WorldWideScience

Sample records for automated sequential tilt-series

  1. Intra-individual diagnostic image quality and organ-specific-radiation dose comparison between spiral cCT with iterative image reconstruction and z-axis automated tube current modulation and sequential cCT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wenz, Holger; Maros, Máté E.; Meyer, Mathias; Gawlitza, Joshua; Förster, Alex; Haubenreisser, Holger; Kurth, Stefan; Schoenberg, Stefan O.; Groden, Christoph; Henzler, Thomas

    2016-01-01

    •Superiority of spiral versus sequential cCT in image quality and organ-specific-radiation dose.•Spiral cCT: lower organ-specific-radiation-dose in eye lense compared to tilted sequential cCT.•State-of-the-art IR spiral cCT techniques has significant advantages over sequential cCT techniques. Superiority of spiral versus sequential cCT in image quality and organ-specific-radiation dose. Spiral cCT: lower organ-specific-radiation-dose in eye lense compared to tilted sequential cCT. State-of-the-art IR spiral cCT techniques has significant advantages over sequential cCT techniques. To prospectively evaluate image quality and organ-specific-radiation dose of spiral cranial CT (cCT) combined with automated tube current modulation (ATCM) and iterative image reconstruction (IR) in comparison to sequential tilted cCT reconstructed with filtered back projection (FBP) without ATCM. 31 patients with a previous performed tilted non-contrast enhanced sequential cCT aquisition on a 4-slice CT system with only FBP reconstruction and no ATCM were prospectively enrolled in this study for a clinical indicated cCT scan. All spiral cCT examinations were performed on a 3rd generation dual-source CT system using ATCM in z-axis direction. Images were reconstructed using both, FBP and IR (level 1–5). A Monte-Carlo-simulation-based analysis was used to compare organ-specific-radiation dose. Subjective image quality for various anatomic structures was evaluated using a 4-point Likert-scale and objective image quality was evaluated by comparing signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). Spiral cCT led to a significantly lower (p < 0.05) organ-specific-radiation dose in all targets including eye lense. Subjective image quality of spiral cCT datasets with an IR reconstruction level 5 was rated significantly higher compared to the sequential cCT acquisitions (p < 0.0001). Consecutive mean SNR was significantly higher in all spiral datasets (FBP, IR 1–5) when compared to sequential cCT with a mean

  2. Sequential series for nuclear reactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Izumo, Ko

    1975-01-01

    A new time-dependent treatment of nuclear reactions is given, in which the wave function of compound nucleus is expanded by a sequential series of the reaction processes. The wave functions of the sequential series form another complete set of compound nucleus at the limit Δt→0. It is pointed out that the wave function is characterized by the quantities: the number of degrees of freedom of motion n, the period of the motion (Poincare cycle) tsub(n), the delay time t sub(nμ) and the relaxation time tausub(n) to the equilibrium of compound nucleus, instead of the usual quantum number lambda, the energy eigenvalue Esub(lambda) and the total width GAMMAsub(lambda) of resonance levels, respectively. The transition matrix elements and the yields of nuclear reactions also become the functions of time given by the Fourier transform of the usual ones. The Poincare cycles of compound nuclei are compared with the observed correlations among resonance levels, which are about 10 -17 --10 -16 sec for medium and heavy nuclei and about 10 -20 sec for the intermediate resonances. (auth.)

  3. Towards automated diffraction tomography: Part I-Data acquisition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kolb, U.; Gorelik, T.; Kuebel, C.; Otten, M.T.; Hubert, D.

    2007-01-01

    The ultimate aim of electron diffraction data collection for structure analysis is to sample the reciprocal space as accurately as possible to obtain a high-quality data set for crystal structure determination. Besides a more precise lattice parameter determination, fine sampling is expected to deliver superior data on reflection intensities, which is crucial for subsequent structure analysis. Traditionally, three-dimensional (3D) diffraction data are collected by manually tilting a crystal around a selected crystallographic axis and recording a set of diffraction patterns (a tilt series) at various crystallographic zones. In a second step, diffraction data from these zones are combined into a 3D data set and analyzed to yield the desired structure information. Data collection can also be performed automatically, with the recent advances in tomography acquisition providing a suitable basis. An experimental software module has been developed for the Tecnai microscope for such an automated diffraction pattern collection while tilting around the goniometer axis. The module combines STEM imaging with diffraction pattern acquisition in nanodiffraction mode. It allows automated recording of diffraction tilt series from nanoparticles with a size down to 5 nm

  4. Accurate marker-free alignment with simultaneous geometry determination and reconstruction of tilt series in electron tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Winkler, Hanspeter; Taylor, Kenneth A.

    2006-01-01

    An image alignment method for electron tomography is presented which is based on cross-correlation techniques and which includes a simultaneous refinement of the tilt geometry. A coarsely aligned tilt series is iteratively refined with a procedure consisting of two steps for each cycle: area matching and subsequent geometry correction. The first step, area matching, brings into register equivalent specimen regions in all images of the tilt series. It determines four parameters of a linear two-dimensional transformation, not just translation and rotation as is done during the preceding coarse alignment with conventional methods. The refinement procedure also differs from earlier methods in that the alignment references are now computed from already aligned images by reprojection of a backprojected volume. The second step, geometry correction, refines the initially inaccurate estimates of the geometrical parameters, including the direction of the tilt axis, a tilt angle offset, and the inclination of the specimen with respect to the support film or specimen holder. The correction values serve as an indicator for the progress of the refinement. For each new iteration, the correction values are used to compute an updated set of geometry parameters by a least squares fit. Model calculations show that it is essential to refine the geometrical parameters as well as the accurate alignment of the images to obtain a faithful map of the original structure

  5. 2D Bayesian automated tilted-ring fitting of disc galaxies in large H I galaxy surveys: 2DBAT

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oh, Se-Heon; Staveley-Smith, Lister; Spekkens, Kristine; Kamphuis, Peter; Koribalski, Bärbel S.

    2018-01-01

    We present a novel algorithm based on a Bayesian method for 2D tilted-ring analysis of disc galaxy velocity fields. Compared to the conventional algorithms based on a chi-squared minimization procedure, this new Bayesian-based algorithm suffers less from local minima of the model parameters even with highly multimodal posterior distributions. Moreover, the Bayesian analysis, implemented via Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling, only requires broad ranges of posterior distributions of the parameters, which makes the fitting procedure fully automated. This feature will be essential when performing kinematic analysis on the large number of resolved galaxies expected to be detected in neutral hydrogen (H I) surveys with the Square Kilometre Array and its pathfinders. The so-called 2D Bayesian Automated Tilted-ring fitter (2DBAT) implements Bayesian fits of 2D tilted-ring models in order to derive rotation curves of galaxies. We explore 2DBAT performance on (a) artificial H I data cubes built based on representative rotation curves of intermediate-mass and massive spiral galaxies, and (b) Australia Telescope Compact Array H I data from the Local Volume H I Survey. We find that 2DBAT works best for well-resolved galaxies with intermediate inclinations (20° < i < 70°), complementing 3D techniques better suited to modelling inclined galaxies.

  6. A method for 3D-reconstruction of a muscle thick filament using the tilt series images of a single filament electron tomogram.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Márquez, G; Pinto, A; Alamo, L; Baumann, B; Ye, F; Winkler, H; Taylor, K; Padrón, R

    2014-05-01

    Myosin interacting-heads (MIH) motifs are visualized in 3D-reconstructions of thick filaments from striated muscle. These reconstructions are calculated by averaging methods using images from electron micrographs of grids prepared using numerous filament preparations. Here we propose an alternative method to calculate the 3D-reconstruction of a single thick filament using only a tilt series images recorded by electron tomography. Relaxed thick filaments, prepared from tarantula leg muscle homogenates, were negatively stained. Single-axis tilt series of single isolated thick filaments were obtained with the electron microscope at a low electron dose, and recorded on a CCD camera by electron tomography. An IHRSR 3D-recontruction was calculated from the tilt series images of a single thick filament. The reconstruction was enhanced by including in the search stage dual tilt image segments while only single tilt along the filament axis is usually used, as well as applying a band pass filter just before the back projection. The reconstruction from a single filament has a 40 Å resolution and clearly shows the presence of MIH motifs. In contrast, the electron tomogram 3D-reconstruction of the same thick filament - calculated without any image averaging and/or imposition of helical symmetry - only reveals MIH motifs infrequently. This is - to our knowledge - the first application of the IHRSR method to calculate a 3D reconstruction from tilt series images. This single filament IHRSR reconstruction method (SF-IHRSR) should provide a new tool to assess structural differences between well-ordered thick (or thin) filaments in a grid by recording separately their electron tomograms. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Tilted-ring modelling of disk galaxies : Anomalous gas

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jozsa, G. I. G.; Niemczyk, C.; Klein, U.; Oosterloo, T. A.

    We report our ongoing work on kinematical modelling of HI in disk galaxies. We employ our new software TiRiFiC (Tilted-Ring-Fitting-Code) in order to derive tilted-ring models by fitting artificial HI data cubes to observed ones in an automated process. With this technique we derive very reliable

  8. Towards automated electron holographic tomography for 3D mapping of electrostatic potentials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wolf, Daniel, E-mail: Daniel.Wolf@Triebenberg.de [Triebenberg Laboratory, Institute of Structure Physics, Technische Universitaet Dresden, 01062 Dresden (Germany); Lubk, Axel; Lichte, Hannes [Triebenberg Laboratory, Institute of Structure Physics, Technische Universitaet Dresden, 01062 Dresden (Germany); Friedrich, Heiner [Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Sorbonnelaan 16, 3584 CA, Utrecht (Netherlands)

    2010-04-15

    Electron-holographic tomography (EHT), that is, the combination of off-axis electron holography with electron tomography, was successfully applied for the quantitative 3D mapping of electrostatic potentials at the nanoscale. Here we present the first software package (THOMAS) for semi-automated acquisition of holographic tilt series, a prerequisite for efficient data collection. Using THOMAS, the acquisition time for a holographic tilt series, consisting of object and reference holograms, is reduced by a factor of five on average, compared to the previous, completely manual approaches. Moreover, the existing software packages for retrieving amplitude and phase information from electron holograms have been extended, now including a one-step procedure for holographic tilt series reconstruction. Furthermore, a modified SIRT algorithm (WSIRT) was implemented for the quantitative 3D reconstruction of the electrostatic potential from the aligned phase tilt series. Finally, the application of EHT to a polystyrene latex sphere test-specimen and a pn-doped Ge 'needle'-shaped specimen are presented, illustrating the quantitative character of EHT. For both specimens the mean inner potential (MIP) values were accurately determined from the reconstructed 3D potential. For the Ge specimen, additionally the 'built-in' voltage across the pn junction of 0.5 V was obtained.

  9. Unsupervised land cover change detection: meaningful sequential time series analysis

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Salmon, BP

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available An automated land cover change detection method is proposed that uses coarse spatial resolution hyper-temporal earth observation satellite time series data. The study compared three different unsupervised clustering approaches that operate on short...

  10. Big data in cryoEM: automated collection, processing and accessibility of EM data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baldwin, Philip R; Tan, Yong Zi; Eng, Edward T; Rice, William J; Noble, Alex J; Negro, Carl J; Cianfrocco, Michael A; Potter, Clinton S; Carragher, Bridget

    2018-06-01

    The scope and complexity of cryogenic electron microscopy (cryoEM) data has greatly increased, and will continue to do so, due to recent and ongoing technical breakthroughs that have led to much improved resolutions for macromolecular structures solved using this method. This big data explosion includes single particle data as well as tomographic tilt series, both generally acquired as direct detector movies of ∼10-100 frames per image or per tilt-series. We provide a brief survey of the developments leading to the current status, and describe existing cryoEM pipelines, with an emphasis on the scope of data acquisition, methods for automation, and use of cloud storage and computing. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Intra-individual diagnostic image quality and organ-specific-radiation dose comparison between spiral cCT with iterative image reconstruction and z-axis automated tube current modulation and sequential cCT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Holger Wenz

    2016-01-01

    Conclusions: Spiral cCT combined with ATCM and IR allows for significant-radiation dose reduction including a reduce eye lens organ-dose when compared to a tilted sequential cCT while improving subjective and objective image quality.

  12. A LabVIEW based template for user created experiment automation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, D J; Fisk, Z

    2012-12-01

    We have developed an expandable software template to automate user created experiments. The LabVIEW based template is easily modifiable to add together user created measurements, controls, and data logging with virtually any type of laboratory equipment. We use reentrant sequential selection to implement sequence script making it possible to wrap a long series of the user created experiments and execute them in sequence. Details of software structure and application examples for scanning probe microscope and automated transport experiments using custom built laboratory electronics and a cryostat are described.

  13. Non-uniform multivariate embedding to assess the information transfer in cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory variability series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faes, Luca; Nollo, Giandomenico; Porta, Alberto

    2012-03-01

    The complexity of the short-term cardiovascular control prompts for the introduction of multivariate (MV) nonlinear time series analysis methods to assess directional interactions reflecting the underlying regulatory mechanisms. This study introduces a new approach for the detection of nonlinear Granger causality in MV time series, based on embedding the series by a sequential, non-uniform procedure, and on estimating the information flow from one series to another by means of the corrected conditional entropy. The approach is validated on short realizations of linear stochastic and nonlinear deterministic processes, and then evaluated on heart period, systolic arterial pressure and respiration variability series measured from healthy humans in the resting supine position and in the upright position after head-up tilt. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Quantification of metallic nanoparticle morphology with tilt series imaging by transmission electron microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dutta, Aniruddha; Yuan, Biao; Clukay, Christopher J.; Grabill, Christopher N.; Heinrich, Helge; Bhattacharya, Aniket; Kuebler, Stephen M.

    2012-02-01

    We report on the quantitative analysis of electrolessly deposited Au and Ag nanoparticles (NPs) on SU8 polymer with the help of High-Angle Annular Dark-Field Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (HAADF-STEM) in tilt series. Au NPs act as nucleating agents for the electroless deposition of silver. Au NPs were prepared by attachingAu^3+cations to amine functionalized SU8 polymeric surfaces and then reducing it with aqueous NaBH4. The nanoscale morphology of the deposited NPs on the surface of polymer has been studied from the dark field TEM cross sectional images. Ag NPs were deposited on the cross-linked polymeric surface from a silver citrate solution reduced by hydroquinone. HAADF-STEM enables us to determine the distances between the NPs and their exact locations at and near the surface. The particle distribution, sizes and densities provide us with the data necessary to control the parameters for the development of the electroless deposition technique for emerging nanoscale technologies.

  15. Mechanisms of Günther Tulip filter tilting during transfemoral placement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsui, Y; Horikawa, M; Ohta, K; Jahangiri Noudeh, Y; Kaufman, J A; Farsad, K

    The purpose of this study was to characterize the mechanisms of Günther Tulip filter (GTF) tilting during transfemoral placement in an experimental model with further validation in a clinical series. In an experimental study, 120 GTF placements in an inferior vena cava (IVC) model were performed using 6 configurations of pre-deployment filter position. The angle between the pre-deployment filter axis and IVC axis, and the proximity of the constrained filter legs to IVC wall prior to deployment were evaluated. The association of those pre-deployment factors with post-deployment filter tilting was analyzed. The association noted in the experimental study was then evaluated in a retrospective clinical series of 21 patients. In the experimental study, there was a significant association between the pre-deployment angle and post-deployment filter tilting (P<0.0001). With a low pre-deployment angle (≤5°), a significant association was noted between filter tilting and the proximity of the constrained filter legs to the far IVC wall (P=0.001). In a retrospective clinical study, a significant association between the pre-deployment angle and post-deployment filter tilting was also noted with a linear regression model (P=0.026). Significant association of the pre-deployment angle with post-deployment GTF tilting was shown in both the experimental and clinical studies. The experimental study also showed that proximity of filter legs is relevant when pre-deployment angle is small. Addressing these factors may result in a lower incidence of filter tilting. Copyright © 2017 Editions françaises de radiologie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  16. Improving automated disturbance maps using snow-covered landsat time series stacks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirk M. Stueve; Ian W. Housman; Patrick L. Zimmerman; Mark D. Nelson; Jeremy Webb; Charles H. Perry; Robert A. Chastain; Dale D. Gormanson; Chengquan Huang; Sean P. Healey; Warren B. Cohen

    2012-01-01

    Snow-covered winter Landsat time series stacks are used to develop a nonforest mask to enhance automated disturbance maps produced by the Vegetation Change Tracker (VCT). This method exploits the enhanced spectral separability between forested and nonforested areas that occurs with sufficient snow cover. This method resulted in significant improvements in Vegetation...

  17. Iterative User Interface Design for Automated Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score Calculator in Sepsis Detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aakre, Christopher Ansel; Kitson, Jaben E; Li, Man; Herasevich, Vitaly

    2017-05-18

    The new sepsis definition has increased the need for frequent sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score recalculation and the clerical burden of information retrieval makes this score ideal for automated calculation. The aim of this study was to (1) estimate the clerical workload of manual SOFA score calculation through a time-motion analysis and (2) describe a user-centered design process for an electronic medical record (EMR) integrated, automated SOFA score calculator with subsequent usability evaluation study. First, we performed a time-motion analysis by recording time-to-task-completion for the manual calculation of 35 baseline and 35 current SOFA scores by 14 internal medicine residents over a 2-month period. Next, we used an agile development process to create a user interface for a previously developed automated SOFA score calculator. The final user interface usability was evaluated by clinician end users with the Computer Systems Usability Questionnaire. The overall mean (standard deviation, SD) time-to-complete manual SOFA score calculation time was 61.6 s (33). Among the 24% (12/50) usability survey respondents, our user-centered user interface design process resulted in >75% favorability of survey items in the domains of system usability, information quality, and interface quality. Early stakeholder engagement in our agile design process resulted in a user interface for an automated SOFA score calculator that reduced clinician workload and met clinicians' needs at the point of care. Emerging interoperable platforms may facilitate dissemination of similarly useful clinical score calculators and decision support algorithms as "apps." A user-centered design process and usability evaluation should be considered during creation of these tools. ©Christopher Ansel Aakre, Jaben E Kitson, Man Li, Vitaly Herasevich. Originally published in JMIR Human Factors (http://humanfactors.jmir.org), 18.05.2017.

  18. Development of an automated sequential injection on-line solvent extraction-back extraction procedure as demonstrated for the determination of cadmium with detection by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wang, Jianhua; Hansen, Elo Harald

    2002-01-01

    An automated sequential injection (SI) on-line solvent extraction-back extraction separation/preconcentration procedure is described. Demonstrated for the assay of cadmium by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS), the analyte is initially complexed with ammonium pyrrolidinedithioc......An automated sequential injection (SI) on-line solvent extraction-back extraction separation/preconcentration procedure is described. Demonstrated for the assay of cadmium by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS), the analyte is initially complexed with ammonium....../preconcentration process of the ensuing sample. An enrichment factor of 21.4, a detection limit of 2.7 ng/l, along with a sampling frequency of 13s/h were obtained at a sample flow rate of 6.0mlmin/sup -1/. The precision (R.S.D.) at the 0.4 mug/l level was 1.8% as compared to 3.2% when quantifying the organic extractant...

  19. Dynamic of charged planar geometry in tilted and non-tilted frames

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sharif, M., E-mail: msharif.math@pu.edu.pk; Zaeem Ul Haq Bhatti, M., E-mail: mzaeem.math@pu.edu.pk [University of the Punjab, Department of Mathematics (Pakistan)

    2015-05-15

    We investigate the dynamics of charged planar symmetry with an anisotropic matter field subject to a radially moving observer called a tilted observer. The Einstein-Maxwell field equations are used to obtain a relation between non-tilted and tilted frames and between kinematical and dynamical quantities. Using the Taub mass formalism and conservation laws, two evolution equations are developed to analyze the inhomogeneities in the tilted congruence. It is found that the radial velocity (due to the tilted observer) and the electric charge have a crucial effect on the inhomogeneity factor. Finally, we discuss the stability in the non-tilted frame in the pure diffusion case and examine the effects of the electromagnetic field.

  20. CT patellar cortex tilt angle: A radiological method to measure patellar tilt

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mirza Toluei, F.; Afshar, A.; Salarilak, S.; Sina, A.

    2005-01-01

    Background/Objectives: the role of patellar tilt in the anterior knee pain is indisputable. Traditionally. the lateral patello-femoral angle of Laurin has been defined in both the axial view and CT images for measuring the tilt of patella. We present a new angle. which is independent of the morphology of patella and directly relates to clinical assessment of the tilt. which is appreciated from palpation of the edges of the patella. Patients and Methods: 38 patients with anterior knee pain and forty normal control subjects were examined using CT scan of patello-femoral joint in 15 degrees of knee flexion. The amount of lateral patellar tilt was quantitatively assessed using the lateral patello-femoral angle, as described by Laurin et al, and the newly defined patellar cortex tilt angle. This angle is subtended by the line drawn along the posterior femoral condyles and the one parallel to the subchondral bone of patellar cortex. The fifteen-degree tilt was taken as normal cut-off point for patellar cortex tilt angle in the control group. Results: in patients, the average tilt of patella. using the patellar cortex tilt angle was 15.26 versus 7.05 in the control group. Using Student's t test, the difference between the two means was significant (P<0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of patellar cortex tilt angle were 40 and 90 percent, respectively There was a moderate agreement between our presented test and the lateral tilt angle test (kappa=0.40. P<0.001). Conclusion: our results indicate that patellar tilt can also be detected using patellar cortex tilt angle. We need more specific studies ta determine the validity of the test

  1. Tilt testing results are influenced by tilt protocol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zyśko, Dorota; Fedorowski, Artur; Nilsson, David; Rudnicki, Jerzy; Gajek, Jacek; Melander, Olle; Sutton, Richard

    2016-07-01

    It is unknown how the return to supine position influences duration of loss of consciousness (LOC) and cardioinhibition during tilt test. Retrospective analysis of two datasets containing records of patients who underwent tilt testing for unexplained syncope in two centres was performed. Patients, totalling 1232, were included in the study: 262 in a Swedish centre and 970 patients in a Polish centre. In Sweden, tilt table with tilt-down time (TDT) of 18 s was used (Group II). In Poland, two different tilt tables were used, one of them with TDT of 10 s (Group I, n = 325), and the other with TDT of 47 s (Group III, n = 645). Cardioinhibitory reflex occurred most frequently in Group III, whereas number of pauses >3 s, frequency of very long asystole ≥30 s, and the total duration of pauses >3 s demonstrated a trend to increase from Group I to III. Duration of LOC in Groups II and III was significantly longer compared with Group I (32.0 and 33.7 s vs. 16.4 s). In the multivariate-adjusted regression model, cardioinhibitory reflex was predicted by tilt-table model (odds ratio per model with increasing TDT: 1.40; 95% confidence interval, 1.19-1.64; P < 0.0001), whereas LOC duration was longer with increasing TDT (P < 0.0001) and age (P < 0.0001). Longer TDT during induced vasovagal syncope increases the prevalence of cardioinhibitory reflex and prolongs the duration of LOC. Tilt-down time does not affect asystolic pause duration but delay may lead to occurrence of multiple pauses, higher frequency of very long asystole, and longer total asystole duration. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2015. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  2. Arsenic fractionation in agricultural soil using an automated three-step sequential extraction method coupled to hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rosas-Castor, J.M. [Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, UANL, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Cd. Universitaria, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León, C.P. 66451 Nuevo León (Mexico); Group of Analytical Chemistry, Automation and Environment, University of Balearic Islands, Cra. Valldemossa km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca (Spain); Portugal, L.; Ferrer, L. [Group of Analytical Chemistry, Automation and Environment, University of Balearic Islands, Cra. Valldemossa km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca (Spain); Guzmán-Mar, J.L.; Hernández-Ramírez, A. [Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, UANL, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Cd. Universitaria, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León, C.P. 66451 Nuevo León (Mexico); Cerdà, V. [Group of Analytical Chemistry, Automation and Environment, University of Balearic Islands, Cra. Valldemossa km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca (Spain); Hinojosa-Reyes, L., E-mail: laura.hinojosary@uanl.edu.mx [Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, UANL, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Cd. Universitaria, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León, C.P. 66451 Nuevo León (Mexico)

    2015-05-18

    Highlights: • A fully automated flow-based modified-BCR extraction method was developed to evaluate the extractable As of soil. • The MSFIA–HG-AFS system included an UV photo-oxidation step for organic species degradation. • The accuracy and precision of the proposed method were found satisfactory. • The time analysis can be reduced up to eight times by using the proposed flow-based BCR method. • The labile As (F1 + F2) was <50% of total As in soil samples from As-contaminated-mining zones. - Abstract: A fully automated modified three-step BCR flow-through sequential extraction method was developed for the fractionation of the arsenic (As) content from agricultural soil based on a multi-syringe flow injection analysis (MSFIA) system coupled to hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS). Critical parameters that affect the performance of the automated system were optimized by exploiting a multivariate approach using a Doehlert design. The validation of the flow-based modified-BCR method was carried out by comparison with the conventional BCR method. Thus, the total As content was determined in the following three fractions: fraction 1 (F1), the acid-soluble or interchangeable fraction; fraction 2 (F2), the reducible fraction; and fraction 3 (F3), the oxidizable fraction. The limits of detection (LOD) were 4.0, 3.4, and 23.6 μg L{sup −1} for F1, F2, and F3, respectively. A wide working concentration range was obtained for the analysis of each fraction, i.e., 0.013–0.800, 0.011–0.900 and 0.079–1.400 mg L{sup −1} for F1, F2, and F3, respectively. The precision of the automated MSFIA–HG-AFS system, expressed as the relative standard deviation (RSD), was evaluated for a 200 μg L{sup −1} As standard solution, and RSD values between 5 and 8% were achieved for the three BCR fractions. The new modified three-step BCR flow-based sequential extraction method was satisfactorily applied for arsenic fractionation in real agricultural

  3. Tilt-tuned etalon locking for tunable laser stabilization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gibson, Bradley M; McCall, Benjamin J

    2015-06-15

    Locking to a fringe of a tilt-tuned etalon provides a simple, inexpensive method for stabilizing tunable lasers. Here, we describe the use of such a system to stabilize an external-cavity quantum cascade laser; the locked laser has an Allan deviation of approximately 1 MHz over a one-second integration period, and has a single-scan tuning range of approximately 0.4  cm(-1). The system is robust, with minimal alignment requirements and automated lock acquisition, and can be easily adapted to different wavelength regions or more stringent stability requirements with minor alterations.

  4. Silhouette-based approach of 3D image reconstruction for automated image acquisition using robotic arm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azhar, N.; Saad, W. H. M.; Manap, N. A.; Saad, N. M.; Syafeeza, A. R.

    2017-06-01

    This study presents the approach of 3D image reconstruction using an autonomous robotic arm for the image acquisition process. A low cost of the automated imaging platform is created using a pair of G15 servo motor connected in series to an Arduino UNO as a main microcontroller. Two sets of sequential images were obtained using different projection angle of the camera. The silhouette-based approach is used in this study for 3D reconstruction from the sequential images captured from several different angles of the object. Other than that, an analysis based on the effect of different number of sequential images on the accuracy of 3D model reconstruction was also carried out with a fixed projection angle of the camera. The effecting elements in the 3D reconstruction are discussed and the overall result of the analysis is concluded according to the prototype of imaging platform.

  5. Pyrochemical processing automation at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dennison, D.K.; Domning, E.E.; Seivers, R.

    1991-01-01

    Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is developing a fully automated system for pyrochemical processing of special nuclear materials (SNM). The system utilizes a glove box, an automated tilt-pour furnace (TPF), an IBM developed gantry robot, and specialized automation tooling. All material handling within the glove box (i.e., furnace loading, furnace unloading, product and slag separation, and product packaging) is performed automatically. The objectives of the effort are to increase process productivity, decrease operator radiation, reduce process wastes, and demonstrate system reliability and availability. This paper provides an overview of the automated system hardware, outlines the overall operations sequence, and discusses the current status

  6. Tilt angles and positive response of head-up tilt test in children with orthostatic intolerance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Jing; Wang, Yuli; Ochs, Todd; Tang, Chaoshu; Du, Junbao; Jin, Hongfang

    2015-01-01

    This study aimed at examining three tilt angle-based positive responses and the time to positive response in a head-up tilt test for children with orthostatic intolerance, and the psychological fear experienced at the three angles during head-up tilt test. A total of 174 children, including 76 boys and 98 girls, aged from 4 to 18 years old (mean 11.3±2.8 years old), with unexplained syncope, were randomly divided into three groups, to undergo head-up tilt test at the angles of 60°, 70° and 80°, respectively. The diagnostic rates and times were analysed, and Wong-Baker face pain rating scale was used to access the children's psychological fear. There were no significant differences in diagnostic rates of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and vasovagal syncope at different tilt angles during the head-up tilt test (p>0.05). There was a significant difference, however, in the psychological fear at different tilt angles utilising the Kruskal-Wallis test (χ2=36.398, ptest (ptest for vasovagal syncope or for postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. Hence, it is suggested that a tilt angle of 60° and head-up tilt test time of 45 minutes should be suitable for children with vasovagal syncope.

  7. Automated backbone assignment of labeled proteins using the threshold accepting algorithm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leutner, Michael; Gschwind, Ruth M.; Liermann, Jens; Schwarz, Christian; Gemmecker, Gerd; Kessler, Horst

    1998-01-01

    The sequential assignment of backbone resonances is the first step in the structure determination of proteins by heteronuclear NMR. For larger proteins, an assignment strategy based on proton side-chain information is no longer suitable for the use in an automated procedure. Our program PASTA (Protein ASsignment by Threshold Accepting) is therefore designed to partially or fully automate the sequential assignment of proteins, based on the analysis of NMR backbone resonances plus C β information. In order to overcome the problems caused by peak overlap and missing signals in an automated assignment process, PASTA uses threshold accepting, a combinatorial optimization strategy, which is superior to simulated annealing due to generally faster convergence and better solutions. The reliability of this algorithm is shown by reproducing the complete sequential backbone assignment of several proteins from published NMR data. The robustness of the algorithm against misassigned signals, noise, spectral overlap and missing peaks is shown by repeating the assignment with reduced sequential information and increased chemical shift tolerances. The performance of the program on real data is finally demonstrated with automatically picked peak lists of human nonpancreatic synovial phospholipase A 2 , a protein with 124 residues

  8. Smartnotebook: A semi-automated approach to protein sequential NMR resonance assignments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Slupsky, Carolyn M.; Boyko, Robert F.; Booth, Valerie K.; Sykes, Brian D.

    2003-01-01

    Complete and accurate NMR spectral assignment is a prerequisite for high-throughput automated structure determination of biological macromolecules. However, completely automated assignment procedures generally encounter difficulties for all but the most ideal data sets. Sources of these problems include difficulty in resolving correlations in crowded spectral regions, as well as complications arising from dynamics, such as weak or missing peaks, or atoms exhibiting more than one peak due to exchange phenomena. Smartnotebook is a semi-automated assignment software package designed to combine the best features of the automated and manual approaches. The software finds and displays potential connections between residues, while the spectroscopist makes decisions on which connection is correct, allowing rapid and robust assignment. In addition, smartnotebook helps the user fit chains of connected residues to the primary sequence of the protein by comparing the experimentally determined chemical shifts with expected shifts derived from a chemical shift database, while providing bookkeeping throughout the assignment procedure

  9. Automated discrete electron tomography – Towards routine high-fidelity reconstruction of nanomaterials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhuge, Xiaodong; Jinnai, Hiroshi; Dunin-Borkowski, Rafal E.; Migunov, Vadim; Bals, Sara; Cool, Pegie; Bons, Anton-Jan; Batenburg, Kees Joost

    2017-01-01

    Electron tomography is an essential imaging technique for the investigation of morphology and 3D structure of nanomaterials. This method, however, suffers from well-known missing wedge artifacts due to a restricted tilt range, which limits the objectiveness, repeatability and efficiency of quantitative structural analysis. Discrete tomography represents one of the promising reconstruction techniques for materials science, potentially capable of delivering higher fidelity reconstructions by exploiting the prior knowledge of the limited number of material compositions in a specimen. However, the application of discrete tomography to practical datasets remains a difficult task due to the underlying challenging mathematical problem. In practice, it is often hard to obtain consistent reconstructions from experimental datasets. In addition, numerous parameters need to be tuned manually, which can lead to bias and non-repeatability. In this paper, we present the application of a new iterative reconstruction technique, named TVR-DART, for discrete electron tomography. The technique is capable of consistently delivering reconstructions with significantly reduced missing wedge artifacts for a variety of challenging data and imaging conditions, and can automatically estimate its key parameters. We describe the principles of the technique and apply it to datasets from three different types of samples acquired under diverse imaging modes. By further reducing the available tilt range and number of projections, we show that the proposed technique can still produce consistent reconstructions with minimized missing wedge artifacts. This new development promises to provide the electron microscopy community with an easy-to-use and robust tool for high-fidelity 3D characterization of nanomaterials. - Highlights: • Automated discrete electron tomography capable of consistently delivering reconstructions with significantly reduced missing wedge artifacts and requires significantly

  10. Automated discrete electron tomography – Towards routine high-fidelity reconstruction of nanomaterials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhuge, Xiaodong [Computational Imaging, Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica, Science park 123, 1098XG Amsterdam (Netherlands); Jinnai, Hiroshi [Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, Katahira 2-1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577 (Japan); Dunin-Borkowski, Rafal E.; Migunov, Vadim [Ernst Ruska-Centre for Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Electrons and Peter Grünberg Institute, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich (Germany); Bals, Sara [EMAT, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, B-2020 Antwerp (Belgium); Cool, Pegie [Laboratory of Adsorption and Catalysis, Department of Chemistry, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk (Belgium); Bons, Anton-Jan [European Technology Center, ExxonMobil Chemical Europe Inc., Hermeslaan 2, B-1831 Machelen (Belgium); Batenburg, Kees Joost [Computational Imaging, Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica, Science park 123, 1098XG Amsterdam (Netherlands)

    2017-04-15

    Electron tomography is an essential imaging technique for the investigation of morphology and 3D structure of nanomaterials. This method, however, suffers from well-known missing wedge artifacts due to a restricted tilt range, which limits the objectiveness, repeatability and efficiency of quantitative structural analysis. Discrete tomography represents one of the promising reconstruction techniques for materials science, potentially capable of delivering higher fidelity reconstructions by exploiting the prior knowledge of the limited number of material compositions in a specimen. However, the application of discrete tomography to practical datasets remains a difficult task due to the underlying challenging mathematical problem. In practice, it is often hard to obtain consistent reconstructions from experimental datasets. In addition, numerous parameters need to be tuned manually, which can lead to bias and non-repeatability. In this paper, we present the application of a new iterative reconstruction technique, named TVR-DART, for discrete electron tomography. The technique is capable of consistently delivering reconstructions with significantly reduced missing wedge artifacts for a variety of challenging data and imaging conditions, and can automatically estimate its key parameters. We describe the principles of the technique and apply it to datasets from three different types of samples acquired under diverse imaging modes. By further reducing the available tilt range and number of projections, we show that the proposed technique can still produce consistent reconstructions with minimized missing wedge artifacts. This new development promises to provide the electron microscopy community with an easy-to-use and robust tool for high-fidelity 3D characterization of nanomaterials. - Highlights: • Automated discrete electron tomography capable of consistently delivering reconstructions with significantly reduced missing wedge artifacts and requires significantly

  11. Recent developments in automated determinations of trace level concentrations of elements and on-line fractionations schemes exploiting the micro-sequential injection - lab-on-valve approach

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Elo Harald; Miró, Manuel; Long, Xiangbao

    2006-01-01

    The determination of trace level concentrations of elements, such as metal species, in complex matrices by atomic absorption or emission spectrometric methods often require appropriate pretreatments comprising separation of the analyte from interfering constituents and analyte preconcentration...... are presented as based on the exploitation of micro-sequential injection (μSI-LOV) using hydrophobic as well as hydrophilic bead materials. The examples given comprise the presentation of a universal approach for SPE-assays, front-end speciation of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in a fully automated and enclosed set...

