely to be problematic, however, a re-consideration of panmictic stock structure for this species is necessary.

The shallow water equations in Lagrangian coordinates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mead, J.L.

2004-01-01

Recent advances in the collection of Lagrangian data from the ocean and results about the well-posedness of the primitive equations have led to a renewed interest in solving flow equations in Lagrangian coordinates. We do not take the view that solving in Lagrangian coordinates equates to solving on a moving grid that can become twisted or distorted. Rather, the grid in Lagrangian coordinates represents the initial position of particles, and it does not change with time. We apply numerical methods traditionally used to solve differential equations in Eulerian coordinates, to solve the shallow water equations in Lagrangian coordinates. The difficulty with solving in Lagrangian coordinates is that the transformation from Eulerian coordinates results in solving a highly nonlinear partial differential equation. The non-linearity is mainly due to the Jacobian of the coordinate transformation, which is a precise record of how the particles are rotated and stretched. The inverse Jacobian must be calculated, thus Lagrangian coordinates cannot be used in instances where the Jacobian vanishes. For linear (spatial) flows we give an explicit formula for the Jacobian and describe the two situations where the Lagrangian shallow water equations cannot be used because either the Jacobian vanishes or the shallow water assumption is violated. We also prove that linear (in space) steady state solutions of the Lagrangian shallow water equations have Jacobian equal to one. In the situations where the shallow water equations can be solved in Lagrangian coordinates, accurate numerical solutions are found with finite differences, the Chebyshev pseudospectral method, and the fourth order Runge-Kutta method. The numerical results shown here emphasize the need for high order temporal approximations for long time integrations

Artificial sweeteners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Raben, Anne Birgitte; Richelsen, Bjørn

2012-01-01

Artificial sweeteners can be a helpful tool to reduce energy intake and body weight and thereby risk for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Considering the prevailing diabesity (obesity and diabetes) epidemic, this can, therefore, be an important alternative to natural, calorie-containin......Artificial sweeteners can be a helpful tool to reduce energy intake and body weight and thereby risk for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Considering the prevailing diabesity (obesity and diabetes) epidemic, this can, therefore, be an important alternative to natural, calorie......-containing sweeteners. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current evidence on the effect of artificial sweeteners on body weight, appetite, and risk markers for diabetes and CVD in humans....

Deformation analysis of shallow penetration in clay

Science.gov (United States)

Sagaseta, C.; Whittle, A. J.; Santagata, M.

1997-10-01

A new method of analysis is described for estimating the deformations and strains caused by shallow undrained penetration of piles and caissons in clay. The formulation combines previous analyses for steady, deep penetration, with methods used to compute soil deformations due to near-surface ground loss, and is referred to as the Shallow Strain Path Method (SSPM). Complete analytical solutions for the velocity and strain rates are given for a planar wall, an axisymmetric, closed-ended pile and unplugged, open-ended pile geometries. In these examples, the analyses consider a single source penetrating through the soil at a constant rate, generating a family of penetrometers with rounded tips, referred to as simple wall, pile and tube geometries. Soil deformations and strains are obtained by integrating the velocity and strain rates along the particle paths.The transition from shallow to deep penetration is analysed in detail. Shallow penetration causes heave at the ground surface, while settlements occur only in a thin veneer of material adjacent to the shaft and in a bulb-shaped region around the tip. The size of this region increases with the embedment depth. Deformations inside an open-ended pile/caisson are affected significantly by details of the simple tube wall geometry.

Deep versus shallow suction of endotracheal tubes in ventilated neonates and young infants.

Science.gov (United States)

Gillies, Donna; Spence, Kaye

2011-07-06

Mechanical ventilation is commonly used in Neonatal Intensive Care Units to assist breathing in a variety of conditions. Mechanical ventilation is achieved through the placement of an endotracheal tube (ETT) which is left in-situ. The ETT is suctioned to prevent a build-up of secretions and blockage of the airway. Methods of suctioning the endotracheal tube vary according to institutional practice and the individual clinician performing the task. The depth of suctioning is one of these variables. The catheter may be passed to the tip of the ETT or beyond the tip into the trachea or bronchi to facilitate removal of secretions. However, trauma to the lower airways may result from the suction catheter being passed into the airway beyond the tip of the endotracheal tube. To compare the effectiveness and complications of deep (catheter passed beyond the tip of the ETT) versus shallow (catheter passed to length of ETT only) suctioning of the endotracheal tube in ventilated infants. In this first update the searches were expanded to the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library, March 30), MEDLINE (from January 1966 to May 30 2011), CINAHL (from 1982 to May 30 2011) and EMBASE (1980 to May 2011) using text words and subject headings relevant to endotracheal suctioning. There were no language restrictions. Controlled trials using random or quasi-random allocation of neonates receiving ventilatory support via an endotracheal tube to either deep or shallow endotracheal suctioning. The updated search resulted in 149 potentially relevant references. Two of the studies from this search were identified as potentially relevant. We included one of the potentially relevant studies and the other was excluded because it did not fit the inclusion criteria. One small crossover trial (n = 27) of shallow versus deep suctioning met the criteria for inclusion in this review. The reported outcomes were oxygen saturation and heart rate, during and after suctioning

[Soil moisture dynamics of artificial Caragana microphylla shrubs at different topographical sites in Horqin sandy land].

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Gang; Zhao, Xue-yong; Huang, Ying-xin; Su, Yan-gui

2009-03-01

Based on the investigation data of vegetation and soil moisture regime of Caragana microphylla shrubs widely distributed in Horqin sandy land, the spatiotemporal variations of soil moisture regime and soil water storage of artificial sand-fixing C. microphylla shrubs at different topographical sites in the sandy land were studied, and the evapotranspiration was measured by water balance method. The results showed that the soil moisture content of the shrubs was the highest in the lowland of dunes, followed by in the middle, and in the crest of the dunes, and increased with increasing depth. No water stress occurred during the growth season of the shrubs. Soil moisture content of the shrubs was highly related to precipitation event, and the relationship of soil moisture content with precipitation was higher in deep soil layer (50-180 cm) than in shallow soil layer (0-50 cm). The variation coefficient of soil moisture content was also higher in deep layer than in shallow layer. Soil water storage was increasing in the whole growth season of the shrubs, which meant that the accumulation of soil water occurred in this area. The evapotranspiriation of the shrubs occupied above 64% of the precipitation.

Artificial cognition architectures

CERN Document Server

Crowder, James A; Friess, Shelli A

2013-01-01

The goal of this book is to establish the foundation, principles, theory, and concepts that are the backbone of real, autonomous Artificial Intelligence. Presented here are some basic human intelligence concepts framed for Artificial Intelligence systems. These include concepts like Metacognition and Metamemory, along with architectural constructs for Artificial Intelligence versions of human brain functions like the prefrontal cortex. Also presented are possible hardware and software architectures that lend themselves to learning, reasoning, and self-evolution

Deep and shallow water effects on developing preschoolers' aquatic skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, Aldo M; Marinho, Daniel A; Rocha, Helena; Silva, António J; Barbosa, Tiago M; Ferreira, Sandra S; Martins, Marta

2012-05-01

The aim of the study was to assess deep and shallow water teaching methods in swimming lessons for preschool children and identify variations in the basic aquatic skills acquired. The study sample included 32 swimming instructors (16 from deep water programs and 16 from shallow water programs) and 98 preschool children (50 from deep water swimming pool and 48 from shallow water swimming pool). The children were also studied regarding their previous experience in swimming (6, 12 and 18 months or practice). Chi-Square test and Fisher's exact test were used to compare the teaching methodology. A discriminant analysis was conducted with Λ wilk's method to predict under what conditions students are better or worse (aquatic competence). Results suggest that regardless of the non-significant variations found in teaching methods, the water depth can affect aquatic skill acquisition - shallow water lessons seem to impose greater water competence particularly after 6 months of practice. The discriminant function revealed a significant association between groups and all predictors for 6 months of swimming practice (pdeep and shallow water programs for preschoolers is not significantly different. However, shallow water lessons could be preferable for the development of basic aquatic skills.

Enhanced Input of Terrestrial Particulate Organic Matter Reduces the Resilience of the Clear-Water State of Shallow Lakes: A Model Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lischke, B.; Hilt, S.; Janse, J.H.; Kuiper, J.J.; Mehner, T.; Mooij, W.M.; Gaedke, U.

2014-01-01

The amount of terrestrial particulate organic matter (t-POM) entering lakes is predicted to increase as a result of climate change. This may especially alter the structure and functioning of ecosystems in small, shallow lakes which can rapidly shift from a clear-water, macrophyte-dominated into a

Seismic Vulnerability Assessment of a Shallow Two-Story Underground RC Box Structure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jungwon Huh

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Tunnels, culverts, and subway stations are the main parts of an integrated infrastructure system. Most of them are constructed by the cut-and-cover method at shallow depths (mainly lower than 30 m of soil deposits, where large-scale seismic ground deformation can occur with lower stiffness and strength of the soil. Therefore, the transverse racking deformation (one of the major seismic ground deformation due to soil shear deformations should be included in the seismic design of underground structures using cost- and time-efficient methods that can achieve robustness of design and are easily understood by engineers. This paper aims to develop a simplified but comprehensive approach relating to vulnerability assessment in the form of fragility curves on a shallow two-story reinforced concrete underground box structure constructed in a highly-weathered soil. In addition, a comparison of the results of earthquakes per peak ground acceleration (PGA is conducted to determine the effective and appropriate number for cost- and time-benefit analysis. The ground response acceleration method for buried structures (GRAMBS is used to analyze the behavior of the structure subjected to transverse seismic loading under quasi-static conditions. Furthermore, the damage states that indicate the exceedance level of the structural strength capacity are described by the results of nonlinear static analyses (or so-called pushover analyses. The Latin hypercube sampling technique is employed to consider the uncertainties associated with the material properties and concrete cover owing to the variation in construction conditions. Finally, a large number of artificial ground shakings satisfying the design spectrum are generated in order to develop the seismic fragility curves based on the defined damage states. It is worth noting that the number of ground motions per PGA, which is equal to or larger than 20, is a reasonable value to perform a structural analysis that

Assumed Probability Density Functions for Shallow and Deep Convection

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Steven K Krueger

2010-10-01

Full Text Available The assumed joint probability density function (PDF between vertical velocity and conserved temperature and total water scalars has been suggested to be a relatively computationally inexpensive and unified subgrid-scale (SGS parameterization for boundary layer clouds and turbulent moments. This paper analyzes the performance of five families of PDFs using large-eddy simulations of deep convection, shallow convection, and a transition from stratocumulus to trade wind cumulus. Three of the PDF families are based on the double Gaussian form and the remaining two are the single Gaussian and a Double Delta Function (analogous to a mass flux model. The assumed PDF method is tested for grid sizes as small as 0.4 km to as large as 204.8 km. In addition, studies are performed for PDF sensitivity to errors in the input moments and for how well the PDFs diagnose some higher-order moments. In general, the double Gaussian PDFs more accurately represent SGS cloud structure and turbulence moments in the boundary layer compared to the single Gaussian and Double Delta Function PDFs for the range of grid sizes tested. This is especially true for small SGS cloud fractions. While the most complex PDF, Lewellen-Yoh, better represents shallow convective cloud properties (cloud fraction and liquid water mixing ratio compared to the less complex Analytic Double Gaussian 1 PDF, there appears to be no advantage in implementing Lewellen-Yoh for deep convection. However, the Analytic Double Gaussian 1 PDF better represents the liquid water flux, is less sensitive to errors in the input moments, and diagnoses higher order moments more accurately. Between the Lewellen-Yoh and Analytic Double Gaussian 1 PDFs, it appears that neither family is distinctly better at representing cloudy layers. However, due to the reduced computational cost and fairly robust results, it appears that the Analytic Double Gaussian 1 PDF could be an ideal family for SGS cloud and turbulence

Shallow bedrock limits groundwater seepage-based headwater climate refugia

Science.gov (United States)

Briggs, Martin A.; Lane, John W.; Snyder, Craig D.; White, Eric A.; Johnson, Zachary; Nelms, David L.; Hitt, Nathaniel P.

2018-01-01

Groundwater/surface-water exchanges in streams are inexorably linked to adjacent aquifer dynamics. As surface-water temperatures continue to increase with climate warming, refugia created by groundwater connectivity is expected to enable cold water fish species to survive. The shallow alluvial aquifers that source groundwater seepage to headwater streams, however, may also be sensitive to seasonal and long-term air temperature dynamics. Depth to bedrock can directly influence shallow aquifer flow and thermal sensitivity, but is typically ill-defined along the stream corridor in steep mountain catchments. We employ rapid, cost-effective passive seismic measurements to evaluate the variable thickness of the shallow colluvial and alluvial aquifer sediments along a headwater stream supporting cold water-dependent brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in Shenandoah National Park, VA, USA. Using a mean depth to bedrock of 2.6 m, numerical models predicted strong sensitivity of shallow aquifer temperature to the downward propagation of surface heat. The annual temperature dynamics (annual signal amplitude attenuation and phase shift) of potential seepage sourced from the shallow modeled aquifer were compared to several years of paired observed stream and air temperature records. Annual stream water temperature patterns were found to lag local air temperature by ∼8–19 d along the stream corridor, indicating that thermal exchange between the stream and shallow groundwater is spatially variable. Locations with greater annual signal phase lag were also associated with locally increased amplitude attenuation, further suggestion of year-round buffering of channel water temperature by groundwater seepage. Numerical models of shallow groundwater temperature that incorporate regional expected climate warming trends indicate that the summer cooling capacity of this groundwater seepage will be reduced over time, and lower-elevation stream sections may no longer serve as larger

Fluctuations in a quasi-stationary shallow cumulus cloud ensemble

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Sakradzija

2015-01-01

Full Text Available We propose an approach to stochastic parameterisation of shallow cumulus clouds to represent the convective variability and its dependence on the model resolution. To collect information about the individual cloud lifecycles and the cloud ensemble as a whole, we employ a large eddy simulation (LES model and a cloud tracking algorithm, followed by conditional sampling of clouds at the cloud-base level. In the case of a shallow cumulus ensemble, the cloud-base mass flux distribution is bimodal, due to the different shallow cloud subtypes, active and passive clouds. Each distribution mode can be approximated using a Weibull distribution, which is a generalisation of exponential distribution by accounting for the change in distribution shape due to the diversity of cloud lifecycles. The exponential distribution of cloud mass flux previously suggested for deep convection parameterisation is a special case of the Weibull distribution, which opens a way towards unification of the statistical convective ensemble formalism of shallow and deep cumulus clouds. Based on the empirical and theoretical findings, a stochastic model has been developed to simulate a shallow convective cloud ensemble. It is formulated as a compound random process, with the number of convective elements drawn from a Poisson distribution, and the cloud mass flux sampled from a mixed Weibull distribution. Convective memory is accounted for through the explicit cloud lifecycles, making the model formulation consistent with the choice of the Weibull cloud mass flux distribution function. The memory of individual shallow clouds is required to capture the correct convective variability. The resulting distribution of the subgrid convective states in the considered shallow cumulus case is scale-adaptive – the smaller the grid size, the broader the distribution.

The behavior of shallow flaws in reactor pressure vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rolfe, S.T.

1991-11-01

Both analytical and experimental studies have shown that the effect of crack length, a, on the elastic-plastic toughness of structural steels is significant. The objective of this report is to recommend those research investigations that are necessary to understand the phenomenon of shallow behavior as it affects fracture toughness so that the results can be used properly in the structural margin assessment of reactor pressure vessels (RPVs) with flaws. Preliminary test results of A 533 B steel show an elevated crack-tip-opening displacement (CTOD) toughness similar to that observed for structural steels tested at the University of Kansas. Thus, the inherent resistance to fracture initiation of A 533 B steel with shallow flaws appears to be higher than that used in the current American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) design curves based on testing fracture mechanics specimens with deep flaws. If this higher toughness of laboratory specimens with shallow flaws can be transferred to a higher resistance to failure in RPV design or analysis, then the actual margin of safety in nuclear vessels with shallow flaws would be greater than is currently assumed on the basis of deep-flaw test results. This elevation in toughness and greater resistance to fracture would be a very desirable situation, particularly for the pressurized-thermal shock (PTS) analysis in which shallow flaws are assumed to exist. Before any advantage can be taken of this possible increase in initiation toughness, numerous factors must be analyzed to ensure the transferability of the data. This report reviews those factors and makes recommendations of studies that are needed to assess the transferability of shallow-flaw toughness test results to the structural margin assessment of RPV with shallow flaws. 14 refs., 8 figs

Numerical simulation of mechanical compaction of deepwater shallow sediments

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Jin; Wu, Shiguo; Deng, Jingen; Lin, Hai; Zhang, Hanyu; Wang, Jiliang; Gao, Jinwei

2018-02-01

To study the compaction law and overpressure evolution in deepwater shallow sediments, a large-strain compaction model that considers material nonlinearity and moving boundary is formulated. The model considers the dependence of permeability and material properties on void ratio. The modified Cam-Clay model is selected as the constitutive relations of the sediments, and the deactivation/reactivation method is used to capture the moving top surface during the deposition process. A one-dimensional model is used to study the compaction law of the shallow sediments. Results show that the settlement of the shallow sediments is large under their own weight during compaction. The void ratio decreases strictly with burial depth and decreases more quickly near the seafloor than in the deeper layers. The generation of abnormal pressure in the shallow flow sands is closely related to the compaction law of shallow sediments. The two main factors that affect the generation of overpressure in the sands are deposition rate and permeability of overlying clay sediments. Overpressure increases with an increase in deposition rate and a decrease in the permeability of the overlying clay sediment. Moreover, an upper limit for the overpressure exists. A two-dimensional model is used to study the differential compaction of the shallow sediments. The pore pressure will still increase due to the inflow of the pore fluid from the neighboring clay sediment even though the deposition process is interrupted.

Dependence of waterbirds and shorebirds on shallow-water habitats in the Mid-Atlantic coastal region: An ecological profile and management recommendations

Science.gov (United States)

Erwin, R.M.

1996-01-01

Waterbirds (waterfowl, colonially nesting wading and seabirds, ospreys [Pandion haliaetus], and bald eagles [Haliaeetus leucocephalus]) and shorebirds (sandpipers, plovers, and relatives) may constitute a large fraction of the top level carnivore trophic component in many shallow-water areas of the mid-Atlantic region. The large biomass of many species (>1 kg body mass for the two raptors and some waterfowl) and enormous populations (e.g., >1 million shorebirds in late May in parts of Delaware Bay) reveal the importance of waterbirds as consumers and as linkages in nutrient flux in many shallow-water habitats. Salt and brackish marsh shallow-water habitats, including marsh pannes and tidal pools and creeks as well as constructed impoundments, are used intensively during most months of the year; in fall and winter, mostly by dabbling ducks, in spring and summer by migrant shorebirds and breeding colonial wading birds and seabirds. In adjacent estuaries, the intertidal flats and littoral zones of shallow embayments are heavily used by shorebirds, raptors, and colonial waterbirds in the May to September periods, with use by duck and geese heaviest from October to March. With the regional degradation of estuarine habitats and population declines of many species of waterbirds in the past 20 yr, some management recommendations relevant to shallow waters include: better protection, enhancement, and creation of small bay islands (small and isolated to preclude most mammalian predators) for nesting and brooding birds, especially colonial species; establishment of sanctuaries from human disturbance (e.g., boating, hunting) both in open water (waterfowl) and on land, better allocation of sandy dredged materials to augment islands or stabilize eroding islands; improvement in water management of existing impoundments to ensure good feeding, resting, and nesting opportunities for all the waterbirds, support for policies to preclude point and nonpoint source runoff of chemicals

Artificial Disc Replacement

Science.gov (United States)

... Spondylolisthesis BLOG FIND A SPECIALIST Treatments Artificial Disc Replacement (ADR) Patient Education Committee Jamie Baisden The disc ... Disc An artificial disc (also called a disc replacement, disc prosthesis or spine arthroplasty device) is a ...

3D Photo Mosaicing of Tagiri Shallow Vent Field by an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Maki, Toshihiro; Kondo, Hayato; Ura, Tamaki; Sakamaki, Takashi; Mizushima, Hayato; Yanagisawa, Masao

Although underwater visual observation is an ideal method for detailed survey of seafloors, it is currently a costly process that requires the use of Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) or Human Occupied Vehicles (HOVs), and can cover only a limited area. This paper proposes an innovative method to navigate an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to create both 2D and 3D photo mosaics of seafloors with high positioning accuracy without using any vision-based matching. The vehicle finds vertical pole-like acoustic reflectors to use as positioning landmarks using a profiling sonar based on a SLAM (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping) technique. These reflectors can be either artificial or natural objects, and so the method can be applied to shallow vent fields where conventional acoustic positioning is difficult, since bubble plumes can also be used as landmarks as well as artificial reflectors. Path-planning is performed in real-time based on the positions and types of landmarks so as to navigate safely and stably using landmarks of different types (artificial reflector or bubble plume) found at arbitrary times and locations. Terrain tracker switches control reference between depth and altitude from the seafloor based on a local map of hazardous area created in real-time using onboard perceptual sensors, in order to follow rugged terrains at an altitude of 1 to 2 meters, as this range is ideal for visual observation. The method was implemented in the AUV Tri-Dog 1 and experiments were carried out at Tagiri vent field, Kagoshima Bay in Japan. The AUV succeeded in fully autonomous observation for more than 160 minutes to create a photo mosaic with an area larger than 600 square meters, which revealed the spatial distribution of detailed features such as tube-worm colonies, bubble plumes and bacteria mats. A fine bathymetry of the same area was also created using a light-section ranging system mounted on the vehicle. Finally a 3 D representation of the environment was

Flow rate-pressure drop relation for deformable shallow microfluidic channels

Science.gov (United States)

Christov, Ivan C.; Cognet, Vincent; Shidhore, Tanmay C.; Stone, Howard A.

2018-04-01

Laminar flow in devices fabricated from soft materials causes deformation of the passage geometry, which affects the flow rate--pressure drop relation. For a given pressure drop, in channels with narrow rectangular cross-section, the flow rate varies as the cube of the channel height, so deformation can produce significant quantitative effects, including nonlinear dependence on the pressure drop [{Gervais, T., El-Ali, J., G\\"unther, A. \\& Jensen, K.\\ F.}\\ 2006 Flow-induced deformation of shallow microfluidic channels.\\ \\textit{Lab Chip} \\textbf{6}, 500--507]. Gervais et. al. proposed a successful model of the deformation-induced change in the flow rate by heuristically coupling a Hookean elastic response with the lubrication approximation for Stokes flow. However, their model contains a fitting parameter that must be found for each channel shape by performing an experiment. We present a perturbation approach for the flow rate--pressure drop relation in a shallow deformable microchannel using the theory of isotropic quasi-static plate bending and the Stokes equations under a lubrication approximation (specifically, the ratio of the channel's height to its width and of the channel's height to its length are both assumed small). Our result contains no free parameters and confirms Gervais et. al.'s observation that the flow rate is a quartic polynomial of the pressure drop. The derived flow rate--pressure drop relation compares favorably with experimental measurements.

Water quality assessment in a shallow lake used for tourism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dembowska Ewa A.

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The routine evaluation of water quality is limited to lakes with the largest area. In Poland, only lakes with an area exceeding 50 hectares are monitored by the State Environmental Monitoring System. For many local communities, however, small lakes are more important. This applies mainly to areas with a small number of lakes, where even the smallest lakes are used for various purposes. This paper presents the results of phytoplankton analysis in a small and shallow lake used for recreation. The study was conducted at three sites located in different parts of the lake. A total of 122 algae taxa were identified in the phytoplankton, mainly diatoms and green algae. The most constant taxa in the lake were: Stephanodiscus hantzschii, Desmodesmus communis, Pediastrum tetras and Crucigenia tetrapedia. The average phytoplankton biomass was 37 mg l−1. The maximum biomass, almost 140 mg dm−3, was recorded in late July at the site located near the beach. At that time, there was a massive cyanobacterial bloom composed of Microcystis wesenbergii and Aphanizomenon issatschenkoi. Based on these studies, the lake should be classified as hypertrophic with bad ecological status. This lake should not be used for recreational purposes in the current state.

Artificial life and life artificialization in Tron

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carolina Dantas Figueiredo

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Cinema constantly shows the struggle between the men and artificial intelligences. Fiction, and more specifically fiction films, lends itself to explore possibilities asking “what if?”. “What if”, in this case, is related to the eventual rebellion of artificial intelligences, theme explored in the movies Tron (1982 and Tron Legacy (2010 trat portray the conflict between programs and users. The present paper examines these films, observing particularly the possibility programs empowering. Finally, is briefly mentioned the concept of cyborg as a possibility of response to human concerns.

A two-step sealing-and-reinforcement SU8 bonding paradigm for the fabrication of shallow microchannels

Science.gov (United States)

Mehboudi, Aryan; Yeom, Junghoon

2018-03-01

Adhesive bonding is a key technique to create microfluidic devices when two separate substrates are used to form microchannels. Among many adhesives explored in microchannel fabrication, SU8 has been widely used as an adhesive layer for sealing the microchannel sidewalls. The majority of the available SU8-based bonding methods, however, suffer from the difficulties associated with sealing of two important types of the microchannel architecture: (1) shallow microchannels with small patterns on a large area, and (2) microchannels with ultra-low aspect ratios (e.g. 6 mm in width and 2~μ m in height). In this paper, a new bonding paradigm based upon the low-temperature and low-pressure SU8 bonding, consisting of two steps of sealing using a thin-SU8-coated PET film and bonding reinforcement using a SU8-coated glass slide, is proposed to resolve the aforementioned difficulties. Since it does not need complicated instruments such as a wafer bonding machine and a lamination device, the developed bonding paradigm is convenient and economical. We successfully demonstrate the compatibility of the proposed bonding paradigm with the two microchannel fabrication approaches based on the glass wet etching and the SU8 photo-lithography, where small microchannels with the innermost surfaces fully made of SU8 are obtained. A theoretical model is employed to better investigate the flow characteristics and the structural behavior of the microchannel including the PET film deformation, strain and von Mises stress distributions, bonding strength, etc. Moreover, we demonstrate the fabrication of the multi-height deep-shallow microchannel sidewalls and their sealing using the SU8-coated PET film. Finally, as a proof-of-concept device, a microfluidic filter consisting of the double-height deep-shallow microchannel is fabricated for separation of 3 µm and 10 µm particles.

Systematic study of shallow junction formation on germanium substrates

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hellings, Geert; Rosseel, Erik; Clarysse, Trudo

2011-01-01

Published results on Ge junctions are benchmarked systematically using RS–XJ plots. The electrical activation level required to meet the ITRS targets is calculated. Additionally, new results are presented on shallow furnace-annealed B junctions and shallow laser-annealed As junctions. Co-implanting...

Modeling shallow water flows using the discontinuous Galerkin method

CERN Document Server

Khan, Abdul A

2014-01-01

Replacing the Traditional Physical Model Approach Computational models offer promise in improving the modeling of shallow water flows. As new techniques are considered, the process continues to change and evolve. Modeling Shallow Water Flows Using the Discontinuous Galerkin Method examines a technique that focuses on hyperbolic conservation laws and includes one-dimensional and two-dimensional shallow water flows and pollutant transports. Combines the Advantages of Finite Volume and Finite Element Methods This book explores the discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method, also known as the discontinuous finite element method, in depth. It introduces the DG method and its application to shallow water flows, as well as background information for implementing and applying this method for natural rivers. It considers dam-break problems, shock wave problems, and flows in different regimes (subcritical, supercritical, and transcritical). Readily Adaptable to the Real World While the DG method has been widely used in the fie...

An exactly soluble model of a shallow double well

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muñoz-Vega, R., E-mail: rodrigo.munoz@uacm.edu.mx [Universidad Autónoma de la Ciudad de México, Centro Histórico, Fray Servando Teresa de Mier 92, Col. Centro, Del. Cuauhtémoc, México DF, CP 06080 (Mexico); López-Chávez, E., E-mail: elopezc@hotmail.com [Universidad Autónoma de la Ciudad de México, Centro Histórico, Fray Servando Teresa de Mier 92, Col. Centro, Del. Cuauhtémoc, México DF, CP 06080 (Mexico); Salinas-Hernández, E., E-mail: esalinas@ipn.mx [ESCOM-IPN, Av Juan de Dios Bátiz s/n, Unidad Profesional Adolfo López Mateos, Col Lindavista, Del G A Madero, México DF, CP 07738 (Mexico); Flores-Godoy, J.-J., E-mail: job.flores@ibero.mx [Departamento de Física y Matemáticas, Universidad Iberoamericana, Prol. Paseo de la Reforma 880, Col Lomas de Santa Fe, Del A Obregón, México DF, CP 01219 (Mexico); Fernández-Anaya, G., E-mail: guillermo.fernandez@ibero.com [Departamento de Física y Matemáticas, Universidad Iberoamericana, Prol. Paseo de la Reforma 880, Col Lomas de Santa Fe, Del A Obregón, México DF, CP 01219 (Mexico)

2014-06-13

Shallow one-dimensional double-well potentials appear in atomic and molecular physics and other fields. Unlike the “deep” wells of macroscopic quantum coherent systems, shallow double wells need not present low-lying two-level systems. We argue that this feature, the absence of a low-lying two-level system in certain shallow double wells, may allow the finding of new test grounds for quantum mechanics in mesoscopic systems. We illustrate the above ideas with a family of shallow double wells obtained from reflectionless potentials through the Darboux–Bäcklund transform. - Highlights: • We present double wells not conforming to the low-lying two-state system model. • Models similar to ours appear in atomic and molecular physics. • Here there is no classically prohibited region between wells. • The ground probability is peaked at the position of classical unstable equilibrium in this models.

The MJO Transition from Shallow to Deep Convection in CloudSat/CALIPSO Data and GISS GCM Simulations

Science.gov (United States)

DelGenio, Anthony G.; Chen, Yonghua; Kim, Daehyun; Yao, Mao-Sung

2013-01-01

The relationship between convective penetration depth and tropospheric humidity is central to recent theories of the Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO). It has been suggested that general circulation models (GCMs) poorly simulate the MJO because they fail to gradually moisten the troposphere by shallow convection and simulate a slow transition to deep convection. CloudSat and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) data are analyzed to document the variability of convection depth and its relation to water vapor during the MJO transition from shallow to deep convection and to constrain GCM cumulus parameterizations. Composites of cloud occurrence for 10MJO events show the following anticipatedMJO cloud structure: shallow and congestus clouds in advance of the peak, deep clouds near the peak, and upper-level anvils after the peak. Cirrus clouds are also frequent in advance of the peak. The Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EarthObserving System (EOS) (AMSR-E) columnwater vapor (CWV) increases by;5 mmduring the shallow- deep transition phase, consistent with the idea of moisture preconditioning. Echo-top height of clouds rooted in the boundary layer increases sharply with CWV, with large variability in depth when CWV is between;46 and 68 mm. International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project cloud classifications reproduce these climatological relationships but correctly identify congestus-dominated scenes only about half the time. A version of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies Model E2 (GISS-E2) GCM with strengthened entrainment and rain evaporation that produces MJO-like variability also reproduces the shallow-deep convection transition, including the large variability of cloud-top height at intermediate CWV values. The variability is due to small grid-scale relative humidity and lapse rate anomalies for similar values of CWV. 1.

Artificial intelligence in diagnosis of obstructive lung disease: current status and future potential.

Science.gov (United States)

Das, Nilakash; Topalovic, Marko; Janssens, Wim

2018-03-01

The application of artificial intelligence in the diagnosis of obstructive lung diseases is an exciting phenomenon. Artificial intelligence algorithms work by finding patterns in data obtained from diagnostic tests, which can be used to predict clinical outcomes or to detect obstructive phenotypes. The purpose of this review is to describe the latest trends and to discuss the future potential of artificial intelligence in the diagnosis of obstructive lung diseases. Machine learning has been successfully used in automated interpretation of pulmonary function tests for differential diagnosis of obstructive lung diseases. Deep learning models such as convolutional neural network are state-of-the art for obstructive pattern recognition in computed tomography. Machine learning has also been applied in other diagnostic approaches such as forced oscillation test, breath analysis, lung sound analysis and telemedicine with promising results in small-scale studies. Overall, the application of artificial intelligence has produced encouraging results in the diagnosis of obstructive lung diseases. However, large-scale studies are still required to validate current findings and to boost its adoption by the medical community.

Forest Management Intensity Affects Aquatic Communities in Artificial Tree Holes.

Science.gov (United States)

Petermann, Jana S; Rohland, Anja; Sichardt, Nora; Lade, Peggy; Guidetti, Brenda; Weisser, Wolfgang W; Gossner, Martin M

2016-01-01

Forest management could potentially affect organisms in all forest habitats. However, aquatic communities in water-filled tree-holes may be especially sensitive because of small population sizes, the risk of drought and potential dispersal limitation. We set up artificial tree holes in forest stands subject to different management intensities in two regions in Germany and assessed the influence of local environmental properties (tree-hole opening type, tree diameter, water volume and water temperature) as well as regional drivers (forest management intensity, tree-hole density) on tree-hole insect communities (not considering other organisms such as nematodes or rotifers), detritus content, oxygen and nutrient concentrations. In addition, we compared data from artificial tree holes with data from natural tree holes in the same area to evaluate the methodological approach of using tree-hole analogues. We found that forest management had strong effects on communities in artificial tree holes in both regions and across the season. Abundance and species richness declined, community composition shifted and detritus content declined with increasing forest management intensity. Environmental variables, such as tree-hole density and tree diameter partly explained these changes. However, dispersal limitation, indicated by effects of tree-hole density, generally showed rather weak impacts on communities. Artificial tree holes had higher water temperatures (on average 2°C higher) and oxygen concentrations (on average 25% higher) than natural tree holes. The abundance of organisms was higher but species richness was lower in artificial tree holes. Community composition differed between artificial and natural tree holes. Negative management effects were detectable in both tree-hole systems, despite their abiotic and biotic differences. Our results indicate that forest management has substantial and pervasive effects on tree-hole communities and may alter their structure and

Shallow-water loading tides in Japan from superconducting gravimetry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Khan, Shfaqat Abbas; Hoyer, J.L.

2004-01-01

energetic constituents in the tide gauge observations are also seen in the gravity observations due to their loading effects on the deformation of the Earth. Even though the shallow-water tides at the Japanese east coast have an amplitude of only a few millimetres. they are still able to Generate a loading...... signal at gravity sites located several hundred kilometres inland. In particular, the S-3, S-4 and S-5 solar tides occur in both gravity and tide gauge observations. It is indicated that in other shelf regions with large shallow water tides, the shallow water loading signals account for a significant...

Shallow-crack toughness results for reactor pressure vessel steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Theiss, T.J.; Shum, D.K.M.; Rolfe, S.T.

1992-01-01

The Heavy Section Steel Technology Program (HSST) is investigating the influence of flaw depth on the fracture toughness of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steel. To complete this investigation, techniques were developed to determine the fracture toughness from shallow-crack specimens. A total of 38 deep and shallow-crack tests have been performed on beam specimens about 100 mm deep loaded in 3-point bending. Two crack depths (a ∼ 50 and 9 mm) and three beam thicknesses (B ∼ 50, 100, and 150 mm) have been tested. Techniques were developed to estimate the toughness in terms of both the J-integral and crack-tip opening displacement (CTOD). Analytical J-integral results were consistent with experimental J-integral results, confirming the validity of the J-estimation schemes used and the effect of flaw depth on fracture toughness. Test results indicate a significant increase in the fracture toughness associated with the shallow flaw specimens in the lower transition region compared to the deep-crack fracture toughness. There is, however, little or no difference in toughness on the lower shelf where linear-elastic conditions exist for specimens with either deep or shallow flaws. The increase in shallow-flaw toughness compared with deep-flaw results appears to be well characterized by a temperature shift of 35 degree C

Some problematic shallow-marine structures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Manten, A.A.

The lowermost Devonian beds in Gotland (Sweden) were deposited in a very shallow marine environment, close to the coast. In these beds three structures were observed, whose mode of formation cannot be explained by the author.

Optimal ship forms for minimum total resistance in shallow water

OpenAIRE

Zhao, Lian-en

1984-01-01

Optimal ship forms for minimum total resistance in shallow water Optimal ship forms for minimum total resistance in shallow water: An attempt is made to obtain shallow-water optimal ship forms for total resistance by means of "tent" function representation under the constraints that the main dimensions of the ship and the water-line area were kept constant. The objective function in the quadratic programming is the sum of wave-making resistance calculated by Sretenski's formula and viscou...

A human model of small fiber neuropathy to study wound healing.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ben M W Illigens

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to develop a human model of acute wound healing that isolated the effects of small fiber neuropathy on the healing process. Twenty-five healthy subjects had the transient receptor vanilloid 1 agonist capsaicin and placebo creams topically applied to contralateral areas on the skin of the thigh for 48 hours. Subjects had shallow (1.2 millimeter and deep (>3 millimeter punch skin biopsies from each thigh on days 1 and 14. Biopsy wound healing was monitored photographically until closure. Intra-epidermal and sweat-gland nerve fiber densities were measured for each biopsy. Shallow wounds in capsaicin-treated sites healed more slowly than in placebo treated skin with biopsies taken on day 1 (P<0.001 and day 14 (P<0.001. Deep biopsies in the capsaicin and placebo areas healed at similar rates at both time points. Nerve fiber densities were reduced only in capsaicin treated regions (P<0.01. In conclusion, topical application of capsaicin causes a small fiber neuropathy and is associated with a delay in healing of shallow, but not deep wounds. This novel human model may prove valuable in the study of wound healing in patients with neuropathy.