  12. Automated land cover change detection: the quest for meaningful high temporal time series extraction

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Salmon, BP

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available and methodologies on sequential time series extracted from satellite data. 5. REFERENCES [1] R. S. DeFries, L. Bounoua, and G. J. Collatz, “Human modification of the landscape and surface climate in the next fifty years,” Global Change Biology, vol. 8, no. 5... was extracted for only the first two spectral bands from the 8-day composite MODIS MCD43A4 data set (tile H20V11) (year 2000–2008) as it was shown to have considerable class separation when the features are analyzed [6]. 2.3. Data sets: Validation...

  13. The relationship between anterior pelvic tilt and gait, balance in patient with chronic stroke.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Myoung-Kwon; Kim, Seong-Gil; Shin, Young-Jun; Choi, Eun-Hong; Choe, Yu-Won

    2018-01-01

    [Purpose] The aim of this study is to find out the association between anterior pelvic tilt and gait and balance in chronic stroke. [Subjects and Methods] Fourteen chronic stroke patients were included in this study. A palpation meter was employed to measure the anterior inclination of the pelvis. A GAITRite system automates measuring temporal and spatial gait parameters. A 10-Meter Walk test was used to measure gait speed. The Timed Up and Go test was used to measure the dynamic balance ability and gait ability of the participants. A BioRescue was used to assess balance by measuring the moving distance and area of the center of pressure. [Results] There were significant negative correlations between pelvic anterior tilt and velocity, step length, and stride. There were significant positive correlations between velocity and cadence, step length, and stride length. There were significant negative correlations between velocity and cycle time, H-H base, TUG, and 10MWT. There was significant negative correlation between cadence and cycle time and H-H base. [Conclusion] This study showed a negative correlation between pelvic anterior tilt and gait function including gait speed and step length.

  14. Sequential, progressive, equal-power, reflective beam-splitter arrays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manhart, Paul K.

    2017-11-01

    The equations to calculate equal-power reflectivity of a sequential series of beam splitters is presented. Non-sequential optical design examples are offered for uniform illumination using diode lasers. Objects created using Boolean operators and Swept Surfaces can create objects capable of reflecting light into predefined elevation and azimuth angles. Analysis of the illumination patterns for the array are also presented.

  15. Automated spectrophotometer for plutonium and uranium determination

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jackson, D.D.; Hodgkins, D.J.; Hollen, R.M.; Rein, J.E.

    1975-09-01

    The automated spectrophotometer described is the first in a planned series of automated instruments for determining plutonium and uranium in nuclear fuel cycle materials. It has a throughput rate of 5 min per sample and uses a highly specific method of analysis for these elements. The range of plutonium and uranium measured is 0.5 to 14 mg and 1 to 14 mg, respectively, in 0.5 ml or less of solution with an option to pre-evaporate larger volumes. The precision of the measurements is about 0.02 mg standard deviation over the range corresponding to about 2 rel percent at the 1-mg level and 0.2 rel percent at the 10-mg level. The method of analysis involves the extraction of tetrapropylammonium plutonyl and uranyl trinitrate complexes into 2-nitropropane and the measurement of the optical absorbances in the organic phase at unique peak wavelengths. Various aspects of the chemistry associated with the method are presented. The automated spectrophotometer features a turntable that rotates as many as 24 samples in tubes to a series of stations for the sequential chemical operations of reagent addition and phase mixing to effect extraction, and then to a station for the absorbance measurement. With this system, the complications of sample transfers and flow-through cells are avoided. The absorbance measurement system features highly stable interference filters and a microcomputer that controls the timing sequence and operation of the system components. Output is a paper tape printout of three numbers: a four-digit number proportional to the quantity of plutonium or uranium, a two-digit number that designates the position of the tube in the turntable, and a one-digit number that designates whether plutonium or uranium was determined. Details of the mechanical and electrical components of the instrument and of the hardware and software aspects of the computerized control system are provided

  16. Optimum Tilt Angle at Tropical Region

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S Soulayman

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available : One of the important parameters that affect the performance of a solar collector is its tilt angle with the horizon. This is because of the variation of tilt angle changes the amount of solar radiation reaching the collector surface. Meanwhile, is the rule of thumb, which says that solar collector Equator facing position is the best, is valid for tropical region? Thus, it is required to determine the optimum tilt as for Equator facing and for Pole oriented collectors. In addition, the question that may arise: how many times is reasonable for adjusting collector tilt angle for a definite value of surface azimuth angle? A mathematical model was used for estimating the solar radiation on a tilted surface, and to determine the optimum tilt angle and orientation (surface azimuth angle for the solar collector at any latitude. This model was applied for determining optimum tilt angle and orientation in the tropical zones, on a daily basis, as well as for a specific period. The optimum angle was computed by searching for the values for which the radiation on the collector surface is a maximum for a particular day or a specific period. The results reveal that changing the tilt angle 12 times in a year (i.e. using the monthly optimum tilt angle maintains approximately the total amount of solar radiation near the maximum value that is found by changing the tilt angle daily to its optimum value. This achieves a yearly gain in solar radiation of 11% to 18% more than the case of a solar collector fixed on a horizontal surface.

  17. Automated Bayesian model development for frequency detection in biological time series

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oldroyd Giles ED

    2011-06-01

    the requirement for uniformly sampled data. Biological time series often deviate significantly from the requirements of optimality for Fourier transformation. In this paper we present an alternative approach based on Bayesian inference. We show the value of placing spectral analysis in the framework of Bayesian inference and demonstrate how model comparison can automate this procedure.

  18. Automated Bayesian model development for frequency detection in biological time series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Granqvist, Emma; Oldroyd, Giles E D; Morris, Richard J

    2011-06-24

    series often deviate significantly from the requirements of optimality for Fourier transformation. In this paper we present an alternative approach based on Bayesian inference. We show the value of placing spectral analysis in the framework of Bayesian inference and demonstrate how model comparison can automate this procedure.

  19. Fault diagnosis for tilting-pad journal bearing based on SVD and LMD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhang Xiaotao

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Aiming at fault diagnosis for tilting-pad journal bearing with fluid support developed recently, a new method based on singular value decomposition (SVD and local mean decomposition (LMD is proposed. First, the phase space reconstruction of Hankel matrix and SVD method are used as pre-filter process unit to reduce the random noises in the original signal. Then the purified signal is decomposed by LMD into a series of production functions (PFs. Based on PFs, time frequency map and marginal spectrum can be obtained for fault diagnosis. Finally, this method is applied to numerical simulation and practical experiment data. The results show that the proposed method can effectively detect fault features of tilting-pad journal bearing.

  20. Tilting Saturn without Tilting Jupiter: Constraints on Giant Planet Migration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brasser, R.; Lee, Man Hoi

    2015-11-01

    The migration and encounter histories of the giant planets in our solar system can be constrained by the obliquities of Jupiter and Saturn. We have performed secular simulations with imposed migration and N-body simulations with planetesimals to study the expected obliquity distribution of migrating planets with initial conditions resembling those of the smooth migration model, the resonant Nice model and two models with five giant planets initially in resonance (one compact and one loose configuration). For smooth migration, the secular spin-orbit resonance mechanism can tilt Saturn’s spin axis to the current obliquity if the product of the migration timescale and the orbital inclinations is sufficiently large (exceeding 30 Myr deg). For the resonant Nice model with imposed migration, it is difficult to reproduce today’s obliquity values, because the compactness of the initial system raises the frequency that tilts Saturn above the spin precession frequency of Jupiter, causing a Jupiter spin-orbit resonance crossing. Migration timescales sufficiently long to tilt Saturn generally suffice to tilt Jupiter more than is observed. The full N-body simulations tell a somewhat different story, with Jupiter generally being tilted as often as Saturn, but on average having a higher obliquity. The main obstacle is the final orbital spacing of the giant planets, coupled with the tail of Neptune’s migration. The resonant Nice case is barely able to simultaneously reproduce the orbital and spin properties of the giant planets, with a probability ˜ 0.15%. The loose five planet model is unable to match all our constraints (probability <0.08%). The compact five planet model has the highest chance of matching the orbital and obliquity constraints simultaneously (probability ˜0.3%).

  1. Inhomogeneities detection in annual precipitation time series in Portugal using direct sequential simulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caineta, Júlio; Ribeiro, Sara; Costa, Ana Cristina; Henriques, Roberto; Soares, Amílcar

    2014-05-01

    Climate data homogenisation is of major importance in monitoring climate change, the validation of weather forecasting, general circulation and regional atmospheric models, modelling of erosion, drought monitoring, among other studies of hydrological and environmental impacts. This happens because non-climate factors can cause time series discontinuities which may hide the true climatic signal and patterns, thus potentially bias the conclusions of those studies. In the last two decades, many methods have been developed to identify and remove these inhomogeneities. One of those is based on geostatistical simulation (DSS - direct sequential simulation), where local probability density functions (pdf) are calculated at candidate monitoring stations, using spatial and temporal neighbouring observations, and then are used for detection of inhomogeneities. This approach has been previously applied to detect inhomogeneities in four precipitation series (wet day count) from a network with 66 monitoring stations located in the southern region of Portugal (1980-2001). This study revealed promising results and the potential advantages of geostatistical techniques for inhomogeneities detection in climate time series. This work extends the case study presented before and investigates the application of the geostatistical stochastic approach to ten precipitation series that were previously classified as inhomogeneous by one of six absolute homogeneity tests (Mann-Kendall test, Wald-Wolfowitz runs test, Von Neumann ratio test, Standard normal homogeneity test (SNHT) for a single break, Pettit test, and Buishand range test). Moreover, a sensibility analysis is implemented to investigate the number of simulated realisations that should be used to accurately infer the local pdfs. Accordingly, the number of simulations per iteration is increased from 50 to 500, which resulted in a more representative local pdf. A set of default and recommended settings is provided, which will help

  2. Automated segmentation and reconstruction of patient-specific cardiac anatomy and pathology from in vivo MRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ringenberg, Jordan; Deo, Makarand; Devabhaktuni, Vijay; Filgueiras-Rama, David; Pizarro, Gonzalo; Ibañez, Borja; Berenfeld, Omer; Boyers, Pamela; Gold, Jeffrey

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents an automated method to segment left ventricle (LV) tissues from functional and delayed-enhancement (DE) cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans using a sequential multi-step approach. First, a region of interest (ROI) is computed to create a subvolume around the LV using morphological operations and image arithmetic. From the subvolume, the myocardial contours are automatically delineated using difference of Gaussians (DoG) filters and GSV snakes. These contours are used as a mask to identify pathological tissues, such as fibrosis or scar, within the DE-MRI. The presented automated technique is able to accurately delineate the myocardium and identify the pathological tissue in patient sets. The results were validated by two expert cardiologists, and in one set the automated results are quantitatively and qualitatively compared with expert manual delineation. Furthermore, the method is patient-specific, performed on an entire patient MRI series. Thus, in addition to providing a quick analysis of individual MRI scans, the fully automated segmentation method is used for effectively tagging regions in order to reconstruct computerized patient-specific 3D cardiac models. These models can then be used in electrophysiological studies and surgical strategy planning. (paper)

  3. Molecular tilt on monolayer-protected nanoparticles

    KAUST Repository

    Giomi, L.

    2012-02-01

    The structure of the tilted phase of monolayer-protected nanoparticles is investigated by means of a simple Ginzburg-Landau model. The theory contains two dimensionless parameters representing the preferential tilt angle and the ratio ε between the energy cost due to spatial variations in the tilt of the coating molecules and that of the van der Waals interactions which favors the preferential tilt. We analyze the model for both spherical and octahedral particles. On spherical particles, we find a transition from a tilted phase, at small ε, to a phase where the molecules spontaneously align along the surface normal and tilt disappears. Octahedral particles have an additional phase at small ε characterized by the presence of six topological defects. These defective configurations provide preferred sites for the chemical functionalization of monolayer-protected nanoparticles via place-exchange reactions and their consequent linking to form molecules and bulk materials. Copyright © EPLA, 2012.

  4. Molecular tilt on monolayer-protected nanoparticles

    KAUST Repository

    Giomi, L.; Bowick, M. J.; Ma, X.; Majumdar, A.

    2012-01-01

    The structure of the tilted phase of monolayer-protected nanoparticles is investigated by means of a simple Ginzburg-Landau model. The theory contains two dimensionless parameters representing the preferential tilt angle and the ratio ε between the energy cost due to spatial variations in the tilt of the coating molecules and that of the van der Waals interactions which favors the preferential tilt. We analyze the model for both spherical and octahedral particles. On spherical particles, we find a transition from a tilted phase, at small ε, to a phase where the molecules spontaneously align along the surface normal and tilt disappears. Octahedral particles have an additional phase at small ε characterized by the presence of six topological defects. These defective configurations provide preferred sites for the chemical functionalization of monolayer-protected nanoparticles via place-exchange reactions and their consequent linking to form molecules and bulk materials. Copyright © EPLA, 2012.

  5. NASA Langley Distributed Propulsion VTOL Tilt-Wing Aircraft Testing, Modeling, Simulation, Control, and Flight Test Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rothhaar, Paul M.; Murphy, Patrick C.; Bacon, Barton J.; Gregory, Irene M.; Grauer, Jared A.; Busan, Ronald C.; Croom, Mark A.

    2014-01-01

    Control of complex Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft traversing from hovering to wing born flight mode and back poses notoriously difficult modeling, simulation, control, and flight-testing challenges. This paper provides an overview of the techniques and advances required to develop the GL-10 tilt-wing, tilt-tail, long endurance, VTOL aircraft control system. The GL-10 prototype's unusual and complex configuration requires application of state-of-the-art techniques and some significant advances in wind tunnel infrastructure automation, efficient Design Of Experiments (DOE) tunnel test techniques, modeling, multi-body equations of motion, multi-body actuator models, simulation, control algorithm design, and flight test avionics, testing, and analysis. The following compendium surveys key disciplines required to develop an effective control system for this challenging vehicle in this on-going effort.

  6. An efficient eikonal solver for tilted transversely isotropic and tilted orthorhombic media

    KAUST Repository

    Waheed, Umair bin

    2014-01-01

    Computing first-arrival traveltimes in the presence of anisotropy is important for high-end near surface modeling, microseismic source localization, and fractured reservoir characterization. Anisotropy deviating from elliptical anisotropy introduces higher-order nonlinearity into the eikonal equation, which makes solving the equation a challenging task. We address this challenge by iteratively solving a sequence of simpler tilted elliptically anisotropic eikonal equations. At each iteration, the source function is updated to capture the effects due to the higher order nonlinear terms in the anisotropy. We use Aitken extrapolation to speed up the convergence rate of the iterative algorithm. The result is an efficient algorithm for firstarrival traveltime computations in tilted anisotropic media. We demonstrate the proposed method for the tilted transversely isotropic media and the tilted orthorhombic media. Numerical tests show that the proposed method is feasible and produces results that are comparable to wavefield extrapolation, even for strongly anisotropic and complex structures. Therefore, for the cases where one or two-point ray tracing fails, our method may be a potential substitute for computing traveltimes.

  7. Fluid observers and tilting cosmology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coley, A A; Hervik, S; Lim, W C

    2006-01-01

    We study perfect fluid cosmological models with a constant equation of state parameter γ in which there are two naturally defined timelike congruences, a geometrically defined geodesic congruence and a non-geodesic fluid congruence. We establish an appropriate set of boost formulae relating the physical variables, and consequently the observed quantities, in the two frames. We study expanding spatially homogeneous tilted perfect fluid models, with an emphasis on future evolution with extreme tilt. We show that for ultra-radiative equations of state (i.e. γ > 4/3), generically the tilt becomes extreme at late times and the fluid observers will reach infinite expansion within a finite proper time and experience a singularity similar to that of the big rip. In addition, we show that for sub-radiative equations of state (i.e. γ < 4/3), the tilt can become extreme at late times and give rise to an effective quintessential equation of state. To establish the connection with phantom cosmology and quintessence, we calculate the effective equation of state in the models under consideration and we determine the future asymptotic behaviour of the tilting models in the fluid frame variables using the boost formulae. We also discuss spatially inhomogeneous models and tilting spatially homogeneous models with a cosmological constant

  8. Evaluating Tilt for Wind Farms: Preprint

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Annoni, Jennifer; Scholbrock, Andrew; Churchfield, Matthew; Fleming, Paul

    2017-06-29

    The objective of this work is to demonstrate the feasibility of tilt in a wind plant. Tilt control, much like other wind plant control strategies, has the potential to improve the performance of a wind plant. Tilt control uses the tilt angle of the turbine to direct the wake above or below the downstream turbines. This paper presents a study of tilt in two- and threeturbine arrays. Specifically, the authors show that the power production of a two-turbine array can be increased by tilting turbines in a specific orientation. When adding more turbines, as is shown with the three-turbine array, the overall percentage of power gain increases. This outcome deviates from some of the results seen in typical wind plant control strategies. Finally, we discuss the impact this type of control strategy has on the aerodynamics in a wind plant. This analysis demonstrates that a good understanding of wake characteristics is necessary to improve the plant's performance. A tilt strategy such as the one presented in this paper may have implications for future control/optimization studies including optimization of hub heights in a wind plant and analysis of deep array effects.

  9. Single particle and molecular assembly analysis of polyribosomes by single- and double-tilt cryo electron tomography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Myasnikov, Alexander G. [IGBMC (Institute of Genetics and of Molecular and Cellular Biology), Department of Integrative Structural Biology, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) UMR 7104/ Institut National de la Santé de la Recherche Médicale INSERM U964/ Université de Strasbourg, 1 rue Laurent Fries, 67404 Illkirch (France); Afonina, Zhanna A. [Institute of Protein Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Moscow Region (Russian Federation); Klaholz, Bruno P., E-mail: klaholz@igbmc.fr [IGBMC (Institute of Genetics and of Molecular and Cellular Biology), Department of Integrative Structural Biology, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) UMR 7104/ Institut National de la Santé de la Recherche Médicale INSERM U964/ Université de Strasbourg, 1 rue Laurent Fries, 67404 Illkirch (France)

    2013-03-15

    Cryo electron tomography (cryo-ET) can provide cellular and molecular structural information on various biological samples. However, the detailed interpretation of tomograms reconstructed from single-tilt data tends to suffer from low signal-to-noise ratio and artefacts caused by some systematically missing angular views. While these can be overcome by sub-tomogram averaging, they remain limiting for the analysis of unique structures. Double-tilt ET can improve the tomogram quality by acquiring a second tilt series after an in-plane rotation, but its usage is not widespread yet because it is considered technically demanding and it is rarely used under cryo conditions. Here we show that double-tilt cryo-ET improves the quality of 3D reconstructions so significantly that even single particle analysis can be envisaged despite of the intrinsically low image contrast obtained from frozen-hydrated specimens. This is illustrated by the analysis of eukaryotic polyribosomes in which individual ribosomes were reconstructed using single-tilt, partial and full double-tilt geometries. The improved tomograms favour the faster convergence of iterative sub-tomogram averaging and allow a better 3D classification using multivariate statistical analysis. Our study of single particles and molecular assemblies within polysomes illustrates that the dual-axis approach is particularly useful for cryo applications of ET, both for unique objects and for structures that can be classified and averaged. - Highlights: ► Double-tilt cryo-ET improves 3D reconstructions thus making single particle analysis possible. ► Dual-axis cryo-ET data favour a faster convergence of iterative sub-tomogram averaging. ► Individual ribosomes were reconstructed from single-tilt, partial/ full double-tilt geometries. ► Double-tilt cryo-ET facilitates analysis of larger molecular assemblies such as in cell sections. ► Dual-axis cryo-ET is applicable to unique objects and to structures that can be

  10. Direct cone beam SPECT reconstruction with camera tilt

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jianying Li; Jaszczak, R.J.; Greer, K.L.; Coleman, R.E.; Zongjian Cao; Tsui, B.M.W.

    1993-01-01

    A filtered backprojection (FBP) algorithm is derived to perform cone beam (CB) single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) reconstruction with camera tilt using circular orbits. This algorithm reconstructs the tilted angle CB projection data directly by incorporating the tilt angle into it. When the tilt angle becomes zero, this algorithm reduces to that of Feldkamp. Experimentally acquired phantom studies using both a two-point source and the three-dimensional Hoffman brain phantom have been performed. The transaxial tilted cone beam brain images and profiles obtained using the new algorithm are compared with those without camera tilt. For those slices which have approximately the same distance from the detector in both tilt and non-tilt set-ups, the two transaxial reconstructions have similar profiles. The two-point source images reconstructed from this new algorithm and the tilted cone beam brain images are also compared with those reconstructed from the existing tilted cone beam algorithm. (author)

  11. Tidal tilts observations in the Gran Sasso underground laboratory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iafolla, V.; Nozzoli, S.; Milyukov, V.

    2001-01-01

    A new tilt meter, based on the technology for building a space-borne high-sensitivity accelerometer and manufactured at IFSI/CNR, has a been operating during several years in the INFN Gran Sasso underground laboratory. The results of the analysis of a three-year data set, processed with the program package ETERNA, to estimate earth tidal parameters are reported. For the best series of data (1998) tide measurement accuracies are: 0.5-1% for the M 2 (lunar principal) amplitude and 3-4% for the O 1 (lunar declination) amplitude. The tilt meter installed at a depth of 1400 m shows no clear evidence of meteorological effects. Observed tidal parameters are compared with theoretical tidal parameters predicted for a non-hydrostatic inelastic Earth model and demonstrate good agreement for the M 2 component. Due to the high accuracy of the tidal components prediction (better than 1%) tidal measurements were used to estimate the long-term stability of the instrument response

  12. Sequential hand hygiene promotion contributes to a reduced nosocomial bloodstream infection rate among very low-birth weight infants: an interrupted time series over a 10-year period

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Helder, Onno K.; Brug, Johannes; van Goudoever, Johannes B.; Looman, Caspar W. N.; Reiss, Irwin K. M.; Kornelisse, René F.

    2014-01-01

    Sustained high compliance with hand hygiene (HH) is needed to reduce nosocomial bloodstream infections (NBSIs). However, over time, a wash out effect often occurs. We studied the long-term effect of sequential HH-promoting interventions. An observational study with an interrupted time series

  13. Patient specific dynamic geometric models from sequential volumetric time series image data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cameron, B M; Robb, R A

    2004-01-01

    Generating patient specific dynamic models is complicated by the complexity of the motion intrinsic and extrinsic to the anatomic structures being modeled. Using a physics-based sequentially deforming algorithm, an anatomically accurate dynamic four-dimensional model can be created from a sequence of 3-D volumetric time series data sets. While such algorithms may accurately track the cyclic non-linear motion of the heart, they generally fail to accurately track extrinsic structural and non-cyclic motion. To accurately model these motions, we have modified a physics-based deformation algorithm to use a meta-surface defining the temporal and spatial maxima of the anatomic structure as the base reference surface. A mass-spring physics-based deformable model, which can expand or shrink with the local intrinsic motion, is applied to the metasurface, deforming this base reference surface to the volumetric data at each time point. As the meta-surface encompasses the temporal maxima of the structure, any extrinsic motion is inherently encoded into the base reference surface and allows the computation of the time point surfaces to be performed in parallel. The resultant 4-D model can be interactively transformed and viewed from different angles, showing the spatial and temporal motion of the anatomic structure. Using texture maps and per-vertex coloring, additional data such as physiological and/or biomechanical variables (e.g., mapping electrical activation sequences onto contracting myocardial surfaces) can be associated with the dynamic model, producing a 5-D model. For acquisition systems that may capture only limited time series data (e.g., only images at end-diastole/end-systole or inhalation/exhalation), this algorithm can provide useful interpolated surfaces between the time points. Such models help minimize the number of time points required to usefully depict the motion of anatomic structures for quantitative assessment of regional dynamics.

  14. Unilateral otolith centrifugation by head tilt.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winters, Stephanie M; Bos, Jelte E; Klis, Sjaak F L

    2014-01-01

    To test for otolith asymmetries, several studies described horizontal translation of the body and head en bloc during fast vertical axis rotation. This stimulus causes one otolithic organ to rotate on-axis, and the other to experience centripetal acceleration. To test a new, more simple method of unilateral stimulation with head tilt and the body remaining on axis. During stationary and during 360 deg/s rotation, 12 healthy blindfolded subjects had their heads tilted 30 degrees sideways, positioning one otolithic organ on the axis of rotation after the other. The haptic subjective vertical (SV) was recorded several times by means of a manually adjustable rod. It was found that during stationary the SV tilted about 4 degrees on average in the direction of the head. During rotation, the SV tilted about 9 degrees on average. We therefore estimate the effect of eccentric otolith rotation to be 5 degrees on average. Tilt of the subjective vertical induced by head tilt during on-axis body rotation can provide a relatively uncomplicated alternative to test unilateral otolithic function as compared to body and head translation during rotation. Moreover, unlike eccentric rotation of the entire body, somatosensory cues are minimized by keeping the body fixed on axis and by subtracting the effect of head tilt per se.

  15. Experiment Design for Complex VTOL Aircraft with Distributed Propulsion and Tilt Wing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murphy, Patrick C.; Landman, Drew

    2015-01-01

    Selected experimental results from a wind tunnel study of a subscale VTOL concept with distributed propulsion and tilt lifting surfaces are presented. The vehicle complexity and automated test facility were ideal for use with a randomized designed experiment. Design of Experiments and Response Surface Methods were invoked to produce run efficient, statistically rigorous regression models with minimized prediction error. Static tests were conducted at the NASA Langley 12-Foot Low-Speed Tunnel to model all six aerodynamic coefficients over a large flight envelope. This work supports investigations at NASA Langley in developing advanced configurations, simulations, and advanced control systems.

  16. Effects of neostriatal 6-OHDA lesion on performance in a rat sequential reaction time task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Domenger, D; Schwarting, R K W

    2008-10-31

    Work in humans and monkeys has provided evidence that the basal ganglia, and the neurotransmitter dopamine therein, play an important role for sequential learning and performance. Compared to primates, experimental work in rodents is rather sparse, largely due to the fact that tasks comparable to the human ones, especially serial reaction time tasks (SRTT), had been lacking until recently. We have developed a rat model of the SRTT, which allows to study neural correlates of sequential performance and motor sequence execution. Here, we report the effects of dopaminergic neostriatal lesions, performed using bilateral 6-hydroxydopamine injections, on performance of well-trained rats tested in our SRTT. Sequential behavior was measured in two ways: for one, the effects of small violations of otherwise well trained sequences were examined as a measure of attention and automation. Secondly, sequential versus random performance was compared as a measure of sequential learning. Neurochemically, the lesions led to sub-total dopamine depletions in the neostriatum, which ranged around 60% in the lateral, and around 40% in the medial neostriatum. These lesions led to a general instrumental impairment in terms of reduced speed (response latencies) and response rate, and these deficits were correlated with the degree of striatal dopamine loss. Furthermore, the violation test indicated that the lesion group conducted less automated responses. The comparison of random versus sequential responding showed that the lesion group did not retain its superior sequential performance in terms of speed, whereas they did in terms of accuracy. Also, rats with lesions did not improve further in overall performance as compared to pre-lesion values, whereas controls did. These results support previous results that neostriatal dopamine is involved in instrumental behaviour in general. Also, these lesions are not sufficient to completely abolish sequential performance, at least when acquired

  17. Influence of forming conditions on fiber tilt

    Science.gov (United States)

    David W. Vahey; John M. Considine; Michael A. and MacGregor

    2013-01-01

    Fiber tilt describes the projection of fiber length in the thickness direction of paper. The projection is described by the tilt angle of fibers with respect to the plane of the sheet. A simple model for fiber tilt is based on jet-to-wire velocity differential in combination with cross-flows on the wire. The tilt angle of a fiber is found to vary as the sine of its in-...

  18. Computer automation and artificial intelligence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hasnain, S.B.

    1992-01-01

    Rapid advances in computing, resulting from micro chip revolution has increased its application manifold particularly for computer automation. Yet the level of automation available, has limited its application to more complex and dynamic systems which require an intelligent computer control. In this paper a review of Artificial intelligence techniques used to augment automation is presented. The current sequential processing approach usually adopted in artificial intelligence has succeeded in emulating the symbolic processing part of intelligence, but the processing power required to get more elusive aspects of intelligence leads towards parallel processing. An overview of parallel processing with emphasis on transputer is also provided. A Fuzzy knowledge based controller for amination drug delivery in muscle relaxant anesthesia on transputer is described. 4 figs. (author)

  19. Realization of Tip Tilting By 8-Step Line Tilting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Yingtian; Zhang Yang; Lim, Boon Ham; Lim, Chen Sin; Hu Sen; Ho, Tso-Hsiu

    2009-01-01

    By direct calculation of rotation matrices of SO(3), we show how certain specific sequence of eight consecutive rotations of digital angles can yield a tilting of a facet mirror. We also design a detailed program specifically to tilt an array of mirrors from planar orientation to the required focusing orientation. We describe how to use the 8-step to realize the focusing of the mirror array. We have found, in our designed program, an important feature of row-sharing during the rotations for the columns and similarly the column-sharing during the rotations for the row. This feature can save a lot of operating time during the actual realization of the mechanical movements.

  20. Tilting mode in field-reversed configurations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schwarzmeier, J.L.; Barnes, D.C.; Lewis, H.R.; Seyler, C.E.; Shestakov, A.I.

    1982-01-01

    Field Reversed Configurations (FRCs) experimentally have exhibited remarkable stability on the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) timescale, despite numerous MHD calculations showing FRCs to be unstable. It is easy to believe that local modes are stabilized by finite Larmor radius (FLR) effects, but more puzzling is the apparent stability of FRCs against global modes, where one would expect FLR effects to be less important. In this paper we study the tilting mode, which MHD has shown to be a rapidly growing global mode. The tilting mode in FRCs is driven by the pressure gradient, and magnetic compression and field line bending are the stabilizing forces. A schematic of the evolution of the tilting mode is shown. The tilting mode is considered dangerous, because it would lead to rapid tearing across the separatrix. Unlike spheromaks, the tilting mode in FRCs has a separatrix that is fixed in space, so that the mode is strictly internal

  1. Tilt measurements at Vulcano Island

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. Saraceno

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available A network of tiltmeters has been operational on Vulcano Island for numerous years. At present, the network comprises five functioning borehole stations, four of which are installed at 8-10 m and allow recording very stable, high precision signals with very low noise. We report observations over the last 12 years that illustrate impulsive variations linked to seismicity and long-term (several years trends in the signals. We suggest a relationship between tilt changes correlated to the strongest regional seismic events and site acceleration; long-term tilt variations analyzed in combination with other ground deformation data seem to represent the evidence of a contraction of the La Fossa cone. We also analyzed how the tilt device has the capability to detect possible magma migrations; we considered previous studies that have imaged spatially well-defined levels of magma accumulation beneath La Fossa, and Vulcanello; we concluded that the Vulcano tilt network should be capable of detecting the upward migration of small magma volumes. Finally, we show that no evidence of changes are visible on tilt signals during anomalous degassing episodes (linked to a building up input of magmatic fluids at the La Fossa thereby evidencing that no magma migration occurred during such events.

  2. Automated x-ray fluorescence analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    O'Connell, A.M.

    1977-01-01

    A fully automated x-ray fluorescence analytical system is described. The hardware is based on a Philips PW1220 sequential x-ray spectrometer. Software for on-line analysis of a wide range of sample types has been developed for the Hewlett-Packard 9810A programmable calculator. Routines to test the system hardware are also described. (Author)

  3. Interoperability between OPC UA and AutomationML

    OpenAIRE

    Henßen, Robert; Schleipen, Miriam

    2014-01-01

    OPC UA (OPC Unified Architecture) is a platform-independent standard series (IEC 62541) [1], [2] for communication of industrial automation devices and systems. The OPC Unified Architecture is an advanced communication technology for process control. Certainly the launching costs for the initial information model are quite high. AutomationML (Automation Markup Language) is an upcoming open standard series (IEC 62714) [3], [4] for describing production plants or plant components. The goal of t...

  4. Sequential-Injection Analysis: Principles, Instrument Construction, and Demonstration by a Simple Experiment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Economou, A.; Tzanavaras, P. D.; Themelis, D. G.

    2005-01-01

    The sequential-injection analysis (SIA) is an approach to sample handling that enables the automation of manual wet-chemistry procedures in a rapid, precise and efficient manner. The experiments using SIA fits well in the course of Instrumental Chemical Analysis and especially in the section of Automatic Methods of analysis provided by chemistry…

  5. Lifting to cluster-tilting objects in higher cluster categories

    OpenAIRE

    Liu, Pin

    2008-01-01

    In this note, we consider the $d$-cluster-tilted algebras, the endomorphism algebras of $d$-cluster-tilting objects in $d$-cluster categories. We show that a tilting module over such an algebra lifts to a $d$-cluster-tilting object in this $d$-cluster category.

  6. Application of the informational reference system OZhUR to the automated processing of data from satellites of the Kosmos series

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pokras, V. M.; Yevdokimov, V. P.; Maslov, V. D.

    1978-01-01

    The structure and potential of the information reference system OZhUR designed for the automated data processing systems of scientific space vehicles (SV) is considered. The system OZhUR ensures control of the extraction phase of processing with respect to a concrete SV and the exchange of data between phases.The practical application of the system OZhUR is exemplified in the construction of a data processing system for satellites of the Cosmos series. As a result of automating the operations of exchange and control, the volume of manual preparation of data is significantly reduced, and there is no longer any need for individual logs which fix the status of data processing. The system Ozhur is included in the automated data processing system Nauka which is realized in language PL-1 in a binary one-address system one-state (BOS OS) electronic computer.

  7. Sensors and Automated Analyzers for Radionuclides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grate, Jay W.; Egorov, Oleg B.

    2003-01-01

    The production of nuclear weapons materials has generated large quantities of nuclear waste and significant environmental contamination. We have developed new, rapid, automated methods for determination of radionuclides using sequential injection methodologies to automate extraction chromatographic separations, with on-line flow-through scintillation counting for real time detection. This work has progressed in two main areas: radionuclide sensors for water monitoring and automated radiochemical analyzers for monitoring nuclear waste processing operations. Radionuclide sensors have been developed that collect and concentrate radionuclides in preconcentrating minicolumns with dual functionality: chemical selectivity for radionuclide capture and scintillation for signal output. These sensors can detect pertechnetate to below regulatory levels and have been engineered into a prototype for field testing. A fully automated process monitor has been developed for total technetium in nuclear waste streams. This instrument performs sample acidification, speciation adjustment, separation and detection in fifteen minutes or less

  8. An automated wavelength selection for flame spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hurteau, M.; Mislan, J.P.; Ashley, R.W.