Lago artificial de Martiánez Canarias – España

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amigó, Juan A.

1980-06-01

Full Text Available In this article a technical description is given of the works of the Artificial Lake of Martiánez. This work that was executed after gaining some 33,000 m² from the sea mainly consisted of creating a small artificial lake of seawater surrounded by solariums, beaches and gardens. Inside the lake — that has an area of some 15,000 m² — five natural islands were formed, most of which have tourist complexes built on them, consisting of: night club, restaurants, bars, terraces, etc.

En este artículo se hace una descripción técnica de las obras del Lago Artificial de Martiánez. Esta obra, realizada tras ganar al mar unos 33.000 m² consistió, principalmente, en la creación de un pequeño lago artificial de agua de mar rodeado de solarios, playas y jardines. En el interior del lago —cuya superficie es de unos 15.000 m²— se formaron cinco islas naturales, en la mayor de las cuales se construyó un complejo turístico que consta de: sala de fiestas, restaurantes, bares, terrazas, etc.

Vortex distribution in amorphous Mo{sub 80}Ge{sub 20} plates with artificial pinning center

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matsumoto, Hitoshi [Department of Physics and Electronics, Osaka Prefecture University, 1-1 Gakuen-cho, Naka-ku, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531 (Japan); Huy, Ho Thanh [Department of Physics and Electronics, Osaka Prefecture University, 1-1 Gakuen-cho, Naka-ku, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531 (Japan); Department of Physics and Electronics, University of Sciences, Vietnam National University HCMC, 227 Nguyen Van Cu, District 5, HoChiMinh City (Viet Nam); Miyoshi, Hiroki; Okamoto, Takuto; Dang, Vu The [Department of Physics and Electronics, Osaka Prefecture University, 1-1 Gakuen-cho, Naka-ku, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531 (Japan); Kato, Masaru [Institute for Nanofabrication Research, Osaka Prefecture University, 1-1 Gakuen-cho, Naka-ku, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531 (Japan); Department of Mathematical Science, Osaka Prefecture University1-1 Gakuen-cho, Naka-ku, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531 (Japan); Ishida, Takekazu, E-mail: ishida@center.osakafu-u.ac.jp [Department of Physics and Electronics, Osaka Prefecture University, 1-1 Gakuen-cho, Naka-ku, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531 (Japan); Institute for Nanofabrication Research, Osaka Prefecture University, 1-1 Gakuen-cho, Naka-ku, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531 (Japan)

2016-11-15

Highlights: • We reveal that the vortex distribution in small amorphous Mo{sub 80}Ge{sub 20} superconducting starshaped plate by using a scanning SQUID microscope. • We find that vortex configuration evolves systematically when the applied magnetic field is changed at the several different fields. • We fabricate an artificial dip by Ar ion milling in a mesoscopic plate, and find this works as a pinning center by comparing the vortex behavior in a sample without pins. - Abstract: Vortices in superconductor give rise to a rich variety of phenomena because they interact with shielding currents, temperature gradients, sample defects, boundaries, and other neighboring vortices. It would be very important to understand particular features of vortex states in a downsized system. Our study focuses on vortex states in small star-shaped Mo{sub 80}Ge{sub 20} plates with and without an artificial pin at the plate center. Vortex states are greatly influenced by the sample geometry, the temperature and the magnetic field, and they can be occasionally exotic compared to the bulk case. We use the amorphous Mo{sub 80}Ge{sub 20} films due to the nature of weak pinning in studying vortex configurations. We applied scanning superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) microscopy because it enables us to see vortex states directly and it is the most sensitive instrument for mapping tiny local current flows or magnetic moments without damaging the sample. We interpreted that vortex configurations had essentially the nature of mirror reflection symmetry in both cases with an artificial pin and without an artificial pin and pinned cases while the influence of disorder was seen in our observation on the specimen without an artificial pin.

Differential changes in production measures for an estuarine-resident sparid in deep and shallow waters following increases in hypoxia

Science.gov (United States)

Cottingham, Alan; Hall, Norman G.; Hesp, S. Alex; Potter, Ian C.

2018-03-01

This study determined how productivity measures for a fish species in different water depths of an estuary changed in response to the increase in hypoxia in deep waters, which had previously been shown to occur between 1993-95 and 2007-11. Annual data on length and age compositions, body mass, growth, abundance, biomass, production and production to biomass ratio (P/B) were thus determined for the estuarine-resident Acanthopagrus butcheri in nearshore shallow (compositions imply that the increase in hypoxia was accompanied by the distribution of the majority of the older and larger A. butcheri changing from deep to shallow waters, where the small fish typically reside. Annual densities, biomass and production in shallow waters of fish m-2, 2-4 g m-2 and ∼2 g m-2 y-1 in the earlier period were far lower than the 0.1-0.2 fish m-2, 8-15 g m-2 and 5-10 g m-2 y-1 in the later period, whereas the reverse trend occurred in deep waters, with values of 6-9 fish net-1, 2000-3900 g net-1, 900-1700 g net-1 y-1 in the earlier period vs fish net-1, ∼110 g net-1 and 27-45 g net-1 y-1 in the later period. Within the later period, and in contrast to the trends with annual abundance and biomass, the production in shallow waters was least during 2008/09, rather than greatest, reflecting the slow growth in that particularly cool year. The presence of substantial aggregations of both small and large fish in shallow waters accounts for the abundance, biomass and production in those waters increasing between those periods and thus, through a density-dependent effect, provide a basis for the overall reduction in growth. In marked contrast to the trends with the other three production measures, annual production to biomass ratios (P/B) in shallow waters in the two years in the earlier period, and in three of the four years of the later period, fell within the same range, i.e. 0.6-0.9 y-1, but was only 0.2 y-1 in 2008/09, reflecting the poor growth in that year. This emphasises the need

Modular Extended-Stay HyperGravity Facility Design Concept: An Artificial-Gravity Space-Settlement Ground Analogue

Science.gov (United States)

Dorais, Gregory A.

2015-01-01

This document defines the design concept for a ground-based, extended-stay hypergravity facility as a precursor for space-based artificial-gravity facilities that extend the permanent presence of both human and non-human life beyond Earth in artificial-gravity settlements. Since the Earth's current human population is stressing the environment and the resources off-Earth are relatively unlimited, by as soon as 2040 more than one thousand people could be living in Earthorbiting artificial-gravity habitats. Eventually, the majority of humanity may live in artificialgravity habitats throughout this solar system as well as others, but little is known about the longterm (multi-generational) effects of artificial-gravity habitats on people, animals, and plants. In order to extend life permanently beyond Earth, it would be useful to create an orbiting space facility that generates 1g as well as other gravity levels to rigorously address the numerous challenges of such an endeavor. Before doing so, developing a ground-based artificial-gravity facility is a reasonable next step. Just as the International Space Station is a microgravity research facility, at a small fraction of the cost and risk a ground-based artificial-gravity facility can begin to address a wide-variety of the artificial-gravity life-science questions and engineering challenges requiring long-term research to enable people, animals, and plants to live off-Earth indefinitely.

Differentiation of naturally-occurring vs. artificial hydrocarbons in a landfill groundwater investigation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beaver, J.L.; Hartness, J.A.; Breeding, L.B.; Buchanan, D.M.

1994-01-01

Interpretation of groundwater sampling data at a large municipal/industrial landfill indicates contamination by both artificial and naturally-occurring hydrocarbons. Site hydrogeology consists of three different water bearing zones. The uppermost (shallow) aquifer is an unconfined unit consisting of silt, clay, and sand deposits. An intermediate depth semiconfined aquifer underlies the unconfined unit, and consists of a chert rubble zone and the upper portion of a fractured and solution-enhanced limestone formation. A regionally-extensive organic-rich shale underlies the semiconfined aquifer and separates it from the deep confined aquifer, which also consists of limestone. Groundwater investigations at the landfill have detected chlorinated and non-chlorinated hydrocarbons in the different aquifer intervals. Chlorinated hydrocarbons detected include tetrachloroethene, dichloroethene, and vinyl chloride and occur almost exclusively in the shallow aquifer. Aromatic hydrocarbons detected include benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) and-occur in the intermediate and deep aquifers. The landfill was originally interpreted as the source of the contaminants. The observation of free-phase liquid hydrocarbons in the intermediate aquifer at the site, and high dissolved BTEX levels in the deep and intermediate aquifers upgradient of the landfill suggest that the aromatics were derived from a source other than the landfill. A potential source of BTEX contamination may be abandoned (pre-1930) natural gas wells located near the landfill. An additional BTEX source may be the organic-rich shale formation (a documented petroleum source rock)

[Total artificial heart].

Science.gov (United States)

Antretter, H; Dumfarth, J; Höfer, D

2015-09-01

To date the CardioWest™ total artificial heart is the only clinically available implantable biventricular mechanical replacement for irreversible cardiac failure. This article presents the indications, contraindications, implantation procedere and postoperative treatment. In addition to a overview of the applications of the total artificial heart this article gives a brief presentation of the two patients treated in our department with the CardioWest™. The clinical course, postoperative rehabilitation, device-related complications and control mechanisms are presented. The total artificial heart is a reliable implant for treating critically ill patients with irreversible cardiogenic shock. A bridge to transplantation is feasible with excellent results.

Influence of shallow mine-workings on the radon concentrations in houses: a problem of old mining regions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lehmann, R.; Czarwinski, R.

1994-01-01

In some regions of the German New Federal Lands, residues from early mining characterise the radiological situation and can also influence the radon concentration in buildings. Construction on waste rock with increased radium concentration, the use of waste rock as building material and construction above shallow mine shafts and adits are important in this connection. In Saxony, for instance, one has to reckon with probably hundreds of buildings that may be influenced by radon from shallow mine workings. Very short-term changes of radon concentrations in buildings over several orders of magnitude as well as their close temporal correlation with the underground airflow clearly indicate influences from underground. In Schneeberg and Schlema, fluctuations of radon concentration in buildings of several 10,000 Bq.m -3 within one hour were observed. In Schneeberg, the old mine was ventilated artificially by installing a ventilator with an output volume of 500 m 3 .min -1 . Thus the radon concentration in buildings of the central city area has been reduced. In Schlema, the radon-rich shafts of early mining are ventilated at present by the still active ventilation system of the suspended uranium ore mining. In 1992, during the first 4.5 x 10 9 m 3 of mine air with a radon activity of 6.3 x 10 14 Bq were extracted from the mine. If the mine ventilators are switched off, radon concentration in buildings over mine shaft increases sharply by two orders of magnitude. (author)

Artificial Intelligence in Astronomy

Science.gov (United States)

Devinney, E. J.; Prša, A.; Guinan, E. F.; Degeorge, M.

2010-12-01

From the perspective (and bias) as Eclipsing Binary researchers, we give a brief overview of the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications, describe major application areas of AI in astronomy, and illustrate the power of an AI approach in an application developed under the EBAI (Eclipsing Binaries via Artificial Intelligence) project, which employs Artificial Neural Network technology for estimating light curve solution parameters of eclipsing binary systems.

Shallow reflection seismic soundings in bedrock at Lavia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okko, Olli

1988-03-01

The well-studied granitic block at Lavia was one of the test sites of a shallow seismic development project. A portable digital seismograph and high frequency geophones were rented fro the field period. A sledge hamme and a drop weight were tested as wave sources. The sounding was carried out on outcropped area in order to record high frequency reflections from known subhorizontal fracture zones as shallow as 30 m. Large amplitude surface waves hide most of the shallow reflections, recognizable only on few traces in the data. The data processing carried out did not reveal the geometry of these reflectors. Events arriving after the ground roll were analyzed in 2-folded CDP-sections. The continuous reflective horizons in them correspond to lithological changes and fracture zones located deeper than 200 m in the bedrock

Partitioning of a scaled shallow-buried near-field blast load

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Reinecke, J David

2015-07-01

Full Text Available and target force response to a shallow and deep buried blast loads and the initial loading phase contribution to the blast load were quantified. There is no separate precursor air shock for shallow buried blast load and the initial loading phase impulse... stream_source_info Reinecke_2015.pdf.txt stream_content_type text/plain stream_size 24459 Content-Encoding UTF-8 stream_name Reinecke_2015.pdf.txt Content-Type text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Partitioning of a Scaled Shallow...

[Preparation of nano-nacre artificial bone].

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jian-ting; Tang, Yong-zhi; Zhang, Jian-gang; Wang, Jian-jun; Xiao, Ying

2008-12-01

To assess the improvements in the properties of nano-nacre artificial bone prepared on the basis of nacre/polylactide acid composite artificial bone and its potential for clinical use. The compound of nano-scale nacre powder and poly-D, L-lactide acid (PDLLA) was used to prepare the cylindrical hollow artificial bone, whose properties including raw material powder scale, pore size, porosity and biomechanical characteristics were compared with another artificial bone made of micron-scale nacre powder and PDLLA. Scanning electron microscope showed that the average particle size of the nano-nacre powder was 50.4-/+12.4 nm, and the average pore size of the artificial bone prepared using nano-nacre powder was 215.7-/+77.5 microm, as compared with the particle size of the micron-scale nacre powder of 5.0-/+3.0 microm and the pore size of the resultant artificial bone of 205.1-/+72.0 microm. The porosities of nano-nacre artificial bone and the micron-nacre artificial bone were (65.4-/+2.9)% and (53.4-/+2.2)%, respectively, and the two artificial bones had comparable compressive strength and Young's modulus, but the flexural strength of the nano-nacre artificial bone was lower than that of the micro-nacre artificial bone. The nano-nacre artificial bone allows better biodegradability and possesses appropriate pore size, porosity and biomechanical properties for use as a promising material in bone tissue engineering.

Simulations of vortices in a star-shaped plate with an artificial pin

Science.gov (United States)

Miyoshi, Hiroki; Ito, Atsuki; Dang, Vu The; Thanh Huy, Ho; Hayashi, Masahiko; Kato, Masaru; Ishida, Takekazu

2017-07-01

Although a triangular vortex lattice is stable in a bulk type-II superconductor, exotic vortex configurations are expected to appear in a small superconducting plate. Theoretical calculations on vortex structures in a star-shaped superconducting plate have been given in our preceding work. In this work, we extended our theoretical studies to the case of having an artificial pin. We performed the Ginzburg-Landau (GL) calculations systematically to compare with the pin-free case by using the finite element method. We found that a vortex tends to accommodate preferentially in an aritificial pin in the star-shaped plate. We found a systematic evolution of vortex structure with increaseing magnetic field. We compare our theoretical calculations with vortices in a star-shaped Mo80Ge20 plate with an artificial pin and without an artificial pin obtained by a scanning SQUID microscope. We reconstructed the vortex image on the sample surface by using the inverse Biot-Savart law and the Fourier transformation.

Evaluation of Mechanical Properties and Medical Applications of Polycaprolactone Small Diameter Artificial Blood Vessels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahnazsadat Mirbagheri

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Increasing the cardiovascular diseases and decreasing the possibility of autograft surgery are important factors that cause the choice of artificial vascular graft as an alternative treatment method. In this regard, producing artificial grafts similar to natural vessels is an important purpose that has long been followed as a gold standard by many researchers worldwide. In addition, mechanical properties including strength, long patency, bio-compatibility and hydrophobicity are necessary properties to achieve ideal vascular grafts. Hence there are various factors such as polymer type and preparation methods, which contribute to suitable mechanical properties. The electrospinning as an optimized method on one side and biocompatible, degradable and semicrystalline polycaprolactone (PCL on the other side are used for their acceptable mechanical properties to manufacture synthetic vessels. In this study, PCL vascular grafts have been reviewed and a wide range of parameters affecting the improvement of mechanical properties and their performance have been described along with clinical applications. Therefore, by investigating and comparing single and composite PCL vascular grafts, we achieved acceptable results in the field of cell growth and adhesion as well as implanting grafts in animals such as rat and rabbit. By reviewing other studies, it was revealed that synthetic composite vessels made of PCL and natural polymers such as collagen and chitosan and synthetic polymers such as polyurethane (PU for long patency and acceptable cell adhesion have shown good clinical results.

[Two cases of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease presenting shallow anterior chamber].

Science.gov (United States)

Takemoto, Daisuke; Ijiri, Shigeyuki; Shimizu, Michiharu; Higashide, Tomomi; Sugiyama, Kazuhisa

2015-05-01

We report two cases of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease (VKH) in which shallow anterior chambers were improved after steroid pulse therapy. The patients were women aged 65 and 72. They had headaches, decreased visual acuity and shallow anterior chamber in both eyes. There was no inflammation in the anterior chamber. Ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) showed ciliary edema, ciliochoroidal detachment, and angle closure. One case showed high intraocular pressure (IOP), and a diagnosis of acute primary angle closure was made. Although cataract surgery was performed in the left eye, postoperative optical coherence tomography (OCT) revealed serous retinal detachment in both eyes. The shallow anterior chamber and UBM findings were improved and serous retinal detachment disappeared after steroid pulse therapy in both cases. VKH may cause shallow anterior chamber and angle closure. The inflammatory changes of VKH in the anterior segment, i. e. ciliary edema and ciliochoroidal detachment, may exacerbate the shallow anterior chambers and narrow angles and result in an acute increase in IOP in eyes with short axial length. VKH associated with shallow anterior chamber may be misdiagnosed as acute primary angle closure. For differential diagnosis, examinations of the ocular fundus including OCT are useful.

A copper-relates shallow acceptor in quenched germanium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamiura, Yoichi; Hashimoto, Fumio; Sugiyama, Hazime; Yoneyama, Shin-ichiro

1982-01-01

The temperature variation of hole density was measured in the range 5-200 K after successive annealings at 320sup(o)C. It was found that a shallow acceptor at Esub(v) + 9 meV disappears on annealing, being replaced by a just equal additional density of substitutional copper. This provides experimental proof that the shallow acceptor is a defect complex containing at least one copper atom. (author)

Characterisation of weathered clayey soils responsible for shallow landslides

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Meisina

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Shallow earth translational slides and earth flows, affecting colluvial soils derived by the weathering of the clayey bedrock, are a recurrent problem causing damage to buildings and roads in many areas of Apennines. The susceptibility assessment, e.g. slope stability models, requires the preliminary characterization of these superficial covers (lithology, geotechnical and hydraulic parameters. The aim of the work is to develop and test a methodology for the identification and mapping of weathered clayey soils responsible for shallow landslides. A test site in Northern Apennines (Province of Pavia was selected. Argillaceous and marly successions characterize the area. Shallow landslides occurred periodically due to high intensity rainfalls. Trench pits were used for the soil profile description (lithology, structure, grade of weathering, thickness and sampling. The main geological, topographic and geomorphologic parameters of shallow landslides were analysed. Field surveys were integrated with some geotechnical laboratory tests (index properties, suction and volumetric characteristic determination, methylene blue adsorption test, linear shrinkage, swell strain. Engineering geological zoning was carried out by grouping the superficial soils on the basis of the following attributes: topographic conditions (slope angle, landslide occurrence, lithology (grain size, geometry (thickness, lithology of the bedrock, hydrogeological and geotechnical characteristics. The resulting engineering-geological units (areas that may be regarded as homogeneous from the geomorphologic and engineering – geological point of view were analysed in terms of shallow slope instability.

Shallow land burial handbook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stinton, L.H.

1983-01-01

The facility development phases (preliminary analysis, site selection, facility design and construction, facility operation, and facility closure/post-closure) are systematically integrated into a logical plan for developing near surface disposal plans. The Shallow Land Burial Handbook provides initial guidance and concepts for understanding the magnitude and the complexity of developing new low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities

Artificial Intelligence Study (AIS).

Science.gov (United States)

1987-02-01

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGNECE HARDWARE ....... 2-50 AI Architecture ................................... 2-49 AI Hardware ....................................... 2...ftf1 829 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE STUDY (RIS)(U) MAY CONCEPTS 1/3 A~NLYSIS AGENCY BETHESA RD R B NOJESKI FED 6? CM-RP-97-1 NCASIFIED /01/6 M |K 1.0...p/ - - ., e -- CAA- RP- 87-1 SAOFŔ)11 I ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE STUDY (AIS) tNo DTICFEBRUARY 1987 LECT 00 I PREPARED BY RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS

[Storages and distributed patterns of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen during the succession of artificial sand-binding vegetation in arid desert ecosystem].

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Xiao-Hong; Li, Xin-Rong; Zhou, Yu-Yan; Li, Yuan-Shou

2012-03-01

Soil carbon pool acts as the largest one of carbon pools in the terrestrial ecosystem. The storages and distributed patterns of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) evaluated accurately are helpful to predict the feedback between the terrestrial ecosystem and climate changes. Based on the data about bulk density, content of SOC and TN at 0-100 cm soil profile, the density of SOC and TN at the temporal (chronosequence of artificial vegetation) and spatial (vertical) distributed patterns have been estimated. The results indicated that storages of SOC and TN at 0-100 cm depth increased with the chronosequence of artificial vegetation. The storages of SOC and TN showed the same tendency with the succession time of artificial vegetation. Storages of SOC and TN significantly increased at the early stage of banding sand by artificially vegetation ( 25 a). The variation of storages mainly occurred in the 0-20 cm depth. The storages decreased with the soil vertical depth. At the early stage of banding sand, increase in storage included every depth (0-100 cm). Whereas, at the later stage, increase in storage at 0-20 cm depth was main, and increase in the 20-100 cm was inconspicuous. The accumulation of storage at the shallow soil depth was more notability with the succession of artificial vegetation. The distributed pattern of storage in SOC and TN has been confirmed in arid desert regions below 200 mm annual precipitation. This was beneficial to understand the carbon cycle and to predict the feedback relationship between desert ecosystem and climate changes.

Secondary production in shallow marine environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pomeroy, L.R.

1976-01-01

Recommendations are discussed with regard to population ecology, microbial food webs, marine ecosystems, improved instrumentation, and effects of land and sea on shallow marine systems. The control of secondary production is discussed with regard to present status of knowledge; research needs for studies on dominant secondary producers, food webs that lead to commercial species, and significant features of the trophic structure of shallow water marine communities. Secondary production at the land-water interface is discussed with regard to present status of knowledge; importance of macrophytes to secondary production; export to secondary consumers; utilization of macrophyte primary production; and correlations between secondary production and river discharge. The role of microorganisms in secondary production is also discussed

The application of surface electrical and shallow geothermic methods in monitoring network design.

Science.gov (United States)

Gilkeson, R.H.; Cartwright, K.

1983-01-01

There are a variety of surface geophysical methods that are routinely used in geologic investigations. The three broad applications of these methods to evaluate the impact of waste disposal on shallow groundwater flow systems are: 1) evaluation of proposed waste disposal sites; 2) monitoring of site performance; and 3) investigation of contaminant migration at existing sites. Electrical and shallow geothermic are two surface geophysical methods that have application to waste disposal investigations. Of the electrical methods, electrical resistivity has the greatest application with a variety of techniques available. The distribution of temperature in shallow geologic materials (shallow geothermics) may define characteristics of shallow groundwater flow systems including zones of recharge and discharge and lithologic variation in the shallow geologic materials.-from Authors

A Small-Satellite Demonstrator for Generating Artificial Gravity in Space via a Tethered System

OpenAIRE

Mazzoleni, Andre; Hoffman, John

2002-01-01

It is well-known that prolonged exposure in humans to a microgravity environment leads to significant loss of bone and muscle mass; this presents a formidable obstacle to human exploration of space, particularly for missions requiring travel times of several months or more, such as a 6 to 9mon th trip to Mars. Artificial gravity may be produced by spinning a spacecraft about its center of mass, but since the g– force generated by rotation is equal to “omega-squared times r” (where omega is it...

A TLD dose algorithm using artificial neural networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moscovitch, M.; Rotunda, J.E.; Tawil, R.A.; Rathbone, B.A.

1995-01-01

An artificial neural network was designed and used to develop a dose algorithm for a multi-element thermoluminescence dosimeter (TLD). The neural network architecture is based on the concept of functional links network (FLN). Neural network is an information processing method inspired by the biological nervous system. A dose algorithm based on neural networks is fundamentally different as compared to conventional algorithms, as it has the capability to learn from its own experience. The neural network algorithm is shown the expected dose values (output) associated with given responses of a multi-element dosimeter (input) many times. The algorithm, being trained that way, eventually is capable to produce its own unique solution to similar (but not exactly the same) dose calculation problems. For personal dosimetry, the output consists of the desired dose components: deep dose, shallow dose and eye dose. The input consists of the TL data obtained from the readout of a multi-element dosimeter. The neural network approach was applied to the Harshaw Type 8825 TLD, and was shown to significantly improve the performance of this dosimeter, well within the U.S. accreditation requirements for personnel dosimeters

Ground Motion Prediction Model Using Artificial Neural Network

Science.gov (United States)

Dhanya, J.; Raghukanth, S. T. G.

2018-03-01

This article focuses on developing a ground motion prediction equation based on artificial neural network (ANN) technique for shallow crustal earthquakes. A hybrid technique combining genetic algorithm and Levenberg-Marquardt technique is used for training the model. The present model is developed to predict peak ground velocity, and 5% damped spectral acceleration. The input parameters for the prediction are moment magnitude ( M w), closest distance to rupture plane ( R rup), shear wave velocity in the region ( V s30) and focal mechanism ( F). A total of 13,552 ground motion records from 288 earthquakes provided by the updated NGA-West2 database released by Pacific Engineering Research Center are utilized to develop the model. The ANN architecture considered for the model consists of 192 unknowns including weights and biases of all the interconnected nodes. The performance of the model is observed to be within the prescribed error limits. In addition, the results from the study are found to be comparable with the existing relations in the global database. The developed model is further demonstrated by estimating site-specific response spectra for Shimla city located in Himalayan region.

GIOVE, a shallow laboratory Ge-spectrometer with 100 μBq/kg sensitivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heusser, G.; Weber, M.; Denz, T.; Hakenmueller, J.; Hofacker, R.; Lackner, R.; Lindner, M.; Maneschg, W.; Reisfelder, M.; Simgen, H.; Schreiner, J.; Stolzenburg, D.; Strecker, H.; Westermann, J. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany)

2013-08-08

A new germanium gamma spectrometer called GIOVE (Germanium spectrometer with Inner and Outer Veto) has been set up at the underground/shallow laboratory (15 m w.e.) of MPI-K. Its double plastic scintillator veto system and neutron moderation interlayer lower the background by more than one order of magnitude compared to the other existing spectrometer at this facility. The integral (40-2700 keV) background rate of about 290 counts (day kg){sup −1} is just a factor 4 to 8 above that of the GeMPI spectrometers operated at LNGS (3800 m w.e.) and thus proves that even under shallow overburden sub mBq/kg sensitivities are achievable. Extended material screening and neutron attenuation studies preceded the final design of the spectrometer. The technical realization of the spectrometer is described in detail with special emphasis on the inner veto system. For its optimisation a simulation model was developed for light collection on small low activity PMT’s under various geometrical conditions. Radon suppression is accomplished by employing a gas tight sample container and a nitrogen flushed glove-box system with an airlock. The active volume of the crystal was modelled by absorption scanning measurements and Monte Carlo simulations. The complete shield is implemented in a Geant4 based simulation framework.

A smooth landscape: ending saddle point inflation requires features to be shallow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Battefeld, Diana; Battefeld, Thorsten

2013-01-01

We consider inflation driven near a saddle point in a higher dimensional field space, which is the most likely type of slow roll inflation on the string theoretical landscape; anthropic arguments need to be invoked in order to find a sufficiently flat region. To give all inflatons large masses after inflation and yield a small but positive cosmological constant, the trajectory in field space needs to terminate in a hole on the inflationary plateau, introducing a curved end-of-inflation hypersurface. We compute non-Gaussianities (bi- and tri-spectrum) caused by this curved hyper-surface and find a negative, potentially large, local non-linearity parameter. To be consistent with current observational bounds, the hole needs to be shallow, i.e. considerably wider than deep in natural units. To avoid singling out our vacuum as special (i.e. more special than a positive cosmological constant entails), we deduce that all features on field space should be similarly shallow, severely limiting the type of landscapes one may use for inflationary model building. We justify the use of a truncated Fourier series with random coefficients, which are suppressed the higher the frequency, to model such a smooth landscape by a random potential, as is often done in the literature without a good a priory reason

Handling the decline of ground water using artificial recharge areas

Science.gov (United States)

Hidayatullah, Muhammad Shofi; Yoga, Kuncaraningrat Edi; Muslim, Dicky

2017-11-01

Jatinagor, a region with rapid growth cause increasing in water demand. The ground water surface in the observation area shows a decrease based on its potential. This deflation is mainly caused by the inequality between inputs and outputs of the ground water itself. The decrease of this ground water surface is also caused by the number of catchment areas that keeps decreasing. According to the data analysis of geology and hydrology, the condition of ground water in Jatinangor on 2015 had indicated a decrease compared to 2010. Nowadays, the longlivity of clean water can be ensure by the hydrogeology engineering, which is to construct an artificial recharge for ground water in use. The numerical method is aims to determine the number of ground water supply in Jatinangor. According to the research, the most suitable artificial recharge is in the form of a small dam located in the internment river. With the area of 209.000 m2, this dam will be able to contain 525 m3 runoff water with the intensity of maximum rainfall effectively 59,44 mm/hour. The increase of water volume generate by this artificial recharge, fulfilled the demand of clean water.

Quo Vadis, Artificial Intelligence?

OpenAIRE

Berrar, Daniel; Sato, Naoyuki; Schuster, Alfons

2010-01-01

Since its conception in the mid 1950s, artificial intelligence with its great ambition to understand and emulate intelligence in natural and artificial environments alike is now a truly multidisciplinary field that reaches out and is inspired by a great diversity of other fields. Rapid advances in research and technology in various fields have created environments into which artificial intelligence could embed itself naturally and comfortably. Neuroscience with its desire to understand nervou...

Inteligencia artificial en vehiculo

OpenAIRE

Amador Díaz, Pedro

2012-01-01

Desarrollo de un robot seguidor de líneas, en el que se implementan diversas soluciones de las áreas de sistemas embebidos e inteligencia artificial. Desenvolupament d'un robot seguidor de línies, en el qual s'implementen diverses solucions de les àrees de sistemes encastats i intel·ligència artificial. Follower robot development of lines, in which various solutions are implemented in the areas of artificial intelligence embedded systems.

Remote artificial eyes using micro-optical circuit for long-distance 3D imaging perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Thammawongsa, Nopparat; Yupapin, Preecha P

2016-01-01

A small-scale optical device incorporated with an optical nano-antenna is designed to operate as the remote artificial eye using a tiny conjugate mirror. A basic device known as a conjugate mirror can be formed using the artificial eye device, the partially reflected light intensities from input source are interfered and the 3D whispering gallery modes formed within the ring centers, which can be modulated and propagated to the object. The image pixel is obtained at the center ring and linked with the optic nerve in the remote area via the nano-antenna, which is useful for blind people.

On the Shallow Processing (Dis)Advantage: Grammar and Economy.

Science.gov (United States)

Koornneef, Arnout; Reuland, Eric

2016-01-01

In the psycholinguistic literature it has been proposed that readers and listeners often adopt a "good-enough" processing strategy in which a "shallow" representation of an utterance driven by (top-down) extra-grammatical processes has a processing advantage over a "deep" (bottom-up) grammatically-driven representation of that same utterance. In the current contribution we claim, both on theoretical and experimental grounds, that this proposal is overly simplistic. Most importantly, in the domain of anaphora there is now an accumulating body of evidence showing that the anaphoric dependencies between (reflexive) pronominals and their antecedents are subject to an economy hierarchy. In this economy hierarchy, deriving anaphoric dependencies by deep-grammatical-operations requires less processing costs than doing so by shallow-extra-grammatical-operations. In addition, in case of ambiguity when both a shallow and a deep derivation are available to the parser, the latter is actually preferred. This, we argue, contradicts the basic assumptions of the shallow-deep dichotomy and, hence, a rethinking of the good-enough processing framework is warranted.

Enhancement of juvenile Caribbean spiny lobsters: an evaluation of changes in multiple response variables with the addition of large artificial shelters.

Science.gov (United States)

Briones-Fourzán, Patricia; Lozano-Alvarez, Enrique; Negrete-Soto, Fernando; Barradas-Ortiz, Cecilia

2007-03-01

Shortage of natural crevice shelters may produce population bottlenecks in juvenile Caribbean spiny lobsters (Panulirus argus), a socially gregarious species. We conducted a field experiment to test enhancement of a local population of juvenile P. argus with the addition of artificial shelters ("casitas") that mimic large crevices (1.1 m(2) in surface area and 3.8 cm in height). Changes in density and biomass of juvenile lobsters 15-50 mm carapace length (CL) were assessed with a multiple before-after control-impact (MBACI) analysis. Separate analyses were also conducted on small (15-35 mm CL) and large (35.1-50 mm CL) juveniles to assess size-related effects. First, we carried out 13 lobster surveys on nine fixed 1-ha sites over a shallow reef lagoon ("before" period). Then, we deployed ten casitas in each of five sites and left four sites as controls, and conducted 22 further surveys ("after" period). Deployment of casitas resulted in a sixfold increase in juvenile density (76% contributed by small and 24% by large juveniles) and a sevenfold increase in biomass (40 and 60%, respectively). Capture-recapture results revealed that enhancement was achieved not by promoting individual growth but by increasing survival, persistence, and foraging ranges of small and large juveniles. Casitas both mitigated shortage of natural shelter and increased sociality, allowing for cohabitation of smaller, more vulnerable juveniles with larger conspecifics that have greater defensive abilities. Casitas may help enhance local populations of juvenile P. argus in Caribbean seagrass habitats, typically poor in natural crevice shelters. The use of MBACI and the simultaneous assessment of multiple interrelated response variables may be a powerful analytical approach to test shelter limitation in other species and to examine the function of structural habitat in other systems.

Criminal Aspects of Artificial Abortion

OpenAIRE

Hartmanová, Leona

2016-01-01

Criminal Aspects of Artificial Abortion This diploma thesis deals with the issue of artificial abortion, especially its criminal aspects. Legal aspects are not the most important aspects of artificial abortion. Social, ethical or ideological aspects are of the same importance but this diploma thesis cannot analyse all of them. The main issue with artificial abortion is whether it is possible to force a pregnant woman to carry a child and give birth to a child when she cannot or does not want ...

Shallow disposal of radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-02-01

A review and evaluation of computer codes capable of simulating the various processes that are instrumental in determining the dose rate to individuals resulting from the shallow disposal of radioactive waste was conducted. Possible pathways of contamination, as well as the mechanisms controlling radionuclide movement along these pathways have been identified. Potential transport pathways include the unsaturated and saturated ground water systems, surface water bodies, atmospheric transport and movement (and accumulation) in the food chain. Contributions to dose may occur as a result of ingestion of contaminated water and food, inhalation of contaminated air and immersion in contaminated air/water. Specific recommendations were developed regarding the selection and modification of a model to meet the needs associated with the prediction of dose rates to individuals as a consequence of shallow radioactive waste disposal. Specific technical requirements with regards to risk, sensitivity and uncertainty analyses have been addressed

The geometrical acoustic method for calculating the echo of targets submerged in a shallow water waveguide

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

CHEN Yan; TANG Weilin; FAN Wei; FAN Jun

2012-01-01

A geometrical acoustic method based on image-source method and physicM acoustic method was developed to calculate the echo of targets submerged in the shallow water waveguide. The incident rays and the scattering rays are reflected by two boundaries for many times, and then the back rays become countless. The total backscattering field is obtained through summing up the scattering field produced by each combination of incident rays and back rays. The echo of the 10m-radius pressure release sphere in Pekeris waveguide with the range is calculated by the geometrical acoustic method. Compared with the results calculated by the wave acoustic method in the available literature, it shows that both are in accordance on average value and descend trend. The following results indicate that the difference between Effective Target Strength （ETS） in shallow water and the Target Strength （TS） in free space for spheres and certain other rounded objects is small. However, the ETS of some targets such as cone-shaped is quite different from TS in free space, which can lead to large errors in estimating a target＇s scattering property using traditional sonar equation. Compared with the method of wave acoustics, the geometrical acoustic method not only has the definite physical meaning but also can calculate the echo of complex objects in shallow water waveguide.

Use of artificial intelligence in the design of small peptide antibiotics effective against a broad spectrum of highly antibiotic-resistant superbugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Cherkasov, Artem; Hilpert, Kai; Jenssen, Håvard; Fjell, Christopher D; Waldbrook, Matt; Mullaly, Sarah C; Volkmer, Rudolf; Hancock, Robert E W

2009-01-16

Increased multiple antibiotic resistance in the face of declining antibiotic discovery is one of society's most pressing health issues. Antimicrobial peptides represent a promising new class of antibiotics. Here we ask whether it is possible to make small broad spectrum peptides employing minimal assumptions, by capitalizing on accumulating chemical biology information. Using peptide array technology, two large random 9-amino-acid peptide libraries were iteratively created using the amino acid composition of the most active peptides. The resultant data was used together with Artificial Neural Networks, a powerful machine learning technique, to create quantitative in silico models of antibiotic activity. On the basis of random testing, these models proved remarkably effective in predicting the activity of 100,000 virtual peptides. The best peptides, representing the top quartile of predicted activities, were effective against a broad array of multidrug-resistant "Superbugs" with activities that were equal to or better than four highly used conventional antibiotics, more effective than the most advanced clinical candidate antimicrobial peptide, and protective against Staphylococcus aureus infections in animal models.

Propagation of Exploration Seismic Sources in Shallow Water

Science.gov (United States)

Diebold, J. B.; Tolstoy, M.; Barton, P. J.; Gulick, S. P.