    1976-01-01

    A simple electro-mechanical programming system is described for use with a flame spectrophotometer. Its application for automated sequential multi-element analysis is illustrated. Reproducibility of wavelength settings are within +-0.5 A. Precision and sensitivities are at least as good as those obtained for single element determinations. (author)

  9. A time-series method for automated measurement of changes in mitotic and interphase duration from time-lapse movies.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Frederic D Sigoillot

    Full Text Available Automated time-lapse microscopy can visualize proliferation of large numbers of individual cells, enabling accurate measurement of the frequency of cell division and the duration of interphase and mitosis. However, extraction of quantitative information by manual inspection of time-lapse movies is too time-consuming to be useful for analysis of large experiments.Here we present an automated time-series approach that can measure changes in the duration of mitosis and interphase in individual cells expressing fluorescent histone 2B. The approach requires analysis of only 2 features, nuclear area and average intensity. Compared to supervised learning approaches, this method reduces processing time and does not require generation of training data sets. We demonstrate that this method is as sensitive as manual analysis in identifying small changes in interphase or mitotic duration induced by drug or siRNA treatment.This approach should facilitate automated analysis of high-throughput time-lapse data sets to identify small molecules or gene products that influence timing of cell division.

  10. A computer simulation study of tilted smectic mesophases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Withers, I.M.

    2000-05-01

    Results are presented from a series of simulations undertaken to determine the effect of a novel form of molecular biaxiality upon the phase behaviour of the well established Gay-Berne (GB) liquid crystal model. Firstly, the simulation of a bulk system interacting via the Internally-Rotated Gay Berne (IRGB) potential, which offers a single-site representation of a molecule rigidly constrained into a zig-zag conformation, is presented. The results of simulations performed for systems of IRGB particles with an aspect ratio of 3:1 confirm that the introduction of biaxiality into the model results in the destabilisation of the orientationally ordered phases. For particles with a sufficiently pronounced zig-zag conformation, this results in the complete destabilisation of the smectic A phase and the smectic B phase being replaced by the tilted smectic J phase. Following these observations, the effect upon the phase behaviour of increasing molecular elongation is also considered, with an increase in the aspect ratio from 3:1 to 4:1 resulting in the nematic and smectic J phases being replaced by smectic A and smectic G phases respectively. Secondly, a version of the IRGB potential modified to include a degree of molecular flexibility is considered. Results obtained from bulk systems interacting via the flexible IRGB for 3:1 and 4:1 molecules show that the introduction of flexibility results in the destabilisation of the smectic A phase and the stabilisation of the nematic and tilted hexatic phases. Finally, the effect upon the phase behaviour of the rigid IRGB model of the inclusion of a longitudinal linear quadrupole is examined. These results show that increasing quadrupole moment results in the destabilisation of the tilted hexatic phase, although the biaxial order parameter is increased with increasing quadrupole moment. There is no clear correlation between quadrupole magnitude and the other observed phase transitions, with the nematic and smectic A phases being

  11. Parallelize Automated Tests in a Build and Test Environment

    OpenAIRE

    Durairaj, Selva Ganesh

    2016-01-01

    This thesis investigates the possibilities of finding solutions, in order to reduce the total time spent for testing and waiting times for running multiple automated test cases in a test framework. The “Automated Test Framework”, developed by Axis Communications AB, is used to write the functional tests to test both hardware and software of a resource. The functional tests that tests the software is considered in this thesis work. In the current infrastructure, tests are executed sequentially...

  12. Setup accuracy of stereoscopic X-ray positioning with automated correction for rotational errors in patients treated with conformal arc radiotherapy for prostate cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soete, Guy; Verellen, Dirk; Tournel, Koen; Storme, Guy

    2006-01-01

    We evaluated setup accuracy of NovalisBody stereoscopic X-ray positioning with automated correction for rotational errors with the Robotics Tilt Module in patients treated with conformal arc radiotherapy for prostate cancer. The correction of rotational errors was shown to reduce random and systematic errors in all directions. (NovalisBody TM and Robotics Tilt Module TM are products of BrainLAB A.G., Heimstetten, Germany)

  13. Sequential dependencies in magnitude scaling of loudness

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Joshi, Suyash Narendra; Jesteadt, Walt

    2013-01-01

    Ten normally hearing listeners used a programmable sone-potentiometer knob to adjust the level of a 1000-Hz sinusoid to match the loudness of numbers presented to them in a magnitude production task. Three different power-law exponents (0.15, 0.30, and 0.60) and a log-law with equal steps in d......B were used to program the sone-potentiometer. The knob settings systematically influenced the form of the loudness function. Time series analysis was used to assess the sequential dependencies in the data, which increased with increasing exponent and were greatest for the log-law. It would be possible......, therefore, to choose knob properties that minimized these dependencies. When the sequential dependencies were removed from the data, the slope of the loudness functions did not change, but the variability decreased. Sequential dependencies were only present when the level of the tone on the previous trial...

  14. Elimination of water pathogens with solar radiation using an automated sequential batch CPC reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Polo-López, M.I.; Fernández-Ibáñez, P.; Ubomba-Jaswa, E.; Navntoft, C.; García-Fernández, I.; Dunlop, P.S.M.; Schmid, M.; Byrne, J.A.

    2011-01-01

    Solar disinfection (SODIS) of water is a well-known, effective treatment process which is practiced at household level in many developing countries. However, this process is limited by the small volume treated and there is no indication of treatment efficacy for the user. Low cost glass tube reactors, together with compound parabolic collector (CPC) technology, have been shown to significantly increase the efficiency of solar disinfection. However, these reactors still require user input to control each batch SODIS process and there is no feedback that the process is complete. Automatic operation of the batch SODIS process, controlled by UVA-radiation sensors, can provide information on the status of the process, can ensure the required UVA dose to achieve complete disinfection is received and reduces user work-load through automatic sequential batch processing. In this work, an enhanced CPC photo-reactor with a concentration factor of 1.89 was developed. The apparatus was automated to achieve exposure to a pre-determined UVA dose. Treated water was automatically dispensed into a reservoir tank. The reactor was tested using Escherichia coli as a model pathogen in natural well water. A 6-log inactivation of E. coli was achieved following exposure to the minimum uninterrupted lethal UVA dose. The enhanced reactor decreased the exposure time required to achieve the lethal UVA dose, in comparison to a CPC system with a concentration factor of 1.0. Doubling the lethal UVA dose prevented the need for a period of post-exposure dark inactivation and reduced the overall treatment time. Using this reactor, SODIS can be automatically carried out at an affordable cost, with reduced exposure time and minimal user input.

  15. Elimination of water pathogens with solar radiation using an automated sequential batch CPC reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Polo-Lopez, M.I., E-mail: mpolo@psa.es [Plataforma Solar de Almeria - CIEMAT, PO Box 22, 04200 Tabernas, Almeria (Spain); Fernandez-Ibanez, P., E-mail: pilar.fernandez@psa.es [Plataforma Solar de Almeria - CIEMAT, PO Box 22, 04200 Tabernas, Almeria (Spain); Ubomba-Jaswa, E., E-mail: euniceubombajaswa@yahoo.com [Natural Resources and the Environment, CSIR, PO Box 395, Pretoria (South Africa); Navntoft, C., E-mail: christian.navntoft@solarmate.com.ar [Instituto de Investigacion e Ingenieria Ambiental, Universidad Nacional de San Martin (3iA-UNSAM), Peatonal Belgrano 3563, B1650ANQ San Martin (Argentina); Universidad Tecnologica Nacional - Facultad Regional Buenos Aires - Departamento de Ingenieria Civil - Laboratorio de Estudios sobre Energia Solar, (UTN-FRBA-LESES), Mozart 2300, (1407) Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires, Republica Argentina (Argentina); Garcia-Fernandez, I., E-mail: irene.garcia@psa.es [Plataforma Solar de Almeria - CIEMAT, PO Box 22, 04200 Tabernas, Almeria (Spain); Dunlop, P.S.M., E-mail: psm.dunlop@ulster.ac.uk [Department of Physiology and Medical Physics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin 2 (Ireland); Schmid, M. [Department of Physiology and Medical Physics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin 2 (Ireland); Byrne, J.A., E-mail: j.byrne@ulster.ac.uk [Department of Physiology and Medical Physics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin 2 (Ireland); and others

    2011-11-30

    Solar disinfection (SODIS) of water is a well-known, effective treatment process which is practiced at household level in many developing countries. However, this process is limited by the small volume treated and there is no indication of treatment efficacy for the user. Low cost glass tube reactors, together with compound parabolic collector (CPC) technology, have been shown to significantly increase the efficiency of solar disinfection. However, these reactors still require user input to control each batch SODIS process and there is no feedback that the process is complete. Automatic operation of the batch SODIS process, controlled by UVA-radiation sensors, can provide information on the status of the process, can ensure the required UVA dose to achieve complete disinfection is received and reduces user work-load through automatic sequential batch processing. In this work, an enhanced CPC photo-reactor with a concentration factor of 1.89 was developed. The apparatus was automated to achieve exposure to a pre-determined UVA dose. Treated water was automatically dispensed into a reservoir tank. The reactor was tested using Escherichia coli as a model pathogen in natural well water. A 6-log inactivation of E. coli was achieved following exposure to the minimum uninterrupted lethal UVA dose. The enhanced reactor decreased the exposure time required to achieve the lethal UVA dose, in comparison to a CPC system with a concentration factor of 1.0. Doubling the lethal UVA dose prevented the need for a period of post-exposure dark inactivation and reduced the overall treatment time. Using this reactor, SODIS can be automatically carried out at an affordable cost, with reduced exposure time and minimal user input.

  16. Optic flow induced self-tilt perception

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bos, J.E.

    2008-01-01

    Roll optic flow induces illusory self-tilt in humans. As far as the mechanism underlying this visual-vestibular interaction is understood, larger angles of self-tilt are predicted than observed. It is hypothesized that the discrepancy can be explained by idiotropic (i.e., referring to a personal

  17. Spheromak tilting and its stability control

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayashi, T.; Sato, T.

    1983-01-01

    Spheromak tilting instability was studied. A numerical technique to create a rather arbitrarily-shaped spheromak like the one with a flux hole was investigated. The dynamics governing the tilting instability, namely, the influence of the magnetic index, the toroidal current (q-profile) and the resistivity upon the tilting growth rate, and the roles of magnetc reconnection upon the nonlinear development were studied. The best way to control the tilting instability was invented. The stabilizing effects of the vertical wall, the isolated conducting cylindrical belt, and the horizontal wall were studied. Central pole stabilization was also investigated. The influence of the wall condition, namely, whether the wall acted as a flux conserver in the spheromak creation stage or not is discussed. The present study has shown that the three- dimensional simulation is indeed useful and practical in not only studying the underlying physics but also finding a stabilization technique of spheromaks. (Kato, T.)

  18. Mapping of moveout in tilted transversely isotropic media

    KAUST Repository

    Stovas, A.; Alkhalifah, Tariq Ali

    2013-01-01

    The computation of traveltimes in a transverse isotropic medium with a tilted symmetry axis tilted transversely isotropic is very important both for modelling and inversion. We develop a simple analytical procedure to map the traveltime function from a transverse isotropic medium with a vertical symmetry axis (vertical transversely isotropic) to a tilted transversely isotropic medium by applying point-by-point mapping of the traveltime function. This approach can be used for kinematic modelling and inversion in layered tilted transversely isotropic media. © 2013 European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers.

  19. Mapping of moveout in tilted transversely isotropic media

    KAUST Repository

    Stovas, A.

    2013-09-09

    The computation of traveltimes in a transverse isotropic medium with a tilted symmetry axis tilted transversely isotropic is very important both for modelling and inversion. We develop a simple analytical procedure to map the traveltime function from a transverse isotropic medium with a vertical symmetry axis (vertical transversely isotropic) to a tilted transversely isotropic medium by applying point-by-point mapping of the traveltime function. This approach can be used for kinematic modelling and inversion in layered tilted transversely isotropic media. © 2013 European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers.

  20. Automated classification of Permanent Scatterers time-series based on statistical characterization tests

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berti, Matteo; Corsini, Alessandro; Franceschini, Silvia; Iannacone, Jean Pascal

    2013-04-01

    time series are typically affected by a significant noise to signal ratio. The results of the analysis show that even with such a rough-quality dataset, our automated classification procedure can greatly improve radar interpretation of mass movements. In general, uncorrelated PS (type 0) are concentrated in flat areas such as fluvial terraces and valley bottoms, and along stable watershed divides; linear PS (type 1) are mainly located on slopes (both inside or outside mapped landslides) or near the edge of scarps or steep slopes; non-linear PS (types 2 to 5) typically fall inside landslide deposits or in the surrounding areas. The spatial distribution of classified PS allows to detect deformation phenomena not visible by considering the average velocity alone, and provide important information on the temporal evolution of the phenomena such as acceleration, deceleration, seasonal fluctuations, abrupt or continuous changes of the displacement rate. Based on these encouraging results we integrated all the classification algorithms into a Graphical User Interface (called PSTime) which is freely available as a standalone application.

  1. AdOn HDP-HMM: An Adaptive Online Model for Segmentation and Classification of Sequential Data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bargi, Ava; Xu, Richard Yi Da; Piccardi, Massimo

    2017-09-21

    Recent years have witnessed an increasing need for the automated classification of sequential data, such as activities of daily living, social media interactions, financial series, and others. With the continuous flow of new data, it is critical to classify the observations on-the-fly and without being limited by a predetermined number of classes. In addition, a model should be able to update its parameters in response to a possible evolution in the distributions of the classes. This compelling problem, however, does not seem to have been adequately addressed in the literature, since most studies focus on offline classification over predefined class sets. In this paper, we present a principled solution for this problem based on an adaptive online system leveraging Markov switching models and hierarchical Dirichlet process priors. This adaptive online approach is capable of classifying the sequential data over an unlimited number of classes while meeting the memory and delay constraints typical of streaming contexts. In this paper, we introduce an adaptive ''learning rate'' that is responsible for balancing the extent to which the model retains its previous parameters or adapts to new observations. Experimental results on stationary and evolving synthetic data and two video data sets, TUM Assistive Kitchen and collated Weizmann, show a remarkable performance in terms of segmentation and classification, particularly for sequences from evolutionary distributions and/or those containing previously unseen classes.

  2. Active tilting-pad journal bearings supporting flexible rotors: Part II–The model-based feedback-controlled lubrication

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Salazar, Jorge Andrés González; Santos, Ilmar

    2017-01-01

    This is part II of a twofold paper series dealing with the design and implementation of model-based controllers meant for assisting the hybrid and developing the feedback-controlled lubrication regimes in active tilting pad journal bearings (active TPJBs). In both papers theoretical and experimen...... derived in part I. Results show further suppression of resonant vibrations when using the feedback-controlled or active lubrication, overweighting the reduction already achieved with hybrid lubrication, thus improving the whole machine dynamic performance.......This is part II of a twofold paper series dealing with the design and implementation of model-based controllers meant for assisting the hybrid and developing the feedback-controlled lubrication regimes in active tilting pad journal bearings (active TPJBs). In both papers theoretical...... and experimental analyses are presented with focus on the reduction of rotor lateral vibration. This part is devoted to synthesising model-based LQG optimal controllers (LQR regulator + Kalman Filter) for the feedback-controlled lubrication and is based upon the mathematical model of the rotor-bearing system...

  3. Transient cardio-respiratory responses to visually induced tilt illusions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, S. J.; Ramsdell, C. D.; Mullen, T. J.; Oman, C. M.; Harm, D. L.; Paloski, W. H.

    2000-01-01

    Although the orthostatic cardio-respiratory response is primarily mediated by the baroreflex, studies have shown that vestibular cues also contribute in both humans and animals. We have demonstrated a visually mediated response to illusory tilt in some human subjects. Blood pressure, heart and respiration rate, and lung volume were monitored in 16 supine human subjects during two types of visual stimulation, and compared with responses to real passive whole body tilt from supine to head 80 degrees upright. Visual tilt stimuli consisted of either a static scene from an overhead mirror or constant velocity scene motion along different body axes generated by an ultra-wide dome projection system. Visual vertical cues were initially aligned with the longitudinal body axis. Subjective tilt and self-motion were reported verbally. Although significant changes in cardio-respiratory parameters to illusory tilts could not be demonstrated for the entire group, several subjects showed significant transient decreases in mean blood pressure resembling their initial response to passive head-up tilt. Changes in pulse pressure and a slight elevation in heart rate were noted. These transient responses are consistent with the hypothesis that visual-vestibular input contributes to the initial cardiovascular adjustment to a change in posture in humans. On average the static scene elicited perceived tilt without rotation. Dome scene pitch and yaw elicited perceived tilt and rotation, and dome roll motion elicited perceived rotation without tilt. A significant correlation between the magnitude of physiological and subjective reports could not be demonstrated.

  4. Motion perception during tilt and translation after space flight

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clément, Gilles; Wood, Scott J.

    2013-11-01

    Preliminary results of an ongoing study examining the effects of space flight on astronauts' motion perception induced by independent tilt and translation motions are presented. This experiment used a sled and a variable radius centrifuge that translated the subjects forward-backward or laterally, and simultaneously tilted them in pitch or roll, respectively. Tests were performed on the ground prior to and immediately after landing. The astronauts were asked to report about their perceived motion in response to different combinations of body tilt and translation in darkness. Their ability to manually control their own orientation was also evaluated using a joystick with which they nulled out the perceived tilt while the sled and centrifuge were in motion. Preliminary results confirm that the magnitude of perceived tilt increased during static tilt in roll after space flight. A deterioration in the crewmember to control tilt using non-visual inertial cues was also observed post-flight. However, the use of a tactile prosthesis indicating the direction of down on the subject's trunk improved manual control performance both before and after space flight.

  5. Perception of self-tilt in a true and illusory vertical plane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Groen, Eric L.; Jenkin, Heather L.; Howard, Ian P.; Oman, C. M. (Principal Investigator)

    2002-01-01

    A tilted furnished room can induce strong visual reorientation illusions in stationary subjects. Supine subjects may perceive themselves upright when the room is tilted 90 degrees so that the visual polarity axis is kept aligned with the subject. This 'upright illusion' was used to induce roll tilt in a truly horizontal, but perceptually vertical, plane. A semistatic tilt profile was applied, in which the tilt angle gradually changed from 0 degrees to 90 degrees, and vice versa. This method produced larger illusory self-tilt than usually found with static tilt of a visual scene. Ten subjects indicated self-tilt by setting a tactile rod to perceived vertical. Six of them experienced the upright illusion and indicated illusory self-tilt with an average gain of about 0.5. This value is smaller than with true self-tilt (0.8), but comparable to the gain of visually induced self-tilt in erect subjects. Apparently, the contribution of nonvisual cues to gravity was independent of the subject's orientation to gravity itself. It therefore seems that the gain of visually induced self-tilt is smaller because of lacking, rather than conflicting, nonvisual cues. A vector analysis is used to discuss the results in terms of relative sensory weightings.

  6. Vortex trapping by tilted columnar defects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baladie, I.; Buzdin, A.

    2000-01-01

    The irradiation of high-T c superconductors by inclined heavy-ion beam can create columnar defects (CD's) practically at any angle towards the crystal c axis. We calculate the energy of a tilted vortex trapped on an inclined columnar defect within the framework of an electromagnetic model. Under a weak perpendicular magnetic field, and if the CD radius is larger than the superconducting coherence length, vortices always prefer to be on a tilted CD than to be aligned along the external field. We calculate also the interaction energy between two tilted vortices and find that large attractive regions appear. In particular, in the plane defined by c axis and the CD axis, tilted vortices attract each other at long distances, leading to the formation of vortex chains. The equilibrium distance between vortices in a chain is of the order of the magnitude of the in-plane London penetration depth. The existence of the inclined trapped vortices could be revealed by torque measurements, and could also lead to the anisotropy of the in-plane resistivity and the critical current

  7. Behavior of Tilted Angle Shear Connectors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khorramian, Koosha; Maleki, Shervin; Shariati, Mahdi; Ramli Sulong, N. H.

    2015-01-01

    According to recent researches, angle shear connectors are appropriate to transfer longitudinal shear forces across the steel-concrete interface. Angle steel profile has been used in different positions as L-shaped or C-shaped shear connectors. The application of angle shear connectors in tilted positions is of interest in this study. This study investigates the behaviour of tilted-shaped angle shear connectors under monotonic loading using experimental push out tests. Eight push-out specimens are tested to investigate the effects of different angle parameters on the ultimate load capacity of connectors. Two different tilted angles of 112.5 and 135 degrees between the angle leg and steel beam are considered. In addition, angle sizes and lengths are varied. Two different failure modes were observed consisting of concrete crushing-splitting and connector fracture. By increasing the size of connector, the maximum load increased for most cases. In general, the 135 degrees tilted angle shear connectors have a higher strength and stiffness than the 112.5 degrees type. PMID:26642193

  8. Behavior of Tilted Angle Shear Connectors.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Koosha Khorramian

    Full Text Available According to recent researches, angle shear connectors are appropriate to transfer longitudinal shear forces across the steel-concrete interface. Angle steel profile has been used in different positions as L-shaped or C-shaped shear connectors. The application of angle shear connectors in tilted positions is of interest in this study. This study investigates the behaviour of tilted-shaped angle shear connectors under monotonic loading using experimental push out tests. Eight push-out specimens are tested to investigate the effects of different angle parameters on the ultimate load capacity of connectors. Two different tilted angles of 112.5 and 135 degrees between the angle leg and steel beam are considered. In addition, angle sizes and lengths are varied. Two different failure modes were observed consisting of concrete crushing-splitting and connector fracture. By increasing the size of connector, the maximum load increased for most cases. In general, the 135 degrees tilted angle shear connectors have a higher strength and stiffness than the 112.5 degrees type.

  9. Sequential automated fusion/extraction chromatography methodology for the dissolution of uranium in environmental samples for mass spectrometric determination

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Milliard, Alex; Durand-Jezequel, Myriam [Laboratoire de Radioecologie, Departement de chimie, Universite Laval, 1045 Avenue de la Medecine, Quebec, QC, G1V 0A6 (Canada); Lariviere, Dominic, E-mail: dominic.lariviere@chm.ulaval.ca [Laboratoire de Radioecologie, Departement de chimie, Universite Laval, 1045 Avenue de la Medecine, Quebec, QC, G1V 0A6 (Canada)

    2011-01-17

    An improved methodology has been developed, based on dissolution by automated fusion followed by extraction chromatography for the detection and quantification of uranium in environmental matrices by mass spectrometry. A rapid fusion protocol (<8 min) was investigated for the complete dissolution of various samples. It could be preceded, if required, by an effective ashing procedure using the M4 fluxer and a newly designed platinum lid. Complete dissolution of the sample was observed and measured using standard reference materials (SRMs) and experimental data show no evidence of cross-contamination of crucibles when LiBO{sub 2}/LiBr melts were used. The use of a M4 fusion unit also improved repeatability in sample preparation over muffle furnace fusion. Instrumental issues originating from the presence of high salt concentrations in the digestate after lithium metaborate fusion was also mitigated using an extraction chromatography (EXC) protocol aimed at removing lithium and interfering matrix constituants prior to the elution of uranium. The sequential methodology, which can be performed simultaneously on three samples, requires less than 20 min per sample for fusion and separation. It was successfully coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) achieving detection limits below 100 pg kg{sup -1} for 5-300 mg of sample.

  10. Lake-tilting investigations in southern Sweden

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paasse, T.

    1996-04-01

    The main aim of lake-tilting investigations is to determine the course of the glacio-isostatic uplift, i.e. to find a formula for the uplift. Besides the lake-tilting graphs, knowledge of the recent relative uplift and the gradient of some marine shorelines are used for solving this problem. This paper summarizes four investigations. 23 refs, 10 figs

  11. The Influence of Injection Pockets on the Performance of Tilting-Pad Thrust Bearings: Part I – Theory

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heinrichson, Niels; Santos, Ilmar

    2006-01-01

    This is Part I of a two-part series of papers describing the effects of high pressure injection pockets on the operating conditions of tilting-pad thrust bearings. A numerical model based on the Reynolds equation is developed extending the three dimensional thermo-elasto-hydrodynamic (TEHD......) analysis of tilting-pad thrust bearings to include the effects of high pressure injection and recesses in the bearing pad. The model is applied to the analysis of an existing bearing of large dimensions and the influence of the pocket is analyzed. It is shown that a shallow pocket positively influences...... the performance of the bearing as it has characteristics similar to those of a parallel step bearing....

  12. How to Read the Tractatus Sequentially

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tim Kraft

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available One of the unconventional features of Wittgenstein’s Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus is its use of an elaborated and detailed numbering system. Recently, Bazzocchi, Hacker und Kuusela have argued that the numbering system means that the Tractatus must be read and interpreted not as a sequentially ordered book, but as a text with a two-dimensional, tree-like structure. Apart from being able to explain how the Tractatus was composed, the tree reading allegedly solves exegetical issues both on the local (e. g. how 4.02 fits into the series of remarks surrounding it and the global level (e. g. relation between ontology and picture theory, solipsism and the eye analogy, resolute and irresolute readings. This paper defends the sequential reading against the tree reading. After presenting the challenges generated by the numbering system and the two accounts as attempts to solve them, it is argued that Wittgenstein’s own explanation of the numbering system, anaphoric references within the Tractatus and the exegetical issues mentioned above do not favour the tree reading, but a version of the sequential reading. This reading maintains that the remarks of the Tractatus form a sequential chain: The role of the numbers is to indicate how remarks on different levels are interconnected to form a concise, surveyable and unified whole.

  13. Elimination of water pathogens with solar radiation using an automated sequential batch CPC reactor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polo-López, M I; Fernández-Ibáñez, P; Ubomba-Jaswa, E; Navntoft, C; García-Fernández, I; Dunlop, P S M; Schmid, M; Byrne, J A; McGuigan, K G

    2011-11-30

    Solar disinfection (SODIS) of water is a well-known, effective treatment process which is practiced at household level in many developing countries. However, this process is limited by the small volume treated and there is no indication of treatment efficacy for the user. Low cost glass tube reactors, together with compound parabolic collector (CPC) technology, have been shown to significantly increase the efficiency of solar disinfection. However, these reactors still require user input to control each batch SODIS process and there is no feedback that the process is complete. Automatic operation of the batch SODIS process, controlled by UVA-radiation sensors, can provide information on the status of the process, can ensure the required UVA dose to achieve complete disinfection is received and reduces user work-load through automatic sequential batch processing. In this work, an enhanced CPC photo-reactor with a concentration factor of 1.89 was developed. The apparatus was automated to achieve exposure to a pre-determined UVA dose. Treated water was automatically dispensed into a reservoir tank. The reactor was tested using Escherichia coli as a model pathogen in natural well water. A 6-log inactivation of E. coli was achieved following exposure to the minimum uninterrupted lethal UVA dose. The enhanced reactor decreased the exposure time required to achieve the lethal UVA dose, in comparison to a CPC system with a concentration factor of 1.0. Doubling the lethal UVA dose prevented the need for a period of post-exposure dark inactivation and reduced the overall treatment time. Using this reactor, SODIS can be automatically carried out at an affordable cost, with reduced exposure time and minimal user input. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Utilizing a sequential injection system furnished with an extraction microcolumn as a novel approach for executing sequential extractions of metal species in solid samples

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chomchoei, R.; Hansen, Elo Harald; Shiowatana, J.

    2007-01-01

    This communication presents a novel approach to perform sequential extraction of elements in solid samples by using a sequential injection (SI) system incorporating a specially designed extraction microcolumn. Based on the operation of the syringe pump, different modes of extraction are potentially...... that the system entails many advantages such as being fully automated, and besides being characterised by rapidity, ease of operation and robustness, it is less prone to risks of contamination and personal errors as encountered in traditional batch systems. Moreover, improvement of the precision and accuracy...... of the chemical fractionation of metal in solids as compared with previous reports are obtained. The system ensures that extraction is performed at designated pH values. Variation of sample weight to column volume ratios do not affect the amounts of extractable metals, nor do extraction flow rates ranging from 50...

  15. Automated cloning methods.; TOPICAL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Collart, F.

    2001-01-01

    Argonne has developed a series of automated protocols to generate bacterial expression clones by using a robotic system designed to be used in procedures associated with molecular biology. The system provides plate storage, temperature control from 4 to 37 C at various locations, and Biomek and Multimek pipetting stations. The automated system consists of a robot that transports sources from the active station on the automation system. Protocols for the automated generation of bacterial expression clones can be grouped into three categories (Figure 1). Fragment generation protocols are initiated on day one of the expression cloning procedure and encompass those protocols involved in generating purified coding region (PCR)

  16. Study of a Car Body Tilting System Using a Variable Link Mechanism: Fundamental Characteristics of Pendulum Motion and Strategy for Perfect Tilting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoshida, Hidehisa; Nagai, Masao

    This paper analyzes the fundamental dynamic characteristics of a tilting railway vehicle using a variable link mechanism for compensating both the lateral acceleration experienced by passengers and the wheel load imbalance between the inner and outer rails. The geometric relations between the center of rotation, the center of gravity, and the positions of all four links of the tilting system are analyzed. Then, equations of the pendulum motions of the railway vehicle body with a four-link mechanism are derived. A theoretically discussion is given on the geometrical shapes employed in the link mechanism that can simultaneously provide zero lateral acceleration and zero wheel load fluctuation. Then, the perfect tilting condition, which is the control target of the feedforward tilting control, is derived from the linear equation of tilting motion.

  17. Source to Accretion Disk Tilt

    OpenAIRE

    Montgomery, M. M.; Martin, E. L.

    2010-01-01

    Many different system types retrogradely precess, and retrograde precession could be from a tidal torque by the secondary on a misaligned accretion disk. However, a source to cause and maintain disk tilt is unknown. In this work, we show that accretion disks can tilt due to a force called lift. Lift results from differing gas stream supersonic speeds over and under an accretion disk. Because lift acts at the disk's center of pressure, a torque is applied around a rotation axis passing through...

  18. Breaking the Crowther limit: Combining depth-sectioning and tilt tomography for high-resolution, wide-field 3D reconstructions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hovden, Robert; Ercius, Peter; Jiang, Yi; Wang, Deli; Yu, Yingchao; Abruña, Héctor D.; Elser, Veit; Muller, David A.

    2014-01-01

    To date, high-resolution ( 6 nm) to appear blurred or missing. Here we demonstrate a three-dimensional imaging method that overcomes both these limits by combining through-focal depth sectioning and traditional tilt-series tomography to reconstruct extended objects, with high-resolution, in all three dimensions. The large convergence angle in aberration corrected instruments now becomes a benefit and not a hindrance to higher quality reconstructions. A through-focal reconstruction over a 390 nm 3D carbon support containing over 100 dealloyed and nanoporous PtCu catalyst particles revealed with sub-nanometer detail the extensive and connected interior pore structure that is created by the dealloying instability. - Highlights: • Develop tomography technique for high-resolution and large field of view. • We combine depth sectioning with traditional tilt tomography. • Through-focal tomography reduces tilts and improves resolution. • Through-focal tomography overcomes the fundamental Crowther limit. • Aberration-corrected becomes a benefit and not a hindrance for tomography

  19. Optimal tilt-angles for solar collectors used in China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang Runsheng; Wu Tong

    2004-01-01

    A reasonable estimation of the optimal tilt angle of a fixed collector for maximizing its energy collection must be done based on the monthly global and diffuse radiation on a horizontal surface. However, the monthly diffuse radiation is not always available in many places. In this paper, a simple mathematical procedure for the estimation of the optimal tilt angle of a collector is presented based on the monthly horizontal radiation. A comparison of the optimal tilt angles of collectors obtained from expected monthly diffuse radiation and that from the actual monthly diffuse radiation showed that this method gives a good estimation of the optimal tilt angle, except for places with a considerably lower clearness index. A contour map of the optimal tilt angle of the south-facing collectors used for the entire year in China is also outlined, based on monthly horizontal radiation of 152 places around the country, combing the optimal tilt angle of another 30 cities based on the actual monthly diffuse radiation

  20. Video and accelerometer-based motion analysis for automated surgical skills assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zia, Aneeq; Sharma, Yachna; Bettadapura, Vinay; Sarin, Eric L; Essa, Irfan

    2018-03-01

    Basic surgical skills of suturing and knot tying are an essential part of medical training. Having an automated system for surgical skills assessment could help save experts time and improve training efficiency. There have been some recent attempts at automated surgical skills assessment using either video analysis or acceleration data. In this paper, we present a novel approach for automated assessment of OSATS-like surgical skills and provide an analysis of different features on multi-modal data (video and accelerometer data). We conduct a large study for basic surgical skill assessment on a dataset that contained video and accelerometer data for suturing and knot-tying tasks. We introduce "entropy-based" features-approximate entropy and cross-approximate entropy, which quantify the amount of predictability and regularity of fluctuations in time series data. The proposed features are compared to existing methods of Sequential Motion Texture, Discrete Cosine Transform and Discrete Fourier Transform, for surgical skills assessment. We report average performance of different features across all applicable OSATS-like criteria for suturing and knot-tying tasks. Our analysis shows that the proposed entropy-based features outperform previous state-of-the-art methods using video data, achieving average classification accuracies of 95.1 and 92.2% for suturing and knot tying, respectively. For accelerometer data, our method performs better for suturing achieving 86.8% average accuracy. We also show that fusion of video and acceleration features can improve overall performance for skill assessment. Automated surgical skills assessment can be achieved with high accuracy using the proposed entropy features. Such a system can significantly improve the efficiency of surgical training in medical schools and teaching hospitals.

  1. LONG-TERM MEASUREMENTS OF SUNSPOT MAGNETIC TILT ANGLES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li Jing [Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567 (United States); Ulrich, Roger K., E-mail: jli@igpp.ucla.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567 (United States)

    2012-10-20

    Tilt angles of close to 30,600 sunspots are determined using Mount Wilson daily averaged magnetograms taken from 1974 to 2012, and SOHO/MDI magnetograms taken from 1996 to 2010. Within a cycle, more than 90% of sunspots have a normal polarity alignment along the east-west direction following Hale's law. The median tilts increase with increasing latitude (Joy's law) at a rate of {approx}0.{sup 0}5 per degree of latitude. Tilt angles of spots appear largely invariant with respect to time at a given latitude, but they decrease by {approx}0.{sup 0}9 per year on average, a trend that largely reflects Joy's law following the butterfly diagram. We find an asymmetry between the hemispheres in the mean tilt angles. On average, the tilts are greater in the Southern than in the Northern Hemisphere for all latitude zones, and the differences increase with increasing latitude.

  2. Three-dimensional rotation electron diffraction: software RED for automated data collection and data processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wan, Wei; Sun, Junliang; Su, Jie; Hovmöller, Sven; Zou, Xiaodong

    2013-12-01

    Implementation of a computer program package for automated collection and processing of rotation electron diffraction (RED) data is described. The software package contains two computer programs: RED data collection and RED data processing. The RED data collection program controls the transmission electron microscope and the camera. Electron beam tilts at a fine step (0.05-0.20°) are combined with goniometer tilts at a coarse step (2.0-3.0°) around a common tilt axis, which allows a fine relative tilt to be achieved between the electron beam and the crystal in a large tilt range. An electron diffraction (ED) frame is collected at each combination of beam tilt and goniometer tilt. The RED data processing program processes three-dimensional ED data generated by the RED data collection program or by other approaches. It includes shift correction of the ED frames, peak hunting for diffraction spots in individual ED frames and identification of these diffraction spots as reflections in three dimensions. Unit-cell parameters are determined from the positions of reflections in three-dimensional reciprocal space. All reflections are indexed, and finally a list with hkl indices and intensities is output. The data processing program also includes a visualizer to view and analyse three-dimensional reciprocal lattices reconstructed from the ED frames. Details of the implementation are described. Data collection and data processing with the software RED are demonstrated using a calcined zeolite sample, silicalite-1. The structure of the calcined silicalite-1, with 72 unique atoms, could be solved from the RED data by routine direct methods.

  3. Efficacy of tilt training in patients with vasovagal syncope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gajek, Jacek; Zyśko, Dorota; Mazurek, Walentyna

    2006-06-01

    Besides pharmacological therapy and pacemaker implantation, tilt training is a promising method of treatment in patients with vasovagal syncope (VVS). Tilt training is usually offered to patients with malignant or recurrent VVS which impairs their quality of life and carries a risk of injury. To assess the efficacy of tilt training in patients with VVS. The study group consisted of 40 patients (29 females, 11 males, aged 36.6+/-14 years, range 18-57 years) who underwent tilt training using tilt table testing according to the Westminster protocol. The mean number of syncopal episodes prior to the initiation of tilt training was 6.5+/-4.9 (range 0-20); 3 patients had a history of very frequent faints. According to the VASIS classification, type I VVS (mixed) was diagnosed in 17 patients, type II (cardioinhibitory) in 22 subjects, and type III (vasodepressive) in one patient. Mean follow-up duration was 35.1+/-13.5 months. The control group, which did not undergo the tilt testing programme, consisted of 29 patients with VVS (25 females, 4 males, mean age 44.2+/-15.0 years) who had a mean of 3.3+/-3.2 (range 0-12) syncopal episodes in the past (p <0.05 vs study group); 6 of these patients had only pre-syncopal episodes. Type I VVS was diagnosed in 23 controls and type II VVS in 6 control subjects (syncope occurred during the passive phase of tilt testing in 7 subjects, whereas the remaining 22 fainted during NTG infusion). Of the patients from the study group, 3 underwent pacemaker implantation at the time of the initiation of tilt training. At the end of follow-up, 31 (77.5%) patients remained free from syncope recurrences, 5 had syncopal episodes during the initial phase of tilt training, whereas the remaining 4 continued to suffer from syncopal episodes. Out of 3 patients with presyncope, 2 had no syncope recurrences whereas 1 patient continued to have presyncopal attacks. Out of 3 patients with pacemakers, 1 reported activation of pacing in the interventional mode

  4. Conceptual design and implementation of Pulse Automation and Scheduling System for KSTAR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Woongryol; Lee, Taegu; Park, Jinseop; Hong, Jaesic; Hahn, Sanghee; Han, Hyunsun; Woo, Minho; Park, Kaprai

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • The world clock based automatic sequential operation manipulator. • Configuration of the Pulse Automation System (PAS) and the Pulse Scheduling System (PSS) • Providing of operational information in voice through an Ethernet interface. • A perceptional operation status, easy time manipulator, and intuitive man machine interface for the purpose of the Tokamak operation. • Generation of the plasma disruption information. - Abstract: The world clock based automatic sequential operation manipulator has been developed and begin to work on the 7th campaign in KSTAR Tokamak. The Pulse Automation and Scheduling System (PASS) divided into Pulse Automation System (PAS) and Pulse Scheduling System (PSS). The PAS is on the online control system and it has communicated with many other local control systems. Before PASS, the plasma experiment was performed manually by using Central Control System (CCS). However the PASS currently manipulates the sequential operation of KSTAR with the programmed shot interval time. It provides readiness check routine, shot time handler, and local system monitoring functions. The PASS has no hardware dependency and it was configured with EPICS extensions. The Real Time Monitoring System, PCS-GATE, Automatic Reporting System, Central Control System, and Timing Synchronization System are well organized and they communicate to each other. The PASS provides perceptual operation status, easy time manipulator, and intuitive man machine interface. The plasma disruption information which is used in the KSTAR standard software framework also comes from the PASS. We describe the functions and system architecture of the Pulse Automation System in this paper. The PSS will be specified inside PASS for the purpose of intelligent system parameterization.

  5. Conceptual design and implementation of Pulse Automation and Scheduling System for KSTAR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Woongryol, E-mail: wrlee@nfri.re.kr; Lee, Taegu; Park, Jinseop; Hong, Jaesic; Hahn, Sanghee; Han, Hyunsun; Woo, Minho; Park, Kaprai

    2015-10-15

    Highlights: • The world clock based automatic sequential operation manipulator. • Configuration of the Pulse Automation System (PAS) and the Pulse Scheduling System (PSS) • Providing of operational information in voice through an Ethernet interface. • A perceptional operation status, easy time manipulator, and intuitive man machine interface for the purpose of the Tokamak operation. • Generation of the plasma disruption information. - Abstract: The world clock based automatic sequential operation manipulator has been developed and begin to work on the 7th campaign in KSTAR Tokamak. The Pulse Automation and Scheduling System (PASS) divided into Pulse Automation System (PAS) and Pulse Scheduling System (PSS). The PAS is on the online control system and it has communicated with many other local control systems. Before PASS, the plasma experiment was performed manually by using Central Control System (CCS). However the PASS currently manipulates the sequential operation of KSTAR with the programmed shot interval time. It provides readiness check routine, shot time handler, and local system monitoring functions. The PASS has no hardware dependency and it was configured with EPICS extensions. The Real Time Monitoring System, PCS-GATE, Automatic Reporting System, Central Control System, and Timing Synchronization System are well organized and they communicate to each other. The PASS provides perceptual operation status, easy time manipulator, and intuitive man machine interface. The plasma disruption information which is used in the KSTAR standard software framework also comes from the PASS. We describe the functions and system architecture of the Pulse Automation System in this paper. The PSS will be specified inside PASS for the purpose of intelligent system parameterization.

  6. Rotating Shaft Tilt Angle Measurement Using an Inclinometer

    OpenAIRE

    Luo Jun; Wang Zhiqian; Shen Chengwu; Wen Zhuoman; Liu Shaojin; Cai Sheng; Li Jianrong

    2015-01-01

    This paper describes a novel measurement method to accurately measure the rotating shaft tilt angle of rotating machine for alignment or compensation using a dual-axis inclinometer. A model of the rotating shaft tilt angle measurement is established using a dual-axis inclinometer based on the designed mechanical structure, and the calculation equation between the rotating shaft tilt angle and the inclinometer axes outputs is derived under the condition that the inclinometer axes are perpendic...

  7. Magnetic configurations of the tilted current sheets in magnetotail

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Shen

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available In this research, the geometrical structures of tilted current sheet and tail flapping waves have been analysed based on multiple spacecraft measurements and some features of the tilted current sheets have been made clear for the first time. The geometrical features of the tilted current sheet revealed in this investigation are as follows: (1 The magnetic field lines (MFLs in the tilted current sheet are generally plane curves and the osculating planes in which the MFLs lie are about vertical to the equatorial plane, while the normal of the tilted current sheet leans severely to the dawn or dusk side. (2 The tilted current sheet may become very thin, the half thickness of its neutral sheet is generally much less than the minimum radius of the curvature of the MFLs. (3 In the neutral sheet, the field-aligned current density becomes very large and has a maximum value at the center of the current sheet. (4 In some cases, the current density is a bifurcated one, and the two humps of the current density often superpose two peaks in the gradient of magnetic strength, indicating that the magnetic gradient drift current is possibly responsible for the formation of the two humps of the current density in some tilted current sheets. Tilted current sheets often appear along with tail current sheet flapping waves. It is found that, in the tail flapping current sheets, the minimum curvature radius of the MFLs in the current sheet is rather large with values around 1 RE, while the neutral sheet may be very thin, with its half thickness being several tenths of RE. During the flapping waves, the current sheet is tilted substantially, and the maximum tilt angle is generally larger than 45°. The phase velocities of these flapping waves are several tens km/s, while their periods and wavelengths are several tens of minutes, and several earth radii, respectively. These tail flapping events generally last several hours and occur during quiet periods or periods of

  8. An Intelligent Automation Platform for Rapid Bioprocess Design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Tianyi; Zhou, Yuhong

    2014-08-01

    Bioprocess development is very labor intensive, requiring many experiments to characterize each unit operation in the process sequence to achieve product safety and process efficiency. Recent advances in microscale biochemical engineering have led to automated experimentation. A process design workflow is implemented sequentially in which (1) a liquid-handling system performs high-throughput wet lab experiments, (2) standalone analysis devices detect the data, and (3) specific software is used for data analysis and experiment design given the user's inputs. We report an intelligent automation platform that integrates these three activities to enhance the efficiency of such a workflow. A multiagent intelligent architecture has been developed incorporating agent communication to perform the tasks automatically. The key contribution of this work is the automation of data analysis and experiment design and also the ability to generate scripts to run the experiments automatically, allowing the elimination of human involvement. A first-generation prototype has been established and demonstrated through lysozyme precipitation process design. All procedures in the case study have been fully automated through an intelligent automation platform. The realization of automated data analysis and experiment design, and automated script programming for experimental procedures has the potential to increase lab productivity. © 2013 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.

  9. Multi-column step-gradient chromatography system for automated ion exchange separations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rucker, T.L.

    1985-01-01

    A multi-column step-gradient chromatography system has been designed to perform automated sequential separations of radionuclides by ion exchange chromatography. The system consists of a digital programmer with automatic stream selection valve, two peristaltic pumps, ten columns, and a fraction collector. The automation allows complicated separations of radionuclides to be made with minimal analyst attention and allows for increased productivity and reduced cost of analyses. Results are reported for test separations on mixtures of radionuclides by the system

  10. Comparison of ablation centration after bilateral sequential versus simultaneous LASIK.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Jane-Ming; Tsai, Yi-Yu

    2005-01-01

    To compare ablation centration after bilateral sequential and simultaneous myopic LASIK. A retrospective randomized case series was performed of 670 eyes of 335 consecutive patients who had undergone either bilateral sequential (group 1) or simultaneous (group 2) myopic LASIK between July 2000 and July 2001 at the China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan. The ablation centrations of the first and second eyes in the two groups were compared 3 months postoperatively. Of 670 eyes, 274 eyes (137 patients) comprised the sequential group and 396 eyes (198 patients) comprised the simultaneous group. Three months post-operatively, 220 eyes of 110 patients (80%) in the sequential group and 236 eyes of 118 patients (60%) in the simultaneous group provided topographic data for centration analysis. For the first eyes, mean decentration was 0.39 +/- 0.26 mm in the sequential group and 0.41 +/- 0.19 mm in the simultaneous group (P = .30). For the second eyes, mean decentration was 0.28 +/- 0.23 mm in the sequential group and 0.30 +/- 0.21 mm in the simultaneous group (P = .36). Decentration in the second eyes significantly improved in both groups (group 1, P = .02; group 2, P sequential group and 0.32 +/- 0.18 mm in the simultaneous group (P = .33). The difference of ablation center angles between the first and second eyes was 43.2 sequential group and 45.1 +/- 50.8 degrees in the simultaneous group (P = .42). Simultaneous bilateral LASIK is comparable to sequential surgery in ablation centration.

  11. Tibiotalar tilt - a new slant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Griffiths, H.; Wandtke, J.

    1981-05-01

    Classically tibiotalar tilt (TTT) is associated with four conditions: Fairbanks disease, hemophilia, sickle-cell anemia and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. We have found it to be present in at least 20 other conditions including other dysplasias, developmental conditions such as fibrous dysplasia and a variety of other acquired disorders including various metabolic diseases and following previous trauma. The pathogenesis is controversial, but the most probable cause is related to stress and the blood supply of the distal tibial epiphysis. The differentiation of TTT from pseudotibiotalar tilt is also discussed.

  12. Quantization of band tilting in modulated phononic crystals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nassar, H.; Chen, H.; Norris, A. N.; Huang, G. L.

    2018-01-01

    A general theory of the tilting of dispersion bands in phononic crystals whose properties are being slowly and periodically modulated in space and time is established. The ratio of tilt to modulation speed is calculated, for the first time, in terms of Berry's phase and curvature and is proven to be a robust integer-valued Chern number. Derivations are based on a version of the adiabatic theorem for elastic waves demonstrated thanks to WKB asymptotics. Findings are exemplified in the case of a 3-periodic discrete spring-mass lattice. Tilted dispersion diagrams plotted using fully numerical simulations and semianalytical calculations based on a numerically gauge invariant expression of Berry's phase show perfect agreement. One-way blocking of waves due to the tilt, and ultimately to the breaking of reciprocity, is illustrated numerically and shown to be highly significant across a limited number of unit cells, suggesting the feasibility of experimental demonstrations. Finally, a version of the bulk-edge correspondence principle relating the tilt of bulk bands to the number of one-way gapless edge states is demonstrated.

  13. Group theoretical analysis of octahedral tilting in perovskites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Howard, C.J.; Stokes, H.T.

    1998-01-01

    Full text: Structures of the perovskite family, ABX 3 , have interested crystallographers over many years, and continue to attract attention on account of their fascinating electrical and magnetic properties, for example the giant magnetoresistive effects exhibited by certain perovskite materials. The ideal perovskite (cubic, space group Pm -/3 m) is a particularly simple structure, but also a demanding one, since aside from the lattice parameter there are no variable parameters in the structure. Consequently, the majority of perovskite structures are distorted perovskites (hettotypes), the most common distortion being the corner-linked tilting of the practically rigid BX 6 octahedral units. In this work, group theoretical methods have been applied to the study of octahedral tilting in perovskites. The only irreducible representations of the parent group (Pm -/3 m) which produce octahedral tilting subject to corner-linking constraints are M + / 3 and R 4 ' + . A six-dimensional order parameter in the reducible representation space of M + / 3 + R + / 4 describes the different possible tilting patterns. The space groups for the different perovskites are then simply the isotropy subgroups, comprising those operations which leave the order parameter invariant. The isotropy subgroups are obtained from a computer program or tabulations. The analysis yields a list of fifteen possible space groups for perovskites derived through octahedral tilting. A connection is made to the (twenty-three) tilt systems given previously by Glazer. The group-subgroup relationships have been derived and displayed. It is interesting to note that all known perovskites based on octahedral tilting conform with the fifteen space groups on our list, with the exception of one perovskite at high temperature, the structure of which seems poorly determined

  14. Comparison of broad band time series recorded parallel by FGI type interferometric water level and Lippmann type pendulum tilt meters at Conrad observatory, Austria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruotsalainen, Hannu; Papp, Gabor; Leonhardt, Roman; Ban, Dora; Szücs, Eszter; Benedek, Judith

    2016-04-01

    The Finnish Geodetic Institute (FGI) the progenitor of Finnish Geospatial Research Institute of NLS designed and built a 5.5m long prototype of interferometric water level tiltmeter (iWT) in early 2014. Geodetic and Geophysical Institute (GGI), Sopron, Hungary bought the instrument and started tilt measurement in August 2014 at the Conrad observatory (COBS), Austria to monitor geodynamical phenomena like microseisms, free oscillations of the Earth, earth tides, mass loading effects and crustal deformations in cooperation with Austrian Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG) and the FGI. On the July 16 2015 a Lippmann-type 2D tilt sensor (LTS) was also installed by GGI on the 6 m long pier where iWT was set up previously. This situation opens a possibility to do broad band (from secular to seismic variations up to 15 Hz) geophysical signal analysis comparing the responses of long (several meters) and short (a few decimeters) base instruments implementing different physical principles (relative height change of a level surface and inclination change of the plumb line). The characteristics of the sensors are studied by the evaluation of the spectra of recorded signals dominated by microseisms. The iWT has internal interferometric calibration and it can be compared to Lippmanns tilt meter one. Both instruments show good long term ( > 1 day) stability when earth tides and ocean and air mass loading tilts are modelled.

  15. Polymeric microchip for the simultaneous determination of anions and cations by hydrodynamic injection using a dual-channel sequential injection microchip electrophoresis system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaudry, Adam J; Nai, Yi Heng; Guijt, Rosanne M; Breadmore, Michael C

    2014-04-01

    A dual-channel sequential injection microchip capillary electrophoresis system with pressure-driven injection is demonstrated for simultaneous separations of anions and cations from a single sample. The poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microchips feature integral in-plane contactless conductivity detection electrodes. A novel, hydrodynamic "split-injection" method utilizes background electrolyte (BGE) sheathing to gate the sample flows, while control over the injection volume is achieved by balancing hydrodynamic resistances using external hydrodynamic resistors. Injection is realized by a unique flow-through interface, allowing for automated, continuous sampling for sequential injection analysis by microchip electrophoresis. The developed system was very robust, with individual microchips used for up to 2000 analyses with lifetimes limited by irreversible blockages of the microchannels. The unique dual-channel geometry was demonstrated by the simultaneous separation of three cations and three anions in individual microchannels in under 40 s with limits of detection (LODs) ranging from 1.5 to 24 μM. From a series of 100 sequential injections the %RSDs were determined for every fifth run, resulting in %RSDs for migration times that ranged from 0.3 to 0.7 (n = 20) and 2.3 to 4.5 for peak area (n = 20). This system offers low LODs and a high degree of reproducibility and robustness while the hydrodynamic injection eliminates electrokinetic bias during injection, making it attractive for a wide range of rapid, sensitive, and quantitative online analytical applications.

  16. Instrument Control (iC) - An Open-Source Software to Automate Test Equipment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pernstich, K P

    2012-01-01

    It has become common practice to automate data acquisition from programmable instrumentation, and a range of different software solutions fulfill this task. Many routine measurements require sequential processing of certain tasks, for instance to adjust the temperature of a sample stage, take a measurement, and repeat that cycle for other temperatures. This paper introduces an open-source Java program that processes a series of text-based commands that define the measurement sequence. These commands are in an intuitive format which provides great flexibility and allows quick and easy adaptation to various measurement needs. For each of these commands, the iC-framework calls a corresponding Java method that addresses the specified instrument to perform the desired task. The functionality of iC can be extended with minimal programming effort in Java or Python, and new measurement equipment can be addressed by defining new commands in a text file without any programming.

  17. A new tilt on pelvic radiographs: a pilot study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Richards, P.J. [North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary, Department of Radiology, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire (United Kingdom); Pattison, J.M. [University Hospital of North Staffordshire, Department of Radiology, Stoke on Trent (United Kingdom); Belcher, J. [Keele University, Department of Mathematics, Keele, Staffordshire (United Kingdom); DeCann, R.W. [IMECS, Department of Radiology, Market Drayton, Shropshire (United Kingdom); Anderson, Suzanne [University of Melbourne, Department of Radiology, Melbourne (Australia); Wynn-Jones, C. [University Hospital of North Staffordshire, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Stoke on Trent (United Kingdom)

    2009-02-15

    The aim of this study was to evaluate pelvic tilt on commonly performed measurements on radiography in primary protrusio acetabuli and developmental dysplasia of the hip. A dry assembled pelvis and spine skeleton was positioned in an isocentric skull unit and films exposed with increasing degrees of angulation of pelvic tilt. The films were then read by two independent readers for seven different measurements used to evaluate the hips and acetabular: acetabular line to ilioischial line, teardrop appearance, intercristal/intertuberous ratio, co-ordinates of femoral head, centre edge angle, acetabular depth/width ratio and acetabular angle. There was so much variation in the protrusio results that no formal recommendation of any standard radiographic test can be given. Only the inter tuberous distance is not effected by pelvic tilt. The acetabular angles for developmental dysplasia of the hip showed the most potential with pelvic tilt below 15 . As pelvic tilt increases, measurements used in protusio become unreliable, and computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging are probably going to be more accurate as one can directly visualise pelvic intrusion. We recommend a lateral view to assess the degree of pelvic tilt in patients with protrusion to ensure these measurements are valid. (orig.)

  18. Tilted hexagonal post arrays: DNA electrophoresis in anisotropic media.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Zhen; Dorfman, Kevin D

    2014-02-01

    Using Brownian dynamics simulations, we show that DNA electrophoresis in a hexagonal array of micron-sized posts changes qualitatively when the applied electric field vector is not coincident with the lattice vectors of the array. DNA electrophoresis in such "tilted" post arrays is superior to the standard "un-tilted" approach; while the time required to achieve a resolution of unity in a tilted post array is similar to an un-tilted array at a low-electric field strengths, this time (i) decreases exponentially with electric field strength in a tilted array and (ii) increases exponentially with electric field strength in an un-tilted array. Although the DNA dynamics in a post array are complicated, the electrophoretic mobility results indicate that the "free path," i.e. the average distance of ballistic trajectories of point-sized particles launched from random positions in the unit cell until they intersect the next post, is a useful proxy for the detailed DNA trajectories. The analysis of the free path reveals a fundamental connection between anisotropy of the medium and DNA transport therein that goes beyond simply improving the separation device. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  19. Gravito-Inertial Force Resolution in Perception of Synchronized Tilt and Translation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, Scott J.; Holly, Jan; Zhang, Guen-Lu

    2011-01-01

    Natural movements in the sagittal plane involve pitch tilt relative to gravity combined with translation motion. The Gravito-Inertial Force (GIF) resolution hypothesis states that the resultant force on the body is perceptually resolved into tilt and translation consistently with the laws of physics. The purpose of this study was to test this hypothesis for human perception during combined tilt and translation motion. EXPERIMENTAL METHODS: Twelve subjects provided verbal reports during 0.3 Hz motion in the dark with 4 types of tilt and/or translation motion: 1) pitch tilt about an interaural axis at +/-10deg or +/-20deg, 2) fore-aft translation with acceleration equivalent to +/-10deg or +/-20deg, 3) combined "in phase" tilt and translation motion resulting in acceleration equivalent to +/-20deg, and 4) "out of phase" tilt and translation motion that maintained the resultant gravito-inertial force aligned with the longitudinal body axis. The amplitude of perceived pitch tilt and translation at the head were obtained during separate trials. MODELING METHODS: Three-dimensional mathematical modeling was performed to test the GIF-resolution hypothesis using a dynamical model. The model encoded GIF-resolution using the standard vector equation, and used an internal model of motion parameters, including gravity. Differential equations conveyed time-varying predictions. The six motion profiles were tested, resulting in predicted perceived amplitude of tilt and translation for each. RESULTS: The modeling results exhibited the same pattern as the experimental results. Most importantly, both modeling and experimental results showed greater perceived tilt during the "in phase" profile than the "out of phase" profile, and greater perceived tilt during combined "in phase" motion than during pure tilt of the same amplitude. However, the model did not predict as much perceived translation as reported by subjects during pure tilt. CONCLUSION: Human perception is consistent with

  20. An Intelligent Automation Platform for Rapid Bioprocess Design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Tianyi

    2014-01-01

    Bioprocess development is very labor intensive, requiring many experiments to characterize each unit operation in the process sequence to achieve product safety and process efficiency. Recent advances in microscale biochemical engineering have led to automated experimentation. A process design workflow is implemented sequentially in which (1) a liquid-handling system performs high-throughput wet lab experiments, (2) standalone analysis devices detect the data, and (3) specific software is used for data analysis and experiment design given the user’s inputs. We report an intelligent automation platform that integrates these three activities to enhance the efficiency of such a workflow. A multiagent intelligent architecture has been developed incorporating agent communication to perform the tasks automatically. The key contribution of this work is the automation of data analysis and experiment design and also the ability to generate scripts to run the experiments automatically, allowing the elimination of human involvement. A first-generation prototype has been established and demonstrated through lysozyme precipitation process design. All procedures in the case study have been fully automated through an intelligent automation platform. The realization of automated data analysis and experiment design, and automated script programming for experimental procedures has the potential to increase lab productivity. PMID:24088579

  1. Optimum tilt angle and orientation for solar collectors in Syria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Skeiker, Kamal

    2009-01-01

    One of the important parameters that affect the performance of a solar collector is its tilt angle with the horizon. This is because of the variation of tilt angle changes the amount of solar radiation reaching the collector surface. A mathematical model was used for estimating the solar radiation on a tilted surface, and to determine the optimum tilt angle and orientation (surface azimuth angle) for the solar collector in the main Syrian zones, on a daily basis, as well as for a specific period. The optimum angle was computed by searching for the values for which the radiation on the collector surface is a maximum for a particular day or a specific period. The results reveal that changing the tilt angle 12 times in a year (i.e. using the monthly optimum tilt angle) maintains approximately the total amount of solar radiation near the maximum value that is found by changing the tilt angle daily to its optimum value. This achieves a yearly gain in solar radiation of approximately 30% more than the case of a solar collector fixed on a horizontal surface.

  2. A Horizontal Tilt Correction Method for Ship License Numbers Recognition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Baolong; Zhang, Sanyuan; Hong, Zhenjie; Ye, Xiuzi

    2018-02-01

    An automatic ship license numbers (SLNs) recognition system plays a significant role in intelligent waterway transportation systems since it can be used to identify ships by recognizing the characters in SLNs. Tilt occurs frequently in many SLNs because the monitors and the ships usually have great vertical or horizontal angles, which decreases the accuracy and robustness of a SLNs recognition system significantly. In this paper, we present a horizontal tilt correction method for SLNs. For an input tilt SLN image, the proposed method accomplishes the correction task through three main steps. First, a MSER-based characters’ center-points computation algorithm is designed to compute the accurate center-points of the characters contained in the input SLN image. Second, a L 1- L 2 distance-based straight line is fitted to the computed center-points using M-estimator algorithm. The tilt angle is estimated at this stage. Finally, based on the computed tilt angle, an affine transformation rotation is conducted to rotate and to correct the input SLN horizontally. At last, the proposed method is tested on 200 tilt SLN images, the proposed method is proved to be effective with a tilt correction rate of 80.5%.

  3. Rotating Shaft Tilt Angle Measurement Using an Inclinometer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Jun; Wang, Zhiqian; Shen, Chengwu; Wen, Zhuoman; Liu, Shaojin; Cai, Sheng; Li, Jianrong

    2015-10-01

    This paper describes a novel measurement method to accurately measure the rotating shaft tilt angle of rotating machine for alignment or compensation using a dual-axis inclinometer. A model of the rotating shaft tilt angle measurement is established using a dual-axis inclinometer based on the designed mechanical structure, and the calculation equation between the rotating shaft tilt angle and the inclinometer axes outputs is derived under the condition that the inclinometer axes are perpendicular to the rotating shaft. The reversal measurement method is applied to decrease the effect of inclinometer drifts caused by temperature, to eliminate inclinometer and rotating shaft mechanical error and inclinometer systematic error to attain high measurement accuracy. The uncertainty estimation shows that the accuracy of rotating shaft tilt angle measurement depends mainly on the inclinometer uncertainty and its uncertainty is almost the same as the inclinometer uncertainty in the simulation. The experimental results indicate that measurement time is 4 seconds; the range of rotating shaft tilt angle is 0.002° and its standard deviation is 0.0006° using NS-5/P2 inclinometer, whose precision and resolution are ±0.01° and 0.0005°, respectively.

  4. Rotating Shaft Tilt Angle Measurement Using an Inclinometer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luo Jun

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes a novel measurement method to accurately measure the rotating shaft tilt angle of rotating machine for alignment or compensation using a dual-axis inclinometer. A model of the rotating shaft tilt angle measurement is established using a dual-axis inclinometer based on the designed mechanical structure, and the calculation equation between the rotating shaft tilt angle and the inclinometer axes outputs is derived under the condition that the inclinometer axes are perpendicular to the rotating shaft. The reversal measurement method is applied to decrease the effect of inclinometer drifts caused by temperature, to eliminate inclinometer and rotating shaft mechanical error and inclinometer systematic error to attain high measurement accuracy. The uncertainty estimation shows that the accuracy of rotating shaft tilt angle measurement depends mainly on the inclinometer uncertainty and its uncertainty is almost the same as the inclinometer uncertainty in the simulation. The experimental results indicate that measurement time is 4 seconds; the range of rotating shaft tilt angle is 0.002° and its standard deviation is 0.0006° using NS-5/P2 inclinometer, whose precision and resolution are ±0.01° and 0.0005°, respectively.

  5. TELEGRAPHS TO INCANDESCENT LAMPS: A SEQUENTIAL PROCESS OF INNOVATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laurence J. Malone

    2000-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper outlines a sequential process of technological innovation in the emergence of the electrical industry in the United States from 1830 to 1880. Successive inventions that realize the commercial possibilities of electricity provided the foundation for an industry where technical knowledge, invention and diffusion were ultimately consolidated within the managerial structure of new firms. The genesis of the industry is traced, sequentially, through the development of the telegraph, arc light and incandescent lamp. Exploring the origins of the telegraph and incandescent lamp reveals a process where a series of inventions and firms result from successful efforts touse scientific principles to create new commodities and markets.

  6. Large optics inspection, tilting, and washing stand

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ayers, Marion Jay [Brentwood, CA; Ayers, Shannon Lee [Brentwood, CA

    2010-08-24

    A large optics stand provides a risk free means of safely tilting large optics with ease and a method of safely tilting large optics with ease. The optics are supported in the horizontal position by pads. In the vertical plane the optics are supported by saddles that evenly distribute the optics weight over a large area.

  7. RE-EXAMINING SUNSPOT TILT ANGLE TO INCLUDE ANTI-HALE STATISTICS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    McClintock, B. H. [University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, 4350 (Australia); Norton, A. A. [HEPL, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305 (United States); Li, J., E-mail: u1049686@umail.usq.edu.au, E-mail: aanorton@stanford.edu, E-mail: jli@igpp.ucla.edu [Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (United States)

    2014-12-20

    Sunspot groups and bipolar magnetic regions (BMRs) serve as an observational diagnostic of the solar cycle. We use Debrecen Photohelographic Data (DPD) from 1974-2014 that determined sunspot tilt angles from daily white light observations, and data provided by Li and Ulrich that determined sunspot magnetic tilt angle using Mount Wilson magnetograms from 1974-2012. The magnetograms allowed for BMR tilt angles that were anti-Hale in configuration, so tilt values ranged from 0 to 360° rather than the more common ±90°. We explore the visual representation of magnetic tilt angles on a traditional butterfly diagram by plotting the mean area-weighted latitude of umbral activity in each bipolar sunspot group, including tilt information. The large scatter of tilt angles over the course of a single cycle and hemisphere prevents Joy's law from being visually identified in the tilt-butterfly diagram without further binning. The average latitude of anti-Hale regions does not differ from the average latitude of all regions in both hemispheres. The distribution of anti-Hale sunspot tilt angles are broadly distributed between 0 and 360° with a weak preference for east-west alignment 180° from their expected Joy's law angle. The anti-Hale sunspots display a log-normal size distribution similar to that of all sunspots, indicating no preferred size for anti-Hale sunspots. We report that 8.4% ± 0.8% of all bipolar sunspot regions are misclassified as Hale in traditional catalogs. This percentage is slightly higher for groups within 5° of the equator due to the misalignment of the magnetic and heliographic equators.

  8. RE-EXAMINING SUNSPOT TILT ANGLE TO INCLUDE ANTI-HALE STATISTICS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McClintock, B. H.; Norton, A. A.; Li, J.

    2014-01-01

    Sunspot groups and bipolar magnetic regions (BMRs) serve as an observational diagnostic of the solar cycle. We use Debrecen Photohelographic Data (DPD) from 1974-2014 that determined sunspot tilt angles from daily white light observations, and data provided by Li and Ulrich that determined sunspot magnetic tilt angle using Mount Wilson magnetograms from 1974-2012. The magnetograms allowed for BMR tilt angles that were anti-Hale in configuration, so tilt values ranged from 0 to 360° rather than the more common ±90°. We explore the visual representation of magnetic tilt angles on a traditional butterfly diagram by plotting the mean area-weighted latitude of umbral activity in each bipolar sunspot group, including tilt information. The large scatter of tilt angles over the course of a single cycle and hemisphere prevents Joy's law from being visually identified in the tilt-butterfly diagram without further binning. The average latitude of anti-Hale regions does not differ from the average latitude of all regions in both hemispheres. The distribution of anti-Hale sunspot tilt angles are broadly distributed between 0 and 360° with a weak preference for east-west alignment 180° from their expected Joy's law angle. The anti-Hale sunspots display a log-normal size distribution similar to that of all sunspots, indicating no preferred size for anti-Hale sunspots. We report that 8.4% ± 0.8% of all bipolar sunspot regions are misclassified as Hale in traditional catalogs. This percentage is slightly higher for groups within 5° of the equator due to the misalignment of the magnetic and heliographic equators

  9. A multidisciplinary database for geophysical time series management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montalto, P.; Aliotta, M.; Cassisi, C.; Prestifilippo, M.; Cannata, A.

    2013-12-01

    The variables collected by a sensor network constitute a heterogeneous data source that needs to be properly organized in order to be used in research and geophysical monitoring. With the time series term we refer to a set of observations of a given phenomenon acquired sequentially in time. When the time intervals are equally spaced one speaks of period or sampling frequency. Our work describes in detail a possible methodology for storage and management of time series using a specific data structure. We designed a framework, hereinafter called TSDSystem (Time Series Database System), in order to acquire time series from different data sources and standardize them within a relational database. The operation of standardization provides the ability to perform operations, such as query and visualization, of many measures synchronizing them using a common time scale. The proposed architecture follows a multiple layer paradigm (Loaders layer, Database layer and Business Logic layer). Each layer is specialized in performing particular operations for the reorganization and archiving of data from different sources such as ASCII, Excel, ODBC (Open DataBase Connectivity), file accessible from the Internet (web pages, XML). In particular, the loader layer performs a security check of the working status of each running software through an heartbeat system, in order to automate the discovery of acquisition issues and other warning conditions. Although our system has to manage huge amounts of data, performance is guaranteed by using a smart partitioning table strategy, that keeps balanced the percentage of data stored in each database table. TSDSystem also contains modules for the visualization of acquired data, that provide the possibility to query different time series on a specified time range, or follow the realtime signal acquisition, according to a data access policy from the users.

  10. LOTTTTUCE: Layer Oriented Tip-Tilt Turbulence Tomography using Covariance and Elevation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lai, Olivier; Hayano, Yutaka; Oya, Shin; Chun, Mark; Lu, Jessica R; Toomey, Douglas

    2015-01-01

    LOTTTTUCE is based upon the fact that turbulence at the pupil produces correlated tip-tilt motion over the entire field (averaging the tip-tilt across the widest field possible gives the strength of the turbulence at the telescope), while the on-axis (any axis) image motion measures the integrated tip-tilt over the line of sight (single stars provide the variance of the tip-tilt, which allows to infer the integrated seeing). Between these two extremes, the amount of correlation across a given field size is the integral of the turbulence from the ground to the altitude where the tip-tilt decorrelates over the meta-pupil. Differentiating the altitude- integrated tip-tilt with respect to altitude generates an estimate of tip-tilt (hence turbulence, assuming Kolmogorov properties) at each altitude. Alternately, the 3D Fourier transform of a data cube containing the time evolution of the tip (or tilt) across the field allows to determine the amount of energy for “field” frequencies (in other words, the integrated seeing across each same size patches) and the temporal spectrum of each of these features. Differentiating the spectrum with respect to spatial frequency would provide the amount of energy, as well as speed and direction, of each layer. The LOTTTTUCE method is a novel method of measuring the vertical turbulence profile that uses wide field tip-tilt information such as that provided by Pan-STARRS. However, the method also has limitations due to tip-tilt decorrelation as a function of meta-pupil overlap, finite outer scale, and non-Kolmogorov power spectrum. (paper)

  11. Age, splanchnic vasoconstriction, and heat stress during tilting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Minson, C. T.; Wladkowski, S. L.; Pawelczyk, J. A.; Kenney, W. L.