2006-05-01

The choice of safety radii to mitigation the impact of exploration seismic sources upon marine mammals is typically based on measurement or modeling in deep water. In shallow water environments, rule-of-thumb spreading laws are often used to predict the falloff of amplitude with offset from the source, but actual measurements (or ideally, near-perfect modeling) are still needed to account for the effects of bathymetric changes and subseafloor characteristics. In addition, the question: "how shallow is 'shallow?'" needs an answer. In a cooperative effort by NSF, MMS, NRL, IAGC and L-DEO, a series of seismic source calibration studies was carried out in the Northern Gulf of Mexico during 2003. The sources used were the two-, six-, ten-, twelve-, and twenty-airgun arrays of R/V Ewing, and a 31-element, 3-string "G" gun array, deployed by M/V Kondor, an exploration industry source ship. The results of the Ewing calibrations have been published, documenting results in deep (3200m) and shallow (60m) water. Lengthy analysis of the Kondor results, presented here, suggests an approach to answering the "how shallow is shallow" question. After initially falling off steadily with source-receiver offset, the Kondor levels suddenly increased at a 4km offset. Ray-based modeling with a complex, realistic source, but with a simple homogeneous water column-over-elastic halfspace ocean shows that the observed pattern is chiefly due to geophysical effects, and not focusing within the water column. The same kind of modeling can be used to predict how the amplitudes will change with decreasing water depth, and when deep-water safety radii may need to be increased. Another set of data (see Barton, et al., this session) recorded in 20 meters of water during early 2005, however, shows that simple modeling may be insufficient when the geophysics becomes more complex. In this particular case, the fact that the seafloor was within the near field of the R/V Ewing source array seems to have

Distributed modelling of shallow landslides triggered by intense rainfall

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. B. Crosta

2003-01-01

Full Text Available Hazard assessment of shallow landslides represents an important aspect of land management in mountainous areas. Among all the methods proposed in the literature, physically based methods are the only ones that explicitly includes the dynamic factors that control landslide triggering (rainfall pattern, land-use. For this reason, they allow forecasting both the temporal and the spatial distribution of shallow landslides. Physically based methods for shallow landslides are based on the coupling of the infinite slope stability analysis with hydrological models. Three different grid-based distributed hydrological models are presented in this paper: a steady state model, a transient "piston-flow" wetting front model, and a transient diffusive model. A comparative test of these models was performed to simulate landslide occurred during a rainfall event (27–28 June 1997 that triggered hundreds of shallow landslides within Lecco province (central Southern Alps, Italy. In order to test the potential for a completely distributed model for rainfall-triggered landslides, radar detected rainfall intensity has been used. A new procedure for quantitative evaluation of distributed model performance is presented and used in this paper. The diffusive model results in the best model for the simulation of shallow landslide triggering after a rainfall event like the one that we have analysed. Finally, radar data available for the June 1997 event permitted greatly improving the simulation. In particular, radar data allowed to explain the non-uniform distribution of landslides within the study area.

Transient Localization in Shallow Water Environments

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Brune, Joachim

1998-01-01

.... A full-wave PE model is used to produce broadband replicas. Both model-generated synthetic signals, which provide baseline results, and measured pulses in a shallow water environment are analyzed...

CALIBRATION OF DISTRIBUTED SHALLOW LANDSLIDE MODELS IN FORESTED LANDSCAPES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gian Battista Bischetti

2010-09-01

Full Text Available In mountainous-forested soil mantled landscapes all around the world, rainfall-induced shallow landslides are one of the most common hydro-geomorphic hazards, which frequently impact the environment and human lives and properties. In order to produce shallow landslide susceptibility maps, several models have been proposed in the last decade, combining simplified steady state topography- based hydrological models with the infinite slope scheme, in a GIS framework. In the present paper, two of the still open issues are investigated: the assessment of the validity of slope stability models and the inclusion of root cohesion values. In such a perspective the “Stability INdex MAPping” has been applied to a small forested pre-Alpine catchment, adopting different calibrating approaches and target indexes. The Single and the Multiple Calibration Regions modality and three quantitative target indexes – the common Success Rate (SR, the Modified Success Rate (MSR, and a Weighted Modified Success Rate (WMSR herein introduced – are considered. The results obtained show that the target index can 34 003_Bischetti(569_23 1-12-2010 9:48 Pagina 34 significantly affect the values of a model’s parameters and lead to different proportions of stable/unstable areas, both for the Single and the Multiple Calibration Regions approach. The use of SR as the target index leads to an over-prediction of the unstable areas, whereas the use of MSR and WMSR, seems to allow a better discrimination between stable and unstable areas. The Multiple Calibration Regions approach should be preferred, using information on space distribution of vegetation to define the Regions. The use of field-based estimation of root cohesion and sliding depth allows the implementation of slope stability models (SINMAP in our case also without the data needed for calibration. To maximize the inclusion of such parameters into SINMAP, however, the assumption of a uniform distribution of

Construction of shallow land simulation apparatuses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamamoto, Tadatoshi; Ohtsuka, Yoshiro; Takebe, Shinichi; Ohnuki, Toshihiko; Ogawa, Hiromichi; Harada, Yoshikane; Saitoh, Kazuaki; Wadachi, Yoshiki

1984-07-01

Shallow land simulation apparatuses in which natural soil can be used as testing soil have been constructed to investigate the migration characteristics of radionuclides in a disposal site. These apparatuses consist of aerated zone apparatus and aquifer zone one. In the aerated zone apparatus, aerated soil upon ground water level is contained in the soil column (d: 30cm x h: 120cm). In the aquifer zone apparatus, aquifer soil laying ground water level is contained in the soil vessel (b: 90cm x l: 270cm x h: 45cm). This report describes the outline of shallow land simulation apparatuses : function of apparatuses and specification of devices, analysis of obstructions, safety rules, analysis of accidents and operation manual. (author)

Performance of Deep and Shallow Neural Networks, the Universal Approximation Theorem, Activity Cliffs, and QSAR.

Science.gov (United States)

Winkler, David A; Le, Tu C

2017-01-01

Neural networks have generated valuable Quantitative Structure-Activity/Property Relationships (QSAR/QSPR) models for a wide variety of small molecules and materials properties. They have grown in sophistication and many of their initial problems have been overcome by modern mathematical techniques. QSAR studies have almost always used so-called "shallow" neural networks in which there is a single hidden layer between the input and output layers. Recently, a new and potentially paradigm-shifting type of neural network based on Deep Learning has appeared. Deep learning methods have generated impressive improvements in image and voice recognition, and are now being applied to QSAR and QSAR modelling. This paper describes the differences in approach between deep and shallow neural networks, compares their abilities to predict the properties of test sets for 15 large drug data sets (the kaggle set), discusses the results in terms of the Universal Approximation theorem for neural networks, and describes how DNN may ameliorate or remove troublesome "activity cliffs" in QSAR data sets. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Methodology for Developing Hydrological Models Based on an Artificial Neural Network to Establish an Early Warning System in Small Catchments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivana Sušanj

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In some situations, there is no possibility of hazard mitigation, especially if the hazard is induced by water. Thus, it is important to prevent consequences via an early warning system (EWS to announce the possible occurrence of a hazard. The aim and objective of this paper are to investigate the possibility of implementing an EWS in a small-scale catchment and to develop a methodology for developing a hydrological prediction model based on an artificial neural network (ANN as an essential part of the EWS. The methodology is implemented in the case study of the Slani Potok catchment, which is historically recognized as a hazard-prone area, by establishing continuous monitoring of meteorological and hydrological parameters to collect data for the training, validation, and evaluation of the prediction capabilities of the ANN model. The model is validated and evaluated by visual and common calculation approaches and a new evaluation for the assessment. This new evaluation is proposed based on the separation of the observed data into classes based on the mean data value and the percentages of classes above or below the mean data value as well as on the performance of the mean absolute error.

Nanodiamond finding in the hyblean shallow mantle xenoliths.

Science.gov (United States)

Simakov, S K; Kouchi, A; Mel'nik, N N; Scribano, V; Kimura, Y; Hama, T; Suzuki, N; Saito, H; Yoshizawa, T

2015-06-01

Most of Earth's diamonds are connected with deep-seated mantle rocks; however, in recent years, μm-sized diamonds have been found in shallower metamorphic rocks, and the process of shallow-seated diamond formation has become a hotly debated topic. Nanodiamonds occur mainly in chondrite meteorites associated with organic matter and water. They can be synthesized in the stability field of graphite from organic compounds under hydrothermal conditions. Similar physicochemical conditions occur in serpentinite-hosted hydrothermal systems. Herein, we report the first finding of nanodiamonds, primarily of 6 and 10 nm, in Hyblean asphaltene-bearing serpentinite xenoliths (Sicily, Italy). The discovery was made by electron microscopy observations coupled with Raman spectroscopy analyses. The finding reveals new aspects of carbon speciation and diamond formation in shallow crustal settings. Nanodiamonds can grow during the hydrothermal alteration of ultramafic rocks, as well as during the lithogenesis of sediments bearing organic matter.

Shallow Horizontal GCHP Effectiveness in Arid Climate Soils

Science.gov (United States)

North, Timothy James

Ground coupled heat pumps (GCHPs) have been used successfully in many environments to improve the heating and cooling efficiency of both small and large scale buildings. In arid climate regions, such as the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area, where the air condi-tioning load is dominated by cooling in the summer, GCHPs are difficult to install and operate. This is because the nature of soils in arid climate regions, in that they are both dry and hot, renders them particularly ineffective at dissipating heat. The first part of this thesis addresses applying the SVHeat finite element modeling soft-ware to create a model of a GCHP system. Using real-world data from a prototype solar-water heating system coupled with a ground-source heat exchanger installed in Menlo Park, California, a relatively accurate model was created to represent a novel GCHP panel system installed in a shallow vertical trench. A sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the accuracy of the calibrated model. The second part of the thesis involved adapting the calibrated model to represent an ap-proximation of soil conditions in arid climate regions, using a range of thermal properties for dry soils. The effectiveness of the GCHP in the arid climate region model was then evaluated by comparing the thermal flux from the panel into the subsurface profile to that of the prototype GCHP. It was shown that soils in arid climate regions are particularly inefficient at heat dissipation, but that it is highly dependent on the thermal conductivity inputted into the model. This demonstrates the importance of proper site characterization in arid climate regions. Finally, several soil improvement methods were researched to evaluate their potential for use in improving the effectiveness of shallow horizontal GCHP systems in arid climate regions.

SuperSweet--a resource on natural and artificial sweetening agents.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Jessica; Preissner, Saskia; Dunkel, Mathias; Worth, Catherine L; Eckert, Andreas; Preissner, Robert

2011-01-01

A vast number of sweet tasting molecules are known, encompassing small compounds, carbohydrates, d-amino acids and large proteins. Carbohydrates play a particularly big role in human diet. The replacement of sugars in food with artificial sweeteners is common and is a general approach to prevent cavities, obesity and associated diseases such as diabetes and hyperlipidemia. Knowledge about the molecular basis of taste may reveal new strategies to overcome diet-induced diseases. In this context, the design of safe, low-calorie sweeteners is particularly important. Here, we provide a comprehensive collection of carbohydrates, artificial sweeteners and other sweet tasting agents like proteins and peptides. Additionally, structural information and properties such as number of calories, therapeutic annotations and a sweetness-index are stored in SuperSweet. Currently, the database consists of more than 8000 sweet molecules. Moreover, the database provides a modeled 3D structure of the sweet taste receptor and binding poses of the small sweet molecules. These binding poses provide hints for the design of new sweeteners. A user-friendly graphical interface allows similarity searching, visualization of docked sweeteners into the receptor etc. A sweetener classification tree and browsing features allow quick requests to be made to the database. The database is freely available at: http://bioinformatics.charite.de/sweet/.

Artificial Hydration and Nutrition

Science.gov (United States)

... Crisis Situations Pets and Animals myhealthfinder Food and Nutrition Healthy Food Choices Weight Loss and Diet Plans ... Your Health Resources Healthcare Management Artificial Hydration and Nutrition Artificial Hydration and Nutrition Share Print Patients who ...

Artificial Evolution for the Detection of Group Identities in Complex Artificial Societies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grappiolo, Corrado; Togelius, Julian; Yannakakis, Georgios N.

2013-01-01

This paper aims at detecting the presence of group structures in complex artificial societies by solely observing and analysing the interactions occurring among the artificial agents. Our approach combines: (1) an unsupervised method for clustering interactions into two possible classes, namely in...

Artificial intelligence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perret-Galix, D.

1992-01-01

A vivid example of the growing need for frontier physics experiments to make use of frontier technology is in the field of artificial intelligence and related themes. This was reflected in the second international workshop on 'Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems in High Energy and Nuclear Physics' which took place from 13-18 January at France Telecom's Agelonde site at La Londe des Maures, Provence. It was the second in a series, the first having been held at Lyon in 1990

Flow through a very porous obstacle in a shallow channel.

Science.gov (United States)

Creed, M J; Draper, S; Nishino, T; Borthwick, A G L

2017-04-01

A theoretical model, informed by numerical simulations based on the shallow water equations, is developed to predict the flow passing through and around a uniform porous obstacle in a shallow channel, where background friction is important. This problem is relevant to a number of practical situations, including flow through aquatic vegetation, the performance of arrays of turbines in tidal channels and hydrodynamic forces on offshore structures. To demonstrate this relevance, the theoretical model is used to (i) reinterpret core flow velocities in existing laboratory-based data for an array of emergent cylinders in shallow water emulating aquatic vegetation and (ii) reassess the optimum arrangement of tidal turbines to generate power in a tidal channel. Comparison with laboratory-based data indicates a maximum obstacle resistance (or minimum porosity) for which the present theoretical model is valid. When the obstacle resistance is above this threshold the shallow water equations do not provide an adequate representation of the flow, and the theoretical model over-predicts the core flow passing through the obstacle. The second application of the model confirms that natural bed resistance increases the power extraction potential for a partial tidal fence in a shallow channel and alters the optimum arrangement of turbines within the fence.

[Clinical application of artificial dermis combined with basic fibroblast growth factor in the treatment of cicatrix and deep skin wounds].

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yang; Zhang, Yilan; Huang, Yalan; Luo, Gaoxing; Peng, Yizhi; Yan, Hong; Luo, Qizhi; Zhang, Jiaping; Wu, Jun; Peng, Daizhi

2016-04-01

To observe the effects of artificial dermis combined with basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on the treatment of cicatrix and deep skin wounds. The clinical data of 72 patients with wounds repaired with artificial dermis, hospitalized in our unit from October 2010 to April 2015, conforming to the study criteria, were retrospectively analyzed. The types of wounds were wounds after resection of cicatrices, deep burn wounds without exposure of tendon or bone, and wounds with exposure of small area of tendon or bone, in a total number of 102. Wounds were divided into artificial dermis group (A, n=60) and artificial dermis+ bFGF group (B, n=42) according to whether or not artificial dermis combined with bFGF. In group A, after release and resection of cicatrices or thorough debridement of deep skin wounds, artificial dermis was directly grafted to wounds in the first stage operation. After complete vascularization of artificial dermis, wounds were repaired with autologous split-thickness skin grafts in the second stage operation. In group B, all the procedures were exactly the same as those in group A except that artificial dermis had been soaked in bFGF for 30 min before grafting. Operation area, complete vascularization time of artificial dermis, survival of skin grafts, and the follow-up condition of wounds in the two groups were recorded. Data were processed with t test and Fisher's exact test. (1) Operation areas of wounds after resection of cicatrices, deep burn wounds without exposure of tendon or bone, and wounds with exposure of small area of tendon or bone in the two groups were about the same (with t values from -1.853 to -0.200, P values above 0.05). Complete vascularization time of artificial dermis in wounds after resection of cicatrices, deep burn wounds without exposure of tendon or bone, and wounds with exposure of small area of tendon or bone in group B were respectively (15.6 ± 2.9), (14.7 ± 2.7), and (20.3 ± 4.4) d, and they were shorter by an

Reusable Reinforcement Learning via Shallow Trails.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Yang; Chen, Shi-Yong; Da, Qing; Zhou, Zhi-Hua

2018-06-01

Reinforcement learning has shown great success in helping learning agents accomplish tasks autonomously from environment interactions. Meanwhile in many real-world applications, an agent needs to accomplish not only a fixed task but also a range of tasks. For this goal, an agent can learn a metapolicy over a set of training tasks that are drawn from an underlying distribution. By maximizing the total reward summed over all the training tasks, the metapolicy can then be reused in accomplishing test tasks from the same distribution. However, in practice, we face two major obstacles to train and reuse metapolicies well. First, how to identify tasks that are unrelated or even opposite with each other, in order to avoid their mutual interference in the training. Second, how to characterize task features, according to which a metapolicy can be reused. In this paper, we propose the MetA-Policy LEarning (MAPLE) approach that overcomes the two difficulties by introducing the shallow trail. It probes a task by running a roughly trained policy. Using the rewards of the shallow trail, MAPLE automatically groups similar tasks. Moreover, when the task parameters are unknown, the rewards of the shallow trail also serve as task features. Empirical studies on several controlling tasks verify that MAPLE can train metapolicies well and receives high reward on test tasks.

Flexible riser global analysis for very shallow water

OpenAIRE

Karegar, Sadjad

2013-01-01

Master's thesis in Offshore technology Flexible risers are widely used for a range of water depths and can accommodate large floater motions when using a buoyant system. A wide range of buoyancy solutions have been developed for very shallow water (e.g. 30-50 m), shallow water (e.g. 90-110 m) and semi-deep water (e.g. 300-400 m) and in the ranges between these depths. Flexible risers can have different configurations. These different solutions have different characteristics which influe...

Heat-Wave Effects on Oxygen, Nutrients, and Phytoplankton Can Alter Global Warming Potential of Gases Emitted from a Small Shallow Lake.

Science.gov (United States)

Bartosiewicz, Maciej; Laurion, Isabelle; Clayer, François; Maranger, Roxane

2016-06-21

Increasing air temperatures may result in stronger lake stratification, potentially altering nutrient and biogenic gas cycling. We assessed the impact of climate forcing by comparing the influence of stratification on oxygen, nutrients, and global-warming potential (GWP) of greenhouse gases (the sum of CH4, CO2, and N2O in CO2 equivalents) emitted from a shallow productive lake during an average versus a heat-wave year. Strong stratification during the heat wave was accompanied by an algal bloom and chemically enhanced carbon uptake. Solar energy trapped at the surface created a colder, isolated hypolimnion, resulting in lower ebullition and overall lower GWP during the hotter-than-average year. Furthermore, the dominant CH4 emission pathway shifted from ebullition to diffusion, with CH4 being produced at surprisingly high rates from sediments (1.2-4.1 mmol m(-2) d(-1)). Accumulated gases trapped in the hypolimnion during the heat wave resulted in a peak efflux to the atmosphere during fall overturn when 70% of total emissions were released, with littoral zones acting as a hot spot. The impact of climate warming on the GWP of shallow lakes is a more complex interplay of phytoplankton dynamics, emission pathways, thermal structure, and chemical conditions, as well as seasonal and spatial variability, than previously reported.

Simulation of Artificial Intelligence for Automotive Air-conditioning System

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

YUAN Xiao-mei; CHEN You-hua; CHEN Zhi-jiu

2002-01-01

The artificial intelligence is applied to the simulation of the automotive air-conditioning system ( AACS )According to the system's characteristics a model of AACS, based on neural network, is developed. Different control methods of AACS are discussed through simulation based on this model. The result shows that the neural- fuzzy control is the best one compared with the on-off control and conventional fuzzy control method.It can make the compartment's temperature descend rapidly to the designed temperature and the fluctuation is small.

Revised shallow and deep water-level and storage-volume changes in the Equus Beds Aquifer near Wichita, Kansas, predevelopment to 1993

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, Cristi V.; Lanning-Rush, Jennifer L.; Ziegler, Andrew C.

2013-01-01

Beginning in the 1940s, the Wichita well field was developed in the Equus Beds aquifer in southwestern Harvey County and northwestern Sedgwick County to supply water to the city of Wichita. The decline of water levels in the aquifer was noted soon after the development of the Wichita well field began. Development of irrigation wells began in the 1960s. City and agricultural withdrawals led to substantial water-level declines. Water-level declines enhanced movement of brines from past oil and gas activities near Burrton, Kansas and enhanced movement of natural saline water from the Arkansas River into the well field area. Large chloride concentrations may limit use or require the treatment of water from the well field for irrigation or public supply. In 1993, the city of Wichita adopted the Integrated Local Water Supply Program (ILWSP) to ensure an adequate water supply for the city through 2050 and as part of its effort to effectively manage the part of the Equus Beds aquifer it uses. ILWSP uses several strategies to do this including the Equus Beds Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) project. The purpose of the ASR project is to store water in the aquifer for later recovery and to help protect the aquifer from encroachment of a known oilfield brine plume near Burrton and saline water from the Arkansas River. As part of Wichita’s ASR permits, Wichita is prohibited from artificially recharging water into the aquifer in a Basin Storage area (BSA) grid cell if water levels in that cell are above the January 1940 water levels or are less than 10 feet below land surface. The map previously used for this purpose did not provide an accurate representation of the shallow water table. The revised predevelopment water-level altitude map of the shallow part of the aquifer is presented in this report. The city of Wichita’s ASR permits specify that the January 1993 water-level altitudes will be used as a lower baseline for regulating the withdrawal of artificial rechage

Chlorate origin and fate in shallow groundwater below agricultural landscapes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mastrocicco, Micòl; Di Giuseppe, Dario; Vincenzi, Fabio; Colombani, Nicolò; Castaldelli, Giuseppe

2017-01-01

In agricultural lowland landscapes, intensive agricultural is accompanied by a wide use of agrochemical application, like pesticides and fertilizers. The latter often causes serious environmental threats such as N compounds leaching and surface water eutrophication; additionally, since perchlorate can be present as impurities in many fertilizers, the potential presence of perchlorates and their by-products like chlorates and chlorites in shallow groundwater could be a reason of concern. In this light, the present manuscript reports the first temporal and spatial variation of chlorates, chlorites and major anions concentrations in the shallow unconfined aquifer belonging to Ferrara province (in the Po River plain). The study was made in 56 different locations to obtain insight on groundwater chemical composition and its sediment matrix interactions. During the monitoring period from 2010 to 2011, in June 2011 a nonpoint pollution of chlorates was found in the shallow unconfined aquifer belonging to Ferrara province. Detected chlorates concentrations ranged between 0.01 and 38 mg/l with an average value of 2.9 mg/l. Chlorates were found in 49 wells out of 56 and in all types of lithology constituting the shallow aquifer. Chlorates concentrations appeared to be linked to NO 3 − , volatile fatty acids (VFA) and oxygen reduction potential (ORP) variations. Chlorates behaviour was related to the biodegradation of perchlorates, since perchlorates are favourable electron acceptors for the oxidation of labile dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in groundwater. Further studies must take into consideration to monitor ClO 4 − in pore waters and groundwater to better elucidate the mass flux of ClO 4 − in shallow aquifers belonging to agricultural landscapes. - Highlights: • Chlorates were found in agricultural shallow wells after fertilizers spreading. • Chlorates concentrations appeared to be linked to NO 3 − , VFA and ORP variations. • Chlorates behaviour was

Shallow flows with bottom topography

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heijst, van G.J.F.; Kamp, L.P.J.; Theunissen, R.; Rodi, W.; Uhlmann, M.

2012-01-01

This paper discusses laboratory experiments and numerical simulations of dipolar vortex flows in a shallow fluid layer with bottom topography. Two cases are considered: a step topography and a linearly sloping bottom. It is found that viscous effects – i.e., no-slip conditions at the non-horizontal

Microbial Geochemistry in Shallow-Sea Hydrothermal Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Amend, J. P.; Pichler, T.

2006-12-01

Shallow-sea hydrothermal systems are far more ubiquitous than generally recognized. Approximately 50-60 systems are currently known, occurring world-wide in areas of high heat flow, such as, volcanic island arcs, near-surface mid-ocean ridges, and intraplate oceanic volcanoes. In contrast to deep-sea systems, shallow- sea vent fluids generally include a meteoric component, they experience phase separation near the sediment- water interface, and they discharge into the photic zone (thermophilic bacteria and archaea. Perhaps because deep-sea smokers and continental hot springs are visually more stunning, shallow-sea systems are often overlooked study sites. We will discuss their particular features that afford unique opportunities in microbial geochemistry. Two of the better studied examples are at Vulcano Island (Italy) and Ambitle Island (Papua New Guinea). The vents and sediment seeps at Vulcano are the "type locality" for numerous cultured hyperthermophiles, including the bacteria Aquifex and Thermotoga, the crenarchaeon Pyrodictium, and the Euryarchaeota Archaeoglobus and Pyrococcus. Isotope-labeled incubation experiments of heated sediments and an array of culturing studies have shown that simple organic compounds are predominantly fermented or anaerobically respired with sulfate. 16S rRNA gene surveys, together with fluorescent in situ hybridization studies, demonstrated the dominance of key thermophilic bacteria and archaea (e.g., Aquificales, Thermotogales, Thermococcales, Archaeoglobales) in the sediments and the presence of a broad spectrum of mostly uncultured crenarchaeota in several vent waters, sediment samples, and geothermal wells. Thermodynamic modeling quantified potential energy yields from aerobic and anaerobic respiration reactions and fermentation reactions. In contrast to their deep-sea counterparts, shallow-sea hydrothermal systems are often characterized by high arsenic concentrations of more than 500-times seawater levels. The arsenic

Shallow Landslide Susceptibility Modeling Using the Data Mining Models Artificial Neural Network and Boosted Tree

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyun-Joo Oh

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The main purpose of this paper is to present some potential applications of sophisticated data mining techniques, such as artificial neural network (ANN and boosted tree (BT, for landslide susceptibility modeling in the Yongin area, Korea. Initially, landslide inventory was detected from visual interpretation using digital aerial photographic maps with a high resolution of 50 cm taken before and after the occurrence of landslides. The debris flows were randomly divided into two groups: training and validation sets with a 50:50 proportion. Additionally, 18 environmental factors related to landslide occurrence were derived from the topography, soil, and forest maps. Subsequently, the data mining techniques were applied to identify the influence of environmental factors on landslide occurrence of the training set and assess landslide susceptibility. Finally, the landslide susceptibility indexes from ANN and BT were compared with a validation set using a receiver operating characteristics curve. The slope gradient, topographic wetness index, and timber age appear to be important factors in landslide occurrence from both models. The validation result of ANN and BT showed 82.25% and 90.79%, which had reasonably good performance. The study shows the benefit of selecting optimal data mining techniques in landslide susceptibility modeling. This approach could be used as a guideline for choosing environmental factors on landslide occurrence and add influencing factors into landslide monitoring systems. Furthermore, this method can rank landslide susceptibility in urban areas, thus providing helpful information when selecting a landslide monitoring site and planning land-use.

Applications of artificial neural networks in medical science.

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Jigneshkumar L; Goyal, Ramesh K

2007-09-01

Computer technology has been advanced tremendously and the interest has been increased for the potential use of 'Artificial Intelligence (AI)' in medicine and biological research. One of the most interesting and extensively studied branches of AI is the 'Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs)'. Basically, ANNs are the mathematical algorithms, generated by computers. ANNs learn from standard data and capture the knowledge contained in the data. Trained ANNs approach the functionality of small biological neural cluster in a very fundamental manner. They are the digitized model of biological brain and can detect complex nonlinear relationships between dependent as well as independent variables in a data where human brain may fail to detect. Nowadays, ANNs are widely used for medical applications in various disciplines of medicine especially in cardiology. ANNs have been extensively applied in diagnosis, electronic signal analysis, medical image analysis and radiology. ANNs have been used by many authors for modeling in medicine and clinical research. Applications of ANNs are increasing in pharmacoepidemiology and medical data mining. In this paper, authors have summarized various applications of ANNs in medical science.

The Japanese artificial organs scene: current status.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitamura, Yoshinori; Murabayashi, Shun

2005-08-01

Artificial organs and regenerative medicine are the subjects of very active research and development (R&D) in Japan and various artificial organs are widely used in patients. Results of the R&D are presented at the annual conference of the Japanese Society for Artificial Organs (JSAO). Progress in the fields of artificial organs and regenerative medicine are reviewed annually in the Japanese Journal of Artificial Organs. The official English-language journal of JSAO, Journal of Artificial Organs, also publishes many original articles by Japanese researchers. Although the annual conference and the publications of JSAO provide the world with update information on artificial organs and regenerative medicine in Japan, the information is not always understood appropriately in the rest of the world, mainly due to language problems. This article therefore introduces the current status of artificial organs and regenerative medicine in Japan. Artificial hearts and metabolic support systems are reviewed here and other interesting areas such as regenerative medicine can be found elsewhere.

Gain weight by "going diet?" Artificial sweeteners and the neurobiology of sugar cravings: Neuroscience 2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Qing

2010-06-01

America's obesity epidemic has gathered much media attention recently. A rise in the percent of the population who are obese coincides with an increase in the widespread use of non-caloric artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame (e.g., Diet Coke) and sucralose (e.g., Pepsi One), in food products (Figure 1). Both forward and reverse causalities have been proposed. While people often choose "diet" or "light" products to lose weight, research studies suggest that artificial sweeteners may contribute to weight gain. In this mini-review, inspired by a discussion with Dr. Dana Small at Yale's Neuroscience 2010 conference in April, I first examine the development of artificial sweeteners in a historic context. I then summarize the epidemiological and experimental evidence concerning their effects on weight. Finally, I attempt to explain those effects in light of the neurobiology of food reward.

Comparison of post-cervical and cervical porcine artificial insemination in nulliparous and multiparous

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luchetti CG

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The post-cervical artificial insemination (PCAI in sows increases semen performance compared to cervical artificial insemination (CAI. In Argentina the use of the PCAI is restricted to multiparous while it is not applied to nulliparous. The aim of this study was to compare porcine CAI and PCAI in nulliparous and multiparous. Pregnancy rates and number of live pups with CAI and PCAI in nulliparous and multiparous, assessing advantages and disadvantages of each method were compared. This is a small-scale work (4 CAI and 7 PCAI in nulliparous, 3 CAI and 3 PCAI in multiparous in a small field productive site in the Province of Buenos Aires. Here the boar was omitted for heat detection and to stimulate the sow during AI. Pregnancy rates and the number of pups born alive per pregnant sow were similar with the two techniques and two categories. The PCAI is a good practice in nulliparous and multiparous because this technique increases semen performance compared to CAI and it is omitted the presence of the boar.

Three-dimensional flow in electromagnetically driven shallow two-layer fluids

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Akkermans, R.A.D.; Kamp, L.P.J.; Clercx, H.J.H.; van Heijst, G.J.F.

2010-01-01

Recent experiments on a freely evolving dipolar vortex in a homogeneous shallow fluid layer have clearly shown the existence and evolution of complex three-dimensional 3D flow structures. The present contribution focuses on the 3D structures of a dipolar vortex evolving in a stable shallow two-layer

Analysis of the Numerical Solution of the Shallow Water Equations

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Hamrick, Thomas

1997-01-01

.... The two schemes are finite difference method (FDM) and the finite element method (FEM). After presenting the shallow water equations in several formulations, some examples will be presented. The use of the Fourier transform to find the solution of a semidiscrete analog of the shallow water equations is also demonstrated.

Deep and shallow approaches to learning mathematics are not mutually exclusive.

OpenAIRE

Mathias, J.; Newton, D.P.

2016-01-01

From time to time, students are characterised as having a deep or shallow approach to learning. A deep approach to learning tends to attract more approval than a shallow approach, at least in the West. Students on a university-based Foundation course to prepare them for undergraduate studies were divided into those likely to have a deep approach (26) and those likely to have a shallow approach (18). Their performance in a test of problem solving in an aspect of applied mathematics was compare...

Ultralow power artificial synapses using nanotextured magnetic Josephson junctions

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Michael L.; Donnelly, Christine A.; Russek, Stephen E.; Baek, Burm; Pufall, Matthew R.; Hopkins, Peter F.; Dresselhaus, Paul D.; Benz, Samuel P.; Rippard, William H.

2018-01-01

Neuromorphic computing promises to markedly improve the efficiency of certain computational tasks, such as perception and decision-making. Although software and specialized hardware implementations of neural networks have made tremendous accomplishments, both implementations are still many orders of magnitude less energy efficient than the human brain. We demonstrate a new form of artificial synapse based on dynamically reconfigurable superconducting Josephson junctions with magnetic nanoclusters in the barrier. The spiking energy per pulse varies with the magnetic configuration, but in our demonstration devices, the spiking energy is always less than 1 aJ. This compares very favorably with the roughly 10 fJ per synaptic event in the human brain. Each artificial synapse is composed of a Si barrier containing Mn nanoclusters with superconducting Nb electrodes. The critical current of each synapse junction, which is analogous to the synaptic weight, can be tuned using input voltage spikes that change the spin alignment of Mn nanoclusters. We demonstrate synaptic weight training with electrical pulses as small as 3 aJ. Further, the Josephson plasma frequencies of the devices, which determine the dynamical time scales, all exceed 100 GHz. These new artificial synapses provide a significant step toward a neuromorphic platform that is faster, more energy-efficient, and thus can attain far greater complexity than has been demonstrated with other technologies. PMID:29387787

Soft computing in artificial intelligence

CERN Document Server

Matson, Eric

2014-01-01

This book explores the concept of artificial intelligence based on knowledge-based algorithms. Given the current hardware and software technologies and artificial intelligence theories, we can think of how efficient to provide a solution, how best to implement a model and how successful to achieve it. This edition provides readers with the most recent progress and novel solutions in artificial intelligence. This book aims at presenting the research results and solutions of applications in relevance with artificial intelligence technologies. We propose to researchers and practitioners some methods to advance the intelligent systems and apply artificial intelligence to specific or general purpose. This book consists of 13 contributions that feature fuzzy (r, s)-minimal pre- and β-open sets, handling big coocurrence matrices, Xie-Beni-type fuzzy cluster validation, fuzzy c-regression models, combination of genetic algorithm and ant colony optimization, building expert system, fuzzy logic and neural network, ind...

Comparing Effects of Lake- and Watershed-Scale Influences on Communities of Aquatic Invertebrates in Shallow Lakes

Science.gov (United States)

Hanson, Mark A.; Herwig, Brian R.; Zimmer, Kyle D.; Fieberg, John; Vaughn, Sean R.; Wright, Robert G.; Younk, Jerry A.

2012-01-01

Constraints on lake communities are complex and are usually studied by using limited combinations of variables derived from measurements within or adjacent to study waters. While informative, results often provide limited insight about magnitude of simultaneous influences operating at multiple scales, such as lake- vs. watershed-scale. To formulate comparisons of such contrasting influences, we explored factors controlling the abundance of predominant aquatic invertebrates in 75 shallow lakes in western Minnesota, USA. Using robust regression techniques, we modeled relative abundance of Amphipoda, small and large cladocera, Corixidae, aquatic Diptera, and an aggregate taxon that combined Ephemeroptera-Trichoptera-Odonata (ETO) in response to lake- and watershed-scale characteristics. Predictor variables included fish and submerged plant abundance, linear distance to the nearest wetland or lake, watershed size, and proportion of the watershed in agricultural production. Among-lake variability in invertebrate abundance was more often explained by lake-scale predictors than by variables based on watershed characteristics. For example, we identified significant associations between fish presence and community type and abundance of small and large cladocera, Amphipoda, Diptera, and ETO. Abundance of Amphipoda, Diptera, and Corixidae were also positively correlated with submerged plant abundance. We observed no associations between lake-watershed variables and abundance of our invertebrate taxa. Broadly, our results seem to indicate preeminence of lake-level influences on aquatic invertebrates in shallow lakes, but historical land-use legacies may mask important relationships. PMID:22970275

An enigmatic, diminutive theropod footprint in the shallow marine Pliensbachian Hasle Formation, Bornholm, Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Milàn, Jesper; Surlyk, Finn

2015-01-01

A well-preserved three-toed footprint, measuring 34 mm in length from a very small predatory dinosaur with an estimated hip height of 153 mm and a total body length around 50 cm including tail, is reported from the type section of the marine Lower Jurassic (Pliensbachian), Hasle Formation...... on the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. The morphology of the footprint is similar to the ichnogenus Stenonyx Lull 1904 from the contemporaneous Pliensbachian Szydlowek site in Poland. Apart from the Polish material, footprints from diminutive dinosaurs are rare and reported from few other...... localities around the world. The occurrence of a diminutive dinosaur footprint in a shallow marine sandstone is enigmatic. The well-defined morphology of the footprint, together with the very small size of the trackmaker, excludes the possibility that the track was emplaced by a swimming or wading animal...

Artificial Life as an Aid to Astrobiology: Testing Life Seeking Techniques

OpenAIRE

Centler, F.; Dittrich, P.; Ku, L.; Matsumaru, N.; Pfaffmann, J.; Zauner, K.-P.

2003-01-01

Searching for signatures of fossil or present life in our solar system requires autonomous devices capable of investigating remote locations with limited assistance from earth. Here, we use an artificial chemistry model to create spatially complex chemical environments. An autonomous experimentation technique based on evolutionary computation is then employed to explore these environments with the aim of discovering the chemical signature of small patches of biota present in the simulation sp...