    1999-01-01

    During upright tilting, blood is translocated to the dependent veins of the legs and compensatory circulatory adjustments are necessary to maintain arterial pressure. For examination of the effect of age on these responses, seven young (23 +/- 1 yr) and seven older (70 +/- 3 yr) men were head-up tilted to 60 degrees in a thermoneutral condition and during passive heating with water-perfused suits. Measurements included heart rate (HR), cardiac output (Qc; acetylene rebreathing technique), central venous pressure (CVP), blood pressures, forearm blood flow (venous occlusion plethysmography), splanchnic and renal blood flows (indocyanine green and p-aminohippurate clearance), and esophageal and mean skin temperatures. In response to tilting in the thermoneutral condition, CVP and stroke volume decreased to a greater extent in the young men, but HR increased more, such that the fall in Qc was similar between the two groups in the upright posture. The rise in splanchnic vascular resistance (SVR) was greater in the older men, but the young men increased forearm vascular resistance (FVR) to a greater extent than the older men. The fall in Qc during combined heat stress and tilting was greater in the young compared with older men. Only four of the young men versus six of the older men were able to finish the second tilt without becoming presyncopal. In summary, the older men relied on a greater increase in SVR to compensate for a reduced ability to constrict the skin and muscle circulations (as determined by changes in FVR) during head-up tilting.

  12. Automated Vehicles Symposium 2014

    CERN Document Server

    Beiker, Sven; Road Vehicle Automation 2

    2015-01-01

    This paper collection is the second volume of the LNMOB series on Road Vehicle Automation. The book contains a comprehensive review of current technical, socio-economic, and legal perspectives written by experts coming from public authorities, companies and universities in the U.S., Europe and Japan. It originates from the Automated Vehicle Symposium 2014, which was jointly organized by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) and the Transportation Research Board (TRB) in Burlingame, CA, in July 2014. The contributions discuss the challenges arising from the integration of highly automated and self-driving vehicles into the transportation system, with a focus on human factors and different deployment scenarios. This book is an indispensable source of information for academic researchers, industrial engineers, and policy makers interested in the topic of road vehicle automation.

  13. NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS OF NATURALLY TILTED, RETROGRADELY PRECESSING, NODAL SUPERHUMPING ACCRETION DISKS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Montgomery, M. M.

    2012-01-01

    Accretion disks around black hole, neutron star, and white dwarf systems are thought to sometimes tilt, retrogradely precess, and produce hump-shaped modulations in light curves that have a period shorter than the orbital period. Although artificially rotating numerically simulated accretion disks out of the orbital plane and around the line of nodes generate these short-period superhumps and retrograde precession of the disk, no numerical code to date has been shown to produce a disk tilt naturally. In this work, we report the first naturally tilted disk in non-magnetic cataclysmic variables using three-dimensional smoothed particle hydrodynamics. Our simulations show that after many hundreds of orbital periods, the disk has tilted on its own and this disk tilt is without the aid of radiation sources or magnetic fields. As the system orbits, the accretion stream strikes the bright spot (which is on the rim of the tilted disk) and flows over and under the disk on different flow paths. These different flow paths suggest the lift force as a source to disk tilt. Our results confirm the disk shape, disk structure, and negative superhump period and support the source to disk tilt, source to retrograde precession, and location associated with X-ray and He II emission from the disk as suggested in previous works. Our results identify the fundamental negative superhump frequency as the indicator of disk tilt around the line of nodes.

  14. Correlation between length and tilt of lipid tails

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kopelevich, Dmitry I.; Nagle, John F.

    2015-10-01

    It is becoming recognized from simulations, and to a lesser extent from experiment, that the classical Helfrich-Canham membrane continuum mechanics model can be fruitfully enriched by the inclusion of molecular tilt, even in the fluid, chain disordered, biologically relevant phase of lipid bilayers. Enriched continuum theories then add a tilt modulus κθ to accompany the well recognized bending modulus κ. Different enrichment theories largely agree for many properties, but it has been noticed that there is considerable disagreement in one prediction; one theory postulates that the average length of the hydrocarbon chain tails increases strongly with increasing tilt and another predicts no increase. Our analysis of an all-atom simulation favors the latter theory, but it also shows that the overall tail length decreases slightly with increasing tilt. We show that this deviation from continuum theory can be reconciled by consideration of the average shape of the tails, which is a descriptor not obviously includable in continuum theory.

  15. Correlation between length and tilt of lipid tails

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kopelevich, Dmitry I., E-mail: dkopelevich@che.ufl.edu [Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611 (United States); Nagle, John F., E-mail: nagle@cmu.edu [Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213 (United States)

    2015-10-21

    It is becoming recognized from simulations, and to a lesser extent from experiment, that the classical Helfrich-Canham membrane continuum mechanics model can be fruitfully enriched by the inclusion of molecular tilt, even in the fluid, chain disordered, biologically relevant phase of lipid bilayers. Enriched continuum theories then add a tilt modulus κ{sub θ} to accompany the well recognized bending modulus κ. Different enrichment theories largely agree for many properties, but it has been noticed that there is considerable disagreement in one prediction; one theory postulates that the average length of the hydrocarbon chain tails increases strongly with increasing tilt and another predicts no increase. Our analysis of an all-atom simulation favors the latter theory, but it also shows that the overall tail length decreases slightly with increasing tilt. We show that this deviation from continuum theory can be reconciled by consideration of the average shape of the tails, which is a descriptor not obviously includable in continuum theory.

  16. Engineering of automated assembly of beam-shaping optics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haag, Sebastian; Sinhoff, Volker; Müller, Tobias; Brecher, Christian

    2014-03-01

    Beam-shaping is essential for any kind of laser application. Assembly technologies for beam-shaping subassemblies are subject to intense research and development activities and their technical feasibility has been proven in recent years while economic viability requires more efficient engineering tools for process planning and production ramp up of complex assembly tasks for micro-optical systems. The work presented in this paper aims for significant reduction of process development and production ramp up times for the automated assembly of micro-optical subassemblies for beam-collimation and beam-tilting. The approach proposed bridges the gap between the product development phase and the realization of automation control through integration of established software tools such as optics simulation and CAD modeling as well as through introduction of novel software tools and methods to efficiently describe active alignment strategies. The focus of the paper is put on the methodological approach regarding the engineering of assembly processes for beam-shaping micro-optics and the formal representation of assembly objectives similar to representation in mechanical assemblies. Main topic of the paper is the engineering methodology for active alignment processes based on the classification of optical functions for beam-shaping optics and corresponding standardized measurement setups including adaptable alignment algorithms. The concepts are applied to industrial use-cases: (1) integrated collimation module for fast- and slow-axis and (2) beam-tilting subassembly consisting of a fast-axis collimator and micro-lens array. The paper concludes with an overview of current limitations as well as an outlook on the next development steps considering adhesive bonding processes.

  17. Skin cooling maintains cerebral blood flow velocity and orthostatic tolerance during tilting in heated humans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Thad E.; Cui, Jian; Zhang, Rong; Witkowski, Sarah; Crandall, Craig G.

    2002-01-01

    Orthostatic tolerance is reduced in the heat-stressed human. The purpose of this project was to identify whether skin-surface cooling improves orthostatic tolerance. Nine subjects were exposed to 10 min of 60 degrees head-up tilting in each of four conditions: normothermia (NT-tilt), heat stress (HT-tilt), normothermia plus skin-surface cooling 1 min before and throughout tilting (NT-tilt(cool)), and heat stress plus skin-surface cooling 1 min before and throughout tilting (HT-tilt(cool)). Heating and cooling were accomplished by perfusing 46 and 15 degrees C water, respectively, though a tube-lined suit worn by each subject. During HT-tilt, four of nine subjects developed presyncopal symptoms resulting in the termination of the tilt test. In contrast, no subject experienced presyncopal symptoms during NT-tilt, NT-tilt(cool), or HT-tilt(cool). During the HT-tilt procedure, mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) decreased. However, during HT-tilt(cool), MAP, total peripheral resistance, and CBFV were significantly greater relative to HT-tilt (all P heat-stressed humans.

  18. Radiographic cup anteversion measurement corrected from pelvic tilt.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Liao; Thoreson, Andrew R; Trousdale, Robert T; Morrey, Bernard F; Dai, Kerong; An, Kai-Nan

    2017-11-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop a novel technique to improve the accuracy of radiographic cup anteversion measurement by correcting the influence of pelvic tilt. Ninety virtual total hip arthroplasties were simulated from computed tomography data of 6 patients with 15 predetermined cup orientations. For each simulated implantation, anteroposterior (AP) virtual pelvic radiographs were generated for 11 predetermined pelvic tilts. A linear regression model was created to capture the relationship between radiographic cup anteversion angle error measured on AP pelvic radiographs and pelvic tilt. Overall, nine hundred and ninety virtual AP pelvic radiographs were measured, and 90 linear regression models were created. Pearson's correlation analyses confirmed a strong correlation between the errors of conventional radiographic cup anteversion angle measured on AP pelvic radiographs and the magnitude of pelvic tilt (P cup anteversion angle from the influence of pelvic tilt. The current method proposes to measure the pelvic tilt on a lateral radiograph, and to use it as a correction for the radiographic cup anteversion measurement on an AP pelvic radiograph. Thus, both AP and lateral pelvic radiographs are required for the measurement of pelvic posture-integrated cup anteversion. Compared with conventional radiographic cup anteversion, the errors of pelvic posture-integrated radiographic cup anteversion were reduced from 10.03 (SD = 5.13) degrees to 2.53 (SD = 1.33) degrees. Pelvic posture-integrated cup anteversion measurement improves the accuracy of radiographic cup anteversion measurement, which shows the potential of further clarifying the etiology of postoperative instability based on planar radiographs. Copyright © 2017 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Tilted dipole model for bias-dependent photoluminescence pattern

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fujieda, Ichiro, E-mail: fujieda@se.ritsumei.ac.jp; Suzuki, Daisuke; Masuda, Taishi [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu 525-8577 (Japan)

    2014-12-14

    In a guest-host system containing elongated dyes and a nematic liquid crystal, both molecules are aligned to each other. An external bias tilts these molecules and the radiation pattern of the system is altered. A model is proposed to describe this bias-dependent photoluminescence patterns. It divides the liquid crystal/dye layer into sub-layers that contain electric dipoles with specific tilt angles. Each sub-layer emits linearly polarized light. Its radiation pattern is toroidal and is determined by the tilt angle. Its intensity is assumed to be proportional to the power of excitation light absorbed by the sub-layer. This is calculated by the Lambert-Beer's Law. The absorption coefficient is assumed to be proportional to the cross-section of the tilted dipole moment, in analogy to the ellipsoid of refractive index, to evaluate the cross-section for each polarized component of the excitation light. Contributions from all the sub-layers are added to give a final expression for the radiation pattern. Self-absorption is neglected. The model is simplified by reducing the number of sub-layers. Analytical expressions are derived for a simple case that consists of a single layer with tilted dipoles sandwiched by two layers with horizontally-aligned dipoles. All the parameters except for the tilt angle can be determined by measuring transmittance of the excitation light. The model roughly reproduces the bias-dependent photoluminescence patterns of a cell containing 0.5 wt. % coumarin 6. It breaks down at large emission angles. Measured spectral changes suggest that the discrepancy is due to self-absorption and re-emission.

  20. Does osteoporosis reduce the primary tilting stability of cementless acetabular cups?

    Science.gov (United States)

    von Schulze Pellengahr, Christoph; von Engelhardt, Lars V; Wegener, Bernd; Müller, Peter E; Fottner, Andreas; Weber, Patrick; Ackermann, Ole; Lahner, Matthias; Teske, Wolfram

    2015-04-21

    Cementless hip cups need sufficient primary tilting stability to achieve osseointegration. The aim of the study was to assess differences of the primary implant stability in osteoporotic bone and in bone with normal bone density. To assess the influence of different cup designs, two types of threaded and two types of press-fit cups were tested. The maximum tilting moment for two different cementless threaded cups and two different cementless press-fit cups was determined in macerated human hip acetabuli with reduced (n=20) and normal bone density (n=20), determined using Q-CT. The tilting moments for each cup were determined five times in the group with reduced bone density and five times in the group with normal bone density, and the respective average values were calculated. The mean maximum extrusion force of the threaded cup Zintra was 5670.5 N (max. tilting moment 141.8 Nm) in bone with normal density and.5748.3 N (max. tilting moment 143.7 Nm) in osteoporotic bone. For the Hofer Imhof (HI) threaded cup it was 7681.5 N (192.0 Nm) in bone with normal density and 6828.9 N (max. tilting moment 170.7 Nm) in the group with osteoporotic bone. The mean maximum extrusion force of the macro-textured press-fit cup Metallsockel CL was 3824.6 N (max. tilting moment 95.6 Nm) in bone with normal and 2246.2 N (max. tilting moment 56.2 Nm) in osteoporotic bone. For the Monoblock it was 1303.8 N (max. tilting moment 32.6 Nm) in normal and 1317 N (max. tilting moment 32.9 Nm) in osteoporotic bone. There was no significance. A reduction of the maximum tilting moment in osteoporotic bone of the ESKA press-fit cup Metallsockel CL was noticed. Results on macerated bone specimens showed no statistically significant reduction of the maximum tilting moment in specimens with osteoporotic bone density compared to normal bone, neither for threaded nor for the press-fit cups. With the limitation that the results were obtained using macerated bone, we could not detect any restrictions for

  1. Position, Attitude, and Fault-Tolerant Control of Tilting-Rotor Quadcopter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Rumit

    The aim of this thesis is to present algorithms for autonomous control of tilt-rotor quadcopter UAV. In particular, this research work describes position, attitude and fault tolerant control in tilt-rotor quadcopter. Quadcopters are one of the most popular and reliable unmanned aerial systems because of the design simplicity, hovering capabilities and minimal operational cost. Numerous applications for quadcopters have been explored all over the world but very little work has been done to explore design enhancements and address the fault-tolerant capabilities of the quadcopters. The tilting rotor quadcopter is a structural advancement of traditional quadcopter and it provides additional actuated controls as the propeller motors are actuated for tilt which can be utilized to improve efficiency of the aerial vehicle during flight. The tilting rotor quadcopter design is accomplished by using an additional servo motor for each rotor that enables the rotor to tilt about the axis of the quadcopter arm. Tilting rotor quadcopter is a more agile version of conventional quadcopter and it is a fully actuated system. The tilt-rotor quadcopter is capable of following complex trajectories with ease. The control strategy in this work is to use the propeller tilts for position and orientation control during autonomous flight of the quadcopter. In conventional quadcopters, two propellers rotate in clockwise direction and other two propellers rotate in counter clockwise direction to cancel out the effective yawing moment of the system. The variation in rotational speeds of these four propellers is utilized for maneuvering. On the other hand, this work incorporates use of varying propeller rotational speeds along with tilting of the propellers for maneuvering during flight. The rotational motion of propellers work in sync with propeller tilts to control the position and orientation of the UAV during the flight. A PD flight controller is developed to achieve various modes of the

  2. Sedimentary basins reconnaissance using the magnetic Tilt-Depth method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salem, A.; Williams, S.; Samson, E.; Fairhead, D.; Ravat, D.; Blakely, R.J.

    2010-01-01

    We compute the depth to the top of magnetic basement using the Tilt-Depth method from the best available magnetic anomaly grids covering the continental USA and Australia. For the USA, the Tilt-Depth estimates were compared with sediment thicknesses based on drilling data and show a correlation of 0.86 between the datasets. If random data were used then the correlation value goes to virtually zero. There is little to no lateral offset of the depth of basinal features although there is a tendency for the Tilt-Depth results to be slightly shallower than the drill depths. We also applied the Tilt-Depth method to a local-scale, relatively high-resolution aeromagnetic survey over the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. The Tilt-Depth method successfully identified a variety of important tectonic elements known from geological mapping. Of particular interest, the Tilt-Depth method illuminated deep (3km) contacts within the non-magnetic sedimentary core of the Olympic Mountains, where magnetic anomalies are subdued and low in amplitude. For Australia, the Tilt-Depth estimates also give a good correlation with known areas of shallow basement and sedimentary basins. Our estimates of basement depth are not restricted to regional analysis but work equally well at the micro scale (basin scale) with depth estimates agreeing well with drill hole and seismic data. We focus on the eastern Officer Basin as an example of basin scale studies and find a good level of agreement between previously-derived basin models. However, our study potentially reveals depocentres not previously mapped due to the sparse distribution of well data. This example thus shows the potential additional advantage of the method in geological interpretation. The success of this study suggests that the Tilt-Depth method is useful in estimating the depth to crystalline basement when appropriate quality aeromagnetic anomaly data are used (i.e. line spacing on the order of or less than the expected depth to

  3. Tilted Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi spacetimes: Hydrodynamic and thermodynamic properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Herrera, L.; Di Prisco, A.; Ibanez, J.

    2011-01-01

    We consider Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi spacetimes from the point of view of a tilted observer, i.e. one with respect to which the fluid is radially moving. The imperfect fluid and the congruence described by its four-velocity, as seen by the tilted observer, is studied in detail. It is shown that from the point of view of such tilted observer, the fluid evolves nonreversibly (i.e. with nonvanishing rate of entropy production). The nongeodesic character of the tilted congruence is related to the nonvanishing of the divergence of the 4-vector entropy flow. We determine the factor related to the existence of energy-density inhomogeneities and describe its evolution; these results are compared with those obtained for the nontilted observer. Finally, we exhibit a peculiar situation where the nontilted congruence might be unstable.

  4. Exploiting an automated microfluidic hydrodynamic sequential injection system for determination of phosphate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khongpet, Wanpen; Pencharee, Somkid; Puangpila, Chanida; Kradtap Hartwell, Supaporn; Lapanantnoppakhun, Somchai; Jakmunee, Jaroon

    2018-01-15

    A microfluidic hydrodynamic sequential injection (μHSI) spectrophotometric system was designed and fabricated. The system was built by laser engraving a manifold pattern on an acrylic block and sealing with another flat acrylic plate to form a microfluidic channel platform. The platform was incorporated with small solenoid valves to obtain a portable setup for programmable control of the liquid flow into the channel according to the HSI principle. The system was demonstrated for the determination of phosphate using a molybdenum blue method. An ascorbic acid, standard or sample, and acidic molybdate solutions were sequentially aspirated to fill the channel forming a stack zone before flowing to the detector. Under the optimum condition, a linear calibration graph in the range of 0.1-6mg P L -1 was obtained. The detection limit was 0.1mgL -1 . The system is compact (5.0mm thick, 80mm wide × 140mm long), durable, portable, cost-effective, and consumes little amount of chemicals (83μL each of molybdate and ascorbic acid, 133μL of the sample solution and 1.7mL of water carrier/run). It was applied for the determination of phosphate content in extracted soil samples. The percent recoveries of the analysis were obtained in the range of 91.2-107.3. The results obtained agreed well with those of the batch spectrophotometric method. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. The Influence of Injection Pockets on the Performance of Tilting-Pad Thrust Bearings - Part I: Theory

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heinrichson, Niels; Santos, Ilmar; Fuerst, Axel

    2007-01-01

    This is Part I of a two-part series of papers describing the effects of high-pressure injection pockets on the operating conditions of tilting-pad thrust bearings. In Part I a numerical model based on the Reynolds equation is developed extending the threedimensional thermoelastohydrodynamic (TEHD......) analysis of tilting-pad thrust bearings to include the effects of high-pressure injection and recesses in the bearing pads. The model is applied to the analysis of an existing bearing of large dimensions and the influence of the pocket is analyzed. In the analysis, the high-pressure oil injection used...... for hydrostatic jacking is turned off (i.e., only the effect of the pocket is studied). It is shown that a shallow pocket positively influences the performance of the bearing because it has characteristics similar to those of a Rayleigh-step bearing. In Part II of the paper (Heinrichson, N., Fuerst, A...

  6. How do visual and postural cues combine for self-tilt perception during slow pitch rotations?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scotto Di Cesare, C; Buloup, F; Mestre, D R; Bringoux, L

    2014-11-01

    Self-orientation perception relies on the integration of multiple sensory inputs which convey spatially-related visual and postural cues. In the present study, an experimental set-up was used to tilt the body and/or the visual scene to investigate how these postural and visual cues are integrated for self-tilt perception (the subjective sensation of being tilted). Participants were required to repeatedly rate a confidence level for self-tilt perception during slow (0.05°·s(-1)) body and/or visual scene pitch tilts up to 19° relative to vertical. Concurrently, subjects also had to perform arm reaching movements toward a body-fixed target at certain specific angles of tilt. While performance of a concurrent motor task did not influence the main perceptual task, self-tilt detection did vary according to the visuo-postural stimuli. Slow forward or backward tilts of the visual scene alone did not induce a marked sensation of self-tilt contrary to actual body tilt. However, combined body and visual scene tilt influenced self-tilt perception more strongly, although this effect was dependent on the direction of visual scene tilt: only a forward visual scene tilt combined with a forward body tilt facilitated self-tilt detection. In such a case, visual scene tilt did not seem to induce vection but rather may have produced a deviation of the perceived orientation of the longitudinal body axis in the forward direction, which may have lowered the self-tilt detection threshold during actual forward body tilt. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Sink detection on tilted terrain for automated identification of glacial cirques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prasicek, Günther; Robl, Jörg; Lang, Andreas

    2016-04-01

    Glacial cirques are morphologically distinct but complex landforms and represent a vital part of high mountain topography. Their distribution, elevation and relief are expected to hold information on (1) the extent of glacial occupation, (2) the mechanism of glacial cirque erosion, and (3) how glacial in concert with periglacial processes can limit peak altitude and mountain range height. While easily detectably for the expert's eye both in nature and on various representations of topography, their complicated nature makes them a nemesis for computer algorithms. Consequently, manual mapping of glacial cirques is commonplace in many mountain landscapes worldwide, but consistent datasets of cirque distribution and objectively mapped cirques and their morphometrical attributes are lacking. Among the biggest problems for algorithm development are the complexity in shape and the great variability of cirque size. For example, glacial cirques can be rather circular or longitudinal in extent, exist as individual and composite landforms, show prominent topographic depressions or can entirely be filled with water or sediment. For these reasons, attributes like circularity, size, drainage area and topology of landform elements (e.g. a flat floor surrounded by steep walls) have only a limited potential for automated cirque detection. Here we present a novel, geomorphometric method for automated identification of glacial cirques on digital elevation models that exploits their genetic bowl-like shape. First, we differentiate between glacial and fluvial terrain employing an algorithm based on a moving window approach and multi-scale curvature, which is also capable of fitting the analysis window to valley width. We then fit a plane to the valley stretch clipped by the analysis window and rotate the terrain around the center cell until the plane is level. Doing so, we produce sinks of considerable size if the clipped terrain represents a cirque, while no or only very small sinks

  8. Automated Vehicles Symposium 2015

    CERN Document Server

    Beiker, Sven

    2016-01-01

    This edited book comprises papers about the impacts, benefits and challenges of connected and automated cars. It is the third volume of the LNMOB series dealing with Road Vehicle Automation. The book comprises contributions from researchers, industry practitioners and policy makers, covering perspectives from the U.S., Europe and Japan. It is based on the Automated Vehicles Symposium 2015 which was jointly organized by the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) and the Transportation Research Board (TRB) in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in July 2015. The topical spectrum includes, but is not limited to, public sector activities, human factors, ethical and business aspects, energy and technological perspectives, vehicle systems and transportation infrastructure. This book is an indispensable source of information for academic researchers, industrial engineers and policy makers interested in the topic of road vehicle automation.

  9. High-speed-rail tilt-train technology: A state-of-the-art survey. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boon, C.J.; Hayes, W.F.; Kesler, J.K.; Whitten, B.T.

    1992-05-01

    The report presents an assessment of the technical and operational features of existing and proposed tilt-body rail passenger vehicles. Basic concepts of railroad route selection, track geometry, and curve negotiation are reviewed, and the rationale, advantages and disadvantages associated with body tilting and the techniques used to achieve body tilt are discussed. An overview of the development status and selected key characteristics of tilt technologies are presented. Issues associated with deployment and operation of tilt-body technologies in the U..S are identified and analyzed, including a review of U.S. experience to date, areas of incompatibility of foreign tilt technology with existing U.S. equipment and infrastructure, special maintenance procedures and skill requirements, and compliance with FRA and other regulations. Appendices to the report present discussions on the physics of curve negotiation for conventional and tilting vehicles, the principles of tilting and tilt control strategies and mechanisms, and a description and technical characterization of the principal tilt technologies.

  10. NEuclid: a long-range tilt-immune homodyne interferometer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bradshaw, M. J.; Speake, C. C.

    2017-11-01

    The new Easy to Use Compact Laser Interferometric Device (nEUCLID) is a polarisation-based homodyne interferometer with substantially unequal arms that is tolerant to target mirror tilt. The design has no active components, uses standard optical components of 25 mm diameter, has a working distance of 706 mm and a reference arm-length of 21 mm. nEUCLID optics have a footprint of 210 x 190 x 180 mm, and has a tolerance to target mirror tilt of +/- 0.5 degrees, made possible by a novel new retro-reflector design [1]. nEUCLID was built to a set of specifications laid down by Airbus Defence and Space, who required a lowmass, low-power device to measure displacement with nanometre accuracy for space applications. At the University of Birmingham we have previously built a smaller, more compact tilt-insensitive homodyne interferometer - the EUCLID [2, 3, 4] - which has a working distance of 6 mm, a working range of +/- 3 mm, and a tilt range of +/- 1° [2]. We created a new optical design to allow a much larger working distance to be achieved (as discussed in Section II) and used this in a new interferometer - the nEUCLID. Section II describes the interferometer in detail; how nEUCLID is tilt insensitive, and the optical configuration. Section III states the design specifications from Airbus Defence and Space and the components used in the final design. The output interference pattern from nEUCLID, and how it has been corrected with a meniscus lens, is also discussed. In Section IV we discuss the results demonstrating the tilt immunity range, and the sensitivity of the device. Section V describes several potential applications of nEUCLID, and Section VI draws together our conclusions.

  11. Angular momentum projection of tilted axis rotating states

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oi, M; Onishi, N; Tajima, N [Tokyo Univ. (Japan); Horibata, T

    1998-03-01

    We applied an exact angular momentum projection to three dimensional cranked HFB (3d-CHFB) states. Tilted axis rotating states (TAR) and principal axis rotating states (PAR) are compared. It is shown that TAR is more adequate than PAR for description of the back bending phenomena driven by tilted rotation or wobbling motion. (author)

  12. The importance of prostate bed tilt during postprostatectomy intensity-modulated radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bell, Linda J.; Cox, Jennifer; Eade, Thomas; Rinks, Marianne; Kneebone, Andrew

    2014-01-01

    Variations in rectal and bladder filling can create a tilt of the prostate bed, which generates the potential for a geographic miss during postprostatectomy radiotherapy. The aim of this study is to assess the effect that bladder and rectum filling has on planning target volume angle, to determine a method to assess prostate bed tilt leading to potential geographic miss, and to discuss possible implementation issues. The cone-beam computed tomography images (n = 377) of 40 patients who received postprostatectomy radiotherapy with intensity-modulated radiotherapy were reviewed. The amount of tilt in the prostate bed was defined as the angle change between 2 surgical clips, one in the upper prostate bed and another in the lower. A potential geographic miss was defined as movement of any clip of more than 1 cm in any direction or 0.5 cm posteriorly when aligned to bone anatomy. Variations in bladder and rectum size were correlated with the degree of prostate bed tilt, and the rate of potential geographic miss was determined. A possible clinical use of prostate bed tilt was then assessed for different imaging techniques. A tilt of more than 10° was seen in 20.2% of images, which resulted in a 57.9% geographic miss rate of the superior clip. When tilt remained within 10°, there was only a 9% rate of geographic miss. Potential geographic miss of the inferior surgical clip was rare, occurring in only 1.9% of all images reviewed. The most common occurrence when the prostate bed tilt increased by more than 10° was a smaller bladder and larger rectum (6.4% of all images). The most common occurrence when the prostate bed tilt decreased by more than 10° was a larger bladder and smaller rectum (1.3% of all images). Significant prostate bed tilt (>± 10°) occurred in more than 20% of images, creating a 58% rate of geographic miss. Greatest prostate bed tilt occurred when the bladder size increased or reduced by more than 2 cm or the superior rectum size increased by more

  13. The importance of prostate bed tilt during postprostatectomy intensity-modulated radiotherapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bell, Linda J., E-mail: Linda.Bell1@health.nsw.gov.au [Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, Radiation Oncology Department, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, New South Wales (Australia); Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Lidcombe, New South Wales (Australia); Cox, Jennifer [Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, Radiation Oncology Department, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, New South Wales (Australia); Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Lidcombe, New South Wales (Australia); Eade, Thomas; Rinks, Marianne; Kneebone, Andrew [Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, Radiation Oncology Department, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, New South Wales (Australia)

    2014-10-01

    Variations in rectal and bladder filling can create a tilt of the prostate bed, which generates the potential for a geographic miss during postprostatectomy radiotherapy. The aim of this study is to assess the effect that bladder and rectum filling has on planning target volume angle, to determine a method to assess prostate bed tilt leading to potential geographic miss, and to discuss possible implementation issues. The cone-beam computed tomography images (n = 377) of 40 patients who received postprostatectomy radiotherapy with intensity-modulated radiotherapy were reviewed. The amount of tilt in the prostate bed was defined as the angle change between 2 surgical clips, one in the upper prostate bed and another in the lower. A potential geographic miss was defined as movement of any clip of more than 1 cm in any direction or 0.5 cm posteriorly when aligned to bone anatomy. Variations in bladder and rectum size were correlated with the degree of prostate bed tilt, and the rate of potential geographic miss was determined. A possible clinical use of prostate bed tilt was then assessed for different imaging techniques. A tilt of more than 10° was seen in 20.2% of images, which resulted in a 57.9% geographic miss rate of the superior clip. When tilt remained within 10°, there was only a 9% rate of geographic miss. Potential geographic miss of the inferior surgical clip was rare, occurring in only 1.9% of all images reviewed. The most common occurrence when the prostate bed tilt increased by more than 10° was a smaller bladder and larger rectum (6.4% of all images). The most common occurrence when the prostate bed tilt decreased by more than 10° was a larger bladder and smaller rectum (1.3% of all images). Significant prostate bed tilt (>± 10°) occurred in more than 20% of images, creating a 58% rate of geographic miss. Greatest prostate bed tilt occurred when the bladder size increased or reduced by more than 2 cm or the superior rectum size increased by more

  14. V/STOL tilt rotor aircraft study. Volume 6: Preliminary design of a composite wing for tilt rotor research aircraft

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soule, V. A.; Badri-Nath, Y.

    1973-01-01

    The results of a study of the use of composite materials in the wing of a tilt rotor aircraft are presented. An all-metal tilt rotor aircraft was first defined to provide a basis for comparing composite with metal structure. A configuration study was then done in which the wing of the metal aircraft was replaced with composite wings of varying chord and thickness ratio. The results of this study defined the design and performance benefits obtainable with composite materials. Based on these results the aircraft was resized with a composite wing to extend the weight savings to other parts of the aircraft. A wing design was then selected for detailed structural analysis. A development plan including costs and schedules to develop this wing and incorporate it into a proposed flight research tilt rotor vehicle has been devised.

  15. Inner core tilt and polar motion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dumberry, Mathieu; Bloxham, Jeremy

    2002-11-01

    A tilted inner core permits exchange of angular momentum between the core and the mantle through gravitational and pressure torques and, as a result, changes in the direction of Earth's axis of rotation with respect to the mantle. We have developed a model to calculate the amplitude of the polar motion that results from an equatorial torque at the inner core boundary which tilts the inner core out of alignment with the mantle. We specifically address the issue of the role of the inner core tilt in the decade polar motion known as the Markowitz wobble. We show that a decade polar motion of the same amplitude as the observed Markowitz wobble requires a torque of 1020 N m which tilts the inner core by 0.07 degrees. This result critically depends on the viscosity of the inner core; for a viscosity less than 5 × 1017 Pa s, larger torques are required. We investigate the possibility that a torque of 1020 N m with decadal periodicity can be produced by electromagnetic coupling between the inner core and torsional oscillations of the flow in the outer core. We demonstrate that a radial magnetic field at the inner core boundary of 3 to 4 mT is required to obtain a torque of such amplitude. The resulting polar motion is eccentric and polarized, in agreement with the observations. Our model suggests that equatorial torques at the inner core boundary might also excite the Chandler wobble, provided there exists a physical mechanism that can generate a large torque at a 14 month period.

  16. Sequential extraction of uranium metal contamination

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murry, M.M.; Spitz, H.B.; Connick, W.B.

    2016-01-01

    Samples of uranium contaminated dirt collected from the dirt floor of an abandoned metal rolling mill were analyzed for uranium using a sequential extraction protocol involving a series of five increasingly aggressive solvents. The quantity of uranium extracted from the contaminated dirt by each reagent can aid in predicting the fate and transport of the uranium contamination in the environment. Uranium was separated from each fraction using anion exchange, electrodeposition and analyzed by alpha spectroscopy analysis. Results demonstrate that approximately 77 % of the uranium was extracted using NH 4 Ac in 25 % acetic acid. (author)

  17. Simultaneous determination of sample thickness, tilt, and electron mean free path using tomographic tilt images based on Beer-Lambert law.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Rui; Edwards, Thomas J; Pankratz, Logan M; Kuhn, Richard J; Lanman, Jason K; Liu, Jun; Jiang, Wen

    2015-11-01

    Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) is an emerging technique that can elucidate the architecture of macromolecular complexes and cellular ultrastructure in a near-native state. Some important sample parameters, such as thickness and tilt, are needed for 3-D reconstruction. However, these parameters can currently only be determined using trial 3-D reconstructions. Accurate electron mean free path plays a significant role in modeling image formation process essential for simulation of electron microscopy images and model-based iterative 3-D reconstruction methods; however, their values are voltage and sample dependent and have only been experimentally measured for a limited number of sample conditions. Here, we report a computational method, tomoThickness, based on the Beer-Lambert law, to simultaneously determine the sample thickness, tilt and electron inelastic mean free path by solving an overdetermined nonlinear least square optimization problem utilizing the strong constraints of tilt relationships. The method has been extensively tested with both stained and cryo datasets. The fitted electron mean free paths are consistent with reported experimental measurements. The accurate thickness estimation eliminates the need for a generous assignment of Z-dimension size of the tomogram. Interestingly, we have also found that nearly all samples are a few degrees tilted relative to the electron beam. Compensation of the intrinsic sample tilt can result in horizontal structure and reduced Z-dimension of tomograms. Our fast, pre-reconstruction method can thus provide important sample parameters that can help improve performance of tomographic reconstruction of a wide range of samples. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Instrument Control (iC) – An Open-Source Software to Automate Test Equipment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pernstich, K. P.