Activity patterns during food provisioning are affected by artificial light in free living great tits (Parus major.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mieke Titulaer

Full Text Available Artificial light may have severe ecological consequences but there is limited experimental work to assess these consequences. We carried out an experimental study on a wild population of great tits (Parus major to assess the impact of light pollution on daily activity patterns during the chick provisioning period. Pairs that were provided with a small light outside their nest box did not alter the onset, cessation or duration of their working day. There was however a clear effect of artificial light on the feeding rate in the second half of the nestling period: when provided with artificial light females increased their feeding rate when the nestlings were between 9 and 16 days old. Artificial light is hypothesised to have affected the perceived photoperiod of either the parents or the offspring which in turn led to increased parental care. This may have negative fitness consequences for the parents, and light pollution may thus create an ecological trap for breeding birds.

Using artificial sweeteners to identify contamination sources and infiltration zones in a coupled river-aquifer system

Science.gov (United States)

Bichler, Andrea; Muellegger, Christian; Hofmann, Thilo

2014-05-01

In shallow or unconfined aquifers the infiltration of contaminated river water might be a major threat to groundwater quality. Thus, the identification of possible contamination sources in coupled surface- and groundwater systems is of paramount importance to ensure water quality. Micropollutants like artificial sweeteners are promising markers for domestic waste water in natural water bodies. Compounds, such as artificial sweeteners, might enter the aquatic environment via discharge of waste water treatment plants, leaky sewer systems or septic tanks and are ubiquitously found in waste water receiving waters. The hereby presented field study aims at the (1) identification of contamination sources and (2) delineation of infiltration zones in a connected river-aquifer system. River bank filtrate in the groundwater body was assessed qualitatively and quantitatively using a combined approach of hydrochemical analysis and artificial sweeteners (acesulfame ACE) as waste water markers. The investigated aquifer lies within a mesoscale alpine head water catchment and is used for drinking water production. It is hypothesized that a large proportion of the groundwater flux originates from bank filtrate of a nearby losing stream. Water sampling campaigns in March and July 2012 confirmed the occurrence of artificial sweeteners at the investigated site. The municipal waste water treatment plant was identified as point-source for ACE in the river network. In the aquifer ACE was present in more than 80% of the monitoring wells. In addition, water samples were classified according to their hydrochemical composition, identifying two predominant types of water in the aquifer: (1) groundwater influenced by bank filtrate and (2) groundwater originating from local recharge. In combination with ACE concentrations a third type of water could be discriminated: (3) groundwater influence by bank filtrate but infiltrated prior to the waste water treatment plant. Moreover, the presence of ACE

Artificial Intelligence

CERN Document Server

Warwick, Kevin

2011-01-01

if AI is outside your field, or you know something of the subject and would like to know more then Artificial Intelligence: The Basics is a brilliant primer.' - Nick Smith, Engineering and Technology Magazine November 2011 Artificial Intelligence: The Basics is a concise and cutting-edge introduction to the fast moving world of AI. The author Kevin Warwick, a pioneer in the field, examines issues of what it means to be man or machine and looks at advances in robotics which have blurred the boundaries. Topics covered include: how intelligence can be defined whether machines can 'think' sensory

Charlas sobre inteligencia artificial

OpenAIRE

Álvarez Sánchez, José Ramón; Ferrández Vicente, José Manuel; Paz López, Félix de la

2014-01-01

Serie: Informática en Radio 3 La Inteligencia Artificial es una de las ciencias que causa mayor impacto en la sociedad, mucho más si tenemos en cuenta que cambiará el futuro de la humanidad. En España existen actualmente un nutrido grupo de equipos de investigación relacionados con las tecnologías de computación natural-artificial que aúnan sus esfuerzos a través de la RTNAC la Red Temática en Tecnologías de Computación Natural-Artificial . La UNED participa en todas sus actividades desde ...

Artificial Intelligence Project

Science.gov (United States)

1990-01-01

Symposium on Aritificial Intelligence and Software Engineering Working Notes, March 1989. Blumenthal, Brad, "An Architecture for Automating...Artificial Intelligence Project Final Technical Report ARO Contract: DAAG29-84-K-OGO Artificial Intelligence LaboratO"ry The University of Texas at...Austin N>.. ~ ~ JA 1/I 1991 n~~~ Austin, Texas 78712 ________k A,.tificial Intelligence Project i Final Technical Report ARO Contract: DAAG29-84-K-0060

Rearing the southern green stink bug using an artificial dry diet and an artificial plant Criação do percevejo-verde usando dieta artificial seca e planta artificial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ANTÔNIO RICARDO PANIZZI

2000-09-01

Full Text Available Laboratory and greenhouse studies were conducted with an artificial dry diet to rear nymphs, and with an artificial plant as substrate for egg laying by the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.. The artificial diet was composed of: soybean protein (15 g; potato starch (7.5 g; dextrose (7.5 g; sucrose (2.5 g; cellulose (12.5 g; vitamin mixture (niacinamide 1 g, calcium pantothenate 1 g, thiamine 0.25 g, riboflavin 0.5 g, pyridoxine 0.25 g, folic acid 0.25 g, biotin 0.02 mL, vitamin B12 1 g - added to 1,000 mL of distilled water (5.0 mL; soybean oil (20 mL; wheat germ (17.9 g; and water (30 mL. Nymphs showed normal feeding behavior when fed on the artificial diet. Nymphal development time was longer than or similar to that of nymphs fed on soybean pods. Total nymphal mortality was low (ca. 30%, both for nymphs reared on the artificial diet, and for nymphs fed on soybean pods. At adult emergence, fresh body weights were significantly (PForam conduzidos estudos em laboratório e em casa de vegetação, com uma dieta artificial seca para a criação de ninfas e com um modelo de planta artificial como substrato para a colocação de ovos por adultos do percevejo-verde, Nezara viridula (L.. Os componentes da dieta artificial foram: proteína de soja (15 g; fécula de batata (7,5 g; dextrose (7,5 g; sacarose (2,5 g; celulose (12,5 g; mistura vitamínica (niacinamida 1 g, pantotenato de cálcio 1 g, tiamina 0,25 g, riboflavina 0,5 g, piridoxina 0,25 g, ácido fólico 0,25 g, biotina 0,02 mL, vitamina B12 1 g, adicionada em 1.000 mL de água destilada (5,0 mL; óleo de soja (20 mL; germe de trigo (17,9 g; e água (30 mL. As ninfas alimentaram-se normalmente da dieta, embora o tempo de desenvolvimento tenha sido em um caso, maior, e em outro, semelhante, ao das ninfas que se alimentaram de vagens da soja. A mortalidade total das ninfas foi baixa (ca. 30%, tanto na dieta como na vagem de soja. Na emergência, os adultos apresentaram peso fresco

Beyond AI: Artificial Dreams Conference

CERN Document Server

Zackova, Eva; Kelemen, Jozef; Beyond Artificial Intelligence : The Disappearing Human-Machine Divide

2015-01-01

This book is an edited collection of chapters based on the papers presented at the conference “Beyond AI: Artificial Dreams” held in Pilsen in November 2012. The aim of the conference was to question deep-rooted ideas of artificial intelligence and cast critical reflection on methods standing at its foundations.  Artificial Dreams epitomize our controversial quest for non-biological intelligence, and therefore the contributors of this book tried to fully exploit such a controversy in their respective chapters, which resulted in an interdisciplinary dialogue between experts from engineering, natural sciences and humanities.   While pursuing the Artificial Dreams, it has become clear that it is still more and more difficult to draw a clear divide between human and machine. And therefore this book tries to portrait such an image of what lies beyond artificial intelligence: we can see the disappearing human-machine divide, a very important phenomenon of nowadays technological society, the phenomenon which i...

Artificial Photosynthesis: Beyond Mimicking Nature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dau, Holger; Fujita, Etsuko; Sun, Licheng

2017-01-01

In this Editorial, Guest Editors Holger Dau, Etsuko Fujita, and Licheng Sun introduce the Special Issue of ChemSusChem on “Artificial Photosynthesis for Sustainable Fuels”. Here, they discuss the need for non-fossil based fuels, introduce both biological and artificial photosynthesis, and outline various important concepts in artificial photosynthesis, including molecular and solid-state catalysts for water oxidation and hydrogen evolution, catalytic CO 2 reduction, and photoelectrochemical systems.

Highly tunable NEMS shallow arches

KAUST Repository

Kazmi, Syed N. R.

2017-11-30

We report highly tunable nanoelectromechanical systems NEMS shallow arches under dc excitation voltages. Silicon based in-plane doubly clamped bridges, slightly curved as shallow arches, are fabricated using standard electron beam lithography and surface nanomachining of a highly conductive device layer on a silicon-on-insulator wafer. By designing the structures to have gap to thickness ratio of more than four, the mid-plane stretching of the nano arches is maximized such that an increase in the dc bias voltage will result into continuous increase in the resonance frequency of the resonators to wide ranges. This is confirmed analytically based on a nonlinear beam model. The experimental results are found to be in good agreement with that of the results from developed analytical model. A maximum tunability of 108.14% for a 180 nm thick arch with an initially designed gap of 1 μm between the beam and the driving/sensing electrodes is achieved. Furthermore, a tunable narrow bandpass filter is demonstrated, which opens up opportunities for designing such structures as filtering elements in high frequency ranges.

Parallel artificial liquid membrane extraction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gjelstad, Astrid; Rasmussen, Knut Einar; Parmer, Marthe Petrine

2013-01-01

This paper reports development of a new approach towards analytical liquid-liquid-liquid membrane extraction termed parallel artificial liquid membrane extraction. A donor plate and acceptor plate create a sandwich, in which each sample (human plasma) and acceptor solution is separated by an arti......This paper reports development of a new approach towards analytical liquid-liquid-liquid membrane extraction termed parallel artificial liquid membrane extraction. A donor plate and acceptor plate create a sandwich, in which each sample (human plasma) and acceptor solution is separated...... by an artificial liquid membrane. Parallel artificial liquid membrane extraction is a modification of hollow-fiber liquid-phase microextraction, where the hollow fibers are replaced by flat membranes in a 96-well plate format....

High resolution CSMT method for shallow structure; Senjo ochi ni okeru kobunkaino denjiho tansa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamane, K; Takasugi, S [GERD Geothermal Energy Research and Development Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan); Inazaki, S [Geological Survey of Japan, Tsukuba (Japan); Sasaki, Y

1997-10-22

Electromagnetic exploration methods and seismic reflection methods are conducted for the study of applicability of geophysical exploration to shallow layer geological survey. In the study, four north-south traverse lines are set in 400mtimes200m grassland. Tensor type CSMT methods are employed, a CSMT method using 96kHz-1kHz artificial magnetic fields and an MT method using 1kHz-10kHz natural magnetic fields, for the determination of resistivity distribution in the ground. Distributed in the site are a surface layer composed of gravel-containing sand and silt, andesitic fractured lava, and massive andesite, and the exploration reaches several tens of meters below the surface. The results of CSMT measurements are found to be in agreement with reflection profiles acquired simultaneously with these CSMT measurements. It is found, furthermore, that CSMT profiles help identify reflection waveforms in a domain where reflection is obscure. It is also found that electromagnetic methods are effective in fault logging because they are very sensitive to porosity, or the amount of pore water, which is higher in a domain with subsurface cracks than in the neighborhood without cracks. 1 ref., 4 figs.

ON THE SHALLOW PROCESSING (DISADVANTAGE: GRAMMAR AND ECONOMY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arnout eKoornneef

2016-02-01

Full Text Available In the psycholinguistic literature it has been proposed that readers and listeners often adopt a ‘good-enough’ processing strategy in which a ‘shallow’ representation of an utterance driven by (top-down extra-grammatical processes has a processing advantage over a ‘deep’ (bottom-up grammatically-driven representation of that same utterance. In the current contribution we claim, both on theoretical and experimental grounds, that this proposal is overly simplistic. Most importantly, in the domain of anaphora there is now an accumulating body of evidence showing that the anaphoric dependencies between (reflexive pronominals and their antecedents are subject to an economy hierarchy. In this economy hierarchy, deriving anaphoric dependencies by deep – grammatical – operations requires less processing costs than doing so by shallow – extra-grammatical– operations. In addition, in case of ambiguity when both a shallow and a deep derivation are available to the parser, the latter is actually preferred. This, we argue, contradicts the basic assumptions of the shallow-deep dichotomy and, hence, a rethinking of the good-enough processing framework is warranted.

Artificial organs versus regenerative medicine: is it true?

Science.gov (United States)

Nosé, Yukihiko; Okubo, Hisashi

2003-09-01

Individuals engaged in the fields of artificial kidney and artificial heart have often mistakenly stated that "the era of artificial organs is over; regenerative medicine is the future." Contrarily, we do not believe artificial organs and regenerative medicine are different medical technologies. As a matter of fact, artificial organs developed during the last 50 years have been used as a bridge to regeneration. The only difference between regenerative medicine and artificial organs is that artificial organs for the bridge to regeneration promote tissue regeneration in situ, instead of outside the body (for example, vascular prostheses, neuroprostheses, bladder substitutes, skin prostheses, bone prostheses, cartilage prostheses, ligament prostheses, etc.). All of these artificial organs are successful because tissue regeneration over a man-made prosthesis is established inside the patient's body (artificial organs to support regeneration). Another usage of the group of artificial organs for the bridge to regeneration is to sustain the functions of the patient's diseased organs during the regeneration process of the body's healthy tissues and/or organs. This particular group includes artificial kidney, hepatic assist, respiratory assist, and circulatory assist. Proof of regeneration of these healthy tissues and/or organs is demonstrated in the short-term recovery of end-stage organ failure patients (artificial organs for bridge to regeneration). A third group of artificial organs for the bridge to regeneration accelerates the regenerating process of the patient's healthy tissues and organs. This group includes neurostimulators, artificial blood (red cells) blood oxygenators, and plasmapheresis devices, including hemodiafiltrators. So-called "therapeutic artificial organs" fall into this category (artificial organs to accelerate regeneration). Thus, almost all of today's artificial organs are useful in the bridge to regeneration of healthy natural tissues and organs

Methyl tert-butyl ether biodegradation by indigenous aquifer microorganisms under natural and artificial oxic conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Landmeyer, J.E.; Chapelle, F.H.; Herlong, H.H.; Bradley, P.M.

2001-01-01

Microbial communities indigenous to a shallow groundwater system near Beaufort, SC, degraded milligram per liter concentrations of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) under natural and artificial oxic conditions. Significant MTBE biodegradation was observed where anoxic, MTBE-contaminated groundwater discharged to a concrete-lined ditch. In the anoxic groundwater adjacent to the ditch, concentrations of MTBE were > 1 mg/L. Where groundwater discharge occurs, dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations beneath the ditch exceeded 1.0 mg/L to a depth of 1.5 m, and MTBE concentrations decreased to CO2 in laboratory liquid culture studies, with no accumulation of intermediate compounds. Upgradient of the ditch in the anoxic, MTBE and BTEX-contaminated aquifer, addition of a soluble oxygen release compound resulted in oxic conditions and rapid MTBE biodegradation by indigenous microorganisms. In an observation well located closest to the oxygen addition area, DO concentrations increased from 0.4 to 12 mg/L in <60 days and MTBE concentrations decreased from 20 to 3 mg/L. In the same time period at a downgradient observation well, DO increased from <0.2 to 2 mg/L and MTBE concentrations decreased from 30 to <5 mg/L. These results indicate that microorganisms indigenous to the groundwater system at this site can degrade milligram per liter concentrations of MTBE under natural and artificial oxic conditions.

Artificial Intelligence in Space Platforms.

Science.gov (United States)

1984-12-01

computer algorithms, there still appears to be a need for Artificial Inteligence techniques in the navigation area. The reason is that navigaion, in...RD-RI32 679 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN SPACE PLRTFORNSMU AIR FORCE 1/𔃼 INST OF TECH WRIGHT-PRTTERSON AFB OH SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING M A WRIGHT DEC 94...i4 Preface The purpose of this study was to analyze the feasibility of implementing Artificial Intelligence techniques to increase autonomy for

Trimaran Resistance Artificial Neural Network

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

11th International Conference on Fast Sea Transportation FAST 2011, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, September 2011 Trimaran Resistance Artificial Neural Network Richard...Trimaran Resistance Artificial Neural Network 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e... Artificial Neural Network and is restricted to the center and side-hull configurations tested. The value in the parametric model is that it is able to

Artificial Intelligence and Moral intelligence

OpenAIRE

Laura Pana

2008-01-01

We discuss the thesis that the implementation of a moral code in the behaviour of artificial intelligent systems needs a specific form of human and artificial intelligence, not just an abstract intelligence. We present intelligence as a system with an internal structure and the structural levels of the moral system, as well as certain characteristics of artificial intelligent agents which can/must be treated as 1- individual entities (with a complex, specialized, autonomous or selfdetermined,...

Artificial Intelligence and Economic Theories

OpenAIRE

Marwala, Tshilidzi; Hurwitz, Evan

2017-01-01

The advent of artificial intelligence has changed many disciplines such as engineering, social science and economics. Artificial intelligence is a computational technique which is inspired by natural intelligence such as the swarming of birds, the working of the brain and the pathfinding of the ants. These techniques have impact on economic theories. This book studies the impact of artificial intelligence on economic theories, a subject that has not been extensively studied. The theories that...

Internet advertising of artificial tanning in Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Team, Victoria; Markovic, Milica

2006-08-01

Artificial tanning, defined as deliberate exposure to ultraviolet rays produced by artificial tanning devices, is a new and emerging public health issue in Australia and globally. Epidemiological research suggests that artificial tanning may contribute to the incidence of melanoma, nonmelanoma skin cancer as well as other health problems. Given that Australia has a high incidence of skin cancer, we have undertaken a study to explore how artificial tanning has been promoted to its users. The aim was to analyze the completeness and accuracy of information about artificial tanning. A content analysis of web sites of tanning salons and distributors of tanning equipment in Australia was conducted. A total of 22 web sites were analyzed. None of the solarium operators or distributors of equipment provided full information about the risks of artificial tanning. Fifty-nine percent of web advertisements had no information and 41% provided only partial information regarding the risks of artificial tanning. Pictures with the image of bronze-tanned bodies, predominantly women, were used by all web advertisers. In light of the success of sun-safety campaigns in Australia, the findings of future epidemiological research on the prevalence of artificial tanning and sociological and anthropological research on why people utilize artificial tanning should be a basis for developing effective targeted health promotion on the elimination of artificial tanning in the country.

Differences in predators of artificial and real songbirds nests: Evidence of bias in artificial nest studies

Science.gov (United States)

Frank R. Thompson; Dirk E. Burhans

2004-01-01

In the past two decades, many researchers have used artificial nest to measure relative rates of nest predation. Recent comparisons show that real and artificial nests may not be depredated at the same rate, but no one has examined the mechanisms underlying these patterns. We determined differences in predator-specific predation rates of real and artificial nests. we...

Groundwater chemistry of shallow aquifers in the coastal zones of Cochin, India

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Laluraj, C.M.; Gopinath, G.; DineshKumar, P.K.

Laluraj et al.: Groundwater chemistry of shallow aquifers - 133 - APPLIED ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 3(1): 133-139. http://www.ecology.kee.hu ● ISSN 1589 1623  2005, Penkala Bt., Budapest, Hungary GROUNDWATER CHEMISTRY OF SHALLOW AQUIFERS... post monsoon (November 2003) in the coastal zones of Cochin. Laluraj et al.: Groundwater chemistry of shallow aquifers - 134 - APPLIED ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 3(1): 133-139. http://www.ecology.kee.hu ● ISSN 1589 1623  2005, Penkala...

Mechanisms of unsteady shallow creep on major crustal faults

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, J.; Fialko, Y. A.

2017-12-01

A number of active crustal faults are associated with geodetically detectable shallow creep, while other faults appear to be locked all the way to the surface over the interseismic period. Faults that exhibit shallow creep also often host episodic accelerated creep events. Examples include the Ismetpasa segment of the North Anatolian Fault (NAF) in Turkey and the Southern San Andreas and Superstition Hills (SHF) faults in Southern California. Recent geodetic observations indicate that shallow creep events can involve large fault sections (tens of km long) and persist throughout different stages of a seismic cycle. A traditional interpretation of shallow creep in terms of a velocity-strengthening (VS) layer atop the seismogenic velocity-weakening (VW) zone fails to explain episodic creep events. Wei et al. (2013) proposed that such events can be due to a thin VW layer within the VS shallow crust, implying rather special structural and lithologic conditions. We explore the rheologic controls on aseismic episodic slip and its implications for seismic faulting in the framework of laboratory rate-and-state friction. Observations of co-, post- and inter-seismic slip from the NAF and SHF are used to infer depth-dependent frictional properties in a 2D fault model. In particular, creep events with displacements on the order of millimeters and periods of months are reproduced in a model having monotonic depth variations in rate-and-state parameters. Such a model includes a velocity-neutral (VN) layer sandwiched between the surface layer with VS frictional properties, constrained by observed postseismic afterslip, and a deeper VW layer that largely controls the recurrence of major earthquakes. With the presence of the VN layer, the amount of surface-breaching coseismic slip critically depends on how dynamic weakening varies with depth in the seismogenic layer. Observations of limited surface slip during prior events on the NAF and SHF suggest that coseismic fault weakening is

Inshore small-mesh trawling survey of the Cape south coast. Part 5 ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Inshore small-mesh trawling survey of the Cape south coast. Part 5. Crustacea, Stomatopoda, Isopoda and. Decapoda. B. Kensley and C.D. Buxton. Port Elizabeth Museum, Port Elizabeth. Forty-six species of Crustacea from the shallow marine waters of the southern Cape coast are listed. Five new records for the area.

Memory-Based Shallow Parsing

OpenAIRE

Sang, Erik F. Tjong Kim

2002-01-01

We present memory-based learning approaches to shallow parsing and apply these to five tasks: base noun phrase identification, arbitrary base phrase recognition, clause detection, noun phrase parsing and full parsing. We use feature selection techniques and system combination methods for improving the performance of the memory-based learner. Our approach is evaluated on standard data sets and the results are compared with that of other systems. This reveals that our approach works well for ba...

Characterization of irradiation induced deep and shallow impurities

Science.gov (United States)

Treberspurg, Wolfgang; Bergauer, Thomas; Dragicevic, Marko; Krammer, Manfred; Valentan, Manfred

2013-12-01

Silicon Detectors close to the interaction point of the High Luminosity Large Hardron Collider (HL-LHC) have to withstand a harsh irradiation environment. In order to evaluate the behaviour of shallow and deep defects, induced by neutron irradiation, spreading resistance resistivity measurements and capacitance voltage measurements have been performed. These measurements, deliver information about the profile of shallow impurities after irradiation as well as indications of deep defects in the Space Charge Region (SCR) and the Electrical Neutral Bulk (ENB). By considering the theoretical background of the measurement both kinds of defects can be investigated independently from each other.

Characterization of irradiation induced deep and shallow impurities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Treberspurg, Wolfgang, E-mail: wolfgang.treberspurg@oeaw.ac.at; Bergauer, Thomas; Dragicevic, Marko; Krammer, Manfred; Valentan, Manfred

2013-12-21

Silicon Detectors close to the interaction point of the High Luminosity Large Hardron Collider (HL-LHC) have to withstand a harsh irradiation environment. In order to evaluate the behaviour of shallow and deep defects, induced by neutron irradiation, spreading resistance resistivity measurements and capacitance voltage measurements have been performed. These measurements, deliver information about the profile of shallow impurities after irradiation as well as indications of deep defects in the Space Charge Region (SCR) and the Electrical Neutral Bulk (ENB). By considering the theoretical background of the measurement both kinds of defects can be investigated independently from each other.

Characterization of irradiation induced deep and shallow impurities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Treberspurg, Wolfgang; Bergauer, Thomas; Dragicevic, Marko; Krammer, Manfred; Valentan, Manfred

2013-01-01

Silicon Detectors close to the interaction point of the High Luminosity Large Hardron Collider (HL-LHC) have to withstand a harsh irradiation environment. In order to evaluate the behaviour of shallow and deep defects, induced by neutron irradiation, spreading resistance resistivity measurements and capacitance voltage measurements have been performed. These measurements, deliver information about the profile of shallow impurities after irradiation as well as indications of deep defects in the Space Charge Region (SCR) and the Electrical Neutral Bulk (ENB). By considering the theoretical background of the measurement both kinds of defects can be investigated independently from each other

SWIM: A Semi-Analytical Ocean Color Inversion Algorithm for Optically Shallow Waters

Science.gov (United States)

McKinna, Lachlan I. W.; Werdell, P. Jeremy; Fearns, Peter R. C. S.; Weeks, Scarla J.; Reichstetter, Martina; Franz, Bryan A.; Shea, Donald M.; Feldman, Gene C.

2014-01-01

Ocean color remote sensing provides synoptic-scale, near-daily observations of marine inherent optical properties (IOPs). Whilst contemporary ocean color algorithms are known to perform well in deep oceanic waters, they have difficulty operating in optically clear, shallow marine environments where light reflected from the seafloor contributes to the water-leaving radiance. The effect of benthic reflectance in optically shallow waters is known to adversely affect algorithms developed for optically deep waters [1, 2]. Whilst adapted versions of optically deep ocean color algorithms have been applied to optically shallow regions with reasonable success [3], there is presently no approach that directly corrects for bottom reflectance using existing knowledge of bathymetry and benthic albedo.To address the issue of optically shallow waters, we have developed a semi-analytical ocean color inversion algorithm: the Shallow Water Inversion Model (SWIM). SWIM uses existing bathymetry and a derived benthic albedo map to correct for bottom reflectance using the semi-analytical model of Lee et al [4]. The algorithm was incorporated into the NASA Ocean Biology Processing Groups L2GEN program and tested in optically shallow waters of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. In-lieu of readily available in situ matchup data, we present a comparison between SWIM and two contemporary ocean color algorithms, the Generalized Inherent Optical Property Algorithm (GIOP) and the Quasi-Analytical Algorithm (QAA).

Fluid-driven origami-inspired artificial muscles

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Shuguang; Vogt, Daniel M.; Rus, Daniela; Wood, Robert J.

2017-12-01

Artificial muscles hold promise for safe and powerful actuation for myriad common machines and robots. However, the design, fabrication, and implementation of artificial muscles are often limited by their material costs, operating principle, scalability, and single-degree-of-freedom contractile actuation motions. Here we propose an architecture for fluid-driven origami-inspired artificial muscles. This concept requires only a compressible skeleton, a flexible skin, and a fluid medium. A mechanical model is developed to explain the interaction of the three components. A fabrication method is introduced to rapidly manufacture low-cost artificial muscles using various materials and at multiple scales. The artificial muscles can be programed to achieve multiaxial motions including contraction, bending, and torsion. These motions can be aggregated into systems with multiple degrees of freedom, which are able to produce controllable motions at different rates. Our artificial muscles can be driven by fluids at negative pressures (relative to ambient). This feature makes actuation safer than most other fluidic artificial muscles that operate with positive pressures. Experiments reveal that these muscles can contract over 90% of their initial lengths, generate stresses of ˜600 kPa, and produce peak power densities over 2 kW/kg—all equal to, or in excess of, natural muscle. This architecture for artificial muscles opens the door to rapid design and low-cost fabrication of actuation systems for numerous applications at multiple scales, ranging from miniature medical devices to wearable robotic exoskeletons to large deployable structures for space exploration.

Artificial Astrocytes Improve Neural Network Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Porto-Pazos, Ana B.; Veiguela, Noha; Mesejo, Pablo; Navarrete, Marta; Alvarellos, Alberto; Ibáñez, Oscar; Pazos, Alejandro; Araque, Alfonso

2011-01-01

Compelling evidence indicates the existence of bidirectional communication between astrocytes and neurons. Astrocytes, a type of glial cells classically considered to be passive supportive cells, have been recently demonstrated to be actively involved in the processing and regulation of synaptic information, suggesting that brain function arises from the activity of neuron-glia networks. However, the actual impact of astrocytes in neural network function is largely unknown and its application in artificial intelligence remains untested. We have investigated the consequences of including artificial astrocytes, which present the biologically defined properties involved in astrocyte-neuron communication, on artificial neural network performance. Using connectionist systems and evolutionary algorithms, we have compared the performance of artificial neural networks (NN) and artificial neuron-glia networks (NGN) to solve classification problems. We show that the degree of success of NGN is superior to NN. Analysis of performances of NN with different number of neurons or different architectures indicate that the effects of NGN cannot be accounted for an increased number of network elements, but rather they are specifically due to astrocytes. Furthermore, the relative efficacy of NGN vs. NN increases as the complexity of the network increases. These results indicate that artificial astrocytes improve neural network performance, and established the concept of Artificial Neuron-Glia Networks, which represents a novel concept in Artificial Intelligence with implications in computational science as well as in the understanding of brain function. PMID:21526157

Artificial astrocytes improve neural network performance.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana B Porto-Pazos

Full Text Available Compelling evidence indicates the existence of bidirectional communication between astrocytes and neurons. Astrocytes, a type of glial cells classically considered to be passive supportive cells, have been recently demonstrated to be actively involved in the processing and regulation of synaptic information, suggesting that brain function arises from the activity of neuron-glia networks. However, the actual impact of astrocytes in neural network function is largely unknown and its application in artificial intelligence remains untested. We have investigated the consequences of including artificial astrocytes, which present the biologically defined properties involved in astrocyte-neuron communication, on artificial neural network performance. Using connectionist systems and evolutionary algorithms, we have compared the performance of artificial neural networks (NN and artificial neuron-glia networks (NGN to solve classification problems. We show that the degree of success of NGN is superior to NN. Analysis of performances of NN with different number of neurons or different architectures indicate that the effects of NGN cannot be accounted for an increased number of network elements, but rather they are specifically due to astrocytes. Furthermore, the relative efficacy of NGN vs. NN increases as the complexity of the network increases. These results indicate that artificial astrocytes improve neural network performance, and established the concept of Artificial Neuron-Glia Networks, which represents a novel concept in Artificial Intelligence with implications in computational science as well as in the understanding of brain function.

Artificial astrocytes improve neural network performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Porto-Pazos, Ana B; Veiguela, Noha; Mesejo, Pablo; Navarrete, Marta; Alvarellos, Alberto; Ibáñez, Oscar; Pazos, Alejandro; Araque, Alfonso

2011-04-19

Compelling evidence indicates the existence of bidirectional communication between astrocytes and neurons. Astrocytes, a type of glial cells classically considered to be passive supportive cells, have been recently demonstrated to be actively involved in the processing and regulation of synaptic information, suggesting that brain function arises from the activity of neuron-glia networks. However, the actual impact of astrocytes in neural network function is largely unknown and its application in artificial intelligence remains untested. We have investigated the consequences of including artificial astrocytes, which present the biologically defined properties involved in astrocyte-neuron communication, on artificial neural network performance. Using connectionist systems and evolutionary algorithms, we have compared the performance of artificial neural networks (NN) and artificial neuron-glia networks (NGN) to solve classification problems. We show that the degree of success of NGN is superior to NN. Analysis of performances of NN with different number of neurons or different architectures indicate that the effects of NGN cannot be accounted for an increased number of network elements, but rather they are specifically due to astrocytes. Furthermore, the relative efficacy of NGN vs. NN increases as the complexity of the network increases. These results indicate that artificial astrocytes improve neural network performance, and established the concept of Artificial Neuron-Glia Networks, which represents a novel concept in Artificial Intelligence with implications in computational science as well as in the understanding of brain function.

The roll-up and merging of coherent structures in shallow mixing layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lam, M. Y.; Ghidaoui, M. S.; Kolyshkin, A. A.

2016-01-01

The current study seeks a fundamental explanation to the development of two-dimensional coherent structures (2DCSs) in shallow mixing layers. A nonlinear numerical model based on the depth-averaged shallow water equations is used to investigate the temporal evolution of shallow mixing layers, where the mapping from temporal to spatial results is made using the velocity at the center of the mixing layers. The flow is periodic in the streamwise direction. Transmissive boundary conditions are used in the cross-stream boundaries to prevent reflections. Numerical results are compared to linear stability analysis, mean-field theory, and secondary stability analysis. Results suggest that the onset and development of 2DCS in shallow mixing layers are the result of a sequence of instabilities governed by linear theory, mean-field theory, and secondary stability theory. The linear instability of the shearing velocity gradient gives the onset of 2DCS. When the perturbations reach a certain amplitude, the flow field of the perturbations changes from a wavy shape to a vortical (2DCS) structure because of nonlinearity. The development of the vertical 2DCS does not appear to follow weakly nonlinear theory; instead, it follows mean-field theory. After the formation of 2DCS, separate 2DCSs merge to form larger 2DCS. In this way, 2DCSs grow and shallow mixing layers develop and grow in scale. The merging of 2DCS in shallow mixing layers is shown to be caused by the secondary instability of the 2DCS. Eventually 2DCSs are dissipated by bed friction. The sequence of instabilities can cause the upscaling of the turbulent kinetic energy in shallow mixing layers.

Controlled laboratory experiments and modeling of vegetative filter strips with shallow water tables

Science.gov (United States)

Fox, Garey A.; Muñoz-Carpena, Rafael; Purvis, Rebecca A.

2018-01-01

Natural or planted vegetation at the edge of fields or adjacent to streams, also known as vegetative filter strips (VFS), are commonly used as an environmental mitigation practice for runoff pollution and agrochemical spray drift. The VFS position in lowlands near water bodies often implies the presence of a seasonal shallow water table (WT). In spite of its potential importance, there is limited experimental work that systematically studies the effect of shallow WTs on VFS efficacy. Previous research recently coupled a new physically based algorithm describing infiltration into soils bounded by a water table into the VFS numerical overland flow and transport model, VFSMOD, to simulate VFS dynamics under shallow WT conditions. In this study, we tested the performance of the model against laboratory mesoscale data under controlled conditions. A laboratory soil box (1.0 m wide, 2.0 m long, and 0.7 m deep) was used to simulate a VFS and quantify the influence of shallow WTs on runoff. Experiments included planted Bermuda grass on repacked silt loam and sandy loam soils. A series of experiments were performed including a free drainage case (no WT) and a static shallow water table (0.3-0.4 m below ground surface). For each soil type, this research first calibrated VFSMOD to the observed outflow hydrograph for the free drainage experiments to parameterize the soil hydraulic and vegetation parameters, and then evaluated the model based on outflow hydrographs for the shallow WT experiments. This research used several statistical metrics and a new approach based on hypothesis testing of the Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficient (NSE) to evaluate model performance. The new VFSMOD routines successfully simulated the outflow hydrographs under both free drainage and shallow WT conditions. Statistical metrics considered the model performance valid with greater than 99.5% probability across all scenarios. This research also simulated the shallow water table experiments with

77 FR 1501 - Special Purpose Permit Application; Draft Environmental Assessment; Hawaii-Based Shallow-Set...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-10

...-FF01M01000] Special Purpose Permit Application; Draft Environmental Assessment; Hawaii-Based Shallow-Set... the operation of the Hawaii-based shallow-set longline fishery that targets swordfish (Xiphias gladius... albatross, by NMFS in its regulation of the shallow-set longline fishery based in Hawaii. This fishery...

77 FR 50153 - Special Purpose Permit Application; Hawaii-Based Shallow-Set Longline Fishery; Final...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-20

...-FF01M01000] Special Purpose Permit Application; Hawaii-Based Shallow-Set Longline Fishery; Final... of the Hawaii-based shallow-set longline fishery, which targets swordfish. After evaluating several... take of seabirds in the shallow-set longline fishery based in Hawaii. The analysis of alternatives is...

Hydrogeological Characteristics of Groundwater Yield in Shallow ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Hydrogeological Characteristics of Groundwater Yield in Shallow Wells of the ... of Water Resources and Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority in Ilorin. ... moment correlation, multiple and stepwise multiple regression analysis.

Shallow Aquifer Methane Gas Source Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Coffin, R. B.; Murgulet, D.; Rose, P. S.; Hay, R.

2014-12-01

Shale gas can contribute significantly to the world's energy demand. Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on horizontal drill lines developed over the last 15 years makes formerly inaccessible hydrocarbons economically available. From 2000 to 2035 shale gas is predicted to rise from 1% to 46% of the total natural gas for the US. A vast energy resource is available in the United States. While there is a strong financial advantage to the application of fracking there is emerging concern about environmental impacts to groundwater and air quality from improper shale fracking operations. Elevated methane (CH4) concentrations have been observed in drinking water throughout the United States where there is active horizontal drilling. Horizontal drilling and hydraulic-fracturing can increase CH4 transport to aquifers, soil and the vadose zone. Seepage can also result from casing failure in older wells. However, there is strong evidence that elevated CH4 concentrations can be associated with topographic and hydrogeologic features, rather than shale-gas extraction processes. Carbon isotope geochemistry can be applied to study CH4source(s) in shallow vadose zone and groundwater systems. A preliminary TAMU-CC isotope data set from samples taken at different locations in southern Texas shows a wide range of CH4 signatures suggesting multiple sources of methane and carbon dioxide. These data are interpreted to distinguish regions with methane contributions from deep-sourced horizontal drilling versus shallow system microbial production. Development of a thorough environmental assessment using light isotope analysis can provide understanding of shallow anthropogenic versus natural CH4sources and assist in identifying regions that require remedial actions.

An overview of the HSST Full-Thickness Shallow-Crack Clad Beam Testing Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keeney, J.A.; Theiss, T.J.; McAfee, W.J.; Bass, B.R.