    2012-01-01

    It has become common practice to automate data acquisition from programmable instrumentation, and a range of different software solutions fulfill this task. Many routine measurements require sequential processing of certain tasks, for instance to adjust the temperature of a sample stage, take a measurement, and repeat that cycle for other temperatures. This paper introduces an open-source Java program that processes a series of text-based commands that define the measurement sequence. These commands are in an intuitive format which provides great flexibility and allows quick and easy adaptation to various measurement needs. For each of these commands, the iC-framework calls a corresponding Java method that addresses the specified instrument to perform the desired task. The functionality of iC can be extended with minimal programming effort in Java or Python, and new measurement equipment can be addressed by defining new commands in a text file without any programming. PMID:26900522

  19. Influence of Vibrotactile Feedback on Controlling Tilt Motion After Spaceflight

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, S. J.; Rupert, A. H.; Vanya, R. D.; Esteves, J. T.; Clement, G.

    2011-01-01

    We hypothesize that adaptive changes in how inertial cues from the vestibular system are integrated with other sensory information leads to perceptual disturbances and impaired manual control following transitions between gravity environments. The primary goals of this ongoing post-flight investigation are to quantify decrements in manual control of tilt motion following short-duration spaceflight and to evaluate vibrotactile feedback of tilt as a sensorimotor countermeasure. METHODS. Data is currently being collected on 9 astronaut subjects during 3 preflight sessions and during the first 8 days after Shuttle landings. Variable radius centrifugation (216 deg/s, body axis, thereby eliciting canal reflexes without concordant otolith or visual cues. A simple 4 tactor system was implemented to provide feedback when tilt position exceeded predetermined levels in either device. Closed-loop nulling tasks are performed during random tilt steps or sum-of-sines (TTS only) with and without vibrotactile feedback of chair position. RESULTS. On landing day the manual control performance without vibrotactile feedback was reduced by >30% based on the gain or the amount of tilt disturbance successfully nulled. Manual control performance tended to return to baseline levels within 1-2 days following landing. Root-mean-square position error and tilt velocity were significantly reduced with vibrotactile feedback. CONCLUSIONS. These preliminary results are consistent with our hypothesis that adaptive changes in vestibular processing corresponds to reduced manual control performance following G-transitions. A simple vibrotactile prosthesis improves the ability to null out tilt motion within a limited range of motion disturbances.

  20. Novel tilt-curvature coupling in lipid membranes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Terzi, M. Mert; Deserno, Markus

    2017-08-01

    On mesoscopic scales, lipid membranes are well described by continuum theories whose main ingredients are the curvature of a membrane's reference surface and the tilt of its lipid constituents. In particular, Hamm and Kozlov [Eur. Phys. J. E 3, 323 (2000)] have shown how to systematically derive such a tilt-curvature Hamiltonian based on the elementary assumption of a thin fluid elastic sheet experiencing internal lateral pre-stress. Performing a dimensional reduction, they not only derive the basic form of the effective surface Hamiltonian but also express its emergent elastic couplings as trans-membrane moments of lower-level material parameters. In the present paper, we argue, though, that their derivation unfortunately missed a coupling term between curvature and tilt. This term arises because, as one moves along the membrane, the curvature-induced change of transverse distances contributes to the area strain—an effect that was believed to be small but nevertheless ends up contributing at the same (quadratic) order as all other terms in their Hamiltonian. We illustrate the consequences of this amendment by deriving the monolayer and bilayer Euler-Lagrange equations for the tilt, as well as the power spectra of shape, tilt, and director fluctuations. A particularly curious aspect of our new term is that its associated coupling constant is the second moment of the lipid monolayer's lateral stress profile—which within this framework is equal to the monolayer Gaussian curvature modulus, κ¯ m. On the one hand, this implies that many theoretical predictions now contain a parameter that is poorly known (because the Gauss-Bonnet theorem limits access to the integrated Gaussian curvature); on the other hand, the appearance of κ¯ m outside of its Gaussian curvature provenance opens opportunities for measuring it by more conventional means, for instance by monitoring a membrane's undulation spectrum at short scales.

  1. On-line sequential injection-capillary electrophoresis for near-real-time monitoring of extracellular lactate in cell culture flasks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alhusban, Ala A; Gaudry, Adam J; Breadmore, Michael C; Gueven, Nuri; Guijt, Rosanne M

    2014-01-03

    Cell culture has replaced many in vivo studies because of ethical and regulatory measures as well as the possibility of increased throughput. Analytical assays to determine (bio)chemical changes are often based on end-point measurements rather than on a series of sequential determinations. The purpose of this work is to develop an analytical system for monitoring cell culture based on sequential injection-capillary electrophoresis (SI-CE) with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (C(4)D). The system was applied for monitoring lactate production, an important metabolic indicator, during mammalian cell culture. Using a background electrolyte consisting of 25mM tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane, 35mM cyclohexyl-2-aminoethanesulfonic acid with 0.02% poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) at pH 8.65 and a multilayer polymer coated capillary, lactate could be resolved from other compounds present in media with relative standard deviations 0.07% for intraday electrophoretic mobility and an analysis time of less than 10min. Using the human embryonic kidney cell line HEK293, lactate concentrations in the cell culture medium were measured every 20min over 3 days, requiring only 8.73μL of sample per run. Combining simplicity, portability, automation, high sample throughput, low limits of detection, low sample consumption and the ability to up- and outscale, this new methodology represents a promising technique for near real-time monitoring of chemical changes in diverse cell culture applications. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. SYSTEMATIC ERROR REDUCTION: NON-TILTED REFERENCE BEAM METHOD FOR LONG TRACE PROFILER

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    QIAN, S.; QIAN, K.; HONG, Y.; SENG, L.; HO, T.; TAKACS, P.

    2007-01-01

    Systematic error in the Long Trace Profiler (LTP) has become the major error source as measurement accuracy enters the nanoradian and nanometer regime. Great efforts have been made to reduce the systematic error at a number of synchrotron radiation laboratories around the world. Generally, the LTP reference beam has to be tilted away from the optical axis in order to avoid fringe overlap between the sample and reference beams. However, a tilted reference beam will result in considerable systematic error due to optical system imperfections, which is difficult to correct. Six methods of implementing a non-tilted reference beam in the LTP are introduced: (1) application of an external precision angle device to measure and remove slide pitch error without a reference beam, (2) independent slide pitch test by use of not tilted reference beam, (3) non-tilted reference test combined with tilted sample, (4) penta-prism scanning mode without a reference beam correction, (5) non-tilted reference using a second optical head, and (6) alternate switching of data acquisition between the sample and reference beams. With a non-tilted reference method, the measurement accuracy can be improved significantly. Some measurement results are presented. Systematic error in the sample beam arm is not addressed in this paper and should be treated separately

  3. Ripple gate drive circuit for fast operation of series connected IGBTs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rockot, Joseph H.; Murray, Thomas W.; Bass, Kevin C.

    2005-09-20

    A ripple gate drive circuit includes a plurality of transistors having their power terminals connected in series across an electrical potential. A plurality of control circuits, each associated with one of the transistors, is provided. Each control circuit is responsive to a control signal and an optical signal received from at least one other control circuit for controlling the conduction of electrical current through the power terminals of the associated transistor. The control circuits are responsive to a first state of the control circuit for causing each transistor in series to turn on sequentially and responsive to a second state of the control signal for causing each transistor in series to turn off sequentially.

  4. Automated Attitude Sensor Calibration: Progress and Plans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sedlak, Joseph; Hashmall, Joseph

    2004-01-01

    This paper describes ongoing work a NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center to improve the quality of spacecraft attitude sensor calibration and reduce costs by automating parts of the calibration process. The new calibration software can autonomously preview data quality over a given time span, select a subset of the data for processing, perform the requested calibration, and output a report. This level of automation is currently being implemented for two specific applications: inertial reference unit (IRU) calibration and sensor alignment calibration. The IRU calibration utility makes use of a sequential version of the Davenport algorithm. This utility has been successfully tested with simulated and actual flight data. The alignment calibration is still in the early testing stage. Both utilities will be incorporated into the institutional attitude ground support system.

  5. A new measurement for posterior tilt predicts reoperation in undisplaced femoral neck fractures: 113 consecutive patients treated by internal fixation and followed for 1 year

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Palm, Henrik; Gosvig, Kasper; Krasheninnikoff, Michael

    2009-01-01

    BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Preoperative posterior tilt in undisplaced (Garden I-II) femoral neck fractures is thought to influence rates of reoperation. However, an exact method for its measurement has not yet been presented. We designed a new measurement for posterior tilt on preoperative lateral...... radiographs and investigated its association with later reoperation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A consecutive series of 113 patients, > or = 60 years of age with undisplaced (Garden I-II) femoral neck fractures treated with two parallel implants, was assessed regarding patient characteristics, radiographs...... and able to predict reoperation in patients with undisplaced (Garden I-II) femoral neck fractures....

  6. Imaging sequential dehydrogenation of methanol on Cu(110) with a scanning tunneling microscope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitaguchi, Y; Shiotari, A; Okuyama, H; Hatta, S; Aruga, T

    2011-05-07

    Adsorption of methanol and its dehydrogenation on Cu(110) were studied by using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Upon adsorption at 12 K, methanol preferentially forms clusters on the surface. The STM could induce dehydrogenation of methanol sequentially to methoxy and formaldehyde. This enabled us to study the binding structures of these products in a single-molecule limit. Methoxy was imaged as a pair of protrusion and depression along the [001] direction. This feature is fully consistent with the previous result that it adsorbs on the short-bridge site with the C-O axis tilted along the [001] direction. The axis was induced to flip back and forth by vibrational excitations with the STM. Two configurations were observed for formaldehyde, whose structures were proposed based on their characteristic images and motions.

  7. Modulation of internal estimates of gravity during and after prolonged roll-tilts.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander A Tarnutzer

    Full Text Available Perceived direction of gravity, as assessed by the subjective visual vertical (SVV, shows roll-angle dependent errors that drift over time and a bias upon return to upright. According to Bayesian observer theory, the estimated direction of gravity is derived from the posterior probability distribution by combining sensory input and prior knowledge about earth-vertical in a statistically optimal fashion. Here we aimed to further characterize the stability of SVV during and after prolonged roll-tilts. Specifically we asked whether the post-tilt bias is related to the drift pattern while roll-tilted. Twenty-nine healthy human subjects (23-56 yo repetitively adjusted a luminous arrow to the SVV over periods of 5 min while upright, roll-tilted (± 45°, ± 90°, and immediately after returning to upright. Significant (p<0.05 drifts (median absolute drift-amplitude: 10°/5 min were found in 71% (± 45° and 78% (± 90° of runs. At ± 90° roll-tilt significant increases in absolute adjustment errors were more likely (76%, whereas significant increases (56% and decreases (44% were about equally frequent at ± 45°. When returning to upright, an initial bias towards the previous roll-position followed by significant exponential decay (median time-constant: 71 sec was noted in 47% of all runs (all subjects pooled. No significant correlations were found between the drift pattern during and immediately after prolonged roll-tilt. We conclude that the SVV is not stable during and after prolonged roll-tilt and that the direction and magnitude of drift are individually distinct and roll-angle-dependent. Likely sensory and central adaptation and random-walk processes contribute to drift while roll-tilted. Lack of correlation between the drift and the post-tilt bias suggests that it is not the inaccuracy of the SVV estimate while tilted that determines post-tilt bias, but rather the previous head-roll orientation relative to gravity. We therefore favor central

  8. Effects of external feedback about body tilt: Influence on the Subjective Proprioceptive Horizon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bringoux, L; Bourdin, C; Nougier, V; Raphel, C

    2006-11-06

    The present study investigated a cognitive aspect upon spatial perception, namely the impact of a true or false verbal feedback (FB) about the magnitude of body tilt on Subjective Proprioceptive Horizon (SPH) estimates. Subjects were asked to set their extended arm normal to gravity for different pitch body tilts up to 9 degrees . True FB were provided at all body tilt angles, whereas false FB were provided only at 6 degrees backward and 6 degrees forward body tilts for half of the trials. Our data confirmed previous results about the egocentric influence of body tilt itself upon SPH: estimates were linearly lowered with forward tilts and elevated with backward tilts. In addition, results showed a significant effect of the nature of the external FB provided to the subjects. When subjects received a false FB inducing a 3 degrees forward bias relative to physical body tilt, they set their SPH consequently higher than when they received a false FB inducing a 3 degrees backward bias. These findings clearly indicated that false cognitive information about body tilt might significantly modify the judgement of a geocentric direction of space, such as the SPH. This may have deleterious repercussions in aeronautics when pilots have to localize external objects relative to earth-based directions in darkened environments.

  9. Research on calculation of the IOL tilt and decentration based on surface fitting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Lin; Wang, Ke; Yan, Yan; Song, Xudong; Liu, Zhicheng

    2013-01-01

    The tilt and decentration of intraocular lens (IOL) result in defocussing, astigmatism, and wavefront aberration after operation. The objective is to give a method to estimate the tilt and decentration of IOL more accurately. Based on AS-OCT images of twelve eyes from eight cases with subluxation lens after operation, we fitted spherical equation to the data obtained from the images of the anterior and posterior surfaces of the IOL. By the established relationship between IOL tilt (decentration) and the scanned angle, at which a piece of AS-OCT image was taken by the instrument, the IOL tilt and decentration were calculated. IOL tilt angle and decentration of each subject were given. Moreover, the horizontal and vertical tilt was also obtained. Accordingly, the possible errors of IOL tilt and decentration existed in the method employed by AS-OCT instrument. Based on 6-12 pieces of AS-OCT images at different directions, the tilt angle and decentration values were shown, respectively. The method of the surface fitting to the IOL surface can accurately analyze the IOL's location, and six pieces of AS-OCT images at three pairs symmetrical directions are enough to get tilt angle and decentration value of IOL more precisely.

  10. Research on Calculation of the IOL Tilt and Decentration Based on Surface Fitting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lin Li

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The tilt and decentration of intraocular lens (IOL result in defocussing, astigmatism, and wavefront aberration after operation. The objective is to give a method to estimate the tilt and decentration of IOL more accurately. Based on AS-OCT images of twelve eyes from eight cases with subluxation lens after operation, we fitted spherical equation to the data obtained from the images of the anterior and posterior surfaces of the IOL. By the established relationship between IOL tilt (decentration and the scanned angle, at which a piece of AS-OCT image was taken by the instrument, the IOL tilt and decentration were calculated. IOL tilt angle and decentration of each subject were given. Moreover, the horizontal and vertical tilt was also obtained. Accordingly, the possible errors of IOL tilt and decentration existed in the method employed by AS-OCT instrument. Based on 6–12 pieces of AS-OCT images at different directions, the tilt angle and decentration values were shown, respectively. The method of the surface fitting to the IOL surface can accurately analyze the IOL’s location, and six pieces of AS-OCT images at three pairs symmetrical directions are enough to get tilt angle and decentration value of IOL more precisely.

  11. Fully automated data collection and processing system on macromolecular crystallography beamlines at the PF

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamada, Yusuke; Hiraki, Masahiko; Matsugaki, Naohiro; Chavas, Leonard M.G.; Igarashi, Noriyuki; Wakatsuki, Soichi

    2012-01-01

    Fully automated data collection and processing system has been developed on macromolecular crystallography beamlines at the Photon Factory. In this system, the sample exchange, centering and data collection are sequentially performed for all samples stored in the sample exchange system at a beamline without any manual operations. Data processing of collected data sets is also performed automatically. These results are stored into the database system, and users can monitor the progress and results of automated experiment via a Web browser. (author)

  12. Magnetic domain-wall tilting due to domain-wall speed asymmetry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Dae-Yun; Park, Min-Ho; Park, Yong-Keun; Kim, Joo-Sung; Nam, Yoon-Seok; Hwang, Hyun-Seok; Kim, Duck-Ho; Je, Soong-Geun; Min, Byoung-Chul; Choe, Sug-Bong

    2018-04-01

    Broken symmetries in diverse systems generate a number of intriguing phenomena and the analysis on such broken symmetries often provides decisive clues for exploring underlying physics in the systems. Recently, in magnetic thin-film systems, the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI)—induced by the broken symmetry of structural inversion—accounts for various chiral phenomena, which are of timely issues in spintronics. Here, we report an experimental observation on unexpected tilting of magnetic domain walls (DWs) due to the broken symmetry under the application of the magnetic field transverse to the magnetic wire systems. It has been predicted that the DMI possibly causes such DW tilting in the direction of the energy minimization. However, very interestingly, experimental observation reveals that the DW tilting does not follow the prediction based on the energy minimization, even for the tilting direction. Instead, the DW tilting is governed by the DW speed asymmetry that is initiated by the DW pinning at wire edges. A simple analytic model is proposed in consideration of the DW speed asymmetry at wire edges, which successfully explains the experimental observation of the DW tilting directions and angles, as confirmed by numerical simulation. The present study manifests the decisive role of the DW pinning with the DW speed asymmetry, which determines the DW configuration and consequently, the dynamics.

  13. Terminal Posterior Tilted Implants Planned as a Sinus Graft Alternative for Fixed Full-Arch Implant-Supported Maxillary Restoration: A Case Series with 10- to 19-Year Results on 44 Consecutive Patients Presenting for Routine Maintenance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fortin, Yvan; Sullivan, Richard M

    2017-02-01

    Posterior maxillary tilted implants are gaining prevalence as an alternative to sinus grafts supporting fixed maxillary restorations. This paper reports long-term results after loading using this technique. Consecutive patients presenting for either routine hygiene maintenance or unplanned emergency care who had received tilted implants as a sinus graft alternative to support fixed fully implant-supported restoration of an edentulous maxilla and were followed for a minimum of 10 years from initial implant placement were included in this evaluation. Forty-four patients were identified: 40 with bilateral tilted implants and 4 with one tilted and one axial posterior implant. Eight patients received one-piece fixed porcelain-to-gold screw-retained restorations, and thirty-six patients received a fully implant-supported patient-removable Marius Bridge. Seventy-nine out of 84 originally loaded posterior tilted implants survived a minimum of 10 years loading; one tilted implant was lost at 10 years. Eight additional posterior implants were placed for either these lost tilted posterior implants or as proactive supplemental support; one of these replacement tilted implants survived for at least 10 years and is included in the data. All patients have maintained continuous fixed function throughout the follow-up period. Forty-one out of 44 patients continue with the original restoration, 33 without modification or removal of the fixed restoration or implant-connecting bar. One porcelain-to-gold and seven Marius Bridges had framework modifications to accommodate additional implants; 3 Marius Bridge restorations were replaced with a newer generation. Within the limits of this retrospective study, the results show that continuous fixed function of fully implant-supported maxillary restorations using posterior tilted implants in terminal positions of support as a sinus graft alternative combined with axial anterior implants is possible over a prolonged period. Loss of a posterior

  14. Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Protrusion Associated with Tilted Optic Discs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiang, Jaclyn; Yapp, Michael; Ly, Angelica; Hennessy, Michael P; Kalloniatis, Michael; Zangerl, Barbara

    2018-03-01

    This study resulted in the identification of an optic nerve head (ONH) feature associated with tilted optic discs, which might potentially contribute to ONH pathologies. Knowledge of such findings will enhance clinical insights and drive future opportunities to understand disease processes related to tilted optic discs. The aim of this study was to identify novel retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) anomalies by evaluating tilted optic discs using optical coherence tomography. An observed retinal nerve fiber protrusion was further investigated for association with other morphological or functional parameters. A retrospective review of 400 randomly selected adult patients with ONH examinations was conducted in a referral-only, diagnostic imaging center. After excluding other ONH pathologies, 215 patients were enrolled and evaluated for optic disc tilt and/or torsion. Gross anatomical ONH features, including size and rim or parapapillary region elevation, were assessed with stereoscopic fundus photography. Optical coherence tomography provided detailed morphological information of individual retinal layers. Statistical analysis was applied to identify significant changes between individual patient cohorts. A dome-shaped hyperreflective RNFL bulge, protruding into the neurosensory retina at the optic disc margins, was identified in 17 eyes with tilted optic discs. Available follow-up data were inconclusive regarding natural changes with this ONH feature. This RNFL herniation was significantly correlated with smaller than average optic disc size (P = .005), congenital disc tilt (P optic discs, which has not previously been assessed as an independent ONH structure. The feature is predominantly related to congenital crowded, small optic discs and variable between patients. This study is an important first step to elucidate diagnostic capabilities of tilted disc morphological changes and understanding associated functional deficits.

  15. Numerical modelling of the tilt casting processes of titanium alumindes

    OpenAIRE

    Wang, Hong

    2008-01-01

    This research has investigated the modelling and optimisation of the tilt casting process of Titanium Aluminides (TiAl). This study is carried out in parallel with the experimental research undertaken in IRC at the University of Birmingham. They propose to use tilt casting inside a vacuum chamber and attempt to combine this tilt casting process with Induction Skull Melting (ISM). A totally novel process is developing for investment casting, which is suitable for casting gamma TiAl.\\ud \\ud As ...

  16. Tilting-connected symmetric algebras

    OpenAIRE

    Aihara, Takuma

    2010-01-01

    The notion of silting mutation was introduced by Iyama and the author. In this paper we mainly study silting mutation for self-injective algebras and prove that any representation-finite symmetric algebra is tilting-connected. Moreover we give some sufficient conditions for a Bongartz-type Lemma to hold for silting objects.

  17. Rigidity of tilting modules

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Haahr Andersen, Henning; Kaneda, Masaharu

    Let $U_q$ denote the quantum group associated with a finite dimensional semisimple Lie algebra. Assume that $q$ is a complex root of unity of odd order and that $U_q$ is %the quantum group version obtained via Lusztig's $q$-divided powers construction. We prove that all regular projective (tilting...

  18. Velocity dependence of vestibular information for postural control on tilting surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kluzik, JoAnn; Hlavacka, Frantisek

    2016-01-01

    Vestibular information is known to be important for postural stability on tilting surfaces, but the relative importance of vestibular information across a wide range of surface tilt velocities is less clear. We compared how tilt velocity influences postural orientation and stability in nine subjects with bilateral vestibular loss and nine age-matched, control subjects. Subjects stood on a force platform that tilted 6 deg, toes-up at eight velocities (0.25 to 32 deg/s), with and without vision. Results showed that visual information effectively compensated for lack of vestibular information at all tilt velocities. However, with eyes closed, subjects with vestibular loss were most unstable within a critical tilt velocity range of 2 to 8 deg/s. Subjects with vestibular deficiency lost their balance in more than 90% of trials during the 4 deg/s condition, but never fell during slower tilts (0.25–1 deg/s) and fell only very rarely during faster tilts (16–32 deg/s). At the critical velocity range in which falls occurred, the body center of mass stayed aligned with respect to the surface, onset of ankle dorsiflexion was delayed, and there was delayed or absent gastrocnemius inhibition, suggesting that subjects were attempting to actively align their upper bodies with respect to the moving surface instead of to gravity. Vestibular information may be critical for stability at velocities of 2 to 8 deg/s because postural sway above 2 deg/s may be too fast to elicit stabilizing responses through the graviceptive somatosensory system, and postural sway below 8 deg/s may be too slow for somatosensory-triggered responses or passive stabilization from trunk inertia. PMID:27486101

  19. Synthesizing genetic sequential logic circuit with clock pulse generator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chuang, Chia-Hua; Lin, Chun-Liang

    2014-05-28

    Rhythmic clock widely occurs in biological systems which controls several aspects of cell physiology. For the different cell types, it is supplied with various rhythmic frequencies. How to synthesize a specific clock signal is a preliminary but a necessary step to further development of a biological computer in the future. This paper presents a genetic sequential logic circuit with a clock pulse generator based on a synthesized genetic oscillator, which generates a consecutive clock signal whose frequency is an inverse integer multiple to that of the genetic oscillator. An analogous electronic waveform-shaping circuit is constructed by a series of genetic buffers to shape logic high/low levels of an oscillation input in a basic sinusoidal cycle and generate a pulse-width-modulated (PWM) output with various duty cycles. By controlling the threshold level of the genetic buffer, a genetic clock pulse signal with its frequency consistent to the genetic oscillator is synthesized. A synchronous genetic counter circuit based on the topology of the digital sequential logic circuit is triggered by the clock pulse to synthesize the clock signal with an inverse multiple frequency to the genetic oscillator. The function acts like a frequency divider in electronic circuits which plays a key role in the sequential logic circuit with specific operational frequency. A cascaded genetic logic circuit generating clock pulse signals is proposed. Based on analogous implement of digital sequential logic circuits, genetic sequential logic circuits can be constructed by the proposed approach to generate various clock signals from an oscillation signal.

  20. Coupling sequential injection on-line preconcentration using a PTFE beads packed column to direct injection nebulization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wang, Jianhua; Hansen, Elo Harald

    2002-01-01

    An automated sequential injection on-line preconcentration procedure for trace metals by using a PTFE bead-packed microcolumn coupled to ICP-MS is described, and used for simultaneous analyses of cadmium and lead. In dilute nitric acid (0.5%, v/v), neutral complexes between the analytes...

  1. Correlation and flux tilt measurements of coupled-core reactor assemblies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harries, J.R.

    1976-01-01

    The systematics of coupling reactivity and time delay between cores have been investigated with a series of coupled-core assemblies on the AAEC Split-table Critical Facility. The assemblies were similar to the Universities' Training Reactor (UTR), but had graphite coupling region thickness of 450 mm, 600 mm and 800 mm. The coupling reactivity measured by both the cross-correlation of reactor noise and the flux tilt methods was stronger than for the UTRs, but showed a similar trend with core spacing. The cross-correlograms were analysed using the two-node model to derive the time delays between the cores. The time delays were compared with thermal neutron wave propagation, and found to be consistent when the time delays were added to the individual node response-function delays. (author)

  2. Ambiguous Tilt and Translation Motion Cues in Astronauts after Space Flight

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clement, G.; Harm, D. L.; Rupert, A. H.; Beaton, K. H.; Wood, S. J.

    2008-01-01

    Adaptive changes during space flight in how the brain integrates vestibular cues with visual, proprioceptive, and somatosensory information can lead to impaired movement coordination, vertigo, spatial disorientation, and perceptual illusions following transitions between gravity levels. This joint ESA-NASA pre- and post-flight experiment is designed to examine both the physiological basis and operational implications for disorientation and tilt-translation disturbances in astronauts following short-duration space flights. The first specific aim is to examine the effects of stimulus frequency on adaptive changes in eye movements and motion perception during independent tilt and translation motion profiles. Roll motion is provided by a variable radius centrifuge. Pitch motion is provided by NASA's Tilt-Translation Sled in which the resultant gravitoinertial vector remains aligned with the body longitudinal axis during tilt motion (referred to as the Z-axis gravitoinertial or ZAG paradigm). We hypothesize that the adaptation of otolith-mediated responses to these stimuli will have specific frequency characteristics, being greatest in the mid-frequency range where there is a crossover of tilt and translation. The second specific aim is to employ a closed-loop nulling task in which subjects are tasked to use a joystick to null-out tilt motion disturbances on these two devices. The stimuli consist of random steps or sum-of-sinusoids stimuli, including the ZAG profiles on the Tilt-Translation Sled. We hypothesize that the ability to control tilt orientation will be compromised following space flight, with increased control errors corresponding to changes in self-motion perception. The third specific aim is to evaluate how sensory substitution aids can be used to improve manual control performance. During the closed-loop nulling task on both devices, small tactors placed around the torso vibrate according to the actual body tilt angle relative to gravity. We hypothesize

  3. Automated time series forecasting for biosurveillance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burkom, Howard S; Murphy, Sean Patrick; Shmueli, Galit

    2007-09-30

    For robust detection performance, traditional control chart monitoring for biosurveillance is based on input data free of trends, day-of-week effects, and other systematic behaviour. Time series forecasting methods may be used to remove this behaviour by subtracting forecasts from observations to form residuals for algorithmic input. We describe three forecast methods and compare their predictive accuracy on each of 16 authentic syndromic data streams. The methods are (1) a non-adaptive regression model using a long historical baseline, (2) an adaptive regression model with a shorter, sliding baseline, and (3) the Holt-Winters method for generalized exponential smoothing. Criteria for comparing the forecasts were the root-mean-square error, the median absolute per cent error (MedAPE), and the median absolute deviation. The median-based criteria showed best overall performance for the Holt-Winters method. The MedAPE measures over the 16 test series averaged 16.5, 11.6, and 9.7 for the non-adaptive regression, adaptive regression, and Holt-Winters methods, respectively. The non-adaptive regression forecasts were degraded by changes in the data behaviour in the fixed baseline period used to compute model coefficients. The mean-based criterion was less conclusive because of the effects of poor forecasts on a small number of calendar holidays. The Holt-Winters method was also most effective at removing serial autocorrelation, with most 1-day-lag autocorrelation coefficients below 0.15. The forecast methods were compared without tuning them to the behaviour of individual series. We achieved improved predictions with such tuning of the Holt-Winters method, but practical use of such improvements for routine surveillance will require reliable data classification methods.

  4. Head tilt produced by hemilabyrinthectomy does not depend on the direct vestibulospinal tracts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukushima, K; Fukushima, J; Kato, M

    1988-01-01

    Head tilt is one of the most characteristic and enduring symptoms produced by hemilabyrinthectomy and is compensated by the central nervous system with time. In order to study the central mechanisms of compensation of the head tilt, it is first necessary to understand how it is produced. However, its mechanism remains unknown. Experiments were performed in cats to examine whether the direct vestibulocollic pathways are responsible for the head tilt, as suggested by some authors. Hemilabyrinthectomies produced a characteristic head tilt in cats in which the medial and/or one lateral vestibulospinal tracts (VSTs) had been interrupted. The lesions of the medial VST did not influence the preexisting head tilt produced by hemilabyrinthectomies. These results suggest that the head tilt produced by hemilabyrinthectomies does not depend on the activity of the VSTs.

  5. Modeling Flow Past a Tilted Vena Cava Filter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Singer, M A; Wang, S L

    2009-06-29

    Inferior vena cava filters are medical devices used to prevent pulmonary embolism (PE) from deep vein thrombosis. In particular, retrievable filters are well-suited for patients who are unresponsive to anticoagulation therapy and whose risk of PE decreased with time. The goal of this work is to use computational fluid dynamics to evaluate the flow past an unoccluded and partially occluded Celect inferior vena cava filter. In particular, the hemodynamic response to thrombus volume and filter tilt is examined, and the results are compared with flow conditions that are known to be thrombogenic. A computer model of the filter inside a model vena cava is constructed using high resolution digital photographs and methods of computer aided design. The models are parameterized using the Overture software framework, and a collection of overlapping grids is constructed to discretize the flow domain. The incompressible Navier-Stokes equations are solved, and the characteristics of the flow (i.e., velocity contours and wall shear stresses) are computed. The volume of stagnant and recirculating flow increases with thrombus volume. In addition, as the filter increases tilt, the cava wall adjacent to the tilted filter is subjected to low velocity flow that gives rise to regions of low wall shear stress. The results demonstrate the ease of IVC filter modeling with the Overture software framework. Flow conditions caused by the tilted Celect filter may elevate the risk of intrafilter thrombosis and facilitate vascular remodeling. This latter condition also increases the risk of penetration and potential incorporation of the hook of the filter into the vena caval wall, thereby complicating filter retrieval. Consequently, severe tilt at the time of filter deployment may warrant early clinical intervention.

  6. Regional Landslide Mapping Aided by Automated Classification of SqueeSAR™ Time Series (Northern Apennines, Italy)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iannacone, J.; Berti, M.; Allievi, J.; Del Conte, S.; Corsini, A.

    2013-12-01

    Space borne InSAR has proven to be very valuable for landslides detection. In particular, extremely slow landslides (Cruden and Varnes, 1996) can be now clearly identified, thanks to the millimetric precision reached by recent multi-interferometric algorithms. The typical approach in radar interpretation for landslides mapping is based on average annual velocity of the deformation which is calculated over the entire times series. The Hotspot and Cluster Analysis (Lu et al., 2012) and the PSI-based matrix approach (Cigna et al., 2013) are examples of landslides mapping techniques based on average annual velocities. However, slope movements can be affected by non-linear deformation trends, (i.e. reactivation of dormant landslides, deceleration due to natural or man-made slope stabilization, seasonal activity, etc). Therefore, analyzing deformation time series is crucial in order to fully characterize slope dynamics. While this is relatively simple to be carried out manually when dealing with small dataset, the time series analysis over regional scale dataset requires automated classification procedures. Berti et al. (2013) developed an automatic procedure for the analysis of InSAR time series based on a sequence of statistical tests. The analysis allows to classify the time series into six distinctive target trends (0=uncorrelated; 1=linear; 2=quadratic; 3=bilinear; 4=discontinuous without constant velocity; 5=discontinuous with change in velocity) which are likely to represent different slope processes. The analysis also provides a series of descriptive parameters which can be used to characterize the temporal changes of ground motion. All the classification algorithms were integrated into a Graphical User Interface called PSTime. We investigated an area of about 2000 km2 in the Northern Apennines of Italy by using SqueeSAR™ algorithm (Ferretti et al., 2011). Two Radarsat-1 data stack, comprising of 112 scenes in descending orbit and 124 scenes in ascending orbit

  7. Simulations of Micropumps Based on Tilted Flexible Fibers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hancock, Matthew; Elabbasi, Nagi; Demirel, Melik

    2015-11-01

    Pumping liquids at low Reynolds numbers is challenging because of the principle of reversibility. We report here a class of microfluidic pump designs based on tilted flexible structures that combines the concepts of cilia (flexible elastic elements) and rectifiers (e.g., Tesla valves, check valves). We demonstrate proof-of-concept with 2D and 3D fluid-structure interaction (FSI) simulations in COMSOL Multiphysics®of micropumps consisting of a source for oscillatory fluidic motion, e.g. a piston, and a channel lined with tilted flexible rods or sheets to provide rectification. When flow is against the rod tilt direction, the rods bend backward, narrowing the channel and increasing flow resistance; when flow is in the direction of rod tilt, the rods bend forward, widening the channel and decreasing flow resistance. The 2D and 3D simulations involve moving meshes whose quality is maintained by prescribing the mesh displacement on guide surfaces positioned on either side of each flexible structure. The prescribed displacement depends on structure bending and maintains mesh quality even for large deformations. Simulations demonstrate effective pumping even at Reynolds numbers as low as 0.001. Because rod rigidity may be specified independently of Reynolds number, in principle, rod rigidity may be reduced to enable pumping at arbitrarily low Reynolds numbers.

  8. Robust tilt and lock mechanism for hopping actuator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Salton, Jonathan R.; Buerger, Stephen; Dullea, Kevin J.; Marron, Lisa C.; Salisbury, Curt Michael; Spletzer, Barry Louis

    2017-02-07

    A tilt and lock apparatus that includes a tilt servomechanism, a spiral torsion spring, a lock wheel, and a lock hook is described herein. The spiral torsion spring is mechanically coupled to the tilt servomechanism and the lock wheel (which includes an opening). When a shaft is positioned through the opening, rotation of the lock wheel is in unison with rotation of the shaft. An external surface of the lock wheel includes one or more grooves. The lock hook includes a head that engages and disengages the grooves. The lock wheel is stationary when the head engages one of the grooves and is rotatable when the head disengages the grooves. The head and the grooves are geometrically aligned when engaged to prevent creation of a force that acts to disengage the head responsive to an applied force acting on the shaft.

  9. A fast and accurate online sequential learning algorithm for feedforward networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Nan-Ying; Huang, Guang-Bin; Saratchandran, P; Sundararajan, N

    2006-11-01

    In this paper, we develop an online sequential learning algorithm for single hidden layer feedforward networks (SLFNs) with additive or radial basis function (RBF) hidden nodes in a unified framework. The algorithm is referred to as online sequential extreme learning machine (OS-ELM) and can learn data one-by-one or chunk-by-chunk (a block of data) with fixed or varying chunk size. The activation functions for additive nodes in OS-ELM can be any bounded nonconstant piecewise continuous functions and the activation functions for RBF nodes can be any integrable piecewise continuous functions. In OS-ELM, the parameters of hidden nodes (the input weights and biases of additive nodes or the centers and impact factors of RBF nodes) are randomly selected and the output weights are analytically determined based on the sequentially arriving data. The algorithm uses the ideas of ELM of Huang et al. developed for batch learning which has been shown to be extremely fast with generalization performance better than other batch training methods. Apart from selecting the number of hidden nodes, no other control parameters have to be manually chosen. Detailed performance comparison of OS-ELM is done with other popular sequential learning algorithms on benchmark problems drawn from the regression, classification and time series prediction areas. The results show that the OS-ELM is faster than the other sequential algorithms and produces better generalization performance.

  10. Tilted wheel satellite attitude control with air-bearing table experimental results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inumoh, Lawrence O.; Forshaw, Jason L.; Horri, Nadjim M.

    2015-12-01

    Gyroscopic actuators for satellite control have attracted significant research interest over the years, but their viability for the control of small satellites has only recently started to become clear. Research on variable speed gyroscopic actuators has long been focused on single gimbal actuators; double gimbal actuators typically operate at constant wheel spin rate and allow tilt angle ranges far larger than the ranges needed to operate most satellite missions. This research examines a tilted wheel, a newly proposed type of inertial actuator that can generate torques in all three principal axes of a rigid satellite using a spinning wheel and a double tilt mechanism. The tilt mechanism tilts the angular momentum vector about two axes providing two degree of freedom control, while variation of the wheel speed provides the third. The equations of motion of the system lead to a singularity-free system during nominal operation avoiding the need for complex steering logic. This paper describes the hardware design of the tilted wheel and the experimental setup behind both standalone and spherical air-bearing tables used to test it. Experimental results from the air bearing table are provided with the results depicting the high performance capabilities of the proposed actuator in torque generation.

  11. Quantum well electronic states in a tilted magnetic field.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trallero-Giner, C; Padilha, J X; Lopez-Richard, V; Marques, G E; Castelano, L K

    2017-08-16

    We report the energy spectrum and the eigenstates of conduction and uncoupled valence bands of a quantum well under the influence of a tilted magnetic field. In the framework of the envelope approximation, we implement two analytical approaches to obtain the nontrivial solutions of the tilted magnetic field: (a) the Bubnov-Galerkin spectral method and b) the perturbation theory. We discuss the validity of each method for a broad range of magnetic field intensity and orientation as well as quantum well thickness. By estimating the accuracy of the perturbation method, we provide explicit analytical solutions for quantum wells in a tilted magnetic field configuration that can be employed to study several quantitative phenomena.

  12. Combining silver- and organocatalysis: an enantioselective sequential catalytic approach towards pyrano-annulated pyrazoles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hack, Daniel; Chauhan, Pankaj; Deckers, Kristina; Mizutani, Yusuke; Raabe, Gerhard; Enders, Dieter

    2015-02-11

    A one-pot asymmetric Michael addition/hydroalkoxylation sequence, catalyzed by a sequential catalytic system consisting of a squaramide and a silver salt, provides a new series of chiral pyrano-annulated pyrazole derivatives in excellent yields (up to 95%) and high enantioselectivities (up to 97% ee).

  13. Dimension Reduction of Multi-Spectral Satellite Image Time Series to Improve Deforestation Monitoring

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meng Lu

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, sequential tests for detecting structural changes in time series have been adapted for deforestation monitoring using satellite data. The input time series of such sequential tests is typically a vegetation index (e.g., NDVI, which uses two or three bands and ignores all other bands. Being limited to a vegetation index will not benefit from the richer spectral information provided by newly launched satellites and will bring two bottle-necks for deforestation monitoring. Firstly, it is hard to select a suitable vegetation index a priori. Secondly, a single vegetation index is typically affected by seasonal signals, noise and other natural dynamics, which decrease its power for deforestation detection. A novel multispectral time series change monitoring method that combines dimension reduction methods with a sequential hypothesis test is proposed to address these limitations. For each location, the proposed method automatically chooses a “suitable” index for deforestation monitoring. To demonstrate our approach, we implemented it in two study areas: a dry tropical forest in Bolivia (time series length: 444 with strong seasonality and a moist tropical forest in Brazil (time series length: 225 with almost no seasonality. Our method significantly improves accuracy in the presence of strong seasonality, in particular the temporal lag between disturbance and its detection.

  14. Proto-CIRCUS tilted-coil tokamak–torsatron hybrid: Design and construction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Clark, A.W.; Doumet, M.; Hammond, K.C. [Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 (United States); Kornbluth, Y. [Yeshiva University, New York, NY 10033 (United States); Spong, D.A. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37830 (United States); Sweeney, R. [Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 (United States); Volpe, F.A., E-mail: fvolpe@columbia.edu [Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 (United States)

    2014-11-15

    Highlights: • A tokamak-like device with tilted toroidal field (TF) coils needs less plasma current than a conventional tokamak. • Rotational transform is partly generated by external coils. Device can be considered a tokamak–torsatron hybrid. • We designed and constructed the first device of this type. • Tilted TF coils are interlinked to each other, which helps to reduce aspect ratio of plasma. • This is a six-coil generalization of CNT stellarator, also at Columbia University, which features two interlinked coils. - Abstract: We present the field-line modeling, design, and construction of a prototype circular-coil tokamak–torsatron hybrid called Proto-CIRCUS. The device has a major radius R = 16 cm and minor radius a < 5 cm. The six “toroidal field” coils are planar as in a tokamak, but they are tilted. This, combined with induced or driven plasma current, is expected to generate rotational transform, as seen in field-line tracing and equilibrium calculations. The device is expected to operate at lower plasma current than a tokamak of comparable size and magnetic field, which might have interesting implications for disruptions and steady-state operation. Additionally, the toroidal magnetic ripple is less pronounced than in an equivalent tokamak in which the coils are not tilted. The tilted coils are interlocked, resulting in a relatively low aspect ratio, and can be moved, both radially and in tilt angle, between discharges. This capability will be exploited for detailed comparisons between calculations and field-line mapping measurements. Such comparisons will reveal whether this relatively simple concept can generate the expected rotational transform.

  15. Tilt sensor and servo control system for gravitational wave detection

    CERN Document Server

    Cheng, Y; Ju, L; Blair, D G

    2002-01-01

    This paper describes the design of a novel double-flexure two-axis tilt sensor with a tilt readout based on an optical walk-off sensor. The performance of the device has been investigated theoretically and experimentally. The walk-off sensor has demonstrated a sensitivity of 10 sup - sup 1 sup 1 rad Hz sup - sup 1 sup / sup 2 at 1 Hz. The tilt sensor has measured seismic noise approx 10 sup - sup 9 -10 sup - sup 1 sup 0 rad Hz sup - sup 1 sup / sup 2 for frequency in the 2-10 Hz range.

  16. Possibilities for automating coal sampling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Helekal, J; Vankova, J

    1987-11-01

    Outlines sampling equipment in use (AVR-, AVP-, AVN- and AVK-series samplers and RDK- and RDH-series separators produced by the Coal Research Institute, Ostrava; extractors, crushers and separators produced by ORGREZ). The Ostrava equipment covers bituminous coal needs while ORGREZ provides equipment for energy coal requirements. This equipment is designed to handle coal up to 200 mm in size at a throughput of up to 1200 t/h. Automation of sampling equipment is foreseen.

  17. Design and Development of Tilting Rotary Furnace

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sai Varun, V.; Tejesh, P.; Prashanth, B. N.

    2018-02-01

    Casting is the best and effective technique used for manufacturing products. The important accessory for casting is furnace. Furnace is used to melt the metal. A perfect furnace is one that reduces the wastage of material, reduces the cost of manufacturing and there by reduces the cost of production. Of all the present day furnaces there may be wastage of material, and the chances of increasing the time of manufacturing as the is continuous need of tilting of the furnace for every mould and then changing the moulds. Considering these aspects, a simple and least expensive tilting rotary furnace is designed and developed. The Tilting and Rotary Furnace consists of mainly melting chamber and the base. The metal enters the melting chamber through the input door that is provided on the top of the melting chamber. Inside the melting chamber there is a graphite furnace. The metal is melted in the graphite crucible. An insulation of ceramic fibre cloth is provided inside the furnace. The metal is melted using Propane gas. The propane gas is easily available and economic. The gas is burned using a pilot burner. The pilot burner is more efficient that other burners. The pilot burner is lit with a push button igniter. The pilot burner is located at the bottom of the combustion chamber. This enables the uniform heating of the metal inside the crucible. The temperature inside the melting chamber is noted using a temperature sensor. The gas input is cut-off if the temperature is exceeding a specific temperature. After the melting of the metal is done the furnace is tilted and after the mould is filled it is rotated. The external gears are used to controlling the tilting. The results of studies carried out for the design & development of low cost, simple furnace that can be mounted anywhere on the shop floor and this can be very much useful for the education purposes and small scale manufacturing. The furnace can be rotated in 360 degrees and can help in reducing the time taken

  18. Sequential Power-Dependence Theory

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Buskens, Vincent; Rijt, Arnout van de

    2008-01-01

    Existing methods for predicting resource divisions in laboratory exchange networks do not take into account the sequential nature of the experimental setting. We extend network exchange theory by considering sequential exchange. We prove that Sequential Power-Dependence Theory—unlike

  19. Height and Tilt Geometric Texture

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Vedrana; Desbrun, Mathieu; Bærentzen, Jakob Andreas

    2009-01-01

    compromise between functionality and simplicity: it can efficiently handle and process geometric texture too complex to be represented as a height field, without having recourse to full blown mesh editing algorithms. The height-and-tilt representation proposed here is fully intrinsic to the mesh, making...

  20. Rules and mechanisms governing octahedral tilts in perovskites under pressure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiang, H. J.; Guennou, Mael; Íñiguez, Jorge; Kreisel, Jens; Bellaiche, L.

    2017-08-01

    The rotation of octahedra (octahedral tilting) is common in A B O3 perovskites and relevant to many physical phenomena, ranging from electronic and magnetic properties, metal-insulator transitions to improper ferroelectricity. Hydrostatic pressure is an efficient way to tune and control octahedral tiltings. However, the pressure behavior of such tiltings can dramatically differ from one material to another, with the origins of such differences remaining controversial. In this paper, we discover several new mechanisms and formulate a set of simple rules that allow us to understand how pressure affects oxygen octahedral tiltings via the use and analysis of first-principles results for a variety of compounds. Besides the known A -O interactions, we reveal that the interactions between specific B ions and oxygen ions contribute to the tilting instability. We explain the previously reported trend that the derivative of the oxygen octahedral tilting with respect to pressure (dR /dP ) usually decreases with both the tolerance factor and the ionization state of the A ion by illustrating the key role of A -O interactions and their change under pressure. Furthermore, three new mechanisms/rules are discovered, namely that (i) the octahedral rotations in A B O3 perovskites with empty low-lying d states on the B site are greatly enhanced by pressure, in order to lower the electronic kinetic energy; (ii) dR /dP is enhanced when the system possesses weak tilt instabilities, and (iii) for the most common phase exhibited by perovskites—the orthorhombic Pbnm state—the in-phase and antiphase octahedral rotations are not automatically both suppressed or both enhanced by the application of pressure because of a trilinear coupling between these two rotation types and an antipolar mode involving the A ions. We further predict that the polarization associated with the so-called hybrid improper ferroelectricity could be manipulated by hydrostatic pressure by indirectly controlling the

  1. Synthesis, characterization and electro-optic properties of novel siloxane liquid crystalline with a large tilt angle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liao, Chien-Tung; Lee, Jiunn-Yih; Lai, Chiu-Chun

    2011-01-01

    Research highlights: → In this study we report the synthesis and characterization of new ferroelectric liquid crystal material. → We examined the influence of the addition of a trisiloxane end-group on one side-chain of an achiral alkyl chain on the phase transition. → Finally, the properties of the chiral smectic C (SmC*) phase were measured for target compounds. - Abstract: This paper presents a study of the ferroelectric behavior in low molar mass organosiloxane liquid crystal materials. A few novel series of compounds with a large tilt angle were synthesized, and the mesophases exhibited were compared. The mesophases under discussion were investigated by means of polarizing microscopy (POM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electro-optical experiments. The influence of the molecular structure on the occurrence of the chiral smectic C (SmC*) phase was investigated. Finally, the electro-optical properties of the SmC* phase, such as tilt angle, dielectric permittivity and switching behavior were also measured. As a consequence, the correlation between the electro-optical properties and chemical structures of these compounds was investigated.

  2. Comparison of Modelled and Measured Tilted Solar Irradiance for Photovoltaic Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Riyad Mubarak

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available This work assesses the performance of five transposition models that estimate the global and diffuse solar irradiance on tilted planes based on the global horizontal irradiance. The modelled tilted irradiance values are compared to measured one-minute values from pyranometers and silicon sensors tilted at different angles at Hannover (Germany and NREL (Golden, CO, USA. It can be recognized that the deviations of the model of Liu and Jordan, Klucher and Perez from the measurements increases as the tilt angle increases and as the sensors are oriented away from the south direction, where they receive lower direct radiation than south-oriented surfaces. Accordingly, the vertical E, W and N planes show the highest deviation. Best results are found by the models from Hay and Davies and Reindl, when horizontal pyranometer measurements and a constant albedo value of 0.2 are used. The relative root mean squared difference (rRMSD of the anisotropic models does not exceed 11% for south orientation and low inclination angles (β = 10–60°, but reaches up to 28.9% at vertical planes. For sunny locations such as Golden, the Perez model provides the best estimates of global tilted irradiance for south-facing surfaces. The relative mean absolute difference (rMAD of the Perez model at NREL ranges from 4.2% for 40° tilt to 8.7% for 90° tilt angle, when horizontal pyranometer measurements and a measured albedo value are used; the use of measured albedo values instead of a constant value of 0.2 leads to a reduction of the deviation to 3.9% and 6.0%, respectively. The use of higher albedo values leads to a significant increase of rMAD. We also investigated the uncertainty resulting from using horizontal pyranometer measurements, in combination with constant albedo values, to estimate the incident irradiance on tilted photovoltaic (PV modules. We found that these uncertainties are small or negligible.

  3. Automated ultrasonic inspection system for nuclear power stations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1976-01-01

    The automated system of ultrasonic inspection which was used to conduct weld inspections of the complex primary system of the Borselle PWR station is described. It relies upon mechanically traversing purpose designed multi-crystal ultrasonic probes along the welds. A number of probes are switched sequentially to provide a continuous scan. A typical scan rate of 120 scan/sec is achieved by a multiplexer capable of switching transmitter and receiver individually. The system has wide applications in other industries. (U.K.)

  4. Evaluation of various procedures transposing global tilted irradiance to horizontal surface irradiance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Housmans, Caroline; Bertrand, Cédric

    2017-02-01

    Many transposition models have been proposed in the literature to convert solar irradiance on the horizontal plane to that on a tilted plane. The inverse process, i.e. the conversion from tilted to horizontal is investigated here based upon seven months of in-plane global solar irradiance measurements recorded on the roof of the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium's radiation tower in Uccle (Longitude 4.35° E, Latitude 50.79° N). Up to three pyranometers mounted on inclined planes of different tilts and orientations were involved in the inverse transposition process. Our results indicate that (1) the tilt to horizontal irradiance conversion is improved when measurements from more than one tilted pyranometer are considered (i.e. by using a multi-pyranometer approach) and (2) the improvement from using an isotropic model to anisotropic models in the inverse transposition problem is not significant.

  5. Standardized method for reproducing the sequential X-rays flap

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brenes, Alejandra; Molina, Katherine; Gudino, Sylvia

    2009-01-01

    A method is validated to estandardize in the taking, developing and analysis of bite-wing radiographs taken in sequential way, in order to compare and evaluate detectable changes in the evolution of the interproximal lesions through time. A radiographic positioner called XCP® is modified by means of a rigid acrylic guide, to achieve proper of the X ray equipment core positioning relative to the XCP® ring and the reorientation during the sequential x-rays process. 16 subjects of 4 to 40 years old are studied for a total number of 32 registries. Two x-rays of the same block of teeth of each subject have been taken in sequential way, with a minimal difference of 30 minutes between each one, before the placement of radiographic attachment. The images have been digitized with a Super Cam® scanner and imported to a software. The measurements in X and Y-axis for both x-rays were performed to proceed to compare. The intraclass correlation index (ICI) has shown that the proposed method is statistically related to measurement (mm) obtained in the X and Y-axis for both sequential series of x-rays (p=0.01). The measures of central tendency and dispersion have shown that the usual occurrence is indifferent between the two measurements (Mode 0.000 and S = 0083 and 0.109) and that the probability of occurrence of different values is lower than expected. (author) [es

  6. Modelling and simulation of a compliant tilting pad air bearing

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Duijnhouwer, F.; Nijmeijer, H.

    The compliant tilting pad air bearing concept, a tilting pad bearing with the pivot of the pads placed on radial springs, is a promising aerodynamic bearing solution. Nevertheless, its non-linear dynamics make a time domain dynamic simulation model an essential tool for the design of rotor systems

  7. Sequential determination of important ecotoxic radionuclides in nuclear waste samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bilohuscin, J.

    2016-01-01

    In the dissertation thesis we focused on the development and optimization of a sequential determination method for radionuclides 93 Zr, 94 Nb, 99 Tc and 126 Sn, employing extraction chromatography sorbents TEVA (R) Resin and Anion Exchange Resin, supplied by Eichrom Industries. Prior to the attestation of sequential separation of these proposed radionuclides from radioactive waste samples, a unique sequential procedure of 90 Sr, 239 Pu, 241 Am separation from urine matrices was tried, using molecular recognition sorbents of AnaLig (R) series and extraction chromatography sorbent DGA (R) Resin. On these experiments, four various sorbents were continually used for separation, including PreFilter Resin sorbent, which removes interfering organic materials present in raw urine. After the acquisition of positive results of this sequential procedure followed experiments with a 126 Sn separation using TEVA (R) Resin and Anion Exchange Resin sorbents. Radiochemical recoveries obtained from samples of radioactive evaporate concentrates and sludge showed high efficiency of the separation, while values of 126 Sn were under the minimum detectable activities MDA. Activity of 126 Sn was determined after ingrowth of daughter nuclide 126m Sb on HPGe gamma detector, with minimal contamination of gamma interfering radionuclides with decontamination factors (D f ) higher then 1400 for 60 Co and 47000 for 137 Cs. Based on the acquired experiments and results of these separation procedures, a complex method of sequential separation of 93 Zr, 94 Nb, 99 Tc and 126 Sn was proposed, which included optimization steps similar to those used in previous parts of the dissertation work. Application of the sequential separation method for sorbents TEVA (R) Resin and Anion Exchange Resin on real samples of radioactive wastes provided satisfactory results and an economical, time sparing, efficient method. (author)

  8. Method to fabricate a tilted logpile photonic crystal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, John D.; Sweatt, William C.

    2010-10-26

    A method to fabricate a tilted logpile photonic crystal requires only two lithographic exposures and does not require mask repositioning between exposures. The mask and photoresist-coated substrate are spaced a fixed and constant distance apart using a spacer and the stack is clamped together. The stack is then tilted at a crystallographic symmetry angle (e.g., 45 degrees) relative to the X-ray beam and rotated about the surface normal until the mask is aligned with the X-ray beam. The stack is then rotated in plane by a small stitching angle and exposed to the X-ray beam to pattern the first half of the structure. The stack is then rotated by 180.degree. about the normal and a second exposure patterns the remaining half of the structure. The method can use commercially available DXRL scanner technology and LIGA processes to fabricate large-area, high-quality tilted logpile photonic crystals.

  9. Do tilt-in-space wheelchairs increase occupational engagement: a critical literature review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrand, Jenny; Bannigan, Katrina

    2016-01-01

    A wheelchair can enhance the quality of life of an individual with limited mobility, poor trunk control and stability, by enabling activity and participation and so occupational engagement. High specification wheelchairs which can tilt-in-space enable the position of users to be altered to suit activity and context. Despite tilt-in-space wheelchairs being expensive little is known about their therapeutic value. A critical literature review of the evidence was undertaken to evaluate whether the use of tilt-in-space increases occupational engagement. A wide ranging search strategy identified 170 articles which were screened using inclusion criteria. The eligible literature (n = 6) was analysed thematically using open coding. The majority of the participants used tilt-in-space but the data was too heterogeneous to combine. Measures of occupational engagement were not used so the therapeutic value could not be assessed. There is a lack of high quality evidence about the therapeutic benefits of tilt-in-space wheelchairs. Given the expense associated with providing these wheelchairs, and the increase in their provision, research is needed to justify provision of high specification wheelchairs to meet the occupational needs of users within the limited resources of health and social care. Implications for Rehabilitation Tilt-in-space wheelchairs. Wheelchairs are an important and essential assistive device for promoting independence and function. Suggests there are benefits for tilt-in-space wheelchairs. Identifies the need for additional large scale research.

  10. Development of a tilting system for electric multiple unit to speed up on conventional lines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seo, Sung Il; Kim, Nam Po; Lee, Soo Gil; Kim, Seok Won

    2008-01-01

    An advanced tilting system for KTT (Korean Tilting Train) was developed and a performance test of the system has been completed. KTT has been constructed to speed up and promise a significant enhancement in service quality on a conventional line. KTT is an electric multiple unit composed of 6 cars running at the design speed of 200 km/h. The tilting system is the core technology of KTT and combined with the conventional bogie system. It has a self-steering mechanism and a swing link. The self-steering mechanism of Z-bar type is free to rotate on the curve and stable to run on a straight line. The swing link mechanism of the bolster enables the carbody to tilt up to 8 .deg.. A tilting control system detects a curve with sensors and commands the electro-mechanical actuators to move the bolster through the computer network system. GPS collaborates with the tilting system to perceive the curve previously and enables gradual tilting so as not to violate passenger comfort. The performance of the tilting system has been verified by a trial test running of KTT on a commercial conventional line. The tilting system is ready for commercial use

  11. Method for semi-automated microscopy of filtration-enriched circulating tumor cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pailler, Emma; Oulhen, Marianne; Billiot, Fanny; Galland, Alexandre; Auger, Nathalie; Faugeroux, Vincent; Laplace-Builhé, Corinne; Besse, Benjamin; Loriot, Yohann; Ngo-Camus, Maud; Hemanda, Merouan; Lindsay, Colin R; Soria, Jean-Charles; Vielh, Philippe; Farace, Françoise

    2016-07-14

    Circulating tumor cell (CTC)-filtration methods capture high numbers of CTCs in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa) patients, and hold promise as a non-invasive technique for treatment selection and disease monitoring. However filters have drawbacks that make the automation of microscopy challenging. We report the semi-automated microscopy method we developed to analyze filtration-enriched CTCs from NSCLC and mPCa patients. Spiked cell lines in normal blood and CTCs were enriched by ISET (isolation by size of epithelial tumor cells). Fluorescent staining was carried out using epithelial (pan-cytokeratins, EpCAM), mesenchymal (vimentin, N-cadherin), leukocyte (CD45) markers and DAPI. Cytomorphological staining was carried out with Mayer-Hemalun or Diff-Quik. ALK-, ROS1-, ERG-rearrangement were detected by filter-adapted-FISH (FA-FISH). Microscopy was carried out using an Ariol scanner. Two combined assays were developed. The first assay sequentially combined four-color fluorescent staining, scanning, automated selection of CD45(-) cells, cytomorphological staining, then scanning and analysis of CD45(-) cell phenotypical and cytomorphological characteristics. CD45(-) cell selection was based on DAPI and CD45 intensity, and a nuclear area >55 μm(2). The second assay sequentially combined fluorescent staining, automated selection of CD45(-) cells, FISH scanning on CD45(-) cells, then analysis of CD45(-) cell FISH signals. Specific scanning parameters were developed to deal with the uneven surface of filters and CTC characteristics. Thirty z-stacks spaced 0.6 μm apart were defined as the optimal setting, scanning 82 %, 91 %, and 95 % of CTCs in ALK-, ROS1-, and ERG-rearranged patients respectively. A multi-exposure protocol consisting of three separate exposure times for green and red fluorochromes was optimized to analyze the intensity, size and thickness of FISH signals. The semi-automated microscopy method reported here

  12. Maxillary sinus by-pass with tilted implants via tapered-screw bone expanders in low density bone: one year follow -up of a case series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andreasi Bassi, M; Andrisani, C; Lopez, M A; Gaudio, R M; Lombardo, L; Lauritano, D

    2016-01-01

    In the present paper the use of tapered-screw bone expanders (TSBEs) is proposed, in combination with the placement of tilted implants in close proximity to the anterior sinus wall, solving the problem of the reduced height of the alveolar bone in the sub-antral area. The Authors named the procedure: Tilted Implant Expansion Osteotomy (TIEO). Fifteen patients (10 females and 5 males, mean age 47.8±8.15 years) with distal edentulous maxillae were enrolled in this study. For each edentulous site 2 implants were placed, the anterior implant in the area of the most anterior missing tooth while, the posterior implant, immediately in front of the maxillary sinus, with an inclined position. Adopting the aforesaid procedure, 34 cylindrical two-piece implants were placed, 17 of which were placed in tilted position, in order to by-pass the maxillary sinus. After a healing period of 4-6 months, the second stage surgery was performed. The cases were finalized by metal-ceramic cementable restorations with a variable number of elements, from 2 to 4, without any cantilever element. The post finalization follow-up was at 12 months. Survival rate was 100% since no fixtures were lost. At the one-year follow-up the clinical and radiological appearance of the soft and hard tissues was optimal and no pathological signs were recorded. TIEO is a promising surgical procedure for oral rehabilitation of maxillary edentulous sites and represents a therapeutic alternative to sinus lift techniques.

  13. The Origin of Sequential Chromospheric Brightenings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirk, M. S.; Balasubramaniam, K. S.; Jackiewicz, J.; Gilbert, H. R.

    2017-06-01

    Sequential chromospheric brightenings (SCBs) are often observed in the immediate vicinity of erupting flares and are associated with coronal mass ejections. Since their initial discovery in 2005, there have been several subsequent investigations of SCBs. These studies have used differing detection and analysis techniques, making it difficult to compare results between studies. This work employs the automated detection algorithm of Kirk et al. (Solar Phys. 283, 97, 2013) to extract the physical characteristics of SCBs in 11 flares of varying size and intensity. We demonstrate that the magnetic substructure within the SCB appears to have a significantly smaller area than the corresponding Hα emission. We conclude that SCBs originate in the lower corona around 0.1 R_{⊙} above the photosphere, propagate away from the flare center at speeds of 35 - 85 km s^{-1}, and have peak photosphere magnetic intensities of 148±2.9 G. In light of these measurements, we infer SCBs to be distinctive chromospheric signatures of erupting coronal mass ejections.

  14. Substorm onset location and dipole tilt angle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Wanliss

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available From an initial data set of over 200 substorms we have studied a subset of 30 magnetospheric substorms close to magnetic midnight to investigate, in a statistical fashion, the source region of the auroral arc that brightens at the onset of expansive phase. This arc is usually identified as the ionospheric signature of the expansive phase onset that occurs in the magnetotail. All the substorm onsets were identified via ground-based magnetometer and photometer data from the CANOPUS array. Various Tsyganenko global magnetic field models were used to map magnetic field lines from the location of the onset arc out to its greatest radial distance in the magnetotail. The results appear to favour the current disruption model of substorms since the average onset location has an average of 14.1 Earth radii (RE and is therefore more consistent with theories that place the onset location in the inner magnetotail. For the narrow range of tilts available our modeling indicates the parameter that appears to strongly influence the location of the substorm onset is the dipole tilt angle; as tilt becomes less negative onsets occur further downtail.

  15. Design of a Piezoelectric-Driven Tilt Mirror for a Fast Laser Scanner

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Jung-Ho; Lee, Hu-Seung; Lee, Jae-Hoon; Yun, So-Nam; Ham, Young-Bog; Yun, Dong-Won

    2012-09-01

    Recently, laser scanners have been used for laser processing such as cutting, welding, and grooving, especially in the automotive industry. The laser scanners need a high-speed driving to minimize cracks caused by thermal shock of brittle materials. Therefore, a novel laser processing system that is composed of a laser source and a piezoelectric-driven tilt mirror to control the reflection angle of the laser beam, and a stage equipped with the tilt mirror has been investigated. In this study, a piezoelectric-driven tilt mirror is designed and analyzed for scanning performance to achieve a beam spot of 30 µm, a pattern width of 1 mm, an overlap ratio of 70% of the circle area, and a scanning speed of 1 m/s. Then, structural analysis of the tilt mirror with three piezoelectric actuators is performed to determine the maximum reflection angle and resonance frequency. Finally, a prototype tilt mirror is fabricated and its basic characteristics are experimentally investigated and discussed.

  16. Modulated electron bunch with amplitude front tilt in an undulator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Geloni, Gianluca; Kocharyan, Vitali; Saldin, Evgeni

    2015-12-01

    In a previous paper we discussed the physics of a microbunched electron beam kicked by the dipole field of a corrector magnet by describing the kinematics of coherent undulator radiation after the kick. We demonstrated that the effect of aberration of light supplies the basis for understanding phenomena like the deflection of coherent undulator radiation by a dipole magnet. We illustrated this fact by examining the operation of an XFEL under the steady state assumption, that is a harmonic time dependence. We argued that in this particular case the microbunch front tilt has no objective meaning; in other words, there is no experiment that can discriminate whether an electron beam is endowed with a microbunch front tilt of not. In this paper we extend our considerations to time-dependent phenomena related with a finite electron bunch duration, or SASE mode of operation. We focus our attention on the spatiotemporal distortions of an X-ray pulse. Spatiotemporal coupling arises naturally in coherent undulator radiation behind the kick, because the deflection process involves the introduction of a tilt of the bunch profile. This tilt of the bunch profile leads to radiation pulse front tilt, which is equivalent to angular dispersion of the output radiation. We remark that our exact results can potentially be useful to developers of new generation XFEL codes for cross-checking their results.

  17. An on-line potentiometric sequential injection titration process analyser for the determination of acetic acid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Staden, J F; Mashamba, Mulalo G; Stefan, Raluca I

    2002-09-01

    An on-line potentiometric sequential injection titration process analyser for the determination of acetic acid is proposed. A solution of 0.1 mol L(-1) sodium chloride is used as carrier. Titration is achieved by aspirating acetic acid samples between two strong base-zone volumes into a holding coil and by channelling the stack of well-defined zones with flow reversal through a reaction coil to a potentiometric sensor where the peak widths were measured. A linear relationship between peak width and logarithm of the acid concentration was obtained in the range 1-9 g/100 mL. Vinegar samples were analysed without any sample pre-treatment. The method has a relative standard deviation of 0.4% with a sample frequency of 28 samples per hour. The results revealed good agreement between the proposed sequential injection and an automated batch titration method.

  18. Numerical tilting compensation in microscopy based on wavefront sensing using transport of intensity equation method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Junbao; Meng, Xin; Wei, Qi; Kong, Yan; Jiang, Zhilong; Xue, Liang; Liu, Fei; Liu, Cheng; Wang, Shouyu

    2018-03-01

    Wide-field microscopy is commonly used for sample observations in biological research and medical diagnosis. However, the tilting error induced by the oblique location of the image recorder or the sample, as well as the inclination of the optical path often deteriorates the imaging quality. In order to eliminate the tilting in microscopy, a numerical tilting compensation technique based on wavefront sensing using transport of intensity equation method is proposed in this paper. Both the provided numerical simulations and practical experiments prove that the proposed technique not only accurately determines the tilting angle with simple setup and procedures, but also compensates the tilting error for imaging quality improvement even in the large tilting cases. Considering its simple systems and operations, as well as image quality improvement capability, it is believed the proposed method can be applied for tilting compensation in the optical microscopy.

  19. Automation of gamma-therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Al'bitskij, L.L.; Brikker, I.N.; Bychkov, V.N.; Voronin, V.V.; Mirzoyan, A.R.; Rogozhin, A.S.; Sarkisyan, Yu.Kh.

    1989-01-01

    A system of automated control Aspect-2 was developed for automation of gamma therapy on units of the Rokus series. The system consists of the following hardware and software complexes: a complex of preirradiation preparation Centrator-imitator, a complex Accord for anatomotopographic data coding; a software complex and a gamma-therapeutic complex Rokus-AM. The Centrator-imitator and Rokus-AM complexes are fitted out with built-in microcomputers with specially developed systemic software. The Rokus-AM complex has automatic punch tape programmed control of 9 degrees of freedom of the gamma-unit and treatment table and ensures 5 modes of irradiation: positional, rotating, rotaing-convergent, sectoral rotating-convergent and scanning

  20. Performance verification of focus variation and confocal microscopes measuring tilted ultra-fine surfaces

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Quagliotti, Danilo; Baruffi, Federico; Tosello, Guido

    2016-01-01

    The behaviour of two optical instruments, scilicet a laser scanning confocal microscope and a focus-variation microscope, was investigated considering measurements of tilted surfaces. The measured samples were twelve steel artefacts for mould surface finish reference, covering Sa roughness...... parameter in the range (101—103) nm. The 3D surface texture parameters considered were Sa, Sq and Sdq. The small working distance of the confocal microscope objectives influenced the measurement setup, preventing from selecting a high tilting angle. The investigation was carried out comparing measurements...... of flat surfaces (0° tilt) with measurements of 12.5° tilted surfaces. The confocal microscope results showed a high sensitivity to tilting due to the laser beam reflection on the metal surfaces. The focus variation microscope results were more robust with respect to the considered angular variation...

  1. Breaking the Crowther limit: Combining depth-sectioning and tilt tomography for high-resolution, wide-field 3D reconstructions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hovden, Robert, E-mail: rmh244@cornell.edu [School of Applied and Engineering Physics and Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States); Ercius, Peter [National Center for Electron Microscopy, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Jiang, Yi [Department of Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States); Wang, Deli; Yu, Yingchao; Abruña, Héctor D. [Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States); Elser, Veit [Department of Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States); Muller, David A. [School of Applied and Engineering Physics and Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States)

    2014-05-01

    To date, high-resolution (<1 nm) imaging of extended objects in three-dimensions (3D) has not been possible. A restriction known as the Crowther criterion forces a tradeoff between object size and resolution for 3D reconstructions by tomography. Further, the sub-Angstrom resolution of aberration-corrected electron microscopes is accompanied by a greatly diminished depth of field, causing regions of larger specimens (>6 nm) to appear blurred or missing. Here we demonstrate a three-dimensional imaging method that overcomes both these limits by combining through-focal depth sectioning and traditional tilt-series tomography to reconstruct extended objects, with high-resolution, in all three dimensions. The large convergence angle in aberration corrected instruments now becomes a benefit and not a hindrance to higher quality reconstructions. A through-focal reconstruction over a 390 nm 3D carbon support containing over 100 dealloyed and nanoporous PtCu catalyst particles revealed with sub-nanometer detail the extensive and connected interior pore structure that is created by the dealloying instability. - Highlights: • Develop tomography technique for high-resolution and large field of view. • We combine depth sectioning with traditional tilt tomography. • Through-focal tomography reduces tilts and improves resolution. • Through-focal tomography overcomes the fundamental Crowther limit. • Aberration-corrected becomes a benefit and not a hindrance for tomography.