1994-01-01

A testing program is described that will utilize full-thickness clad beam specimens to quantify fracture toughness for shallow flaws in material for which metallurgical conditions are prototypic of those found in reactor pressure vessels (RPVs). The beam specimens are fabricated from a section of an RPV wall that includes weld, plate and clad material. Metallurgical factors potentially influencing fracture toughness for shallow flaws in the beam specimen include material gradients due to welding and cladding applications, as well as material inhomogeneities in welded regions due to reheating in multiple weld passes. Fracture toughness tests focusing on shallow flaws in plate and weld material will also provide data for evaluating the relative influence of absolute and normalized crack depth on constraint conditions. Pretest finite-element analyses are described that provide near-tip stress and strain fields for characterization of constraint in the shallow-crack specimens in terms of the Q-stress. Analysis results predict a constraint loss in the shallow-crack clad beam specimen similar to that determined for a previously tested shallow-crack single-edge notch homogeneous bend specimen with the same normalized crack depth

Introduction to Artificial Neural Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Jan

1999-01-01

The note addresses introduction to signal analysis and classification based on artificial feed-forward neural networks.......The note addresses introduction to signal analysis and classification based on artificial feed-forward neural networks....

SIMPLIFIED MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF SMALL SIZED UNMANNED AIRCRAFT VEHICLE LAYOUT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Strong reduction of new aircraft design period using new technology based on artificial intelligence is the key problem mentioned in forecasts of leading aerospace industry research centers. This article covers the approach to devel- opment of quick aerodynamic design methods based on artificial intelligence neural system. The problem is being solved for the classical scheme of small sized unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV. The principal parts of the method are the mathe- matical model of layout, layout generator of this type of aircraft is built on aircraft neural networks, automatic selection module for cleaning variety of layouts generated in automatic mode, robust direct computational fluid dynamics method, aerodynamic characteristics approximators on artificial neural networks.Methods based on artificial neural networks have intermediate position between computational fluid dynamics methods or experiments and simplified engineering approaches. The use of ANN for estimating aerodynamic characteris-tics put limitations on input data. For this task the layout must be presented as a vector with dimension not exceeding sev-eral hundred. Vector components must include all main parameters conventionally used for layouts description and com- pletely replicate the most important aerodynamics and structural properties.The first stage of the work is presented in the paper. Simplified mathematical model of small sized UAV was developed. To estimate the range of geometrical parameters of layouts the review of existing vehicle was done. The result of the work is the algorithm and computer software for generating the layouts based on ANN technolo-gy. 10000 samples were generated and the dataset containig geometrical and aerodynamic characteristics of layoutwas created.

Steady flow in shallow channel bends

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Vriend, H.J.

1981-01-01

Making use of a mathematical model solving the complete NavierStokes equations for steady flow in coiled rectangular pipes, fully-developed laminar flow in shallow curved channels is analysed physically and mathematically. Transverse convection of momentum by the secondary flow is shown to cause

Vibrations of Thin Piezoelectric Shallow Shells

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. In this paper we consider the eigenvalue problem for piezoelectric shallow shells and we show that, as the thickness of the shell goes to zero, the eigensolutions of the three-dimensional piezoelectric shells converge to the eigensolutions of a two-dimensional eigenvalue problem.

The shallow structure of Solfatara Volcano, Italy, revealed by dense, wide-aperture seismic profiling.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruno, Pier Paolo G; Maraio, Stefano; Festa, Gaetano

2017-12-12

Two active-source, high-resolution seismic profiles were acquired in the Solfatara tuff cone in May and November 2014, with dense, wide-aperture arrays. Common Receiver Surface processing was crucial in improving signal-to-noise ratio and reflector continuity. These surveys provide, for the first time, high-resolution seismic images of the Solfatara crater, depicting a ~400 m deep asymmetrical crater filled by volcanoclastic sediments and rocks and carved within an overall non-reflective pre-eruptive basement showing features consistent with the emplacement of shallow intrusive bodies. Seismic reflection data were interpreted using the trace complex attributes and clearly display several steep and segmented collapse faults, generally having normal kinematics and dipping toward the crater centre. Fault/fracture planes are imaged as sudden amplitude drops that generate narrow low-similarity and high-dip attributes. Uprising fluids degassed by a magmatic source are the most probable cause of the small-scale amplitude reduction. Seismic data also support the interpretation of the shallow structure of the Solfatara crater as a maar. Our results provides a solid framework to constrain the near-surface geological interpretation of such a complex area, which improves our understanding of the temporal changes of the structure in relation with other geophysical and geochemical measurements.

Physical properties of shallow landslides and their role in landscape evolution investigated with ultrahigh-resolution lidar data and aerial imagery

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, M. D.; Bryk, A. B.; Fauria, K.; Huang, M. H.; Dietrich, W. E.

2017-12-01

Shallow landslides are often a primary method of sediment transport and a dominant process of hillslope evolution in steep, soil-mantled landscapes. However, detailed studies of single landslides can be difficult to generalize across a landscape and watershed-scale analyses using coarse-resolution digital elevation models often fail to capture the detail necessary to understand the mechanics of individual slides. During February 2017, an intense rainfall event generated over 400 shallow landslides within a 13 km2 field site in Colusa County, Northern California, providing a unique opportunity to investigate how landsliding affects landscape morphology at multiple scales. The hilly grass and oak woodland site is underlain by Great Valley Sequence shale, sandstone, and conglomerate turbidites uniformly dipping 50° east, with ridgelines and valleys following bedding orientation. Here we present results from ultrahigh-resolution ( 100 points per square meter) airborne lidar data and aerial imagery collected directly after the event, as well as high-resolution airborne lidar data collected in 2015 and preliminary findings from field surveys. Of the 136 landslides surveyed so far, the failure surface was at the soil-weathered bedrock boundary in 85%. Only 69% of the landslides traveled down hillslopes and reached active channels, and of these, 37% transformed into debris flows that scoured channel pathways to bedrock. These small landslides have a median width of 3.2 m and average failure depth of 0.4 m. Landslides occurred at a median pre-failure ground surface slope of 35°, and only 56% occurred in convergent or weakly convergent areas. This comprehensive before and after dataset is being used as a rigorous test of shallow landslide models that predict landslide size and location, as well as a lens to investigate patterns in slope stability or failure with across the landscape. After multiple years of fieldwork at this study site where small landslide scars suggested

How to teach artificial organs.

Science.gov (United States)

Zapanta, Conrad M; Borovetz, Harvey S; Lysaght, Michael J; Manning, Keefe B

2011-01-01

Artificial organs education is often an overlooked field for many bioengineering and biomedical engineering students. The purpose of this article is to describe three different approaches to teaching artificial organs. This article can serve as a reference for those who wish to offer a similar course at their own institutions or incorporate these ideas into existing courses. Artificial organ classes typically fulfill several ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) criteria, including those specific to bioengineering and biomedical engineering programs.

Artificial Neural Network Analysis System

Science.gov (United States)

2001-02-27

Contract No. DASG60-00-M-0201 Purchase request no.: Foot in the Door-01 Title Name: Artificial Neural Network Analysis System Company: Atlantic... Artificial Neural Network Analysis System 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) Powell, Bruce C 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER...34) 27-02-2001 Report Type N/A Dates Covered (from... to) ("DD MON YYYY") 28-10-2000 27-02-2001 Title and Subtitle Artificial Neural Network Analysis

Strategies towards an optimized use of the shallow geothermal potential

Science.gov (United States)

Schelenz, S.; Firmbach, L.; Kalbacher, T.; Goerke, U.; Kolditz, O.; Dietrich, P.; Vienken, T.

2013-12-01

Thermal use of the shallow subsurface for heat generation, cooling and thermal energy storage is increasingly gaining importance in reconsideration of future energy supplies, e.g. in the course of German energy transition, with application shifting from isolated to intensive use. The planning and dimensioning of (geo-)thermal applications is strongly influenced by the availability of exploration data. Hence, reliable site-specific dimensioning of systems for the thermal use of the shallow subsurface will contribute to an increase in resource efficiency, cost reduction during installation and operation, as well as reduction of environmental impacts and prevention of resource over-exploitation. Despite large cumulative investments that are being made for the utilization of the shallow thermal potential, thermal energy is in many cases exploited without prior on-site exploration and investigation of the local geothermal potential, due to the lack of adequate and cost-efficient exploration techniques. We will present new strategies for an optimized utilization of urban thermal potential, showcased at a currently developed residential neighborhood with high demand for shallow geothermal applications, based on a) enhanced site characterization and b) simulation of different site specific application scenarios. For enhanced site characterization, surface geophysics and vertical high resolution direct push-profiling were combined for reliable determination of aquifer structure and aquifer parameterization. Based on the site characterization, different site specific geothermal application scenarios, including different system types and system configurations, were simulated using OpenGeoSys to guarantee an environmental and economic sustainable thermal use of the shallow subsurface.

Artificial Psychology: The Psychology of AI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James A. Crowder

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Having artificially intelligent machines that think, learn, reason, experience, and can function autonomously, without supervision, is one of the most intriguing goals in all of Computer Science. As the types of problems we would like machines to solve get more complex, it is becoming a necessary goal as well. One of the many problems associated with this goal is that what learning and reasoning are have so many possible meanings that the solution can easily get lost in the sea of opinions and options. The goal of this paper is to establish some foundational principles, theory, and concepts that we feel are the backbone of real, autonomous Artificial Intelligence. With this fully autonomous, learning, reasoning, artificially intelligent system (an artificial brain, comes the need to possess constructs in its hardware and software that mimic processes and subsystems that exist within the human brain, including intuitive and emotional memory concepts. Presented here is a discussion of the psychological constructs of artificial intelligence and how they might play out in an artificial mind.

Artificial Intelligence in Civil Engineering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pengzhen Lu

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Artificial intelligence is a branch of computer science, involved in the research, design, and application of intelligent computer. Traditional methods for modeling and optimizing complex structure systems require huge amounts of computing resources, and artificial-intelligence-based solutions can often provide valuable alternatives for efficiently solving problems in the civil engineering. This paper summarizes recently developed methods and theories in the developing direction for applications of artificial intelligence in civil engineering, including evolutionary computation, neural networks, fuzzy systems, expert system, reasoning, classification, and learning, as well as others like chaos theory, cuckoo search, firefly algorithm, knowledge-based engineering, and simulated annealing. The main research trends are also pointed out in the end. The paper provides an overview of the advances of artificial intelligence applied in civil engineering.

Thermal shallow water models of geostrophic turbulence in Jovian atmospheres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Warneford, Emma S.; Dellar, Paul J.

2014-01-01

Conventional shallow water theory successfully reproduces many key features of the Jovian atmosphere: a mixture of coherent vortices and stable, large-scale, zonal jets whose amplitude decreases with distance from the equator. However, both freely decaying and forced-dissipative simulations of the shallow water equations in Jovian parameter regimes invariably yield retrograde equatorial jets, while Jupiter itself has a strong prograde equatorial jet. Simulations by Scott and Polvani [“Equatorial superrotation in shallow atmospheres,” Geophys. Res. Lett. 35, L24202 (2008)] have produced prograde equatorial jets through the addition of a model for radiative relaxation in the shallow water height equation. However, their model does not conserve mass or momentum in the active layer, and produces mid-latitude jets much weaker than the equatorial jet. We present the thermal shallow water equations as an alternative model for Jovian atmospheres. These equations permit horizontal variations in the thermodynamic properties of the fluid within the active layer. We incorporate a radiative relaxation term in the separate temperature equation, leaving the mass and momentum conservation equations untouched. Simulations of this model in the Jovian regime yield a strong prograde equatorial jet, and larger amplitude mid-latitude jets than the Scott and Polvani model. For both models, the slope of the non-zonal energy spectra is consistent with the classic Kolmogorov scaling, and the slope of the zonal energy spectra is consistent with the much steeper spectrum observed for Jupiter. We also perform simulations of the thermal shallow water equations for Neptunian parameter values, with a radiative relaxation time scale calculated for the same 25 mbar pressure level we used for Jupiter. These Neptunian simulations reproduce the broad, retrograde equatorial jet and prograde mid-latitude jets seen in observations. The much longer radiative time scale for the colder planet Neptune

Theoretical Model of Acoustic Wave Propagation in Shallow Water

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kozaczka Eugeniusz

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The work is devoted to the propagation of low frequency waves in a shallow sea. As a source of acoustic waves, underwater disturbances generated by ships were adopted. A specific feature of the propagation of acoustic waves in shallow water is the proximity of boundaries of the limiting media characterised by different impedance properties, which affects the acoustic field coming from a source situated in the water layer “deformed” by different phenomena. The acoustic field distribution in the real shallow sea is affected not only by multiple reflections, but also by stochastic changes in the free surface shape, and statistical changes in the seabed shape and impedance. The paper discusses fundamental problems of modal sound propagation in the water layer over different types of bottom sediments. The basic task in this case was to determine the acoustic pressure level as a function of distance and depth. The results of the conducted investigation can be useful in indirect determination of the type of bottom.

Early arrival waveform inversion of shallow seismic land data

KAUST Repository

Hanafy, Sherif M.

2013-09-22

We estimate the near-surface velocity distribution over Wadi Qudaid in Saudi Arabia by applying early arrival waveform inversion (EWI) to shallow seismic land data collected with source-receiver offsets no longer than 232 m. The main purpose is to characterize the shallow subsurface for its water storage and reuse potential. To enhance the accuracy of EWI, we extracted a natural source wavelet from the data, and also corrected for the attenuation effects with an estimated factor Q. Results suggest that, compared to traveltime tomography, EWI can generate a highly resolved velocity tomogram from shallow seismic data. The more accurate EWI tomogram can make an economically important difference in assessing the storage potential of this wadi; in this case we find an increase of 18% of storage potential in the EWI tomogram relative to the traveltime tomogram. This approach suggests that FWI might be a more accurate means for economically characterizing the water storage potential for wadis’ throughout the world.

X-mode artificial optical emissions and attendant phenomena at EISCAT/Heating

Science.gov (United States)

Blagoveshchenskaya, Nataly; Sergienko, Tima; Rietveld, Michael; Brandstrom, Urban; Senior, Andrew; Haggstrom, Ingemar; Kosch, Michael; Borisova, Tatiana; Yeoman, Tim

We present the experimental evidence for the formation of the artificial optical emissions induced by the X-mode powerful HF radio waves injected towards the magnetic zenith (MZ) into the high latitude F region of the ionosphere. The experiments were conducted in the course of Russian EISCAT heating campaigns in October 2012 and October 2013 at the Heating facility at Tromsø, Norway. The HF pump wave with the X-mode polarization was radiated at 7.1 or 6.2 MHz. The phased array 1, resulting in an ERP = 430 - 600 MW was used. Optical emissions at red (630 nm) and green (557 nm) lines were imaged from Tromsø site by the digital All-Sky Imager mark 2 (DASI - 2) and from a remote site at Abisco by the Auroral Large Imaging System (ALIS) in Scandinavia. The intensities of X-mode emissions at red and green lines varied between about of 150 - 1000 R and 50 - 300 R above the background respectively in different experiments. The artificial optical emissions were accompanied by very strong HF-enhanced ion lines and HF induced plasma lines from the EISCAT UHF incoherent scatter radar measurements and artificial small-scale field-aligned irregularities from CUTLASS (SuperDARN) HF coherent radar in Finland. The results obtained are discussed.

Well-Balanced Second-Order Approximation of the Shallow Water Equations With Friction via Continuous Galerkin Finite Elements

Science.gov (United States)

Quezada de Luna, M.; Farthing, M.; Guermond, J. L.; Kees, C. E.; Popov, B.

2017-12-01

The Shallow Water Equations (SWEs) are popular for modeling non-dispersive incompressible water waves where the horizontal wavelength is much larger than the vertical scales. They can be derived from the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations assuming a constant vertical velocity. The SWEs are important in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics for modeling surface gravity waves in shallow regimes; e.g., in the deep ocean. Some common geophysical applications are the evolution of tsunamis, river flooding and dam breaks, storm surge simulations, atmospheric flows and others. This work is concerned with the approximation of the time-dependent Shallow Water Equations with friction using explicit time stepping and continuous finite elements. The objective is to construct a method that is at least second-order accurate in space and third or higher-order accurate in time, positivity preserving, well-balanced with respect to rest states, well-balanced with respect to steady sliding solutions on inclined planes and robust with respect to dry states. Methods fulfilling the desired goals are common within the finite volume literature. However, to the best of our knowledge, schemes with the above properties are not well developed in the context of continuous finite elements. We start this work based on a finite element method that is second-order accurate in space, positivity preserving and well-balanced with respect to rest states. We extend it by: modifying the artificial viscosity (via the entropy viscosity method) to deal with issues of loss of accuracy around local extrema, considering a singular Manning friction term handled via an explicit discretization under the usual CFL condition, considering a water height regularization that depends on the mesh size and is consistent with the polynomial approximation, reducing dispersive errors introduced by lumping the mass matrix and others. After presenting the details of the method we show numerical tests that demonstrate the well

Shallow Water Acoustics Studies

Science.gov (United States)

2017-11-19

LE O CEAN RAPHIC I TITUTI Appli d Oc:ean Physics and E11gi1i,ering Depar1111,11t vember 9, 2017 Dr. Robert Headrick ffice of Naval Resear h, ode...UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department...2015). [3] J.F. Lynch and A.E. Newhall, "Shallow water acoustics", book chapter in "Practical Underwater Acoustics," L. Bjorno, T. Neighbors, and D

Fluid-driven origami-inspired artificial muscles.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Shuguang; Vogt, Daniel M; Rus, Daniela; Wood, Robert J

2017-12-12

Artificial muscles hold promise for safe and powerful actuation for myriad common machines and robots. However, the design, fabrication, and implementation of artificial muscles are often limited by their material costs, operating principle, scalability, and single-degree-of-freedom contractile actuation motions. Here we propose an architecture for fluid-driven origami-inspired artificial muscles. This concept requires only a compressible skeleton, a flexible skin, and a fluid medium. A mechanical model is developed to explain the interaction of the three components. A fabrication method is introduced to rapidly manufacture low-cost artificial muscles using various materials and at multiple scales. The artificial muscles can be programed to achieve multiaxial motions including contraction, bending, and torsion. These motions can be aggregated into systems with multiple degrees of freedom, which are able to produce controllable motions at different rates. Our artificial muscles can be driven by fluids at negative pressures (relative to ambient). This feature makes actuation safer than most other fluidic artificial muscles that operate with positive pressures. Experiments reveal that these muscles can contract over 90% of their initial lengths, generate stresses of ∼600 kPa, and produce peak power densities over 2 kW/kg-all equal to, or in excess of, natural muscle. This architecture for artificial muscles opens the door to rapid design and low-cost fabrication of actuation systems for numerous applications at multiple scales, ranging from miniature medical devices to wearable robotic exoskeletons to large deployable structures for space exploration. Copyright © 2017 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Biaxial loading and shallow-flaw effects on crack-tip constraint and fracture-toughness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pennell, W.E.; Bass, B.R.; Bryson, J.W.; McAfee, W.J.; Theiss, T.J.; Rao, M.C.

1993-01-01

Uniaxial tests of single-edged notched bend (SENB) specimens with both deep- and shallow-flaws have shown elevated fracture-toughness for the shallow flaws. The elevation in fracture-toughness for shallow flaws has been shown to be the result of reduced constraint at the crack-tip. Biaxial loading has the potential to increase constraint at the crack-tip and thereby reduce some of the shallow-flaw, fracture-toughness elevation. Biaxial fracture-toughness tests have shown that the shallow-flaw, fracture-toughness elevation is reduced but not eliminated by biaxial loading. Dual-parameter, fracture-toughness correlations have been proposed to reflect the effect of crack-tip constraint on fracture-toughness. Test results from the uniaxial and biaxial tests were analyzed using the dual-parameter technology. Discrepancies between analysis results and cleavage initiation site data from fractographic examinations indicate that the analysis models are in need of further refinement. Addition of a precleavage, ductile-tearing element to the analysis model has the potential to resolve the noted discrepancies

Grain transport mechanics in shallow flow

Science.gov (United States)

A physical model based on continuum multiphase flow is described to represent saltating transport of grains in shallow overland flows. The two-phase continuum flow of water and sediment considers coupled St.Venant type equations. The interactive cumulative effect of grains is incorporated by a dispe...

Development of Production Control in Small Batch Production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Németh Péter

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Our aim with this paper is to develop a new performance measurement and control system for small batch production in the automotive industry. For this reason, we present our previous research results for warehouse performance measurement and adopt its methodology to production control. The proposed method is based on artificial intelligence (neural networks.

Shallow water equations: viscous solutions and inviscid limit

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Gui-Qiang; Perepelitsa, Mikhail

2012-12-01

We establish the inviscid limit of the viscous shallow water equations to the Saint-Venant system. For the viscous equations, the viscosity terms are more degenerate when the shallow water is close to the bottom, in comparison with the classical Navier-Stokes equations for barotropic gases; thus, the analysis in our earlier work for the classical Navier-Stokes equations does not apply directly, which require new estimates to deal with the additional degeneracy. We first introduce a notion of entropy solutions to the viscous shallow water equations and develop an approach to establish the global existence of such solutions and their uniform energy-type estimates with respect to the viscosity coefficient. These uniform estimates yield the existence of measure-valued solutions to the Saint-Venant system generated by the viscous solutions. Based on the uniform energy-type estimates and the features of the Saint-Venant system, we further establish that the entropy dissipation measures of the viscous solutions for weak entropy-entropy flux pairs, generated by compactly supported C 2 test-functions, are confined in a compact set in H -1, which yields that the measure-valued solutions are confined by the Tartar-Murat commutator relation. Then, the reduction theorem established in Chen and Perepelitsa [5] for the measure-valued solutions with unbounded support leads to the convergence of the viscous solutions to a finite-energy entropy solution of the Saint-Venant system with finite-energy initial data, which is relative with respect to the different end-states of the bottom topography of the shallow water at infinity. The analysis also applies to the inviscid limit problem for the Saint-Venant system in the presence of friction.

Shallow-water Benthic Habitats in Jobos Bay

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Shallow-water (<30m) benthic habitat maps of the nearshore marine environment of Jobos Bay, Puerto Rico were mapped and characterized using visual interpretation...

Polymeric membrane materials for artificial organs.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawakami, Hiroyoshi

2008-01-01

Many polymeric materials have already been used in the field of artificial organs. However, the materials used in artificial organs are not necessarily created with the best material selectivity and materials design; therefore, the development of synthesized polymeric membrane materials for artificial organs based on well-defined designs is required. The approaches to the development of biocompatible polymeric materials fall into three categories: (1) control of physicochemical characteristics on material surfaces, (2) modification of material surfaces using biomolecules, and (3) construction of biomimetic membrane surfaces. This review will describe current issues regarding polymeric membrane materials for use in artificial organs.

Artificial reefs: “Attraction versus Production”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eduardo Barros Fagundes Netto

2011-04-01

Full Text Available The production of fish is the most common reason for the construction and installation of an artificial reef. More recently, environmental concerns and conservation of biological resources have been instrumental to the formulation of new goals of the research. One of the issues to be resolved is the biological function of “attraction vs. production” as a result of the use of artificial reefs. The uncertainty as to the answer to the question whether the artificial reefs will or not benefit the development of fish stocks could be solved if the artificial reefs would be managed as marine protected areas.

Progress and Challenge of Artificial Intelligence

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Zhong-Zhi Shi; Nan-Ning Zheng

2006-01-01

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is generally considered to be a subfield of computer science, that is concerned to attempt simulation, extension and expansion of human intelligence. Artificial intelligence has enjoyed tremendous success over the last fifty years. In this paper we only focus on visual perception, granular computing, agent computing, semantic grid. Human-level intelligence is the long-term goal of artificial intelligence. We should do joint research on basic theory and technology of intelligence by brain science, cognitive science, artificial intelligence and others. A new cross discipline intelligence science is undergoing a rapid development. Future challenges are given in final section.

The Roles of Shallow and Deep Groundwater Storage During Drought at Panola Mountain Research Watershed, Georgia, U.S.A.

Science.gov (United States)

Aulenbach, B. T.; Peters, N. E.

2016-12-01

Southeastern U.S. experiences recurring droughts, which can reduce water availability and can result in water-limiting conditions. Monthly water budgets were estimated at Panola Mountain Research Watershed, a small 41-hectare forested watershed near Atlanta, Georgia, from 1985 through 2015, to quantify the effects of climatic variability on groundwater (GW) storage. A relation between stream base flow and watershed GW storage was developed. The relation indicated that both shallow and deep GW storage contribute to base-flow runoff, except for the bottom third (78 mm) of the range in observed shallow soil moisture. The base flow-storage relation was then used to estimate monthly evapotranspiration (ET) using a closed water budget approach. Growing season droughts were almost always preceded by low GW storage at the onset of the growing season. The low base flow and GW storage conditions were caused by low precipitation (P) during the dormant season, and to a lesser extent, carryover of low GW storage conditions from the previous growing season. Growing season P had little impact on drought, as most P ultimately resulted in ET instead of deeper GW recharge. Water-limited growing season conditions were indicated when potential ET (PET) >> ET, and occurred during months having a large "P-deficit", PET - P, and when shallow storage was already near its observed minimum—such that the P-deficits exceeded the extractable water in shallow storage. These observations can be used to hypothesize how projected future increases in temperature, and how resulting increases in PET affect water budgets in Southeastern U.S. The dormant season will become shorter and ET will increase, causing decreased GW recharge during the dormant season, and will result in more frequent and severe growing season droughts. Higher growing season PET would increase the frequency and duration of water limiting conditions due to higher P-deficits and more frequent occurrences of low shallow storage.

Stabilization of Gob-Side Entry with an Artificial Side for Sustaining Mining Work

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hong-sheng Wang

2016-07-01

Full Text Available A concrete artificial side (AS is introduced to stabilize a gob-side entry (GSE. To evaluate the stability of the AS, a uniaxial compression failure experiment was conducted with large and small-scale specimens. The distribution characteristics of the shear stress were obtained from a numerical simulation. Based on the failure characteristics and the variation of the shear stress, a failure criterion was determined and implemented in the strengthening method for the artificial side. In an experimental test, the distribution pattern of the maximum shear stress showed an X shape, which contributed to the failure shape of the specimen. The shear stress distribution and failure shape are induced by a combination of two sets of shear stresses, which implies that failure of the AS follows the twin shear strength theory. The use of anchor bolts, bolts, and anchor bars enhances the shear strength of the artificial side. When this side is stable, the components can constrain the lateral deformation as well as improve the internal friction angle and cohesion. When the AS is damaged, the components prevent the sliding of broken blocks along the shear failure plane and improve the residual strength of the artificial side. When reinforced with an anchor bar, the AS is still stable even after mining operations for three years.

Shallow ground disposal of radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-01-01

This guidebook outlines the factors to be considered in site selection, design, operation, shut-down and surveillance as well as the regulatory requirements of repositories for safe disposal of radioactive waste in shallow ground. No attempt is made to summarize the existing voluminous literature on the many facets of radioactive waste disposal. In the context of this guidebook, shallow ground disposal refers to the emplacement of radioactive waste, with or without engineered barriers, above or below the ground surface, where the final protective covering is of the order of a few metres thick. Deep geological disposal and other underground disposal methods, management of mill tailings and disposal into the sea have been or will be considered in other IAEA publications. These guidelines have been made sufficiently general to cover a broad variety of climatic, hydrogeological and biological conditions. They may need to be interpreted or modified to reflect local conditions and national regulations

SWIM: A Semi-Analytical Ocean Color Inversion Algorithm for Optically Shallow Waters

Science.gov (United States)

McKinna, Lachlan I. W.; Werdell, P. Jeremy; Fearns, Peter R. C. S.; Weeks, Scarla J.; Reichstetter, Martina; Franz, Bryan A.; Bailey, Sean W.; Shea, Donald M.; Feldman, Gene C.

2014-01-01

In clear shallow waters, light that is transmitted downward through the water column can reflect off the sea floor and thereby influence the water-leaving radiance signal. This effect can confound contemporary ocean color algorithms designed for deep waters where the seafloor has little or no effect on the water-leaving radiance. Thus, inappropriate use of deep water ocean color algorithms in optically shallow regions can lead to inaccurate retrievals of inherent optical properties (IOPs) and therefore have a detrimental impact on IOP-based estimates of marine parameters, including chlorophyll-a and the diffuse attenuation coefficient. In order to improve IOP retrievals in optically shallow regions, a semi-analytical inversion algorithm, the Shallow Water Inversion Model (SWIM), has been developed. Unlike established ocean color algorithms, SWIM considers both the water column depth and the benthic albedo. A radiative transfer study was conducted that demonstrated how SWIM and two contemporary ocean color algorithms, the Generalized Inherent Optical Properties algorithm (GIOP) and Quasi-Analytical Algorithm (QAA), performed in optically deep and shallow scenarios. The results showed that SWIM performed well, whilst both GIOP and QAA showed distinct positive bias in IOP retrievals in optically shallow waters. The SWIM algorithm was also applied to a test region: the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Using a single test scene and time series data collected by NASA's MODIS-Aqua sensor (2002-2013), a comparison of IOPs retrieved by SWIM, GIOP and QAA was conducted.

Susceptibility and triggering scenarios at a regional scale for shallow landslides

Science.gov (United States)

Gullà, G.; Antronico, L.; Iaquinta, P.; Terranova, O.

2008-07-01

The work aims at identifying susceptible areas and pluviometric triggering scenarios at a regional scale in Calabria (Italy), with reference to shallow landsliding events. The proposed methodology follows a statistical approach and uses a database linked to a GIS that has been created to support the various steps of spatial data management and manipulation. The shallow landslide predisposing factors taken into account are derived from (i) the 40-m digital terrain model of the region, an ˜ 15,075 km 2 extension; (ii) outcropping lithology; (iii) soils; and (iv) land use. More precisely, a map of the slopes has been drawn from the digital terrain model. Two kinds of covers [prevalently coarse-grained (CG cover) or fine-grained (FG cover)] were identified, referring to the geotechnical characteristics of geomaterial covers and to the lithology map; soilscapes were drawn from soil maps; and finally, the land use map was employed without any prior processing. Subsequently, the inventory maps of some shallow landsliding events, totaling more than 30,000 instabilities of the past and detected by field surveys and photo aerial restitution, were employed to calibrate the relative importance of these predisposing factors. The use of single factors (first level analysis) therefore provides three different susceptibility maps. Second level analysis, however, enables better location of areas susceptible to shallow landsliding events by crossing the single susceptibility maps. On the basis of the susceptibility map obtained by the second level analysis, five different classes of susceptibility to shallow landsliding events have been outlined over the regional territory: 8.9% of the regional territory shows very high susceptibility, 14.3% high susceptibility, 15% moderate susceptibility, 3.6% low susceptibility, and finally, about 58% very low susceptibility. Finally, the maps of two significant shallow landsliding events of the past and their related rainfalls have been

Application of Artificial Intelligence in Prediction of Road Freight Transportation

OpenAIRE

Bogna Mrowczynska; Maria Ciesla; Aleksander Krol; Aleksander Sladkowski

2017-01-01

Road freight transport often requires the prediction of volume. Such knowledge is necessary to capture trends in the industry and support decision making by large and small trucking companies. The aim of the presented work is to demonstrate that application of some artificial intelligence methods can improve the accuracy of the forecasts. The first method employed was double exponential smoothing. The modification of this method has been proposed. Not only the parameters but also the initial ...

Longevity of shallow subsurface drip irrigation tubing under three tillage practices

Science.gov (United States)

Shallow Sub-Surface drip irrigation (S3DI) has drip tubing buried about 2-in below the soil surface. It is unknown how long drip tubing would be viable at this shallow soil depth using strip- or no-tillage systems. The objectives were to determine drip tube longevity, resultant crop yield, and parti...

Shallow ground-water conditions, Tom Green County, Texas

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, J.N.

1986-01-01

Most of the water needs of Tom Green County, Texas, are supplied by ground water; however, the city of San Angelo is supplied by surface water. Groundwater withdrawals during 1980 (latest year for which data are available) in Tom Green County totaled about 15,300 acre-feet, all derived from shallow aquifers. Shallow aquifers in this report refer to the ground-water system generally less than 400 feet deep that contains water with less than a 10,000 milligrams per liter concentration of dissolved solids; aquifers comprising this system include: The Leona, Comanche Peak, Trinity, Blaine, San Angelo, Choza, Bullwagon, Vale, Standpipe, and Arroyo aquifers.

Dynamic cardiomyoplasty using artificial muscle.

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, Yasuyuki; Daitoku, Kazuyuki; Minakawa, Masahito; Fukui, Kozo; Fukuda, Ikuo

2008-01-01

Dynamic cardiomyoplasty using latissimus dorsi muscle was previously used to compensate for congestive heart failure. Now, however, this method is not acceptable because the long-term result was not as expected owing to fatigue of the skeletal muscle. BioMetal fiber developed by Toki Corporation is one of the artificial muscles activated by electric current. The behavior of this fiber is similar to that of organic muscle. We made an artificial muscle like the latissimus dorsi using BioMetal fiber and tested whether we could use this new muscle as a cardiac supporting device. Testing one Biometal fiber showed the following performance: practical use maximal generative force was 30 g, exercise variation was 50%, and the standard driving current was 220 mA. We created a 4 x 12-cm tabular artificial muscle using 8 BioMetal fibers as a cardiac support device. We also made a simulation circuit composed of a 6 x 8-cm soft bag with unidirectional valves, reservoir, and connecting tube. The simulation circuit was filled with water and the soft bag was wrapped with the artificial muscle device. After powering the device electrically at 9 V with a current of 220 mA for each fiber, we measured the inside pressure and observed the movement of the artificial device. The artificial muscle contracted in 0.5 s for peak time and squeezed the soft bag. The peak pressure inside the soft bag was measured as 10 mmHg. Although further work will be needed to enhance the speed of deformability and movement simulating contraction, we conclude that artificial muscle may be potentially useful as a cardiac assistance device that can be developed for dynamic cardiomyoplasty.

Geomorphological mapping of shallow landslides using UAVs

Science.gov (United States)

Fiorucci, Federica; Giordan, Daniele; Dutto, Furio; Rossi, Mauro; Guzzetti, Fausto

2015-04-01

The mapping of event shallow landslides is a critical activity, due to the large number of phenomena, mostly with small dimension, affecting extensive areas. This is commonly done through aerial photo-interpretation or through field surveys. Nowadays, landslide maps can be realized exploiting other methods/technologies: (i) airborne LiDARs, (ii) stereoscopic satellite images, and (iii) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In addition to the landslide maps, these methods/technologies allow the generation of updated Digital Terrain Models (DTM). In December 2013, in the Collazzone area (Umbria, Central Italy), an intense rainfall event triggered a large number of shallow landslides. To map the landslides occurred in the area, we exploited data and images obtained through (A) an airborne LiDAR survey, (B) a remote controlled optocopter (equipped with a Canon EOS M) survey, and (C) a stereoscopic satellite WorldView II MS. To evaluate the mapping accuracy of these methods, we select two landslides and we mapped them using a GPS RTK instrumentation. We consider the GPS survey as the benchmark being the most accurate system. The results of the comparison allow to highlight pros and cons of the methods/technologies used. LiDAR can be considered the most accurate system and in addition it allows the extraction and the classification of the digital surface models from the surveyed point cloud. Conversely, LiDAR requires additional time for the flight planning, and specific data analysis user capabilities. The analysis of the satellite WorldView II MS images facilitates the landslide mapping over large areas, but at the expenses of a minor resolution to detect the smaller landslides and their boundaries. UAVs can be considered the cheapest and fastest solution for the acquisition of high resolution ortho-photographs on limited areas, and the best solution for a multi-temporal analysis of specific landslide phenomena. Limitations are due to (i) the needs of optimal climatic

Introduction to Concepts in Artificial Neural Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Niebur, Dagmar

1995-01-01

This introduction to artificial neural networks summarizes some basic concepts of computational neuroscience and the resulting models of artificial neurons. The terminology of biological and artificial neurons, biological and machine learning and neural processing is introduced. The concepts of supervised and unsupervised learning are explained with examples from the power system area. Finally, a taxonomy of different types of neurons and different classes of artificial neural networks is presented.

Modeling the structure of RNA molecules with small-angle X-ray scattering data.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michal Jan Gajda

Full Text Available We propose a novel fragment assembly method for low-resolution modeling of RNA and show how it may be used along with small-angle X-ray solution scattering (SAXS data to model low-resolution structures of particles having as many as 12 independent secondary structure elements. We assessed this model-building procedure by using both artificial data on a previously proposed benchmark and publicly available data. With the artificial data, SAXS-guided models show better similarity to native structures than ROSETTA decoys. The publicly available data showed that SAXS-guided models can be used to reinterpret RNA structures previously deposited in the Protein Data Bank. Our approach allows for fast and efficient building of de novo models of RNA using approximate secondary structures that can be readily obtained from existing bioinformatic approaches. We also offer a rigorous assessment of the resolving power of SAXS in the case of small RNA structures, along with a small multimetric benchmark of the proposed method.

Shallow gas charged sediments off the Indian west coast: Genesis and distribution

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Mazumdar, A.; Peketi, A.; Dewangan, P.; Badesab, F.K.; Ramprasad, T; Ramana, M.V.; Patil, D.J.; Dayal, A.M.

Geophysical and geochemical surveys were carried out off Goa, central west coast of India, to understand the genesis and distribution of shallow gases in marine sediments. Shallow gas charged sediments within the water depths of approx. 15 to 40 m...

Artificial organs and transplantation.

Science.gov (United States)

Splendiani, G; Cipriani, S; Vega, A; Casciani, C U

2003-05-01

Nowadays artificial devices are not able to totally and undefinitely replace the loss of function of all vital organs and artificial organs can be used only to bridge the time to transplantation, which must be considered the first choice in the therapeutical approach for many chronic diseases. Since general population aging process is leading to an increase of organ demand, the gap between performed and requested transplantation is hard to fill. Xenotransplantation is nowadays only an experimental alternative solution and we have to do our best using available artificial organs to increase and improve the survival of patients waiting for transplantation. In this meeting we particularly dealt about organ function replacing therapy, especially regarding the kidney, heart, liver, pancreas and ear.

3D Electrical resistivity tomography monitoring of an artificial tracer injected within the hyporheic zone

Science.gov (United States)

Houzé, Clémence; Pessel, Marc; Durand, Veronique

2016-04-01

Due to the high complexity level of hyporheic flow paths, hydrological and biogeochemical processes which occur in this mixing place are not fully understood yet. Some previous studies made in flumes show that hyporheic flow is strongly connected to the streambed morphology and sediment heterogeneity . There is still a lack of practical field experiment considering a natural environment and representation of natural streambed heterogeneities will be always limited in laboratories. The purpose of this project is to propose an innovative method using 3D Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) monitoring of an artificial tracer injection directly within the streambed sediments in order to visualize the water pathways within the hyporheic zone. Field experiment on a small stream was conducted using a plastic tube as an injection piezometer and home-made electrodes strips arranged in a rectangular form made of 180 electrodes (15 strips of 12 electrodes each). The injection of tracer (NaCl) lasted approximatively 90 minutes, and 24h monitoring with increasing step times was performed. The physical properties of the water are controlled by CTD probes installed upstream and downstream within the river. Inverse time-lapse tomographs show development and persistence of a conductive water plume around the injection point. Due to the low hydraulic conductivity of streambed sediments (clay and overlying loess), the tracer movement is barely visible, as it dilutes gradually in the pore water. Impact of boundary conditions on inversion results can lead to significant differences on images, especially in the shallow part of the profiles. Preferential paths of transport are not highlighted here, but this experiment allows to follow spatially and temporarily the evolution of the tracer in a complex natural environment .

Visualized and precise design of artificial small RNAs for regulating T7 RNA polymerase and enhancing recombinant protein folding in Escherichia coli

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yujia Zhao

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs have received much attention in recent years due to their unique biological properties, which can efficiently and specifically tune target gene expressions in bacteria. Inspired by natural sRNAs, recent works have proposed the use of artificial sRNAs (asRNAs as genetic tools to regulate desired gene that has been applied in several fields, such as metabolic engineering and bacterial physiology studies. However, the rational design of asRNAs is still a challenge. In this study, we proposed structure and length as two criteria to implement rational visualized and precise design of asRNAs. T7 expression system was one of the most useful recombinant protein expression systems. However, it was deeply limited by the formation of inclusion body. To settle this problem, we designed a series of asRNAs to inhibit the T7 RNA polymerase (Gene1 expression to balance the rate between transcription and folding of recombinant protein. Based on the heterologous expression of Aspergillus oryzae Li-3 glucuronidase in E. coli, the asRNA-antigene1-17bp can effectively decrease the inclusion body and increase the enzyme activity by 169.9%.

Artificial senses for characterization of food quality

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

HUANG Yan-bo; LAN Yu-bin; R.E. Lacey

2004-01-01

Food quality is of primary concern in the food industry and to the consumer. Systems that mimic human senses have been developed and applied to the characterization of food quality. The five primary senses are: vision, hearing, smell, taste and touch.In the characterization of food quality, people assess the samples sensorially and differentiate "good" from "bad" on a continuum.However, the human sensory system is subjective, with mental and physical inconsistencies, and needs time to work. Artificial senses such as machine vision, the electronic ear, electronic nose, electronic tongue, artificial mouth and even artificial the head have been developed that mimic the human senses. These artificial senses are coordinated individually or collectively by a pattern recognition technique, typically artificial neural networks, which have been developed based on studies of the mechanism of the human brain. Such a structure has been used to formulate methods for rapid characterization of food quality. This research presents and discusses individual artificial sensing systems. With the concept of multi-sensor data fusion these sensor systems can work collectively in some way. Two such fused systems, artificial mouth and artificial head, are described and discussed. It indicates that each of the individual systems has their own artificially sensing ability to differentiate food samples. It further indicates that with a more complete mimic of human intelligence the fused systems are more powerful than the individual systems in differentiation of food samples.

Circulation induced by diffused aeration in a shallow lake | Toné ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Field surveys were carried out to investigate the surface jet flows and the resulting circulation patterns generated by diffused aeration in a shallow lake. In conrast to previous studies, the experimental conditions included point-source bubble plumes with very high air flow rates (100–400 L/min) relative to the shallow water ...

A new-old approach for shallow landslide analysis and susceptibility zoning in fine-grained weathered soils of southern Italy

Science.gov (United States)

Cascini, Leonardo; Ciurleo, Mariantonietta; Di Nocera, Silvio; Gullà, Giovanni

2015-07-01

Rainfall-induced shallow landslides involve several geo-environmental contexts and different types of soils. In clayey soils, they affect the most superficial layer, which is generally constituted by physically weathered soils characterised by a diffuse pattern of cracks. This type of landslide most commonly occurs in the form of multiple-occurrence landslide phenomena simultaneously involving large areas and thus has several consequences in terms of environmental and economic damage. Indeed, landslide susceptibility zoning is a relevant issue for land use planning and/or design purposes. This study proposes a multi-scale approach to reach this goal. The proposed approach is tested and validated over an area in southern Italy affected by widespread shallow landslides that can be classified as earth slides and earth slide-flows. Specifically, by moving from a small (1:100,000) to a medium scale (1:25,000), with the aid of heuristic and statistical methods, the approach identifies the main factors leading to landslide occurrence and effectively detects the areas potentially affected by these phenomena. Finally, at a larger scale (1:5000), deterministic methods, i.e., physically based models (TRIGRS and TRIGRS-unsaturated), allow quantitative landslide susceptibility assessment, starting from sample areas representative of those that can be affected by shallow landslides. Considering the reliability of the obtained results, the proposed approach seems useful for analysing other case studies in similar geological contexts.

Segregation-mobility feedback for bidisperse shallow granular flows: Towards understanding segregation in geophysical flows

Science.gov (United States)

Thornton, A.; Denissen, I.; Weinhart, T.; Van der Vaart, K.

2017-12-01

The flow behaviour of shallow granular chute flows for uniform particles is well-described by the hstop-rheology [1]. Geophysical flows, however, are often composed of highly non-uniform particles that differ in particle (size, shape, composition) or contact (friction, dissipation, cohesion) properties. The flow behaviour of such mixtures can be strongly influenced by particle segregation effects. Here, we study the influence of particle size-segregation on the flow behaviour of bidisperse flows using experiments and the discrete particle method. We use periodic DPM to derive hstop-rheology for the bi-dispersed granular shallow layer equations, and study their dependence on the segregation profile. In the periodic box simulations, size-segregation results in an upward coarsening of the size distribution with the largest grains collecting at the top of the flow. In geophysical flows, the fact the flow velocity is greatest at the top couples with the vertical segregation to preferentially transported large particles to the front. The large grains may be overrun, resegregated towards the surface and recirculated before being shouldered aside into lateral levees. Theoretically it has been suggested this process should lead to a breaking size-segregation (BSS) wave located between a large-particle-rich front and a small-particle-rich tail [2,3]. In the BSS wave large particles that have been overrun rise up again to the free-surface while small particles sink to the bed. We present evidence for the existences of the BSS wave. This is achieved through the study of three-dimensional bidisperse granular flows in a moving-bed channel. Our analysis demonstrates a relation between the concentration of small particles in the flow and the amount of basal slip, in which the structure of the BSS wave plays a key role. This leads to a feedback between the mean bulk flow velocity and the process of size-segregation. Ultimately, these findings shed new light on the recirculation of

Chlorate origin and fate in shallow groundwater below agricultural landscapes.

Science.gov (United States)

Mastrocicco, Micòl; Di Giuseppe, Dario; Vincenzi, Fabio; Colombani, Nicolò; Castaldelli, Giuseppe

2017-12-01

In agricultural lowland landscapes, intensive agricultural is accompanied by a wide use of agrochemical application, like pesticides and fertilizers. The latter often causes serious environmental threats such as N compounds leaching and surface water eutrophication; additionally, since perchlorate can be present as impurities in many fertilizers, the potential presence of perchlorates and their by-products like chlorates and chlorites in shallow groundwater could be a reason of concern. In this light, the present manuscript reports the first temporal and spatial variation of chlorates, chlorites and major anions concentrations in the shallow unconfined aquifer belonging to Ferrara province (in the Po River plain). The study was made in 56 different locations to obtain insight on groundwater chemical composition and its sediment matrix interactions. During the monitoring period from 2010 to 2011, in June 2011 a nonpoint pollution of chlorates was found in the shallow unconfined aquifer belonging to Ferrara province. Detected chlorates concentrations ranged between 0.01 and 38 mg/l with an average value of 2.9 mg/l. Chlorates were found in 49 wells out of 56 and in all types of lithology constituting the shallow aquifer. Chlorates concentrations appeared to be linked to NO 3 - , volatile fatty acids (VFA) and oxygen reduction potential (ORP) variations. Chlorates behaviour was related to the biodegradation of perchlorates, since perchlorates are favourable electron acceptors for the oxidation of labile dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in groundwater. Further studies must take into consideration to monitor ClO 4 - in pore waters and groundwater to better elucidate the mass flux of ClO 4 - in shallow aquifers belonging to agricultural landscapes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Artificial humidification for the mechanically ventilated patient.

Science.gov (United States)

Selvaraj, N

Caring for patients who are mechanically ventilated poses many challenges for critical care nurses. It is important to humidify the patient's airways artificially to prevent complications such as ventilator-associated pneumonia. There is no gold standard to determine which type of humidification is best for patients who are artificially ventilated. This article provides an overview of commonly used artificial humidification for mechanically ventilated patients and discusses nurses' responsibilities in caring for patients receiving artificial humidification.

Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Economic Theory

OpenAIRE

Tshilidzi Marwala

2015-01-01

Artificial intelligence has impacted many aspects of human life. This paper studies the impact of artificial intelligence on economic theory. In particular we study the impact of artificial intelligence on the theory of bounded rationality, efficient market hypothesis and prospect theory.

3D RANS simulations of shallow water effects on rudder hydrodynamic characteristics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Liu, J.; Hekkenberg, R.G.

2016-01-01

An accurate estimation of the rudder forces and moments is essential for manoeuvrability prediction. Previous research has shown that ships have different manoeuvring performance in deep and shallow water. Before considering the rudder’s contribution to shallow water manoeuvring, it is meaningful to

76 FR 13297 - Western Pacific Pelagic Fisheries; Hawaii-Based Shallow-set Longline Fishery; Court Order

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-11

.... 100826393-1171-01] RIN 0648-BA19 Western Pacific Pelagic Fisheries; Hawaii-Based Shallow-set Longline... allowable incidental interactions that may occur between the Hawaii-based shallow-set pelagic longline... to optimize yield from the Hawaii-based pelagic shallow-set longline fishery without jeopardizing the...

An artificial ecosystem model used in the study of social, economic and technological dynamics: An artificial electrical energy market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arjona, D.

1998-01-01

This paper will present the artificial ecosystem as a tool, in the development of multi agent models for the simulation of economic and technological dynamics (as well as other possible applications). This tool is based on the mechanics of an artificial society and consists of autonomous artificial agents that interact with individuals that have different characteristics and behavior and other that have a similar conduct to their own. Initial conditions are assumed not to be controllable, however they can be influenced. The importance of the concept of the ecosystem is in understanding great units in the light of their own components which are relevant for the analysis and become interdependent among themselves and with other essential components that hold the total operation of the system. Ideas for the development of a simulation model based on autonomous intelligent agents are presented. These agents will have a brain that is based on artificial intelligence technologies. The Sand Kings Simulation Model, an artificial ecosystem model developed by the author, is described as well as the application of artificial intelligence to this artificial life model. An application to a real life problem is also offered as an artificial energy market that is currently being developed by the author is described

Mechanism of shallow disrupted slide induced by extreme rainfall

Science.gov (United States)

Igwe, O.; Fukuoka, H.

2010-12-01

On July 16, 2010, extreme rainfall attacked western Japan and it caused very intense rainfall in Shobara city, Hiroshima prefecture, Japan. This rainfall induced hundreds of shallow disrupted slides and many of those became debris flows. One of this debris flows attacked a house standing in front of the exit of a channel, and claimed a resident’s life. Western Japan had repeatedly similar disasters in the past. Last event took place from July 19 to 26, 2009, when western Japan had a severe rainstorms and caused floods and landslides. Most of the landslides are debris slide - debris flows. Most devastated case took place in Hofu city, Japan. On July 21, extremely intense rainstorm caused numerous debris flows and mud flows in the hillslopes. Some of the debris flows destroyed residential houses and home for elderly people, and finally killed 14 residents. One of the unusual feature of both disaster was that landslides are distributed in very narrow area. In the 2010 Shobara city disaster, all of the landslides were distributed in 5 km x 3 km, and in the 2009 Hofu city disaster, most devastated zone of landslides were 10 km x 5 km. Rain radars of Meteorological Agency of Government of Japan detected the intense rainfall, however, the spatial resolution is usually larger than 5 km and the disaster area is too small to predict landslides nor issue warning. Furthermore, it was found that the growth rate of baby clouds was very quick. The geology of both areas are rhyolite (Shobara) and granite (Hofu), so the areal assessment of landslide hazard should be prepared before those intense rainfall will come. As for the Hofu city case, it was proved that debris flows took place in the high precipitation area and covered by covered by weathered granite sands and silts which is called “masa". This sands has been proved susceptible against landslides under extreme rainfall conditions. However, the transition from slide - debris flow process is not well revealed, except

Integration of shallow gradients of Shh and Netrin-1 guides commissural axons.

Science.gov (United States)

Sloan, Tyler F W; Qasaimeh, Mohammad A; Juncker, David; Yam, Patricia T; Charron, Frédéric

2015-03-01

During nervous system development, gradients of Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) and Netrin-1 attract growth cones of commissural axons toward the floor plate of the embryonic spinal cord. Mice defective for either Shh or Netrin-1 signaling have commissural axon guidance defects, suggesting that both Shh and Netrin-1 are required for correct axon guidance. However, how Shh and Netrin-1 collaborate to guide axons is not known. We first quantified the steepness of the Shh gradient in the spinal cord and found that it is mostly very shallow. We then developed an in vitro microfluidic guidance assay to simulate these shallow gradients. We found that axons of dissociated commissural neurons respond to steep but not shallow gradients of Shh or Netrin-1. However, when we presented axons with combined Shh and Netrin-1 gradients, they had heightened sensitivity to the guidance cues, turning in response to shallower gradients that were unable to guide axons when only one cue was present. Furthermore, these shallow gradients polarized growth cone Src-family kinase (SFK) activity only when Shh and Netrin-1 were combined, indicating that SFKs can integrate the two guidance cues. Together, our results indicate that Shh and Netrin-1 synergize to enable growth cones to sense shallow gradients in regions of the spinal cord where the steepness of a single guidance cue is insufficient to guide axons, and we identify a novel type of synergy that occurs when the steepness (and not the concentration) of a guidance cue is limiting.

Oma modal indication by sensitivity to added artificial noise

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Juul, Martin O.; Olsen, Peter; Tarpø, Marius

2017-01-01

This paper presents a modal indicator for use in OMA identification techniques relying on the correlation function for extraction of parameters. We propose to add small amounts of artificial white Gaussian noise to the correlation function and measuring the sensitivity of the identified modes...... to this noise. The idea is to identify system parameters many times, each time adding a tiny amount of uncorrelated white Gaussian noise to the correlation function. Since the noise modes are more affected by the adding of tiny amounts of additional noise, than the physical modes, the variance of the estimated...

Flagging optically shallow pixels for improved analysis of ocean color data

Science.gov (United States)

McKinna, L. I. W.; Werdell, J.; Knowles, D., Jr.

2016-02-01

Ocean color remote-sensing is routinely used to derive marine geophysical parameters from sensor-observed water-leaving radiances. However, in clear geometrically shallow regions, traditional ocean color algorithms can be confounded by light reflected from the seafloor. Such regions are typically referred to as "optically shallow". When performing spatiotemporal analyses of ocean color datasets, optically shallow features such as coral reefs can lead to unexpected regional biases. Benthic contamination of the water-leaving radiance is dependent on bathymetry, water clarity and seafloor albedo. Thus, a prototype ocean color processing flag called OPTSHAL has been developed that takes all three variables into account. In the method described here, the optical depth of the water column at 547 nm, ζ(547), is predicted from known bathymetry and estimated inherent optical properties. If ζ(547) is less then the pre-defined threshold, a pixel is flagged as optically shallow. Radiative transfer modeling was used to identify the appropriate threshold value of ζ(547) for a generic benthic sand albedo. OPTSHAL has been evaluated within the NASA Ocean Biology Processing Group's L2GEN code. Using MODIS Aqua imagery, OPTSHAL was tested in two regions: (i) the Pedro Bank south-west of Jamaica, and (ii) the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. It is anticipated that OPTSHAL will benefit end-users when quality controlling derived ocean color products. Further, OPTSHAL may prove useful as a mechanism for switching between optically deep and shallow algorithms during ocean color processing.

Sustainability and policy for the thermal use of shallow geothermal energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hähnlein, Stefanie; Bayer, Peter; Ferguson, Grant; Blum, Philipp

2013-01-01

Shallow geothermal energy is a renewable energy resource that has become increasingly important. However, the use has environmental, technical and social consequences. Biological, chemical, and physical characteristics of groundwater and subsurface are influenced by the development of this resource. To guarantee a sustainable use it is therefore necessary to consider environmental and technical criteria, such as changes in groundwater quality and temperature. In the current study a comprehensive overview of consequences of geothermal systems in shallow aquifers is provided. We conclude that there is still a lack of knowledge on long-term environmental consequences. Due to local differences in geology and hydrogeology as well as in technical requirements, it is not recommendable to define only static regulations, such as fixed and absolute temperature thresholds. Flexible temperature limits for heating and cooling the groundwater and subsurface are therefore advisable. The limits should be oriented on previously undisturbed temperatures, and chemical, physical and biological conditions of aquifers. Based on these findings, recommendations for a sustainable policy for shallow geothermal systems are provided including a potential legal framework for a sustainable use. - Highlights: • We provide an overview of consequences of geothermal systems in shallow aquifers. • Static regulations for heating or cooling groundwater are not recommendable. • Temperature limits should be flexible and orientated on background values. • Suggestions for a sustainable policy for shallow geothermal systems are provided. • A potential legal framework for a sustainable use is presented

Prediction of Global Solar Radiation in India Using Artificial Neural Network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajiv Gupta

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Increasing global warming and decreasing fossil fuel reserves has necessitated the use of renewable energy resources like solar energy in India. To maximize return on a solar farm, it had to be set up at a place with high solar radiation. The solar radiation values are available only for a small number of places and must be interpolated for the rest. This paper utilizes Artificial Neural Network in interpolation, by obtaining a function with input as combinations of 7 geographical and meteorological parameters affecting radiation, and output as global solar radiation. Data considered was of past 9 years for 13 Indian cities. Low error values and high coefficient of determination values thus obtained, verified that the results were accurate in terms of the original solar radiation data known. Thus, artificial neural network can be used to interpolate the solar radiation for the places of interest depending on the availability of the data.

Seismic imaging of small horizontal scale structures of the shallow thermocline on the western Brittany continental shelf (North-East Atlantic)

Science.gov (United States)

Piete, H.; Marié, L.; Marsset, B.; Gutscher, M.

2012-12-01

The recent development of the seismic oceanography technique has made possible the imaging of a variety of deep oceanographic structures (Holbrook et al., 2003); however, until now this method has remained ill suited for the study of shallow (environment) and 2- spectral contents offering high vertical resolutions (relevant to the mapping of small vertical wavelength structures). In this study we defined and tested a new experimental seismic acquisition system capable of imaging the ~10 m thick seasonal thermocline on the western Brittany continental shelf. To accomplish this task, we pursued two complementary approaches: 1. Analysis of legacy seismic data (multi-channel seismic reflection profiles acquired on the East-Corsican margin, Bahamas Plateau and Gulf of Cadiz in various oceanographic environments) featuring reflectors at depths between 25 and 150 m, in order to identify and quantify the influence of acquisition parameters (seismic trace length, offsets, emission level and frequency content). 2. Incorporation of new oceanographic data acquired during the FROMVAR cruise (July 28th to August 10th 2010) on the western Brittany shelf in thermally stratified waters for use in the simulation of the seismic acquisition, in order to further define the optimal parameters for the system. Finally a 3D seismic system has emerged and was tested during the ASPEX scientific cruise led from June 17th to 19th 2012 across the western Brittany shelf. The device featured: i- four seismic streamers, each consisting of 6 traces at a spacing of 1.80 m; ii- a 1000 J SIG Sparker producing a 400 Hz signal with a 220 dB re 1μPa @1m level of emission, towed at a 8 m distance of the first seismic trace. This survey provided high lateral resolution images of the seasonal thermocline located at a 30 m depth with vertical displacements induced by internal waves. References Holbrook, W.S., Paramo, P., Pearse, S. and Schmitt, R.W., 2003. Thermohaline Fine Structure in an Oceanographic

What Is an Artificial Muscle? A Systemic Approach.

OpenAIRE

Bertrand Tondu

2015-01-01

Artificial muscles define a large category of actuators we propose to analyze in a systemic framework by considering any artificial muscle as an open-loop stable system for any output which represents an artificial muscle dimension resulting from its “contraction”, understood in a broad meaning. This approach makes it possible to distinguish the artificial muscle from other actuators and to specify an original model for a linear artificial muscle, according to the theory of linear systems. Su...

Modeling Diel Oxygen Dynamics and Ecosystem Metabolism in a Shallow, Eutrophic Estuary

Science.gov (United States)

Weeks Bay is a shallow eutrophic estuary that exhibits frequent summertime diel-cycling hypoxia and periods of dissolved oxygen (DO) oversaturation during the day. Diel DO dynamics in shallow estuaries like Weeks Bay are complex, and may be influenced by wind forcing, vertical an...

Seasonally-resolved trace element concentrations in stalagmites from a shallow cave in New Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Sekhon, N.; Banner, J.; Miller, N. R.; Carlson, P. E.; Breecker, D.

2017-12-01

High-resolution (sub-annual/seasonal) paleoclimate records extending beyond the instrumental period are required to test climate models and better understand how climate warming/cooling and wetting/drying are manifested seasonally. This is particularly the case for areas such as the southwest United States where precipitation and temperature seasonality dictate the regional climate. Study of a 20thcentury stalagmite (Carlson et al., in prep) documented (1) seasonal variation in trace element compositions of a stalagmite from a shallow, well-ventilated cave and (2) demonstrated the seasonal variation in stalagmite Mg to be in agreement with predicted temperature-dependent fractionation between water and calcite. The seasonal nature of variability was constrained by monitoring the cave on a monthly basis (Casteel and Banner, 2015; Carlson et al., in prep). Here we expand on using stalagmites from shallow, well-ventilated caves as archives of seasonally-resolved climate recorders by studying trace element variations in two coeval modern stalagmites (SBFC-1 and SBFC-2) cored from Sitting Bull Falls, southern New Mexico. Seasonal cycles will be confirmed by analyzing Mg, Ba, and Sr in in-situ calcite precipitated on artificial substrates as available (July, Sept., and Nov. 2017). The chronology is constrained by semi-automated peak counting and 14C bomb-peak. In addition, principal component analyses of trace element data identify two primary underlying modes of trace element variability for soil-derived elements (Cu, Zn, and Fe) and bedrock-derived elements (Mg, Sr, and Ba). We hypothesize that the soil-derived elements are transported by seasonal infiltration of organic colloids and the bedrock-derived elements are ­­controlled by variability in cave air temperature, drip water, and calcite growth rate. The two modes of variability will be calibrated against instrumental data over the 20th century. When complete, these new seasonally resolved proxy records will

Small-angle scattering from GP zones in Al–Cu alloy

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

... and smallangle scattering experiments were carried on the powdered samples as a function of time during artificial aging. Small-angle scattering data were analysed, and evidence has been obtained for the occurrence of spinodal decomposition as the mechanism responsible in the early stages of formation of GP zones.

Reinforcement Learning Based Artificial Immune Classifier

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehmet Karakose

2013-01-01

Full Text Available One of the widely used methods for classification that is a decision-making process is artificial immune systems. Artificial immune systems based on natural immunity system can be successfully applied for classification, optimization, recognition, and learning in real-world problems. In this study, a reinforcement learning based artificial immune classifier is proposed as a new approach. This approach uses reinforcement learning to find better antibody with immune operators. The proposed new approach has many contributions according to other methods in the literature such as effectiveness, less memory cell, high accuracy, speed, and data adaptability. The performance of the proposed approach is demonstrated by simulation and experimental results using real data in Matlab and FPGA. Some benchmark data and remote image data are used for experimental results. The comparative results with supervised/unsupervised based artificial immune system, negative selection classifier, and resource limited artificial immune classifier are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed new method.

Seismic imaging of the shallow subsurface with high frequency seismic measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaelin, B.; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab., CA

1998-07-01

Elastic wave propagation in highly heterogeneous media is investigated and theoretical calculations and field measurements are presented. In the first part the dynamic composite elastic medium (DYCEM) theory is derived for one-dimensional stratified media. A self-consistent method using the scattering functions of the individual layers is formulated, which allows the calculation of phase velocity, attenuation and waveform. In the second part the DYCEM theory has been generalized for three-dimensional inclusions. The specific case of spherical inclusions is calculated with the exact scattering functions and compared with several low frequency approximations. In the third part log and VSP data of partially water saturated tuffs in the Yucca Mountain region of Nevada are analyzed. The anomalous slow seismic velocities can be explained by combining self-consistent theories for pores and cracks. The fourth part analyzes an air injection experiment in a shallow fractured limestone, which has shown large effects on the amplitude, but small effects on the travel time of the transmitted seismic waves. The large amplitude decrease during the experiment is mainly due to the impedance contrast between the small velocities of gas-water mixtures inside the fracture and the formation. The slow velocities inside the fracture allow an estimation of aperture and gas concentration profiles

Artificial intelligence in nanotechnology.

Science.gov (United States)

Sacha, G M; Varona, P

2013-11-15

During the last decade there has been increasing use of artificial intelligence tools in nanotechnology research. In this paper we review some of these efforts in the context of interpreting scanning probe microscopy, the study of biological nanosystems, the classification of material properties at the nanoscale, theoretical approaches and simulations in nanoscience, and generally in the design of nanodevices. Current trends and future perspectives in the development of nanocomputing hardware that can boost artificial-intelligence-based applications are also discussed. Convergence between artificial intelligence and nanotechnology can shape the path for many technological developments in the field of information sciences that will rely on new computer architectures and data representations, hybrid technologies that use biological entities and nanotechnological devices, bioengineering, neuroscience and a large variety of related disciplines.

Artificial intelligence in nanotechnology

Science.gov (United States)

Sacha, G. M.; Varona, P.

2013-11-01

During the last decade there has been increasing use of artificial intelligence tools in nanotechnology research. In this paper we review some of these efforts in the context of interpreting scanning probe microscopy, the study of biological nanosystems, the classification of material properties at the nanoscale, theoretical approaches and simulations in nanoscience, and generally in the design of nanodevices. Current trends and future perspectives in the development of nanocomputing hardware that can boost artificial-intelligence-based applications are also discussed. Convergence between artificial intelligence and nanotechnology can shape the path for many technological developments in the field of information sciences that will rely on new computer architectures and data representations, hybrid technologies that use biological entities and nanotechnological devices, bioengineering, neuroscience and a large variety of related disciplines.

Artificial intelligence in nanotechnology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sacha, G M; Varona, P

2013-01-01

During the last decade there has been increasing use of artificial intelligence tools in nanotechnology research. In this paper we review some of these efforts in the context of interpreting scanning probe microscopy, the study of biological nanosystems, the classification of material properties at the nanoscale, theoretical approaches and simulations in nanoscience, and generally in the design of nanodevices. Current trends and future perspectives in the development of nanocomputing hardware that can boost artificial-intelligence-based applications are also discussed. Convergence between artificial intelligence and nanotechnology can shape the path for many technological developments in the field of information sciences that will rely on new computer architectures and data representations, hybrid technologies that use biological entities and nanotechnological devices, bioengineering, neuroscience and a large variety of related disciplines. (topical review)

Channel Shallowing as Mitigation of Coastal Flooding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philip M. Orton

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Here, we demonstrate that reductions in the depth of inlets or estuary channels can be used to reduce or prevent coastal flooding. A validated hydrodynamic model of Jamaica Bay, New York City (NYC, is used to test nature-based adaptation measures in ameliorating flooding for NYC's two largest historical coastal flood events. In addition to control runs with modern bathymetry, three altered landscape scenarios are tested: (1 increasing the area of wetlands to their 1879 footprint and bathymetry, but leaving deep shipping channels unaltered; (2 shallowing all areas deeper than 2 m in the bay to be 2 m below Mean Low Water; (3 shallowing only the narrowest part of the inlet to the bay. These three scenarios are deliberately extreme and designed to evaluate the leverage each approach exerts on water levels. They result in peak water level reductions of 0.3%, 15%, and 6.8% for Hurricane Sandy, and 2.4%, 46% and 30% for the Category-3 hurricane of 1821, respectively (bay-wide averages. These results suggest that shallowing can provide greater flood protection than wetland restoration, and it is particularly effective at reducing "fast-pulse" storm surges that rise and fall quickly over several hours, like that of the 1821 storm. Nonetheless, the goal of flood mitigation must be weighed against economic, navigation, and ecological needs, and practical concerns such as the availability of sediment.

Experimental investigation of snap-through motion of in-plane MEMS shallow arches under electrostatic excitation

KAUST Repository

Ramini, Abdallah

2015-12-11

We present an experimental investigation for the nonlinear dynamic behaviors of clamped–clamped in-plane MEMS shallow arches when excited by harmonic electrostatic forces. Frequency sweeps are conducted to study the dynamic behaviors in the neighborhoods of the first and third resonance frequencies as well as the super-harmonic resonances. Experimental results show local softening behavior of small oscillations around the first resonance frequency and hardening behavior at the third resonance frequency for small dc and ac loads. Interesting dynamic snap-through cross-well motions are observed experimentally at high voltages for the first time in the micro-scale world. In addition to the dynamic snap-through motion, the MEMS arch exhibits large oscillations of a continuous band of snap-through motion between the super-harmonic resonance regime and the first primary resonance regime. This continuous band is unprecedented experimentally in the micro/macro world, and is promising for a variety of sensing, actuation and communications applications.

Experimental investigation of snap-through motion of in-plane MEMS shallow arches under electrostatic excitation

KAUST Repository

Ramini, Abdallah; Bellaredj, Mohammed L F; Al Hafiz, Md Abdullah; Younis, Mohammad I.

2015-01-01

We present an experimental investigation for the nonlinear dynamic behaviors of clamped–clamped in-plane MEMS shallow arches when excited by harmonic electrostatic forces. Frequency sweeps are conducted to study the dynamic behaviors in the neighborhoods of the first and third resonance frequencies as well as the super-harmonic resonances. Experimental results show local softening behavior of small oscillations around the first resonance frequency and hardening behavior at the third resonance frequency for small dc and ac loads. Interesting dynamic snap-through cross-well motions are observed experimentally at high voltages for the first time in the micro-scale world. In addition to the dynamic snap-through motion, the MEMS arch exhibits large oscillations of a continuous band of snap-through motion between the super-harmonic resonance regime and the first primary resonance regime. This continuous band is unprecedented experimentally in the micro/macro world, and is promising for a variety of sensing, actuation and communications applications.

Angular dependence of shallow dose

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alvarez, J.L.

1986-01-01

The theoretical response of a detector is discussed and compared to measurements of shallow dose with tissue and phantom response detectors. A definite energy dependent angular response of dose and measurement was observed which could not be explained by simple trigonometric arguments. The response is back scatter dependent and must be considered in detector design and dose measurements. It is not possible for standard detectors to follow this response

Twenty years' experience with shallow ground repositories in India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balu, K.; Mohan, A.L.; Narayan, P.K.; Godse, V.B.; Sunder Rajan, N.S.

1984-01-01

With the setting up of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre at Trombay, the first nuclear research centre in India, more than two decades ago, the need arose for disposal of the country's low-level radioactive solid wastes. Since then, nuclear power stations and other nuclear installations have been set up in different locations and the major mode of disposal for low-level solid wastes has been in engineered facilities in shallow land. The paper presents an overview of the Indian experience, with shallow land repositories for low-active solid wastes, from the point of view of design, operation and surveillance, at a number of sites. The influence of site characteristics on the design of the repository and the underground disposal modules is discussed. Details of the pre-operational investigations performed at different sites and the scheme for monitoring and surveillance of operating repositories are also included. The paper also presents briefly the type of safety analysis being carried out to evaluate possible environmental impact due to the operation of the shallow land repositories. (author)

Orientation of the eruption fissures controlled by a shallow magma chamber in Miyakejima

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nobuo Geshi

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Orientation of the eruption fissures and composition of the lavas of the Miyakejima volcano indicate tectonic influence of a shallow magma chamber on the distribution of eruption fissures. We examined the distributions and magmatic compositions of 23 fissures that formed within the last 2800 years, based on a field survey and a new dataset of 14C ages. The dominant orientation of the eruption fissures in the central portion of the volcano was found to be NE-SW, which is perpendicular to the direction of regional maximum horizontal compressive stress (σHmax. Magmas that show evidences of magma mixing between basaltic and andesitic magmas erupted mainly from the eruption fissures with a higher offset angle from the regional σHmax direction. The presence of a shallow dike-shaped magma chamber controls the distribution of the eruption fissures. The injection of basaltic magma into the shallow andesitic magma chamber caused the temporal rise of internal magmatic pressure in the shallow magma chamber. Dikes extending from the andesitic magma chamber intrude along the local compressive stress field which is generated by the internal excess pressure of the andesitic magma chamber. As the result, the eruption fissures trend parallel to the elongation direction of the shallow magma chamber. Injection of basaltic magma into the shallow andesitic magma chamber caused the magma mixing. Some basaltic dikes from the deep-seated magma chamber reach the ground surface without intersection with the andesitic magma chamber. The patterns of the eruption fissures can be modified in the future as was observed in the case of the destruction of the shallow magma chamber during the 2000 AD eruption.

Driving forces of the diel distribution of phytoplankton functional groups in a shallow tropical lake (Lake Monte Alegre, Southeast Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LM. Rangel

Full Text Available Phytoplankton vertical and diel dynamics in a small shallow lake (Lake Monte Alegre, Ribeirão Preto, state of São Paulo were investigated in two climatological periods: July 2001 (cool-dry season and March 2002 (warm-rainy season. Monte Alegre is a eutrophic reservoir, with a warm polymictic discontinuous circulation pattern. The lake was thermally stratified in both periods, although dissolved oxygen varied less in the cool-dry period. Phytoplankton biomass was higher in the warm-rainy season and the vertical distribution was stratified in both seasons. Flagellate groups (Lm, Y, W1 and W2 and functional groups typical of shallow eutrophic environments (J, X1 and Sn were important throughout the study period. The lake's thermal pattern strongly influenced the vertical distribution of the phytoplankton community in both periods. Biomass, functional groups and size classes of phytoplankton also were determined by the presence of more efficient herbivores in the lake, especially during the cool-dry period when phytoplankton biomass decreased.

Dissolved gasesous hydrocarbons in shallow groundwater of Lower Saxony, Germany - Revisited 2016

Science.gov (United States)

Schloemer, Stefan; Illing, Christian J.; Blumenberg, Martin; Oest, Johanna; Elbracht, Jörg

2017-04-01

Many concerns arise within the public and government/political institutions over potential groundwater contamination from deep drilling operations. For this reason we initiated a baseline study in 2014 on the distribution of dissolved methane, ethane and propane in shallow groundwater ( 1000 groundwater wells, Schloemer et al., 2016) of Lower Saxony, which includes the major petroleum and natural gas provinces in Germany. We observed a variation of dissolved methane concentration over 7 orders of magnitude (20 nl/l to 60 ml/l [v/v]). Methane delta13C compositions ranged from -110‰ to +25‰ vs VPDB, narrowly clustering around -70‰ at high concentrations but being increasingly more variable at lower concentrations (-40‰ to -80‰)). Most of the data are clearly indicative for methanogenic processes, samples unusually enriched in delta13C can best be explained by secondary methane oxidation. Although some general regional trend can be observed, results are highly variable within short lateral distances or within different aquifers/filter depths. Frequently ethane (27% of samples, median 50nl/l) and occasionally propane (8%, median 23nl/l) has been detected. Lacking the carbon isotope composition of these homologues and thus solely based on the extremely low concentrations and atypical ethane/propane ratios, these have been tentatively interpreted as ubiquitous microbial background. From the original 2014 sample set around 100 wells have been selected for consecutive testing through 2015. In spring 2016 a total number of 1100 wells have been sampled, 700 of which had already been part of the initial study, providing us with the unique opportunity to assess long term variations. The overall comparison of these 700 samples revealed only small relative variations in methane concentrations (mostly ± 5‰ in 25% of samples). Minor variations could be related to uncertainties in laboratory analysis (± 10% in concentration, ± 0.5‰ delta13C). To which extent the

Determination of the real structure of artificial and natural opals on the basis of three-dimensional reconstructions of reciprocal space

Science.gov (United States)

Eliseev, A. A.; Gorozhankin, D. F.; Napolskii, K. S.; Petukhov, A. V.; Sapoletova, N. A.; Vasilieva, A. V.; Grigoryeva, N. A.; Mistonov, A. A.; Byelov, D. V.; Bouwman, W. G.; Kvashnina, K. O.; Chernyshov, D. Yu.; Bosak, A. A.; Grigoriev, S. V.

2009-10-01

The distribution of the scattering intensity in the reciprocal space for natural and artificial opals has been reconstructed from a set of small-angle X-ray diffraction patterns. The resulting three-dimensional intensity maps are used to analyze the defect structure of opals. The structure of artificial opals can be satisfactorily described in the Wilson probability model with the prevalence of layers in the fcc environment. The diffraction patterns observed for a natural opal confirm the presence of sufficiently long unequally occupied fcc domains.

The "shallow-waterness" of the wave climate in European coastal regions

Science.gov (United States)

Håkon Christensen, Kai; Carrasco, Ana; Bidlot, Jean-Raymond; Breivik, Øyvind

2017-07-01

In contrast to deep water waves, shallow water waves are influenced by bottom topography, which has consequences for the propagation of wave energy as well as for the energy and momentum exchange between the waves and the mean flow. The ERA-Interim reanalysis is used to assess the fraction of wave energy associated with shallow water waves in coastal regions in Europe. We show maps of the distribution of this fraction as well as time series statistics from eight selected stations. There is a strong seasonal dependence and high values are typically associated with winter storms, indicating that shallow water wave effects can occasionally be important even in the deeper parts of the shelf seas otherwise dominated by deep water waves.

Artificial Intelligence--Applications in Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Poirot, James L.; Norris, Cathleen A.

1987-01-01

This first in a projected series of five articles discusses artificial intelligence and its impact on education. Highlights include the history of artificial intelligence and the impact of microcomputers; learning processes; human factors and interfaces; computer assisted instruction and intelligent tutoring systems; logic programing; and expert…

Performance Analysis of High-Speed Deep/Shallow Recessed Hybrid Bearing

OpenAIRE

Lei Wang; Shuyun Jiang

2013-01-01

The present paper proposes a theoretical analysis of the performance of deep/shallow recessed hybrid bearing. It is intended that, on the basis of the numerical results drawn from this study, appropriate shallow recess depth and width can be determined for use in the bearing design process. By adopting bulk flow theory, the turbulent Reynolds equation and energy equation are modified and solved numerically including concentrated inertia effects at the recess edge with different depth and widt...

Artificial intelligence in medicine.

OpenAIRE

Ramesh, A. N.; Kambhampati, C.; Monson, J. R. T.; Drew, P. J.

2004-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Artificial intelligence is a branch of computer science capable of analysing complex medical data. Their potential to exploit meaningful relationship with in a data set can be used in the diagnosis, treatment and predicting outcome in many clinical scenarios. METHODS: Medline and internet searches were carried out using the keywords 'artificial intelligence' and 'neural networks (computer)'. Further references were obtained by cross-referencing from key articles. An overview of ...

Artificial intelligence in cardiology

OpenAIRE

Bonderman, Diana

2017-01-01

Summary Decision-making is complex in modern medicine and should ideally be based on available data, structured knowledge and proper interpretation in the context of an individual patient. Automated algorithms, also termed artificial intelligence that are able to extract meaningful patterns from data collections and build decisions upon identified patterns may be useful assistants in clinical decision-making processes. In this article, artificial intelligence-based studies in clinical cardiol...

Intelligence: Real or artificial?

OpenAIRE

Schlinger, Henry D.

1992-01-01

Throughout the history of the artificial intelligence movement, researchers have strived to create computers that could simulate general human intelligence. This paper argues that workers in artificial intelligence have failed to achieve this goal because they adopted the wrong model of human behavior and intelligence, namely a cognitive essentialist model with origins in the traditional philosophies of natural intelligence. An analysis of the word “intelligence” suggests that it originally r...

Accurate depth profiling for ultra-shallow implants using backside-SIMS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hongo, Chie; Tomita, Mitsuhiro; Takenaka, Miyuki

2004-01-01

We studied methods for accurate depth profiling for ultra-shallow implants using backside-SIMS. For the measurement of ultra-shallow profiles, the effects of surface transient and atomic mixing are not negligible. Therefore, we applied backside-SIMS to analyze ultra-shallow doping in order to exclude these effects. Backside-SIMS profiles show a sharper ion implantation tail than surface-side-SIMS profiles. In addition, the primary ion energy dependence becomes weaker when backside-SIMS is used [Surf. Interf. Anal. 29 (2000) 362; Appl. Surf. Sci. 203-204 (2003) 264; J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 21 (2003) 1422]. However, the peak concentration of the backside sample was lower than that of the surface-side sample. Therefore, the sample flatness was estimated using the SIMS response function. Furthermore, SIMS profiles were simulated using SIMS response functions. This simulation shows how the sample flatness affects the SIMS profile

The role of land use changes in the distribution of shallow landslides.

Science.gov (United States)

Persichillo, Maria Giuseppina; Bordoni, Massimiliano; Meisina, Claudia

2017-01-01

The role of land use dynamics on shallow landslide susceptibility remains an unresolved problem. Thus, this work aims to assess the influence of land use changes on shallow landslide susceptibility. Three shallow landslide-prone areas that are representative of peculiar land use settings in the Oltrepò Pavese (North Apennines) are analysed: the Rio Frate, Versa and Alta Val Tidone catchments. These areas were affected by widespread land abandonment and modifications in agricultural practices from 1954 to 2012 and relevant shallow landslide phenomena in 2009, 2013 and 2014. A multi-temporal land use change analysis allows us to evaluate the degree of transformation in the three investigated areas and the influence of these changes on the susceptibility to shallow landslides. The results show that the three catchments were characterised by pronounced land abandonment and important changes in agricultural practices. In particular, abandoned cultivated lands that gradually recovered through natural grasses, shrubs and woods were identified as the land use change classes that were most prone to shallow landslides. Additionally, the negative qualities of the agricultural maintenance practices increased the surface water runoff and consequently intensified erosion processes and instability phenomena. Although the land use was identified as the most important predisposing factor in all the study areas, some cases existed in which the predisposition of certain areas to shallow landslides was influenced by the combined effect of land use changes and the geological conditions, as highlighted by the high susceptibility of slopes that are characterised by adverse local geological (thick soils derived from clayey-marly bedrocks) and geomorphological (slope angle higher than 25°) conditions. Thus, the achieved results are particularly useful to understand the best land conservation strategies to be adopted to reduce instability phenomena and the consequent economic losses in

Design of a portable artificial heart drive system based on efficiency analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kitamura, T

1986-11-01

This paper discusses a computer simulation of a pneumatic portable piston-type artificial heart drive system with a linear d-c-motor. The purpose of the design is to obtain an artificial heart drive system with high efficiency and small dimensions to enhance portability. The design employs two factors contributing the total efficiency of the drive system. First, the dimensions of the pneumatic actuator were optimized under a cost function of the total efficiency. Second, the motor performance was studied in terms of efficiency. More than 50 percent of the input energy of the actuator with practical loads is consumed in the armature circuit in all linear d-c-motors with brushes. An optimal design is: the piston cross-sectional area of 10.5 cm2 cylinder longitudinal length of 10 cm. The total efficiency could be up to 25 percent by improving the gasket to reduce the frictional force.

The artificial neural networks: An approach to artificial intelligence; Un approccio ``biologico`` all`intelligenza artificiale

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Taraglio, Sergio; Zanela, Andrea [ENEA, Casaccia (Italy). Dipt. Innovazione

1997-05-01

The artificial neural networks try to simulate the functionalities of the nervous system through a complex network of simple computing elements. In this work is presented an introduction to the neural networks and some of their possible applications, especially in the field of Artificial Intelligence.

Particle-size segregation and diffusive remixing in shallow granular avalanches

Science.gov (United States)

Gray, J. M. N. T.; Chugunov, V. A.

2006-12-01

Segregation and mixing of dissimilar grains is a problem in many industrial and pharmaceutical processes, as well as in hazardous geophysical flows, where the size-distribution can have a major impact on the local rheology and the overall run-out. In this paper, a simple binary mixture theory is used to formulate a model for particle-size segregation and diffusive remixing of large and small particles in shallow gravity-driven free-surface flows. This builds on a recent theory for the process of kinetic sieving, which is the dominant mechanism for segregation in granular avalanches provided the density-ratio and the size-ratio of the particles are not too large. The resulting nonlinear parabolic segregation remixing equation reduces to a quasi-linear hyperbolic equation in the no-remixing limit. It assumes that the bulk velocity is incompressible and that the bulk pressure is lithostatic, making it compatible with most theories used to compute the motion of shallow granular free-surface flows. In steady-state, the segregation remixing equation reduces to a logistic type equation and the ‘S’-shaped solutions are in very good agreement with existing particle dynamics simulations for both size and density segregation. Laterally uniform time-dependent solutions are constructed by mapping the segregation remixing equation to Burgers equation and using the Cole Hopf transformation to linearize the problem. It is then shown how solutions for arbitrary initial conditions can be constructed using standard methods. Three examples are investigated in which the initial concentration is (i) homogeneous, (ii) reverse graded with the coarse grains above the fines, and, (iii) normally graded with the fines above the coarse grains. Time-dependent two-dimensional solutions are also constructed for plug-flow in a semi-infinite chute.

Ethical Considerations in Artificial Intelligence Courses

OpenAIRE

Burton, Emanuelle; Goldsmith, Judy; Koenig, Sven; Kuipers, Benjamin; Mattei, Nicholas; Walsh, Toby

2017-01-01

The recent surge in interest in ethics in artificial intelligence may leave many educators wondering how to address moral, ethical, and philosophical issues in their AI courses. As instructors we want to develop curriculum that not only prepares students to be artificial intelligence practitioners, but also to understand the moral, ethical, and philosophical impacts that artificial intelligence will have on society. In this article we provide practical case studies and links to resources for ...

Clonación artificial de controladores basados en técnicas de inteligencia artificial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javier Antonio Ballesteros

2004-11-01

Full Text Available En el presente articulo se expone un avance de anteproyecto, sobre técnicas de inteligencia Artificial, su aplicación a procesos industriales y herramientas para realizar simulación. Se citan algunos trabajos en los cuales hay resultados, y que prestan un soporte lógico para continuar con el desarrollo del proyecto. Ademas, se analiza, la función que cumple el controlador el cual debe ser preciso, confiable y que a su vez reduzca costos. Por estas razones se tomó como base del proyecto un controlador que posea estas características para que se puedan aplicar técnicas de lnteligencia Artificial y poder realizar Ia colación artificial.

Planning for shallow high resolution seismic surveys

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Fourie, CJS

2008-11-01

Full Text Available of the input wave. This information can be used in conjunction with this spreadsheet to aid the geophysicist in designing shallow high resolution seismic surveys to achieve maximum resolution and penetration. This Excel spreadsheet is available free from...

Artificial Reefs

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — An artificial reef is a human-made underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom, control erosion, block...

Engineering a Light-Attenuating Artificial Iris

Science.gov (United States)

Shareef, Farah J.; Sun, Shan; Kotecha, Mrignayani; Kassem, Iris; Azar, Dimitri; Cho, Michael

2016-01-01

Purpose Discomfort from light exposure leads to photophobia, glare, and poor vision in patients with congenital or trauma-induced iris damage. Commercial artificial iris lenses are static in nature to provide aesthetics without restoring the natural iris's dynamic response to light. A new photo-responsive artificial iris was therefore developed using a photochromic material with self-adaptive light transmission properties and encased in a transparent biocompatible polymer matrix. Methods The implantable artificial iris was designed and engineered using Photopia, a class of photo-responsive materials (termed naphthopyrans) embedded in polyethylene. Photopia was reshaped into annular disks that were spin-coated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to form our artificial iris lens of controlled thickness. Results Activated by UV and blue light in approximately 5 seconds with complete reversal in less than 1 minute, the artificial iris demonstrates graded attenuation of up to 40% of visible and 60% of UV light. There optical characteristics are suitable to reversibly regulate the incident light intensity. In vitro cell culture experiments showed up to 60% cell death within 10 days of exposure to Photopia, but no significant cell death observed when cultured with the artificial iris with protective encapsulation. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy confirmed these results as there was no apparent leakage of potentially toxic photochromic material from the ophthalmic device. Conclusions Our artificial iris lens mimics the functionality of the natural iris by attenuating light intensity entering the eye with its rapid reversible change in opacity and thus potentially providing an improved treatment option for patients with iris damage. PMID:27116547

Engineering a Light-Attenuating Artificial Iris.

Science.gov (United States)

Shareef, Farah J; Sun, Shan; Kotecha, Mrignayani; Kassem, Iris; Azar, Dimitri; Cho, Michael

2016-04-01

Discomfort from light exposure leads to photophobia, glare, and poor vision in patients with congenital or trauma-induced iris damage. Commercial artificial iris lenses are static in nature to provide aesthetics without restoring the natural iris's dynamic response to light. A new photo-responsive artificial iris was therefore developed using a photochromic material with self-adaptive light transmission properties and encased in a transparent biocompatible polymer matrix. The implantable artificial iris was designed and engineered using Photopia, a class of photo-responsive materials (termed naphthopyrans) embedded in polyethylene. Photopia was reshaped into annular disks that were spin-coated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to form our artificial iris lens of controlled thickness. Activated by UV and blue light in approximately 5 seconds with complete reversal in less than 1 minute, the artificial iris demonstrates graded attenuation of up to 40% of visible and 60% of UV light. There optical characteristics are suitable to reversibly regulate the incident light intensity. In vitro cell culture experiments showed up to 60% cell death within 10 days of exposure to Photopia, but no significant cell death observed when cultured with the artificial iris with protective encapsulation. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy confirmed these results as there was no apparent leakage of potentially toxic photochromic material from the ophthalmic device. Our artificial iris lens mimics the functionality of the natural iris by attenuating light intensity entering the eye with its rapid reversible change in opacity and thus potentially providing an improved treatment option for patients with iris damage.

Shallow foundation model tests in Europe

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Feda, Jaroslav; Simonini, P.; Arslan, U.; Georgiodis, M.; Laue, J.; Pinto, I.

1999-01-01

Roč. 2, č. 4 (1999), s. 447-475 ISSN 1436-6517. [Int. Conf. on Soil - Structure Interaction in Urban Civ. Engineering. Darmstadt, 08.10.1999-09.10.1999] R&D Projects: GA MŠk OC C7.10 Keywords : shallow foundations * model tests * sandy subsoil * bearing capacity * settlement Subject RIV: JM - Building Engineering

The principles of artificial neural network information processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai, Ru-Wei

1993-01-01

In this article, the basic structure of an artificial neuron is first introduced. In addition, principles of artificial neural network as well as several important artificial neural models such as Perceptron, Back propagation model, Hopfield net, and ART model are briefly discussed and analyzed. Finally, the application of artificial neural network for Chinese Character Recognition is also given. (author)

The principles of artificial neural network information processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai, Ru-Wei

1993-01-01

In this article, the basic structure of an artificial neuron is first introduced. In addition, principles of artificial neural network as well as several important artificial neural models such as perception, back propagation model, Hopfield net, and ART model are briefly discussed and analyzed. Finally the application of artificial neural network for Chinese character recognition is also given. (author)

Artificial organs 2011: a year in review.

Science.gov (United States)

Malchesky, Paul S

2012-03-01

In this Editor's Review, articles published in 2011 are organized by category and briefly summarized. As the official journal of The International Federation for Artificial Organs, The International Faculty for Artificial Organs, and the International Society for Rotary Blood Pumps, Artificial Organs continues in the original mission of its founders "to foster communications in the field of artificial organs on an international level."Artificial Organs continues to publish developments and clinical applications of artificial organ technologies in this broad and expanding field of organ replacement, recovery, and regeneration from all over the world. We take this time also to express our gratitude to our authors for offering their work to this journal. We offer our very special thanks to our reviewers who give so generously of time and expertise to review, critique, and especially provide meaningful suggestions to the author's work whether eventually accepted or rejected. Without these excellent and dedicated reviewers, the quality expected from such a journal would not be possible. We also express our special thanks to our Publisher, Wiley-Blackwell, for their expert attention and support in the production and marketing of Artificial Organs. In this Editor's Review, that historically has been widely well-received by our readership, we aim to provide a brief reflection of the currently available worldwide knowledge that is intended to advance and better human life while providing insight for continued application of technologies and methods of organ replacement, recovery, and regeneration. We look forward to recording further advances in the coming years. © 2012, Copyright the Author. Artificial Organs © 2012, International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Artificial Organs 2012: a year in review.

Science.gov (United States)

Malchesky, Paul S

2013-03-01

In this editor's review, articles published in 2012 are organized by category and briefly summarized. We aim to provide a brief reflection of the currently available worldwide knowledge that is intended to advance and better human life while providing insight for continued application of technologies and methods of organ replacement, recovery, and regeneration. As the official journal of the International Federation for Artificial Organs, the International Faculty for Artificial Organs, and the International Society for Rotary Blood Pumps, Artificial Organs continues in the original mission of its founders "to foster communications in the field of artificial organs on an international level." Artificial Organs continues to publish developments and clinical applications of artificial organ technologies in this broad and expanding field of organ replacement, recovery, and regeneration from all over the world. We take this time also to express our gratitude to our authors for offering their work to this journal. We offer our very special thanks to our reviewers who give so generously of time and expertise to review, critique, and especially provide such meaningful suggestions to the author's work whether eventually accepted or rejected, and especially to those whose native tongue is not English. Without these excellent and dedicated reviewers, the quality expected from such a journal could not be possible. We also express our special thanks to our publisher, Wiley Periodicals, for their expert attention and support in the production and marketing of Artificial Organs. We look forward to recording further advances in the coming years. © 2013, Copyright the Author. Artificial Organs © 2013, International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Sucrose compared with artificial sweeteners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Lone Brinkmann; Vasilaras, Tatjana H; Astrup, Arne

2014-01-01

There is a lack of appetite studies in free-living subjects supplying the habitual diet with either sucrose or artificially sweetened beverages and foods. Furthermore, the focus of artificial sweeteners has only been on the energy intake (EI) side of the energy-balance equation. The data are from...

Preliminary test results from the HSST shallow-crack fracture toughness program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Theiss, T.J.; Robinson, G.C.; Rolfe, S.T.

1991-01-01

The Heavy Section Steel Technology (HSST) Program under sponsorship of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is investigating the influence of crack depth on the fracture toughness of reactor pressure vessel steel. The ultimate goal of the investigation is the generation of a limited data base of elastic-plastic fracture toughness values appropriate for shallow flaws in a reactor pressure vessel and the application of this data to reactor vessel life assessments. It has been shown that shallow-flaws play a dominant role in the probabilistic fracture mechanics analysis of reactor pressure vessels during a pressurized-thermal-shock event. In addition, recent research has shown that the crack initiation toughness measured using specimens with shallow flaws is greater that the toughness determined with conventional, deeply notched specimens at temperatures within the transition region for non-nuclear steels. The influence of crack depth on the elastic-plastic fracture toughness for prototypic reactor material is being investigated. Preliminary results indicate a significant increase in the toughness associated with shallow-flaws which has the potential to significantly impact the conditional probability of vessel failure. 8 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab

Artificial microRNAs and their applications in plant molecular biology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pérez-Quintero Álvaro Luis

2010-11-01

Full Text Available

A simplified model of soakaway infiltration interaction with a shallow groundwater table

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Roldin, Maria; Locatelli, Luca; Mark, Ole

2013-01-01

This paper presents a new and simplified modeling concept for soakaway infiltration in the presence of a shallow groundwater table, including representation of the local groundwater mound and its effects on the infiltration rate. The soil moisture retention curve is used to represent the influence......, and its effects on the infiltration rate, can be represented even if the spatial resolution of the groundwater flow model is coarser than the extent of the mound. The new model has been run for a number of scenarios and soil parameters, and the results compared to the output from a two...... of the mound on infiltration rates. The model is intended to be used in situations when distributed urban drainage models with soakaways or similar infiltration devices are coupled to distributed groundwater flow models. With this new modeling concept, the local mounding from small-scale infiltration systems...

Reentrant high-magnetic field superconductivity in a clean two-dimensional superconductor with shallow band

Science.gov (United States)

Koshelev, Alexei E.; Song, Kok Wee

We investigate the superconducting instability in the magnetic field for a clean two-dimensional multiple-band superconductor in the vicinity of the Lifshitz transition when one of the bands is very shallow. Due to a small number of carriers in this band, the quasiclassical Werthamer-Helfand approximation breaks down and Landau quantization has to be taken into account. We found that the transition temperature Tc 2 (H) has giant oscillations and is resonantly enhanced at the magnetic fields corresponding to full occupancy of the Landau levels in the shallow band. This enhancement is especially pronounced for the lowest Landau level. As a consequence, the reentrant superconducting regions in the temperature-field phase diagram emerge at low temperatures near the magnetic fields at which the chemical potential matches the Landau levels. These regions may be disconnected from the main low-field superconducting region. The specific behavior depends on the relative strength of the intraband and interband coupling constants and the effect is most pronounced when the interband coupling dominates. The Zeeman spin splitting reduces sizes of the reentrant regions and changes their location in the parameter space. The predicted behavior may realize in the gate-tuned FeSe monolayer. This work was supported by the Center for Emergent Superconductivity, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the US DOE, Office of Science, under Award No. DEAC0298CH1088.

Size-dependent responses of zooplankton to submerged macrophyte restoration in a subtropical shallow lake

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Lei; He, Feng; Zhang, Yi; Liu, Biyun; Dai, Zhigang; Zhou, Qiaohong; Wu, Zhenbin

2018-03-01

To explore the size-dependent responses of zooplankton to submerged macrophyte restoration, we collected macrophyte, zooplankton and water quality samples seasonally from a subtropical shallow lake from 2010 to 2012. Special attention was given to changes in rotifers and crustaceans (cladocerans and copepods). The rotifers were grouped into three size classes (400 μm) to explore their size-related responses to macrophyte restoration. The results showed that during the restoration, the annual mean biomass and macrophyte coverage increased significantly from 0 to 637 g/m2 and 0 to 27%, respectively. In response, the density and biomass of crustaceans and the crustacean-to-rotifer ratio increased significantly, while the rotifer density decreased significantly. Moreover, rotifers showed significant sizedependent responses to macrophyte restoration. Specially, rotifers sized zooplankton tended to boom, while that of small rotifers was inhibited during macrophyte restoration. Redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed positive correlations between macrophytes and crustaceans, rotifers and COD or Chl- a, but negative correlations between macrophytes and COD or Chl- a, and between crustaceans and Chl- a. Moreover, the results indicate that increased predation on phytoplankton by large-sized zooplankton might be an important mechanism for macrophyte restoration during development of aquatic ecosystems, and that this mechanism played a very important role in promoting the formation of a clear-water state in subtropical shallow lakes.

[Sleep disorder of schizophrenia treated with shallow needling: a randomized controlled trial].

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yanxi; Zheng, Ying

2015-09-01

To compare the clinical effective differences between shallow needling and medication for the sleep disorder of schizophrenia. Ninety-six patients with the sleep disorder of schizophrenia were randomly divided into a shallow needling group and a medication group, 48 cases in each one (one case dropping in the shallow needling group and two cases dropping in the medication group). The same dose paliperidone tablets were adopted in the two groups. In the shallow needling group, the main acupoints were Baihui (GV 20), Shangenxue (Extra) and Ezhongxian (MS 1), and the acupoints based on syndrome differentiation were selected. The shallow needling manipulation was used once a day, 5 times a week. In the medication group, 3 mg eszopiclone tablets were prescribed orally before sleep once every night. The patients were treated for 6 weeks in the two groups. Sleep condition was evaluated by Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) before and after treatment, and the clinical efficacy and the adverse reaction were assessed by positive and negative symptoms scale (PANSS) and treatment emergent symptom scale (TESS) before and after 2-week, 4-week and 6-week treatment. The clinical effects between the two groups were compared. After treatment in the two groups, both the total scores and the each factor score of the PSQI and the PANSS were apparently decreased (Pshallow needling group was reduced more obviously than that of the medication group (Pshallow needling group (Pshallow needling group was better than that in the medication group after treatment (Pshallow needling group after treatment (P0. 05). At the end of the 6th week, the curative and effective rate was 63. 9% (30/47) and the total effective rate was 95. 8% (45/47) in the shallow needling group;the curative and effective rate was 58. 7% (27/46) and the total effective rate was 91. 3% (42/46) in the medication group. The difference of the effect was not statistically significant between the two groups (P>0. 05). The

In situ disinfection of sewage contaminated shallow groundwater: a feasibility study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bailey, Morgan M; Cooper, William J; Grant, Stanley B

2011-11-01

Sewage-contaminated shallow groundwater is a potential cause of beach closures and water quality impairment in marine coastal communities. In this study we set out to evaluate the feasibility of several strategies for disinfecting sewage-contaminated shallow groundwater before it reaches the coastline. The disinfection rates of Escherichia coli (EC) and enterococci bacteria (ENT) were measured in mixtures of raw sewage and brackish shallow groundwater collected from a coastal community in southern California. Different disinfection strategies were explored, ranging from benign (aeration alone, and aeration with addition of brine) to aggressive (chemical disinfectants peracetic acid (PAA) or peroxymonosulfate (Oxone)). Aeration alone and aeration with brine did not significantly reduce the concentration of EC and ENT after 6 h of exposure, while 4-5 mg L(-1) of PAA or Oxone achieved >3 log reduction after 15 min of exposure. Oxone disinfection was more rapid at higher salinities, most likely due to the formation of secondary oxidants (e.g., bromine and chlorine) that make this disinfectant inappropriate for marine applications. Using a Lagrangian modeling framework, we identify several factors that could influence the performance of in-situ disinfection with PAA, including the potential for bacterial regrowth, and the non-linear dependence of disinfection rate upon the residence time of water in the shallow groundwater. The data and analysis presented in this paper provide a framework for evaluating the feasibility of in-situ disinfection of shallow groundwater, and elucidate several topics that warrant further investigation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Oral Microbiome of Deep and Shallow Dental Pockets In Chronic Periodontitis

Science.gov (United States)

Ge, Xiuchun; Rodriguez, Rafael; Trinh, My; Gunsolley, John; Xu, Ping

2013-01-01

We examined the subgingival bacterial biodiversity in untreated chronic periodontitis patients by sequencing 16S rRNA genes. The primary purpose of the study was to compare the oral microbiome in deep (diseased) and shallow (healthy) sites. A secondary purpose was to evaluate the influences of smoking, race and dental caries on this relationship. A total of 88 subjects from two clinics were recruited. Paired subgingival plaque samples were taken from each subject, one from a probing site depth >5 mm (deep site) and the other from a probing site depth ≤3mm (shallow site). A universal primer set was designed to amplify the V4–V6 region for oral microbial 16S rRNA sequences. Differences in genera and species attributable to deep and shallow sites were determined by statistical analysis using a two-part model and false discovery rate. Fifty-one of 170 genera and 200 of 746 species were found significantly different in abundances between shallow and deep sites. Besides previously identified periodontal disease-associated bacterial species, additional species were found markedly changed in diseased sites. Cluster analysis revealed that the microbiome difference between deep and shallow sites was influenced by patient-level effects such as clinic location, race and smoking. The differences between clinic locations may be influenced by racial distribution, in that all of the African Americans subjects were seen at the same clinic. Our results suggested that there were influences from the microbiome for caries and periodontal disease and these influences are independent. PMID:23762384

The Correlation between Insertion Depth of Prodisc-C Artificial Disc and Postoperative Kyphotic Deformity: Clinical Importance of Insertion Depth of Artificial Disc.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Do-Youl; Kim, Se-Hoon; Suh, Jung-Keun; Cho, Tai-Hyoung; Chung, Yong-Gu

2012-09-01

This study was designed to investigate the correlation between insertion depth of artificial disc and postoperative kyphotic deformity after Prodisc-C total disc replacement surgery, and the range of artificial disc insertion depth which is effective in preventing postoperative whole cervical or segmental kyphotic deformity. A retrospective radiological analysis was performed in 50 patients who had undergone single level total disc replacement surgery. Records were reviewed to obtain demographic data. Preoperative and postoperative radiographs were assessed to determine C2-7 Cobb's angle and segmental angle and to investigate postoperative kyphotic deformity. A formula was introduced to calculate insertion depth of Prodisc-C artificial disc. Statistical analysis was performed to search the correlation between insertion depth of Prodisc-C artificial disc and postoperative kyphotic deformity, and to estimate insertion depth of Prodisc-C artificial disc to prevent postoperative kyphotic deformity. In this study no significant statistical correlation was observed between insertion depth of Prodisc-C artificial disc and postoperative kyphotic deformity regarding C2-7 Cobb's angle. Statistical correlation between insertion depth of Prodisc-C artificial disc and postoperative kyphotic deformity was observed regarding segmental angle (p<0.05). It failed to estimate proper insertion depth of Prodisc-C artificial disc effective in preventing postoperative kyphotic deformity. Postoperative segmental kyphotic deformity is associated with insertion depth of Prodisc-C artificial disc. Anterior located artificial disc leads to lordotic segmental angle and posterior located artificial disc leads to kyphotic segmental angle postoperatively. But C2-7 Cobb's angle is not affected by artificial disc location after the surgery.

Bioengineering of Artificial Lymphoid Organs.

Science.gov (United States)

Nosenko, M A; Drutskaya, M S; Moisenovich, M M; Nedospasov, S A

2016-01-01

This review addresses the issue of bioengineering of artificial lymphoid organs.Progress in this field may help to better understand the nature of the structure-function relations that exist in immune organs. Artifical lymphoid organs may also be advantageous in the therapy or correction of immunodefficiencies, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. The structural organization, development, and function of lymphoid tissue are analyzed with a focus on the role of intercellular contacts and on the cytokine signaling pathways regulating these processes. We describe various polymeric materials, as scaffolds, for artificial tissue engineering. Finally, published studies in which artificial lymphoid organs were generated are reviewed and possible future directions in the field are discussed.

Artificial Immune Networks: Models and Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xian Shen

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Artificial Immune Systems (AIS, which is inspired by the nature immune system, has been applied for solving complex computational problems in classification, pattern rec- ognition, and optimization. In this paper, the theory of the natural immune system is first briefly introduced. Next, we compare some well-known AIS and their applications. Several representative artificial immune networks models are also dis- cussed. Moreover, we demonstrate the applications of artificial immune networks in various engineering fields.

Study of shallow junction formation by boron-containing cluster ion implantation of silicon and two-stage annealing

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Xin-Ming

Shallow junction formation made by low energy ion implantation and rapid thermal annealing is facing a major challenge for ULSI (ultra large scale integration) as the line width decreases down to the sub micrometer region. The issues include low beam current, the channeling effect in low energy ion implantation and TED (transient enhanced diffusion) during annealing after ion implantation. In this work, boron containing small cluster ions, such as GeB, SiB and SiB2, was generated by using the SNICS (source of negative ion by cesium sputtering) ion source to implant into Si substrates to form shallow junctions. The use of boron containing cluster ions effectively reduces the boron energy while keeping the energy of the cluster ion beam at a high level. At the same time, it reduces the channeling effect due to amorphization by co-implanted heavy atoms like Ge and Si. Cluster ions have been used to produce 0.65--2keV boron for low energy ion implantation. Two stage annealing, which is a combination of low temperature (550°C) preannealing and high temperature annealing (1000°C), was carried out to anneal the Si sample implanted by GeB, SiBn clusters. The key concept of two-step annealing, that is, the separation of crystal regrowth, point defects removal with dopant activation from dopant diffusion, is discussed in detail. The advantages of the two stage annealing include better lattice structure, better dopant activation and retarded boron diffusion. The junction depth of the two stage annealed GeB sample was only half that of the one-step annealed sample, indicating that TED was suppressed by two stage annealing. Junction depths as small as 30 nm have been achieved by two stage annealing of sample implanted with 5 x 10-4/cm2 of 5 keV GeB at 1000°C for 1 second. The samples were evaluated by SIMS (secondary ion mass spectrometry) profiling, TEM (transmission electron microscopy) and RBS (Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry)/channeling. Cluster ion implantation

The Past, Present, and Future of Artificial Life

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wendy eAguilar

2014-10-01

Full Text Available For millennia people have wondered what makes the living different from the non-living. Beginning in the mid-1980s, artificial life has studied living systems using a synthetic approach: build life in order to understand it better, be it by means of software, hardware, or wetware. This review provides a summary of the advances that led to the development of artificial life, its current research topics, and open problems and opportunities. We classify artificial life research into fourteen themes: origins of life, autonomy, self-organization, adaptation (including evolution, development, and learning, ecology, artificial societies, behavior, computational biology, artificial chemistries, information, living technology, art, and philosophy. Being interdisciplinary, artificial life seems to be losing its boundaries and merging with other fields.

Shallow ground disposal - calculation of dose

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-02-01

The ability of an existing shallow land burial systems model to meet AECB user requirements has been evaluated. The deficiencies of the program are identified and activities necessary to modify the code to fulfill the user requirements are outlined. Implementation plans for a number of likely scenarios have been constructed and possible cost-cutting measures have been recommended

Shallow geothermal energy from a Danish standpoint

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjørn, Henrik

2018-01-01

Shallow geothermal energy is sadly undeveloped in Denmark compared to the neighbouring countries. However, the general need for transformation to sustainable energy sources combined with what appears to be an increased willingness from the authorities to actively support ground source heating, may...

Fracture behavior of shallow cracks in full-thickness clad beams from an RPV wall section

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keeney, J.A.; Bass, B.R.; McAfee, W.J.

1995-01-01

A testing program is described that utilizes full-thickness clad beam specimens to quantify fracture toughness for shallow cracks in weld material for which metallurgical conditions are prototypic of those found in reactor pressure vessels (RPVs). The beam specimens are fabricated from an RPV shell segment that includes weld, plate and clad material. Metallurgical factors potentially influencing fracture toughness for shallow cracks in the beam specimens include material gradients and material inhomogeneities in welded regions. The shallow-crack clad beam specimens showed a significant loss of constraint similar to that of other shallow-crack single-edge notch bend (SENB) specimens. The stress-based Dodds-Anderson scaling model appears to be effective in adjusting the test data to account for in-plane loss of constraint for uniaxially tested beams, but cannot predict the observed effects of out-of-plane biaxial loading on shallow-crack fracture toughness. A strain-based dual-parameter fracture toughness correlation (based on plastic zone width) performed acceptably when applied to the uniaxial and biaxial shallow-crack fracture toughness data

Kyiv Small Rivers in Metropolis Water Objects System

Science.gov (United States)

Krelshteyn, P.; Dubnytska, M.

2017-12-01

The article answers the question, what really are the small underground rivers with artificial watercourses: water bodies or city engineering infrastructure objects? The place of such rivers in metropolis water objects system is identified. The ecological state and the degree of urbanization of small rivers, as well as the dynamics of change in these indicators are analysed on the Kiev city example with the help of water objects cadastre. It was found that the registration of small rivers in Kyiv city is not conducted, and the summary information on such water objects is absent and is not taken into account when making managerial decisions at the urban level. To solve this problem, we propose to create some water bodies accounting system (water cadastre).

Temperature characterization of deep and shallow defect centers of low noise silicon JFETs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arnaboldi, Claudio; Fascilla, Andrea; Lund, M.W.; Pessina, Gianluigi

2004-01-01

We have selected different low noise JFET processes that have shown outstanding dynamic and noise performance at both room temperature and low temperatures. We have studied JFETs made with a process optimized for cryogenic operation, testing several devices of varying capacitance. For most of them, we have been able to detect the presence of shallow individual traps at low temperature which create low frequency (LF) Generation-Recombination (G-R) noise. For one device type no evidence of traps has been observed at the optimum temperature of operation (around 100 K). It had a very small residual LF noise. This device has been cooled down to 14 K. From below 100 K down to 14 K the noise was observed to increase due to G-R noise originating from donor atoms (dopants) inside the channel. A very simple theoretical interpretation confirms the nature of G-R noise from these very shallow trapping centers. We also studied devices from a process optimized for room temperature operation and found noise corresponding to the presence of a single deep level trap. Even for this circumstance the theory was experimentally confirmed. The measurement approach we used allowed us to achieve a very high accuracy in the modeling of the measured G-R noise. The ratio of the density of the atoms responsible for G-R noise above the doping concentration, N T /N d , has been verified with a sensitivity around 10 -7

Development of a shallow-flaw fracture assessment methodology for nuclear reactor pressure vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bass, B.R.; Bryson, J.W.; Dickson, T.L.; McAfee, W.J.; Pennell, W.E.

1996-01-01

Shallow-flaw fracture technology is being developed within the Heavy-Section Steel Technology (HSST) Program for application to the safety assessment of radiation-embrittled nuclear reactor pressure vessels (RPVs) containing postulated shallow flaws. Cleavage fracture in shallow-flaw cruciform beam specimens tested under biaxial loading at temperatures in the lower transition temperature range was shown to be strain-controlled. A strain-based dual-parameter fracture toughness correlation was developed and shown to be capable of predicting the effect of crack-tip constraint on fracture toughness for strain-controlled fracture. A probabilistic fracture mechanics (PFM) model that includes both the properties of the inner-surface stainless-steel cladding and a biaxial shallow-flaw fracture toughness correlation gave a reduction in probability of cleavage initiation of more than two orders of magnitude from an ASME-based reference case

Regime shifts in shallow lakes: the importance of seasonal fish migration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brönmark, Christer; Brodersen, Jakob; Chapman, Ben B.

2010-01-01

. Our earlier research shows that a large proportion of zooplanktivorous fish populations in shallow lakes undertake seasonal migrations where they leave the lake during winter and migrate back to the lake in spring. Based on our past research, we propose a number of scenarios of how feedback processes...... properties, including piscivore abundance and zooplankton productivity, affect the individual state of zooplanktivorous fish, such as growth rate or condition. Individual state, in turn, affects the relative proportion and timing of migrating zooplanktivorous fish. This change, in turn, may stabilize states...... between the individual and ecosystem levels may affect stability of alternative stable states in shallow lakes when mediated by fish migration. Migration effects on shallow lakes result from processes at different scales, from the individual to the ecosystem. Our earlier research has shown that ecosystem...

Safety analysis methodologies for radioactive waste repositories in shallow ground

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-01-01

The report is part of the IAEA Safety Series and is addressed to authorities and specialists responsible for or involved in planning, performing and/or reviewing safety assessments of shallow ground radioactive waste repositories. It discusses approaches that are applicable for safety analysis of a shallow ground repository. The methodologies, analysis techniques and models described are pertinent to the task of predicting the long-term performance of a shallow ground disposal system. They may be used during the processes of selection, confirmation and licensing of new sites and disposal systems or to evaluate the long-term consequences in the post-sealing phase of existing operating or inactive sites. The analysis may point out need for remedial action, or provide information to be used in deciding on the duration of surveillance. Safety analysis both general in nature and specific to a certain repository, site or design concept, are discussed, with emphasis on deterministic and probabilistic studies

Artificial organs 2010: a year in review.

Science.gov (United States)

Malchesky, Paul S

2011-03-01

In this Editor's Review, articles published in 2010 are organized by category and briefly summarized. As the official journal of The International Federation for Artificial Organs, The International Faculty for Artificial Organs, and the International Society for Rotary Blood Pumps, Artificial Organs continues in the original mission of its founders "to foster communications in the field of artificial organs on an international level."Artificial Organs continues to publish developments and clinical applications of artificial organ technologies in this broad and expanding field of organ Replacement, Recovery, and Regeneration from all over the world. We take this time also to express our gratitude to our authors for offering their work to this journal. We offer our very special thanks to our reviewers who give so generously of time and expertise to review, critique, and especially provide such meaningful suggestions to the author's work whether eventually accepted or rejected and especially to those whose native tongue is not English. Without these excellent and dedicated reviewers the quality expected from such a journal could not be possible. We also express our special thanks to our Publisher, Wiley-Blackwell, for their expert attention and support in the production and marketing of Artificial Organs. In this Editor's Review, that historically has been widely received by our readership, we aim to provide a brief reflection of the currently available worldwide knowledge that is intended to advance and better human life while providing insight for continued application of technologies and methods of organ Replacement, Recovery, and Regeneration. We look forward to recording further advances in the coming years. © 2011, Copyright the Author. Artificial Organs © 2011, International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Optimizing the selection of small-town wastewater treatment processes

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Jianping; Zhang, Siqi

2018-04-01

Municipal wastewater treatment is energy-intensive. This high energy consumption causes high sewage treatment plant operating costs and increases the energy burden. To mitigate the adverse impacts of China’s development, sewage treatment plants should adopt effective energy-saving technologies. Artificial fortified natural water treatment and use of activated sludge and biofilm are all suitable technologies for small-town sewage treatment. This study features an analysis of the characteristics of small and medium-sized township sewage, an overview of current technologies, and a discussion of recent progress in sewage treatment. Based on this, an analysis of existing problems in municipal wastewater treatment is presented, and countermeasures to improve sewage treatment in small and medium-sized towns are proposed.

Comparison between monitored and modeled pore water pressure and safety factor in a slope susceptible to shallow landslides

Science.gov (United States)

Bordoni, Massimiliano; Meisina, Claudia; Zizioli, Davide; Valentino, Roberto; Bittelli, Marco; Chersich, Silvia

2014-05-01

Shallow landslides can be defined as slope movements affecting superficial deposits of small thicknesses which are usually triggered due to extreme rainfall events, also very concentrated in time. Shallow landslides are hazardous phenomena: in particular, if they happen close to urbanized areas they could cause significant damages to cultivations, structures, infrastructures and, sometimes, human losses. The triggering mechanism of rainfall-induced shallow landslides is strictly linked with the hydrological and mechanical responses of usually unsaturated soils to rainfall events. For this reason, it is fundamental knowing the intrinsic hydro-mechanical properties of the soils in order to assess both susceptibility and hazard of shallow landslide and to develop early-warning systems at large scale. The hydrological data collected by a 20 months monitoring on a slope susceptible to shallow landslides in an area of the North -Eastern Oltrepo Pavese (Northern Apennines, Italy) were used to identify the hydrological behaviors of the investigated soils towards rainfall events. Field conditions under different rainfall trends have also been modeled by using both hydrological and physically-based stability models for the evaluation of the slope safety factor . The main objectives of this research are: (a) to compare the field measured pore water pressures at different depths with results of hydrological models, in order to evaluate the efficiency of the tested models and to determine how precipitations affect pore pressure development; (b) to compare the time trends of the safety factor that have been obtained by applying different stability models; (c) to evaluate, through a sensitivity analysis, the effects of soil hydrological properties on modeling pore water pressure and safety factor. The test site slope where field measurements were acquired is representative of other sites in Northern Apennines affected by shallow landslides and is characterized by medium

Artificial Intelligence and Its Importance in Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Tilmann, Martha J.

Artificial intelligence, or the study of ideas that enable computers to be intelligent, is discussed in terms of what it is, what it has done, what it can do, and how it may affect the teaching of tomorrow. An extensive overview of artificial intelligence examines its goals and applications and types of artificial intelligence including (1) expert…

Minimally Naturalistic Artificial Intelligence

OpenAIRE

Hansen, Steven Stenberg

2017-01-01

The rapid advancement of machine learning techniques has re-energized research into general artificial intelligence. While the idea of domain-agnostic meta-learning is appealing, this emerging field must come to terms with its relationship to human cognition and the statistics and structure of the tasks humans perform. The position of this article is that only by aligning our agents' abilities and environments with those of humans do we stand a chance at developing general artificial intellig...

Artificial Muscles: Mechanisms, Applications, and Challenges.

Science.gov (United States)

Mirvakili, Seyed M; Hunter, Ian W

2018-02-01

The area of artificial muscle is a highly interdisciplinary field of research that has evolved rapidly in the last 30 years. Recent advances in nanomaterial fabrication and characterization, specifically carbon nanotubes and nanowires, have had major contributions in the development of artificial muscles. However, what can artificial muscles really do for humans? This question is considered here by first examining nature's solutions to this design problem and then discussing the structure, actuation mechanism, applications, and limitations of recently developed artificial muscles, including highly oriented semicrystalline polymer fibers; nanocomposite actuators; twisted nanofiber yarns; thermally activated shape-memory alloys; ionic-polymer/metal composites; dielectric-elastomer actuators; conducting polymers; stimuli-responsive gels; piezoelectric, electrostrictive, magnetostrictive, and photostrictive actuators; photoexcited actuators; electrostatic actuators; and pneumatic actuators. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

7 CFR 51.2542 - U.S. Artificially Opened.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... STANDARDS) United States Standards for Grades of Pistachio Nuts in the Shell § 51.2542 U.S. Artificially Opened. “U.S. Artificially Opened” consists of artificially opened pistachio nuts in the shell which meet...

Spatially explicit shallow landslide susceptibility mapping over large areas

Science.gov (United States)

Bellugi, Dino; Dietrich, William E.; Stock, Jonathan D.; McKean, Jim; Kazian, Brian; Hargrove, Paul

2011-01-01

Recent advances in downscaling climate model precipitation predictions now yield spatially explicit patterns of rainfall that could be used to estimate shallow landslide susceptibility over large areas. In California, the United States Geological Survey is exploring community emergency response to the possible effects of a very large simulated storm event and to do so it has generated downscaled precipitation maps for the storm. To predict the corresponding pattern of shallow landslide susceptibility across the state, we have used the model Shalstab (a coupled steady state runoff and infinite slope stability model) which susceptibility spatially explicit estimates of relative potential instability. Such slope stability models that include the effects of subsurface runoff on potentially destabilizing pore pressure evolution require water routing and hence the definition of upslope drainage area to each potential cell. To calculate drainage area efficiently over a large area we developed a parallel framework to scale-up Shalstab and specifically introduce a new efficient parallel drainage area algorithm which produces seamless results. The single seamless shallow landslide susceptibility map for all of California was accomplished in a short run time, and indicates that much larger areas can be efficiently modelled. As landslide maps generally over predict the extent of instability for any given storm. Local empirical data on the fraction of predicted unstable cells that failed for observed rainfall intensity can be used to specify the likely extent of hazard for a given storm. This suggests that campaigns to collect local precipitation data and detailed shallow landslide location maps after major storms could be used to calibrate models and improve their use in hazard assessment for individual storms.

Bayesian artificial intelligence

CERN Document Server

Korb, Kevin B

2003-01-01

As the power of Bayesian techniques has become more fully realized, the field of artificial intelligence has embraced Bayesian methodology and integrated it to the point where an introduction to Bayesian techniques is now a core course in many computer science programs. Unlike other books on the subject, Bayesian Artificial Intelligence keeps mathematical detail to a minimum and covers a broad range of topics. The authors integrate all of Bayesian net technology and learning Bayesian net technology and apply them both to knowledge engineering. They emphasize understanding and intuition but also provide the algorithms and technical background needed for applications. Software, exercises, and solutions are available on the authors' website.

Long-time stability effects of quadrature and artificial viscosity on nodal discontinuous Galerkin methods for gas dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Durant, Bradford; Hackl, Jason; Balachandar, Sivaramakrishnan

2017-11-01

Nodal discontinuous Galerkin schemes present an attractive approach to robust high-order solution of the equations of fluid mechanics, but remain accompanied by subtle challenges in their consistent stabilization. The effect of quadrature choices (full mass matrix vs spectral elements), over-integration to manage aliasing errors, and explicit artificial viscosity on the numerical solution of a steady homentropic vortex are assessed over a wide range of resolutions and polynomial orders using quadrilateral elements. In both stagnant and advected vortices in periodic and non-periodic domains the need arises for explicit stabilization beyond the numerical surface fluxes of discontinuous Galerkin spectral elements. Artificial viscosity via the entropy viscosity method is assessed as a stabilizing mechanism. It is shown that the regularity of the artificial viscosity field is essential to its use for long-time stabilization of small-scale features in nodal discontinuous Galerkin solutions of the Euler equations of gas dynamics. Supported by the Department of Energy Predictive Science Academic Alliance Program Contract DE-NA0002378.

Artificial acceleration of mammalian cell reprogramming by bacterial proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Ikeda, Takashi; Uchiyama, Ikuo; Iwasaki, Mio; Sasaki, Tetsuhiko; Nakagawa, Masato; Okita, Keisuke; Masui, Shinji

2017-10-01

The molecular mechanisms of cell reprogramming and differentiation involve various signaling factors. Small molecule compounds have been identified to artificially influence these factors through interacting cellular proteins. Although such small molecule compounds are useful to enhance reprogramming and differentiation and to show the mechanisms that underlie these events, the screening usually requires a large number of compounds to identify only a very small number of hits (e.g., one hit among several tens of thousands of compounds). Here, we show a proof of concept that xenospecific gene products can affect the efficiency of cell reprogramming to pluripotency. Thirty genes specific for the bacterium Wolbachia pipientis were forcibly expressed individually along with reprogramming factors (Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc) that can generate induced pluripotent stem cells in mammalian cells, and eight were found to affect the reprogramming efficiency either positively or negatively (hit rate 26.7%). Mechanistic analysis suggested one of these proteins interacted with cytoskeleton to promote reprogramming. Our results raise the possibility that xenospecific gene products provide an alternative way to study the regulatory mechanism of cell identity. © 2017 Molecular Biology Society of Japan and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Artificial intelligence in power system optimization

CERN Document Server

Ongsakul, Weerakorn

2013-01-01

With the considerable increase of AI applications, AI is being increasingly used to solve optimization problems in engineering. In the past two decades, the applications of artificial intelligence in power systems have attracted much research. This book covers the current level of applications of artificial intelligence to the optimization problems in power systems. This book serves as a textbook for graduate students in electric power system management and is also be useful for those who are interested in using artificial intelligence in power system optimization.

Shallow Land Burial Technology - Humid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, E.C.; Spalding, B.P.; Lee, S.Y.

1983-01-01

The Shallow Land Burial Technology - Humid Project is being conducted for the Department of Energy Low-Level Waste Management Program with the objective of identifying and demonstrating improved technology for disposing of low-level solid waste in humid environments. Two improved disposal techniques are currently being evaluated using nine demonstration trenches at the Engineered Test Facility (ETF). The first is use of a cement-bentonite grout applied as a waste backfill material prior to trench closure and covering. The second is complete hydrologic isolation of waste by emplacement in a trench that is lined on all four sides, top and bottom using synthetic impermeable lining material. An economic analysis of the trench grouting and lining demonstration favored the trench lining operation ($1055/demonstration trench) over trench grouting ($1585/demonstration trench), with the cost differential becoming even greater (as much as a factor of 6 in favor of lining for typical ORNL trenches) as trench dimensions increase and trench volumes exceed those of the demonstration trenches. In addition to the evaluation of trench grouting and lining, major effort has centered on characterization of the ETF site. Though only a part of the overall study, characterization is an extremely important component of the site selection process; it is during these activities that potential problems, which may obviate the site from further consideration, are found. Characterization of the ETF has included studies of regional and site-specific geology, the physical and chemical properties of the soils in which the demonstration trenches are located, and hydrology of the small watershed of which the ETF is a part. 12 references, 6 figures, 2 tables

Artificial intelligence costs, benefits, risks for selected spacecraft ground system automation scenarios

Science.gov (United States)

Truszkowski, Walter F.; Silverman, Barry G.; Kahn, Martha; Hexmoor, Henry

1988-01-01

In response to a number of high-level strategy studies in the early 1980s, expert systems and artificial intelligence (AI/ES) efforts for spacecraft ground systems have proliferated in the past several years primarily as individual small to medium scale applications. It is useful to stop and assess the impact of this technology in view of lessons learned to date, and hopefully, to determine if the overall strategies of some of the earlier studies both are being followed and still seem relevant. To achieve that end four idealized ground system automation scenarios and their attendant AI architecture are postulated and benefits, risks, and lessons learned are examined and compared. These architectures encompass: (1) no AI (baseline), (2) standalone expert systems, (3) standardized, reusable knowledge base management systems (KBMS), and (4) a futuristic unattended automation scenario. The resulting artificial intelligence lessons learned, benefits, and risks for spacecraft ground system automation scenarios are described.

[Ornithine decarboxylase in mammalian organs and tissues at hibernation and artificial hypobiosis].

Science.gov (United States)

Logvinovich, O S; Aksenova, G E

2013-01-01

Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC, EC 4.1.1.17.) is a short-lived and dynamically regulated enzyme of polyamines biosynthesis. Regulation of functional, metabolic and proliferative state of organs and tissues involves the modifications of the ODC enzymatic activity. The organ-specific changes in ODC activity were revealed in organs and tissues (liver, spleen, bone marrow, kidney, and intestinal mucosa) of hibernating mammals - squirrels Spermophilus undulates - during the hibernating season. At that, a positive correlation was detected between the decline and recovery of the specialized functions of organs and tissues and the respective modifications of ODC activity during hibernation bouts. Investigation of changes in ODC activity in organs and tissues of non-hibernating mammals under artificial hypobiosis showed that in Wistar rats immediately after exposure to hypothermia-hypoxia-hypercapnia (hypobiosis) the level of ODC activity was low in thymus, spleen, small intestine mucosa, neocortex, and liver. The most marked reduction in enzyme activity was observed in actively proliferating tissues: thymus, spleen, small intestine mucosa. In bone marrow of squirrels, while in a state of torpor, as well as in thymus of rats after exposure to hypothermia-hypoxia-hypercapnia, changes in the ODC activity correlated with changes in the rate of cell proliferation (by the criterion of cells distribution over cell cycle). The results obtained, along with the critical analysis of published data, indicate that the ODC enzyme is involved in biochemical adaptation of mammals to natural and artificial hypobiosis. A decline in the ODC enzymatic activity indicates a decline in proliferative, functional, and metabolic activity of organs and tissues of mammals (bone marrow, mucosa of small intestine, thymus, spleen, neocortex, liver, kidneys) when entering the state of hypobiosis.

Embodied artificial agents for understanding human social cognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Wykowska, Agnieszka; Chaminade, Thierry; Cheng, Gordon

2016-05-05

In this paper, we propose that experimental protocols involving artificial agents, in particular the embodied humanoid robots, provide insightful information regarding social cognitive mechanisms in the human brain. Using artificial agents allows for manipulation and control of various parameters of behaviour, appearance and expressiveness in one of the interaction partners (the artificial agent), and for examining effect of these parameters on the other interaction partner (the human). At the same time, using artificial agents means introducing the presence of artificial, yet human-like, systems into the human social sphere. This allows for testing in a controlled, but ecologically valid, manner human fundamental mechanisms of social cognition both at the behavioural and at the neural level. This paper will review existing literature that reports studies in which artificial embodied agents have been used to study social cognition and will address the question of whether various mechanisms of social cognition (ranging from lower- to higher-order cognitive processes) are evoked by artificial agents to the same extent as by natural agents, humans in particular. Increasing the understanding of how behavioural and neural mechanisms of social cognition respond to artificial anthropomorphic agents provides empirical answers to the conundrum 'What is a social agent?' © 2016 The Authors.

Remote sensing estimation of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in optically shallow waters

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jiwei; Yu, Qian; Tian, Yong Q.; Becker, Brian L.

2017-06-01

It is not well understood how bottom reflectance of optically shallow waters affects the algorithm performance of colored dissolved organic matters (CDOM) retrieval. This study proposes a new algorithm that considers bottom reflectance in estimating CDOM absorption from optically shallow inland or coastal waters. The field sampling was conducted during four research cruises within the Saginaw River, Kawkawlin River and Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron. A stratified field sampling campaign collected water samples, determined the depth at each sampling location and measured optical properties. The sampled CDOM absorption at 440 nm broadly ranged from 0.12 to 8.46 m-1. Field sample analysis revealed that bottom reflectance does significantly change water apparent optical properties. We developed a CDOM retrieval algorithm (Shallow water Bio-Optical Properties algorithm, SBOP) that effectively reduces uncertainty by considering bottom reflectance in shallow waters. By incorporating the bottom contribution in upwelling radiances, the SBOP algorithm was able to explain 74% of the variance of CDOM values (RMSE = 0.22 and R2 = 0.74). The bottom effect index (BEI) was introduced to efficiently separate optically shallow and optically deep waters. Based on the BEI, an adaptive approach was proposed that references the amount of bottom effect in order to identify the most suitable algorithm (optically shallow water algorithm [SBOP] or optically deep water algorithm [QAA-CDOM]) to improve CDOM estimation (RMSE = 0.22 and R2 = 0.81). Our results potentially help to advance the capability of remote sensing in monitoring carbon pools at the land-water interface.

Grain transport mechanics in shallow overland flow

Science.gov (United States)

A physical model based on continuum multiphase flow is described to represent saltating transport of grains in shallow overland flow. The two phase continuum flow of water and sediment considers coupled St.Venant type equations. The interactive cumulative effect of grains is incorporated by a disper...

FECAL COLIFORM BACTERIA AND FACTORS RELATED TO ITS GROWTH AT THE SEKOTONG SHALLOW WELLS, WEST NUSA TENGGARA, INDONESIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Doni Marisi Sinaga

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Background: The poor sanitation and small numbers of households who own toilet in Sekotong regency may relate to the diarrheal events due to the fecal coliform contamination in drinking water. Aim: This paper aims to provide the concentrations of fecal coliform bacteria in shallow well waters and the factors associated to its growth. Method: Fifteen groundwater samples were collected from 5 shallow wells to provide the concentrations of total fecal coliform bacteria (FC, mercury concentration, inorganic nitrogen compounds (represent as ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite, total phosphorus (TP, dissolved oxygen (D, pH, and salinity. The concentration of the parameters was then compared to the safe limit set by World Health Organization (WHO. Results: The results indicated that the drinking water resources at the Sekotong regency were contaminated by coliform and mercury. One location with low mercury concentration was recorded with E. coli contamination. Residence, agriculture, and animal livestock were subjected as the sources of coliform contamination. Mercury concentrations may inverse the growth of FC. No apparent relationship was found between total phosphorous and inorganic nitrogen compounds to FC growth. However, we recognized the FC growth responded positively to the level of phosphorous in waters, but associated negatively to nitrate concentration. An inverse correlation was also found between coliform survival and salinity in this study. The pH range at 6.05 – 6.50 supported FC survival. Conclusion: The drinking water resources at the Sekotong shallow wells were contaminated by coliform and mercury. It is important for local government to inform drinking water protection and treatment.

Toward Generalization of Iterative Small Molecule Synthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lehmann, Jonathan W; Blair, Daniel J; Burke, Martin D

2018-02-01

Small molecules have extensive untapped potential to benefit society, but access to this potential is too often restricted by limitations inherent to the customized approach currently used to synthesize this class of chemical matter. In contrast, the "building block approach", i.e., generalized iterative assembly of interchangeable parts, has now proven to be a highly efficient and flexible way to construct things ranging all the way from skyscrapers to macromolecules to artificial intelligence algorithms. The structural redundancy found in many small molecules suggests that they possess a similar capacity for generalized building block-based construction. It is also encouraging that many customized iterative synthesis methods have been developed that improve access to specific classes of small molecules. There has also been substantial recent progress toward the iterative assembly of many different types of small molecules, including complex natural products, pharmaceuticals, biological probes, and materials, using common building blocks and coupling chemistry. Collectively, these advances suggest that a generalized building block approach for small molecule synthesis may be within reach.

Toward Generalization of Iterative Small Molecule Synthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Lehmann, Jonathan W.; Blair, Daniel J.; Burke, Martin D.

2018-01-01

Small molecules have extensive untapped potential to benefit society, but access to this potential is too often restricted by limitations inherent to the customized approach currently used to synthesize this class of chemical matter. In contrast, the “building block approach”, i.e., generalized iterative assembly of interchangeable parts, has now proven to be a highly efficient and flexible way to construct things ranging all the way from skyscrapers to macromolecules to artificial intelligence algorithms. The structural redundancy found in many small molecules suggests that they possess a similar capacity for generalized building block-based construction. It is also encouraging that many customized iterative synthesis methods have been developed that improve access to specific classes of small molecules. There has also been substantial recent progress toward the iterative assembly of many different types of small molecules, including complex natural products, pharmaceuticals, biological probes, and materials, using common building blocks and coupling chemistry. Collectively, these advances suggest that a generalized building block approach for small molecule synthesis may be within reach. PMID:29696152

Prediction of Weld Penetration in FCAW of HSLA steel using Artificial Neural Networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asl, Y. Dadgar; Mostafa, N. B.; Panahizadeh, V. R.; Seyedkashi, S. M. H.

2011-01-01

Flux-cored arc welding (FCAW) is a semiautomatic or automatic arc welding process that requires a continuously-fed consumable tubular electrode containing a flux. The main FCAW process parameters affecting the depth of penetration are welding current, arc voltage, nozzle-to-work distance, torch angle and welding speed. Shallow depth of penetration may contribute to failure of a welded structure since penetration determines the stress-carrying capacity of a welded joint. To avoid such occurrences; the welding process parameters influencing the weld penetration must be properly selected to obtain an acceptable weld penetration and hence a high quality joint. Artificial neural networks (ANN), also called neural networks (NN), are computational models used to express complex non-linear relationships between input and output data. In this paper, artificial neural network (ANN) method is used to predict the effects of welding current, arc voltage, nozzle-to-work distance, torch angle and welding speed on weld penetration depth in gas shielded FCAW of a grade of high strength low alloy steel. 32 experimental runs were carried out using the bead-on-plate welding technique. Weld penetrations were measured and on the basis of these 32 sets of experimental data, a feed-forward back-propagation neural network was created. 28 sets of the experiments were used as the training data and the remaining 4 sets were used for the testing phase of the network. The ANN has one hidden layer with eight neurons and is trained after 840 iterations. The comparison between the experimental results and ANN results showed that the trained network could predict the effects of the FCAW process parameters on weld penetration adequately.

Principles of artificial intelligence

CERN Document Server

Nilsson, Nils J

1980-01-01

A classic introduction to artificial intelligence intended to bridge the gap between theory and practice, Principles of Artificial Intelligence describes fundamental AI ideas that underlie applications such as natural language processing, automatic programming, robotics, machine vision, automatic theorem proving, and intelligent data retrieval. Rather than focusing on the subject matter of the applications, the book is organized around general computational concepts involving the kinds of data structures used, the types of operations performed on the data structures, and the properties of th

Simulating Shallow Soil Response Using Wave Propagation Numerical Modelling in the Western Plain of Taiwan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chun-Te Chen

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This study used the results from 45 microtremor array measurements to construct a shallow shear wave velocity structure in the western plain of Taiwan. We constructed a complete 3D velocity model based on shallow and tomography models for our numerical simulation. There are three major subsurfaces, engineering bedrock (VS = 600 m s-1, Pliocene formation and Miocene formation, constituted in the shallow model. The constant velocity is given in each subsurface. We employed a 3D-FD (finite-differences method to simulate seismic wave propagation in the western plain. The aim of this study was to perform a quantitative comparison of site amplifications and durations obtained from empirical data and numerical modelling in order to obtain the shallow substructure soil response. Modelling clearly revealed that the shallow substructure plays an important role in strong ground motion prediction using 3D simulation. The results show significant improvements in effective shaking duration and the peak ground velocity (PGV distribution in terms of the accuracy achieved by our developed model. We recommend a high-resolution shallow substructure as an essential component in future seismic hazard analyses.

Challenges in hardening technologies using shallow-trench isolation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shaneyfelt, M.R.; Dodd, P.E.; Draper, B.L.; Flores, R.S.

1998-02-01

Challenges related to radiation hardening CMOS technologies with shallow-trench isolation are explored. Results show that trench hardening can be more difficult than simply replacing the trench isolation oxide with a hardened field oxide

Shallow ground burial of low-level waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Camilleri, A.; Cooper, M.B.; Hargrave, N.J.; Munslow-Davies, L.

1989-01-01

Acceptance criteria for the disposal of low-level radioactive wastes are presented for adoption throughout Australia, a continent in which there are readily available areas in arid, sparsely inhabited places, likely to be suitable as sites for shallow ground burial. Drawing upon overseas practices and experiences, criteria have been developed for low-level waste disposal and are intended to be applicable and relevant to the Australian situation. Concentration levels have been derived for a shallow ground burial facility assuming a realistic institutional control period of 200 years. A comparison is made between this period and institutional control for 100 years and 300 years. Longer institutional control periods enable the acceptance of higher concentrations of radionuclides of intermediate half-lives. Scenarios, which have been considered, include current Australian pastoral practices and traditional Aboriginal occupancy. The derived radionuclide concentration levels for the disposal of low level wastes are not dissimilar to those developed in other countries. 17 refs., 6 tabs., 1 fig

Biological Effects Of Artificial Illumination

Science.gov (United States)

Corth, Richard

1980-10-01

We are increasingly being warned of the possible effects of so called "polluted" light, that is light that differs in spectral content from that of sunlight. We should be concerned, we are told, because all animals and plants have evolved under this natural daylight and therefore any difference between that illuminant and the artificial illuminants that are on the market today, is suspect. The usual presentation of the differences between the sunlight and the artificial illuminants are as shown in Figure 1. Here we are shown the spectral power distribution of sunlight and Cool White fluorescent light. The spectral power distributions of each have been normalized to some convenient wavelength so that each can be seen and easily compared on the same figure. But this presentation is misleading for one does not experience artificial illuminants at the same intensity as one experiences sunlight. Sunlight intensities are ordinarily found to be in the 8000 to 10,000 footcandle range whereas artificial illuminants are rarely experienced at intensity levels greater than 100 footcandles. Therefore a representative difference between the two types of illumination conditions is more accurately represented as in Figure 2. Thus if evolutionary adaptations require that humans and other animals be exposed to sunlight to ensure wellbeing, it is clear that one must be exposed to sunlight intensities. It is not feasible to expect that artificially illuminated environments will be lit to the same intensity as sunlight

Rogue waves in shallow water

Science.gov (United States)

Soomere, T.

2010-07-01

Most of the processes resulting in the formation of unexpectedly high surface waves in deep water (such as dispersive and geometrical focusing, interactions with currents and internal waves, reflection from caustic areas, etc.) are active also in shallow areas. Only the mechanism of modulational instability is not active in finite depth conditions. Instead, wave amplification along certain coastal profiles and the drastic dependence of the run-up height on the incident wave shape may substantially contribute to the formation of rogue waves in the nearshore. A unique source of long-living rogue waves (that has no analogues in the deep ocean) is the nonlinear interaction of obliquely propagating solitary shallow-water waves and an equivalent mechanism of Mach reflection of waves from the coast. The characteristic features of these processes are (i) extreme amplification of the steepness of the wave fronts, (ii) change in the orientation of the largest wave crests compared with that of the counterparts and (iii) rapid displacement of the location of the extreme wave humps along the crests of the interacting waves. The presence of coasts raises a number of related questions such as the possibility of conversion of rogue waves into sneaker waves with extremely high run-up. Also, the reaction of bottom sediments and the entire coastal zone to the rogue waves may be drastic.

Artificially lengthened and constricted vocal tract in vocal training methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Bele, Irene Velsvik

2005-01-01

It is common practice in vocal training to make use of vocal exercise techniques that involve partial occlusion of the vocal tract. Various techniques are used; some of them form an occlusion within the front part of the oral cavity or at the lips. Another vocal exercise technique involves lengthening the vocal tract; for example, the method of phonation into small tubes. This essay presents some studies made on the effects of various vocal training methods that involve an artificially lengthened and constricted vocal tract. The influence of sufficient acoustic impedance on vocal fold vibration and economical voice production is presented.

Artificial tears potpourri: a literature review

Science.gov (United States)

Moshirfar, Majid; Pierson, Kasey; Hanamaikai, Kamalani; Santiago-Caban, Luis; Muthappan, Valliammai; Passi, Samuel F

2014-01-01

Numerous brands and types of artificial tears are available on the market for the treatment of dysfunctional tear syndrome. Past literature has focused on comparing the components of these products on patient’s clinical improvement. The wide array of products on the market presents challenges to both clinicians and patients when trying to choose between available tear replacement therapies. Different formulations affect patients based on etiology and severity of disease. In order to provide an unbiased comparison between available tear replacement therapies, we conducted a literature review of existing studies and National Institutes of Health clinical trials on commercially available, brand name artificial tears. Outcomes evaluated in each study, as well as the percent of patients showing clinical and symptomatic improvement, were analyzed. Fifty-one studies evaluating different brands of artificial tears, and their efficacy were identified. Out of the 51 studies, 18 were comparison studies testing brand name artificial tears directly against each other. Nearly all formulations of artificial tears provided significant benefit to patients with dysfunctional tear syndrome, but some proved superior to others. From the study data, a recommended treatment flowchart was derived. PMID:25114502

Activation and chemical analysis of drinking water from shallow aquifers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, H.K.; Mittal, V.K.; Sahota, H.S.

1991-01-01

In most of the Indian cities drinking water is drawn from shallow aqiufers with the help of hand pumps. These shallow aquifers get easilyl polluted. In the present work we have measured 20 trace elements using Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) and 8 chemical parameters using standard chemical methods of drinking water drawn from Rajpura city. It was found that almost all water samples are highly polluted. We attribute this to unplaned disposal of industrial and domestic waste over a period of many decades. (author) 11 refs.; 1 fig.; 1 tab

Dislocation loops in spinel crystals irradiated successively with deep and shallow ion implants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ai, R.X.; Cooper, E.A.; Sickafus, K.E.; Nastasi, M.; Bordes, N.; Ewing, R.C.

1993-01-01

This study examines the influence of microstructural defects on irradiation damage accumulation in the oxide spinel. Single crystals of the compound MgAl 2 O 4 with surface normal [111] were irradiated under cryogenic temperature (100K) either with 50 keV Ne ions (fluence 5.0 x 10 12 /cm 2 ), 400 keV Ne ions (fluence 6.7 x 10 13 /cm 2 ) or successively with 400 keV Ne ions followed by 50 keV Ne ions. The projected range of 50 keV Ne ions in spinel is ∼50 mn (''shallow'') while the projected range of 400 keV Ne ions is ∼500 mn (''deep''). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to examine dislocation loops/defect clusters formed by the implantation process. Measurements of the dislocation loop size were made using weak-beam imaging technique on cross-sectional TEM ion-implanted specimens. Defect clusters were observed in both deep and shallow implanted specimens, while dislocation loops were observed in the shallow implanted sample that was previously irradiated by 400 keV Ne ions. Cluster size was seen to increase for shallow implants in crystals irradiated with a deep implant (size ∼8.5 nm) as compared to crystals treated only to a shallow implant (size ∼3.1 nm)

Artificial Organs 2015: A Year in Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Malchesky, Paul S

2016-03-01

In this Editor's Review, articles published in 2015 are organized by category and briefly summarized. We aim to provide a brief reflection of the currently available worldwide knowledge that is intended to advance and better human life while providing insight for continued application of technologies and methods of organ Replacement, Recovery, and Regeneration. As the official journal of The International Federation for Artificial Organs, The International Faculty for Artificial Organs, the International Society for Rotary Blood Pumps, the International Society for Pediatric Mechanical Cardiopulmonary Support, and the Vienna International Workshop on Functional Electrical Stimulation, Artificial Organs continues in the original mission of its founders "to foster communications in the field of artificial organs on an international level." Artificial Organs continues to publish developments and clinical applications of artificial organ technologies in this broad and expanding field of organ Replacement, Recovery, and Regeneration from all over the world. We take this time also to express our gratitude to our authors for providing their work to this journal. We offer our very special thanks to our reviewers who give so generously of their time and expertise to review, critique, and especially provide meaningful suggestions to the author's work whether eventually accepted or rejected. Without these excellent and dedicated reviewers, the quality expected from such a journal could not be possible. We also express our special thanks to our Publisher, John Wiley & Sons for their expert attention and support in the production and marketing of Artificial Organs. We look forward to reporting further advances in the coming years. Copyright © 2016 International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Artificial Organs 2013: a year in review.

Science.gov (United States)

Malchesky, Paul S

2014-03-01

In this Editor's Review, articles published in 2013 are organized by category and briefly summarized. We aim to provide a brief reflection of the currently available worldwide knowledge that is intended to advance and better human life while providing insight for continued application of technologies and methods of organ Replacement, Recovery, and Regeneration. As the official journal of The International Federation for Artificial Organs, The International Faculty for Artificial Organs, the International Society for Rotary Blood Pumps, the International Society for Pediatric Mechanical Cardiopulmonary Support, and the Vienna International Workshop on Functional Electrical Stimulation, Artificial Organs continues in the original mission of its founders "to foster communications in the field of artificial organs on an international level". Artificial Organs continues to publish developments and clinical applications of artificial organ technologies in this broad and expanding field of organ Replacement, Recovery, and Regeneration from all over the world. We take this time also to express our gratitude to our authors for offering their work to this journal. We offer our very special thanks to our reviewers who give so generously of time and expertise to review, critique, and especially provide so meaningful suggestions to the author's work whether eventually accepted or rejected and especially to those whose native tongue is not English. Without these excellent and dedicated reviewers the quality expected from such a journal could not be possible. We also express our special thanks to our Publisher, Wiley Periodicals, for their expert attention and support in the production and marketing of Artificial Organs. We look forward to recording further advances in the coming years. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation.

Artificial Intelligence in Cardiology.

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Johnson, Kipp W; Torres Soto, Jessica; Glicksberg, Benjamin S; Shameer, Khader; Miotto, Riccardo; Ali, Mohsin; Ashley, Euan; Dudley, Joel T

2018-06-12

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are poised to influence nearly every aspect of the human condition, and cardiology is not an exception to this trend. This paper provides a guide for clinicians on relevant aspects of artificial intelligence and machine learning, reviews selected applications of these methods in cardiology to date, and identifies how cardiovascular medicine could incorporate artificial intelligence in the future. In particular, the paper first reviews predictive modeling concepts relevant to cardiology such as feature selection and frequent pitfalls such as improper dichotomization. Second, it discusses common algorithms used in supervised learning and reviews selected applications in cardiology and related disciplines. Third, it describes the advent of deep learning and related methods collectively called unsupervised learning, provides contextual examples both in general medicine and in cardiovascular medicine, and then explains how these methods could be applied to enable precision cardiology and improve patient outcomes. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Transport modeling: An artificial immune system approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teodorović Dušan

2006-01-01

Full Text Available This paper describes an artificial immune system approach (AIS to modeling time-dependent (dynamic, real time transportation phenomenon characterized by uncertainty. The basic idea behind this research is to develop the Artificial Immune System, which generates a set of antibodies (decisions, control actions that altogether can successfully cover a wide range of potential situations. The proposed artificial immune system develops antibodies (the best control strategies for different antigens (different traffic "scenarios". This task is performed using some of the optimization or heuristics techniques. Then a set of antibodies is combined to create Artificial Immune System. The developed Artificial Immune transportation systems are able to generalize, adapt, and learn based on new knowledge and new information. Applications of the systems are considered for airline yield management, the stochastic vehicle routing, and real-time traffic control at the isolated intersection. The preliminary research results are very promising.

Artificial Intelligence for the Artificial Kidney: Pointers to the Future of a Personalized Hemodialysis Therapy.

Science.gov (United States)