  2. Effects of Vestibular Loss on Orthostatic Responses to Tilts in the Pitch Plane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, Scott J.; Serrador, Jorge M.; Black, F. Owen; Rupert,Angus H.; Schlegel, Todd T.

    2004-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which vestibular loss might impair orthostatic responses to passive tilts in the pitch plane in human subjects. Data were obtained from six subjects having chronic bilateral vestibular loss and six healthy individuals matched for age, gender, and body mass index. Vestibular loss was assessed with a comprehensive battery including dynamic posturography, vestibulo-ocular and optokinetic reflexes, vestibular evoked myogenic potentials, and ocular counterrolling. Head up tilt tests were conducted using a motorized two-axis table that allowed subjects to be tilted in the pitch plane from either a supine or prone body orientation at a slow rate (8 deg/s). The sessions consisted of three tilts, each consisting of20 min rest in a horizontal position, tilt to 80 deg upright for 10 min, and then return to the horizontal position for 5 min. The tilts were performed in darkness (supine and prone) or in light (supine only). Background music was used to mask auditory orientation cues. Autonomic measurements included beat-to-beat recordings of blood pressure (Finapres), heart rate (ECG), cerebral blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery (transcranial Doppler), end tidal CO2, respiratory rate and volume (Respritrace), and stroke volume (impedance cardiography). For both patients and control subjects, cerebral blood flow appeared to exhibit the most rapid adjustment following transient changes in posture. Outside of a greater cerebral hypoperfusion in patients during the later stages of tilt, responses did not differ dramatically between the vestibular loss and control subjects, or between tilts performed in light and dark room conditions. Thus, with the 'exception of cerebrovascular regulation, we conclude that orthostatic responses during slow postural tilts are not substantially impaired in humans following chronic loss of vestibular function, a result that might reflect compensation by nonvisual graviceptor

  3. A novel method of measuring spatial rotation angle using MEMS tilt sensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cao, Jian’an; Zhu, Xin; Zhang, Leping; Wu, Hao

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents a novel method of measuring spatial rotation angle with a dual-axis micro-electro-mechanical systems tilt sensor. When the sensor is randomly mounted on the surface of the rotating object, there are three unpredictable and unknown mounting position parameters: α , the sensor’s swing angle on the measuring plane; β , the angle between the rotation axis and the horizontal plane; and γ , the angle between the measuring plane and the rotation axis. Thus, the sensor’s spatial rotation model is established to describe the relationship between the measuring axis, rotation axis, and horizontal plane, and the corresponding analytical equations are derived. Furthermore, to eliminate the deviation caused by the uncertain direction of the rotation axis, an extra perpendicularly mounted, single-axis tilt sensor is combined with the dual-axis tilt sensor, forming a three-axis tilt sensor. Then, by measuring the sensors’ three tilts and solving the model’s equations, the object’s spatial rotation angle is obtained. Finally, experimental results show that the developed tilt sensor is capable of measuring spatial rotation angle in the range of  ±180° with an accuracy of 0.2° if the angle between the rotation axis and the horizontal plane is less than 75°. (paper)

  4. The Earth Observation Monitor - Automated monitoring and alerting for spatial time-series data based on OGC web services

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eberle, J.; Hüttich, C.; Schmullius, C.

    2014-12-01

    Spatial time series data are freely available around the globe from earth observation satellites and meteorological stations for many years until now. They provide useful and important information to detect ongoing changes of the environment; but for end-users it is often too complex to extract this information out of the original time series datasets. This issue led to the development of the Earth Observation Monitor (EOM), an operational framework and research project to provide simple access, analysis and monitoring tools for global spatial time series data. A multi-source data processing middleware in the backend is linked to MODIS data from Land Processes Distributed Archive Center (LP DAAC) and Google Earth Engine as well as daily climate station data from NOAA National Climatic Data Center. OGC Web Processing Services are used to integrate datasets from linked data providers or external OGC-compliant interfaces to the EOM. Users can either use the web portal (webEOM) or the mobile application (mobileEOM) to execute these processing services and to retrieve the requested data for a given point or polygon in userfriendly file formats (CSV, GeoTiff). Beside providing just data access tools, users can also do further time series analyses like trend calculations, breakpoint detections or the derivation of phenological parameters from vegetation time series data. Furthermore data from climate stations can be aggregated over a given time interval. Calculated results can be visualized in the client and downloaded for offline usage. Automated monitoring and alerting of the time series data integrated by the user is provided by an OGC Sensor Observation Service with a coupled OGC Web Notification Service. Users can decide which datasets and parameters are monitored with a given filter expression (e.g., precipitation value higher than x millimeter per day, occurrence of a MODIS Fire point, detection of a time series anomaly). Datasets integrated in the SOS service are

  5. A multistage, semi-automated procedure for analyzing the morphology of nanoparticles

    KAUST Repository

    Park, Chiwoo

    2012-07-01

    This article presents a multistage, semi-automated procedure that can expedite the morphology analysis of nanoparticles. Material scientists have long conjectured that the morphology of nanoparticles has a profound impact on the properties of the hosting material, but a bottleneck is the lack of a reliable and automated morphology analysis of the particles based on their image measurements. This article attempts to fill in this critical void. One particular challenge in nanomorphology analysis is how to analyze the overlapped nanoparticles, a problem not well addressed by the existing methods but effectively tackled by the method proposed in this article. This method entails multiple stages of operations, executed sequentially, and is considered semi-automated due to the inclusion of a semi-supervised clustering step. The proposed method is applied to several images of nanoparticles, producing the needed statistical characterization of their morphology. © 2012 "IIE".

  6. A multistage, semi-automated procedure for analyzing the morphology of nanoparticles

    KAUST Repository

    Park, Chiwoo; Huang, Jianhua Z.; Huitink, David; Kundu, Subrata; Mallick, Bani K.; Liang, Hong; Ding, Yu

    2012-01-01

    This article presents a multistage, semi-automated procedure that can expedite the morphology analysis of nanoparticles. Material scientists have long conjectured that the morphology of nanoparticles has a profound impact on the properties of the hosting material, but a bottleneck is the lack of a reliable and automated morphology analysis of the particles based on their image measurements. This article attempts to fill in this critical void. One particular challenge in nanomorphology analysis is how to analyze the overlapped nanoparticles, a problem not well addressed by the existing methods but effectively tackled by the method proposed in this article. This method entails multiple stages of operations, executed sequentially, and is considered semi-automated due to the inclusion of a semi-supervised clustering step. The proposed method is applied to several images of nanoparticles, producing the needed statistical characterization of their morphology. © 2012 "IIE".

  7. Monitoring of Cyclic Steam Stimulation by Inversion of Surface Tilt Measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maharramov, M.; Zoback, M. D.

    2014-12-01

    Temperature and pressure changes associated with the cyclic steam simulation (CSS) used in heavy oil production from sands are accompanied by significant deformation. Inversion of geomechanical data may provide a potentially powerful reservoir monitoring tool where geomechanical effects are significant. Induced pore pressure changes can be inverted from measurable surface deformations by solving an inverse problem of poroelasticity. In this work, we apply this approach to estimating pore pressure changes from surface tilt measurements at a heavy oil reservoir undergoing cyclic steam simulation. Steam was injected from November 2007 through January 2008. Surface tilt measurements were collected from 25 surface tilt stations during this period. The injection ran in two overlapping phases: Phase 1 ran from the beginning of the injection though mid-December, and Phase 2 overlapped with Phase 1 and ran through the beginning of January. During Phase 1 steam was injected in the western part of the reservoir, followed by injection in the eastern part in Phase 2. The pore pressure evolution was inverted from daily tilt measurements using regularized constrained least squares fitting, the results are shown on the plot. Estimated induced pore pressure change (color scale), observed daily incremental tilts (green arrows) and modeled daily incremental tilts (red arrows) are shown in three panels corresponding to two and five weeks of injection, and the end of injection period. DGPS measurements available for a single location were used as an additional inversion constraint. The results indicate that the pore pressure increase in the reservoir follows the same pattern as the steam injection, from west to east. This qualitative behaviour is independent of the amount of regularization, indirectly validating our inversion approach. Patches of lower pressure appear to be stable with regard to regularization and may provide valuable insight into the efficiency of steam injection

  8. Tilted Bianchi type I dust fluid cosmological model in general relativity

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Tilted Bianchi type I dust fluid cosmological model in general relativity ... In this paper, we have investigated a tilted Bianchi type I cosmological model filled with dust of perfect fluid in general relativity. ... Pramana – Journal of Physics | News ...

  9. Robust Automated Image Co-Registration of Optical Multi-Sensor Time Series Data: Database Generation for Multi-Temporal Landslide Detection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert Behling

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Reliable multi-temporal landslide detection over longer periods of time requires multi-sensor time series data characterized by high internal geometric stability, as well as high relative and absolute accuracy. For this purpose, a new methodology for fully automated co-registration has been developed allowing efficient and robust spatial alignment of standard orthorectified data products originating from a multitude of optical satellite remote sensing data of varying spatial resolution. Correlation-based co-registration uses world-wide available terrain corrected Landsat Level 1T time series data as the spatial reference, ensuring global applicability. The developed approach has been applied to a multi-sensor time series of 592 remote sensing datasets covering an approximately 12,000 km2 area in Southern Kyrgyzstan (Central Asia strongly affected by landslides. The database contains images acquired during the last 26 years by Landsat (ETM, ASTER, SPOT and RapidEye sensors. Analysis of the spatial shifts obtained from co-registration has revealed sensor-specific alignments ranging between 5 m and more than 400 m. Overall accuracy assessment of these alignments has resulted in a high relative image-to-image accuracy of 17 m (RMSE and a high absolute accuracy of 23 m (RMSE for the whole co-registered database, making it suitable for multi-temporal landslide detection at a regional scale in Southern Kyrgyzstan.

  10. Combined Influence of Visual Scene and Body Tilt on Arm Pointing Movements: Gravity Matters!

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scotto Di Cesare, Cécile; Sarlegna, Fabrice R.; Bourdin, Christophe; Mestre, Daniel R.; Bringoux, Lionel

    2014-01-01

    Performing accurate actions such as goal-directed arm movements requires taking into account visual and body orientation cues to localize the target in space and produce appropriate reaching motor commands. We experimentally tilted the body and/or the visual scene to investigate how visual and body orientation cues are combined for the control of unseen arm movements. Subjects were asked to point toward a visual target using an upward movement during slow body and/or visual scene tilts. When the scene was tilted, final pointing errors varied as a function of the direction of the scene tilt (forward or backward). Actual forward body tilt resulted in systematic target undershoots, suggesting that the brain may have overcompensated for the biomechanical movement facilitation arising from body tilt. Combined body and visual scene tilts also affected final pointing errors according to the orientation of the visual scene. The data were further analysed using either a body-centered or a gravity-centered reference frame to encode visual scene orientation with simple additive models (i.e., ‘combined’ tilts equal to the sum of ‘single’ tilts). We found that the body-centered model could account only for some of the data regarding kinematic parameters and final errors. In contrast, the gravity-centered modeling in which the body and visual scene orientations were referred to vertical could explain all of these data. Therefore, our findings suggest that the brain uses gravity, thanks to its invariant properties, as a reference for the combination of visual and non-visual cues. PMID:24925371

  11. Automated setup for non-tactile high-precision measurements of roundness and cylindricity using two laser interferometers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kühnel, M; Ullmann, V; Gerhardt, U; Manske, E

    2012-01-01

    An automated setup for non-tactile high-precision measurements of roundness and cylindricity of ring gauges is presented. The aim is to minimize classical problems of tactile and radial roundness measurements such as the error influences of the used rotary table and the work piece alignment and thus to increase the accuracy and reduce the measurement time. To achieve those aims, a double interferometer concept was chosen and combined with a measurement system for the work piece alignment, a high-precision rotary table and an automated four-axis adjustment unit. The main alignment errors of the work pieces (e.g. ring gauges) such as eccentricity and tilting are either suppressed or directly detected and consequently reduced by the automated four-axis adjustment unit. Due to the non-tactile measurement concept, higher measurement velocities are achievable and surface destruction is prevented. In combination with the contactless energy supply of the four-axis adjustment unit, the radial run of the rotary table is not affected. (paper)

  12. Edge detection of magnetic anomalies using analytic signal of tilt angle (ASTA)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alamdar, K.; Ansari, A. H.; Ghorbani, A.

    2009-04-01

    Magnetic is a commonly used geophysical technique to identify and image potential subsurface targets. Interpretation of magnetic anomalies is a complex process due to the superposition of multiple magnetic sources, presence of geologic and cultural noise and acquisition and positioning error. Both the vertical and horizontal derivatives of potential field data are useful; horizontal derivative, enhance edges whereas vertical derivative narrow the width of anomaly and so locate source bodies more accurately. We can combine vertical and horizontal derivative of magnetic field to achieve analytic signal which is independent to body magnetization direction and maximum value of this lies over edges of body directly. Tilt angle filter is phased-base filter and is defined as angle between vertical derivative and total horizontal derivative. Tilt angle value differ from +90 degree to -90 degree and its zero value lies over body edge. One of disadvantage of this filter is when encountering with deep sources the detected edge is blurred. For overcome this problem many authors introduced new filters such as total horizontal derivative of tilt angle or vertical derivative of tilt angle which Because of using high-order derivative in these filters results may be too noisy. If we combine analytic signal and tilt angle, a new filter termed (ASTA) is produced which its maximum value lies directly over body edge and is easer than tilt angle to delineate body edge and no complicity of tilt angle. In this work new filter has been demonstrated on magnetic data from an area in Sar- Cheshme region in Iran. This area is located in 55 degree longitude and 32 degree latitude and is a copper potential region. The main formation in this area is Andesith and Trachyandezite. Magnetic surveying was employed to separate the boundaries of Andezite and Trachyandezite from adjacent area. In this regard a variety of filters such as analytic signal, tilt angle and ASTA filter have been applied which

  13. Twenty-degree-tilt radiography for evaluation of lateral humeral condylar fracture in children

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Imada, Hideaki; Tanaka, Ryuji; Itoh, Yohei; Kishi, Kazuhiko

    2010-01-01

    To investigate the efficacy of '20 -tilt anteroposterior (A-P) radiography' in the assessment of lateral condylar fractures of the distal humerus. Eighteen children with lateral humeral condylar fractures were studied. Every child underwent conventional A-P and lateral radiography, and six children underwent multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT). For the investigation of 20 -tilt radiography, ten children with lateral humeral condylar fractures had conventional and 20 -tilt A-P and lateral radiography both preoperatively and postoperatively. Fragment dislocation was measured at the lateral and medial margins of the fracture on both the conventional A-P and 20 -tilt A-P radiographs. The lateral condylar fragment was triangular and was most prominent posteriorly. The fracture line was typically tilted approximately 20 to a reference line perpendicular to the long axis of the humerus in the lateral view. The extent of dislocation at the lateral and medial margins of the fracture site by 20 -tilt A-P radiography (9.3 ± 3.6 mm and 5.6 ± 2.5 mm) was significantly wider than that measured by the conventional method (6.8 ± 4.1 mm and 2.0 ± 1.5 mm), which may influence treatment. Twenty-degree-tilt A-P radiography may more precisely demonstrate fragment dislocation than standard radiographs and may influence patient treatment. (orig.)

  14. Early Poststroke Rehabilitation Using a Robotic Tilt-Table Stepper and Functional Electrical Stimulation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexey N. Kuznetsov

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Stroke frequently leaves survivors with hemiparesis. To prevent persistent deficits, rehabilitation may be more effective if started early. Early training is often limited because of orthostatic reactions. Tilt-table stepping robots and functional electrical stimulation (FES may prevent these reactions. Objective. This controlled convenience sample study compares safety and feasibility of robotic tilt-table training plus FES (ROBO-FES and robotic tilt-table training (ROBO against tilt-table training alone (control. A preliminary assessment of efficacy is performed. Methods. Hemiparetic ischemic stroke survivors (age years, days after stroke were assigned to 30 days of ROBO-FES (, ROBO (, or control ( in addition to conventional physical therapy. Impedance cardiography and transcranial doppler sonography were performed before, during, and after training. Hemiparesis was assessed using the British Medical Research Council (MRC strength scale. Results. No serious adverse events occurred; 8 patients in the tilt-table group prematurely quit the study because of orthostatic reactions. Blood pressure and CBFV dipped % during robot training. In 52% of controls mean arterial pressure decreased by %. ROBO-FES increased leg strength by points, ROBO by more than control (, . CBFV increased in both robotic groups more than in controls (. Conclusions. Robotic tilt-table exercise with or without FES is safe and may be more effective in improving leg strength and cerebral blood flow than tilt table alone.

  15. [Evaluation of psychological fear in children undergoing head-up tilt test].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chu, Wei-Hong; Wu, Li-Jia; Wang, Cheng; Lin, Ping; Li, Fang; Zhu, Li-Ping; Ran, Jing; Zou, Run-Mei; Liu, De-Yu

    2014-03-01

    To investigate the effects of different tilt angles of head-up tilt test (HUTT) and different responses to HUTT on the psychological fear in children undergoing the test. HUTT was performed on children with unexplained syncope or pre-syncope (107 cases: 52 males and 55 females), aged 5.5-17.8 years (mean 12.0±2.8 years). All subjects were randomly assigned to undergo HUTT at an angle of 60°, 70° or 80°; the negative cases underwent sublingual nitroglycerin-provocation HUTT at the same tilt angle. The Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale was used for self-assessment of psychological fear in subjects during HUTT at the end point of the test. The positive rate, hemodynamic changes and distribution of response types showed no significant differences between children at tilt angles of 60°, 70° and 80° (P>0.05). The greater the tilt angle, the higher the degree of psychological fear in children undergoing the test, but there were no significant differences between them (P>0.05). The degree of psychological fear in children who showed a positive response to HUTT (n=76) was significantly higher than that in children who showed a negative response (n=31) (Pfear in children undergoing the test, and the degree of psychological fear increases in children tested at tilt angles from 60° to 80°, but the differences have no statistical significance. A positive response to HUTT can significantly increase the psychological fear in children.

  16. Virtual instrument automation of ion channeling setup for 1.7 MV tandetron accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suresh, K.; Sundaravel, B.; Panigrahi, B.K.; Nair, K.G.M.; Viswanathan, B.

    2004-01-01

    A virtual instrument based automated ion channeling experimental setup has been developed and implemented in a 1.7 MV tandetron accelerator. Automation of the PC based setup is done using a windows based virtual instrument software allowing the setup to be easily ported between different computer operating systems. The virtual instrument software has been chosen to achieve quick and easy development of versatile, multi-purpose user friendly graphical interface for carrying out channeling experiments. The software has been modular designed to provide independent control of the stepper motors for fixing the sample at any user defined orientation, running and on-line display of azimuthal and tilt angular scans, auto storage of the angular scan data. Using this automated setup, the crystallographic axis of the sample can be aligned with the incident ion beam rapidly minimizing the beam damages to the sample. A standard single crystalline GaAs(100) has been characterized with this set up using 2 MeV He ++ ion beam. The crystalline quality (χ min ) and channeling half angle (ψ 1sol2 ) are measured to be 3.7% and 0.48 deg., respectively, which are close to the theoretical values. Salient features, working principles and design details of the automated setup are discussed in this paper

  17. Coherent field propagation between tilted planes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stock, Johannes; Worku, Norman Girma; Gross, Herbert

    2017-10-01

    Propagating electromagnetic light fields between nonparallel planes is of special importance, e.g., within the design of novel computer-generated holograms or the simulation of optical systems. In contrast to the extensively discussed evaluation between parallel planes, the diffraction-based propagation of light onto a tilted plane is more burdensome, since discrete fast Fourier transforms cannot be applied directly. In this work, we propose a quasi-fast algorithm (O(N 3  log N)) that deals with this problem. Based on a proper decomposition into three rotations, the vectorial field distribution is calculated on a tilted plane using the spectrum of plane waves. The algorithm works on equidistant grids, so neither nonuniform Fourier transforms nor an explicit complex interpolation is necessary. The proposed algorithm is discussed in detail and applied to several examples of practical interest.

  18. 3D single-molecule super-resolution microscopy with a tilted light sheet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gustavsson, Anna-Karin; Petrov, Petar N; Lee, Maurice Y; Shechtman, Yoav; Moerner, W E

    2018-01-09

    Tilted light sheet microscopy with 3D point spread functions (TILT3D) combines a novel, tilted light sheet illumination strategy with long axial range point spread functions (PSFs) for low-background, 3D super-localization of single molecules as well as 3D super-resolution imaging in thick cells. Because the axial positions of the single emitters are encoded in the shape of each single-molecule image rather than in the position or thickness of the light sheet, the light sheet need not be extremely thin. TILT3D is built upon a standard inverted microscope and has minimal custom parts. The result is simple and flexible 3D super-resolution imaging with tens of nm localization precision throughout thick mammalian cells. We validate TILT3D for 3D super-resolution imaging in mammalian cells by imaging mitochondria and the full nuclear lamina using the double-helix PSF for single-molecule detection and the recently developed tetrapod PSFs for fiducial bead tracking and live axial drift correction.

  19. Beyond Grand Rounds: A Comprehensive and Sequential Intervention to Improve Identification of Delirium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramaswamy, Ravishankar; Dix, Edward F.; Drew, Janet E.; Diamond, James J.; Inouye, Sharon K.; Roehl, Barbara J. O.

    2011-01-01

    Purpose of the Study: Delirium is a widespread concern for hospitalized seniors, yet is often unrecognized. A comprehensive and sequential intervention (CSI) aiming to effect change in clinician behavior by improving knowledge about delirium was tested. Design and Methods: A 2-day CSI program that consisted of progressive 4-part didactic series,…

  20. Photonomics: automation approaches yield economic aikido for photonics device manufacture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jordan, Scott

    2002-09-01

    In the glory days of photonics, with exponentiating demand for photonics devices came exponentiating competition, with new ventures commencing deliveries seemingly weekly. Suddenly the industry was faced with a commodity marketplace well before a commodity cost structure was in place. Economic issues like cost, scalability, yield-call it all "Photonomics" -now drive the industry. Automation and throughput-optimization are obvious answers, but until now, suitable modular tools had not been introduced. Available solutions were barely compatible with typical transverse alignment tolerances and could not automate angular alignments of collimated devices and arrays. And settling physics served as the insoluble bottleneck to throughput and resolution advancement in packaging, characterization and fabrication processes. The industry has addressed these needs in several ways, ranging from special configurations of catalog motion devices to integrated microrobots based on a novel mini-hexapod configuration. This intriguing approach allows tip/tilt alignments to be automated about any point in space, such as a beam waist, a focal point, the cleaved face of a fiber, or the optical axis of a waveguide- ideal for MEMS packaging automation and array alignment. Meanwhile, patented new low-cost settling-enhancement technology has been applied in applications ranging from air-bearing long-travel stages to subnanometer-resolution piezo positioners to advance resolution and process cycle-times in sensitive applications such as optical coupling characterization and fiber Bragg grating generation. Background, examples and metrics are discussed, providing an up-to-date industry overview of available solutions.

  1. A scalable database model for multiparametric time series: a volcano observatory case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montalto, Placido; Aliotta, Marco; Cassisi, Carmelo; Prestifilippo, Michele; Cannata, Andrea

    2014-05-01

    The variables collected by a sensor network constitute a heterogeneous data source that needs to be properly organized in order to be used in research and geophysical monitoring. With the time series term we refer to a set of observations of a given phenomenon acquired sequentially in time. When the time intervals are equally spaced one speaks of period or sampling frequency. Our work describes in detail a possible methodology for storage and management of time series using a specific data structure. We designed a framework, hereinafter called TSDSystem (Time Series Database System), in order to acquire time series from different data sources and standardize them within a relational database. The operation of standardization provides the ability to perform operations, such as query and visualization, of many measures synchronizing them using a common time scale. The proposed architecture follows a multiple layer paradigm (Loaders layer, Database layer and Business Logic layer). Each layer is specialized in performing particular operations for the reorganization and archiving of data from different sources such as ASCII, Excel, ODBC (Open DataBase Connectivity), file accessible from the Internet (web pages, XML). In particular, the loader layer performs a security check of the working status of each running software through an heartbeat system, in order to automate the discovery of acquisition issues and other warning conditions. Although our system has to manage huge amounts of data, performance is guaranteed by using a smart partitioning table strategy, that keeps balanced the percentage of data stored in each database table. TSDSystem also contains modules for the visualization of acquired data, that provide the possibility to query different time series on a specified time range, or follow the realtime signal acquisition, according to a data access policy from the users.

  2. Characteristics of X-ray photons in tilted incident laser-produced plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Ruirong; Chen Weimin; Xie Dongzhu

    2008-01-01

    Characteristics of X-ray and spout direction of heat plasma flow were studied on Shenguang-II laser facility. Using of pinhole X-ray camera, X-ray photons from the plasma of aluminum (Al) irradiated by 1.053 μm laser, was measured and analysed. It is observed that the spatial distribution of X-ray photons in Al plasma for tilted irradiation is symmetic at the center of the target. The spout direction of heat plasma flow is inferred by the distribution contour of X-ray photons. the experimental results show that the spout direction of heat plasma flow is normal to target plane and the output intensity of X-ray photons does not increase significantly for tilted laser incidence. Uniformity of laser energy deposition is improved by superposing tilted incident and laser perpendicularly incident laser. At the same time, it is found that the conversion efficiency from the tilted incident laser energy to X-ray photons of laser-produced plasma is decreased. (authors)

  3. The Application of Normal Stress Reduction Function in Tilt Tests for Different Block Shapes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Dong Hyun; Gratchev, Ivan; Hein, Maw; Balasubramaniam, Arumugam

    2016-08-01

    This paper focuses on the influence of the shapes of rock cores, which control the sliding or toppling behaviours in tilt tests for the estimation of rock joint roughness coefficients (JRC). When the JRC values are estimated by performing tilt tests, the values are directly proportional to the basic friction of the rock material and the applied normal stress on the sliding planes. Normal stress obviously varies with the shape of the sliding block, and the basic friction angle is also affected by the sample shapes in tilt tests. In this study, the shapes of core blocks are classified into three representative shapes and those are created using plaster. Using the various shaped artificial cores, a set of tilt tests is carried out to identify the shape influences on the normal stress and the basic friction angle in tilt tests. The test results propose a normal stress reduction function to estimate the normal stress for tilt tests according to the sample shapes based on Barton's empirical equation. The proposed normal stress reduction functions are verified by tilt tests using artificial plaster joints and real rock joint sets. The plaster joint sets are well matched and cast in detailed printed moulds using a 3D printing technique. With the application of the functions, the obtained JRC values from the tilt tests using the plaster samples and the natural rock samples are distributed within a reasonable JRC range when compared with the measured values.

  4. Radiographic examination takes on an automated image

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aman, J.

    1988-01-01

    Automation can be effectively applied to nondestructive testing (NDT). Until recently, film radiography used in NDT was largely a manual process, involving the shooting of a series of x-rays, manually positioned and manually processed. In other words, much radiographic work is being done the way it was over 50 years ago. Significant advances in automation have changed the face of manufacturing, and industry has shared in the benefits brought by such progress. The handling of parts, which was once responsible for a large measure of labor costs, is now assigned to robotic equipment. In nondestructive testing processes, some progress has been achieved in automation - for example, in real-time imaging systems. However, only recently have truly automated NDT begun to emerge. There are two major reasons to introduce automation into NDT - reliability and productivity. Any process or technique that can improve the reliability of parts testing could easily justify the capital investments required

  5. Comparison of optimum tilt angles of solar collectors determined at yearly, seasonal and monthly levels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Despotovic, Milan; Nedic, Vladimir

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Optimum yearly, biannual, seasonal, monthly, and daily tilt angles were found. • Energy collected per square meter is compared for ten different scenarios. • Four seasonal scenarios and two biannual scenarios were considered. • It is sufficient to adjust tilt angles only twice per year. - Abstract: The amount of energy that is transformed in solar collector depends on its tilt angle with respect to horizontal plane and orientation of the collector. In this article the optimum tilt angle of solar collectors for Belgrade, which is located at the latitude of 44°47′N is determined. The optimum tilt angle was found by searching for the values for which the solar radiation on the collector surface is maximum for a particular day or a specific period. In that manner the yearly, biannual, seasonal, monthly, fortnightly, and daily optimum tilt angles are determined. Annually collected energy per square meter of tilted surface is compared for ten different scenarios. In addition, these optimum tilt angles are used to calculate the amount of energy on the surface of PV panels that could be installed at the roof of the building. The results show that for observed case study placing the panels at yearly, seasonal and monthly optimum tilt angles, would yield increasing yearly amount of collected energy by factor of 5.98%, 13.55%, and 15.42% respectively compared to energy that could be collected by putting the panels at current roofs’ surface angles

  6. Maintaining Low Voiding Solder Die Attach for Power Die While Minimizing Die Tilt

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hamm, Randy; Peterson, Kenneth A.

    2015-10-01

    This paper addresses work to minimize voiding and die tilt in solder attachment of a large power die, measuring 9.0 mm X 6.5 mm X 0.1 mm (0.354” x 0.256” x 0.004”), to a heat spreader. As demands for larger high power die continue, minimizing voiding and die tilt is of interest for improved die functionality, yield, manufacturability, and reliability. High-power die generate considerable heat, which is important to dissipate effectively through control of voiding under high thermal load areas of the die while maintaining a consistent bondline (minimizing die tilt). Voiding was measured using acoustic imaging and die tilt was measured using two different optical measurement systems. 80Au-20Sn solder reflow was achieved using a batch vacuum solder system with optimized fixturing. Minimizing die tilt proved to be the more difficult of the two product requirements to meet. Process development variables included tooling, weight and solder preform thickness.

  7. Use of an Android application "clinometer" for measurement of head down tilt given during subarachnoid block.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dixit, R B; Neema, M M

    2016-01-01

    Head down tilt is given to patients after sub arachnoid block for adjustment of height of block. However, the amount of tilt given is subjective and cannot be documented. We used an android application named "clinometer" to measure exact degree of tilt given by anesthesiologists as their routine practice. This observational study, at a medical college hospital, was done in 130 patients given sub arachnoid block for lower abdominal surgeries. We observed and documented vital data of patients and measured tilt given by application "clinometer." We observed that the application was easy to use and measured tilt each time. The result obtained can be documented, digitally saved and transferred. In 130 patients studied, we observed incidence of degree of tilt as follows: 6-8° tilt in 38 patients (29.23%), 8-10 in 36 patients (27.69%), 10-12 in 30 patients (23.08%), 12-14 in 12 patients (9.23%) and 14-16° tilt in 14 patients (10.77%). Use of application was received with enthusiasm by practicing anesthesiologists. Various possible uses of this application are discussed.

  8. Octahedral tilt transitions in the relaxor ferroelectric Na1/2Bi1/2TiO3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meyer, Kai-Christian; Gröting, Melanie; Albe, Karsten

    2015-01-01

    The kinetics of octahedral tilt transitions in the lead-free relaxor material sodium bismuth titanate Na 1/2 Bi 1/2 TiO 3 (NBT) is investigated by electronic structure calculations within density functional theory. Energy barriers for transitions between tetragonal, rhombohedral and orthorhombic tilts in cation configurations with [001]- and [111]-order on the A-sites are determined by nudged elastic band calculations. By tilting entire layers of octahedra simultaneously we find that the activation energy is lower for structures with 001-order compared to such with 111-order. The energetic coupling between differently tilted layers is, however, negligibly small. By introducing a single octahedral defect we create local tilt disorder and find that the deformation energy of the neighboring octahedra is less in a rhombohedral than in a tetragonal structure. By successively increasing the size of clusters of orthorhombic defects in a rhombohedral matrix with 001-order, we determine a critical cluster size of about 40 Å . Thus groups of about ten octahedra can be considered as nuclei for polar nanoregions, which are the cause of the experimentally observed relaxor behavior of NBT. - Graphical abstract: Nine orthorhombic oxygen octahedral tilt defects in a rhombohedral tilt configuration. - Highlights: • Chemical order influences energy barriers of octahedral tilt transitions. • The octahedral deformation energy is lower in rhombohedral phases. • Tilt defect clusters are more likely in rhombohedral structures. • Tilt defect clusters can act as nuclei for polar nanoregions

  9. Reducing friction in tilting-pad bearings by the use of enclosed recesses

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heinrichson, Niels; Santos, Ilmar

    2008-01-01

    A three-dimensional thermoelastohydrodynamic model is applied to the analysis of tilting-pad bearings with spherical pivots and equipped with deep recesses in the high-pressure regions. A potential for a 10-20% reduction in the friction loss compared to conventional plain bearing pads is documented....... Design suggestions minimizing the power loss are given for various length-to-width ratios. The tilting angle in the sliding direction is more sensitive to correct positioning of the pivot point than conventional bearing pads. Improving the performance by equipping a tilting-pad bearing with a deep recess...... therefore requires accurate analysis and design of the bearing. Similarly, a high sensitivity perpendicular to the sliding direction suggests that this method of reducing friction is more feasible when using line pivots or spring beds than when using spherical pivots for controlling the tilting angle....

  10. Tilt Precursors before Earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault, California.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnston, M J; Mortensen, C E

    1974-12-13

    An array of 14 biaxial shallow-borehole tiltmeters (at 1O(-7) radian sensitivity) has been installed along 85 kilometers of the San Andreas fault during the past year. Earthquake-related changes in tilt have been simultaneously observed on up to four independent instruments. At earthquake distances greater than 10 earthquake source dimensions, there are few clear indications of tilt change. For the four instruments with the longest records (> 10 months), 26 earthquakes have occurred since July 1973 with at least one instrument closer than 10 source dimensions and 8 earthquakes with more than one instrument within that distance. Precursors in tilt direction have been observed before more than 10 earthquakes or groups of earthquakes, and no similar effect has yet been seen without the occurrence of an earthquake.

  11. The Influence of Injection Pockets on the Performance of Tilting-Pad Thrust Bearings - Part II: Comparison Between Theory and Experiment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heinrichson, Niels; Fuerst, Axel; Santos, Ilmar

    2007-01-01

    This is Part II of a two-part series of papers describing the effects of high-pressure injection pockets on the operating conditions of tilting-pad thrust bearings. The paper has two main objectives. One is an experimental investigation of the influence of an oil injection pocket on the pressure...... and without oil injection) on the pressure distribution and oil film thickness. Measurements of the distribution of pressure and oil film thickness are presented for tilting-pad thrust bearing pads of approx. 100 cm^2 surface area. Two pads are measured in a laboratory test rig at loads of approx. 1.5 MPa...... and approx. 4.0 MPa and velocities of up to 33 m/s. One pad has a plain surface. The other pad has a conical injection pocket at the pivot point and a leading-edge taper. The measurements are compared to theoretical values obtained using a three-dimensional thermoelastohydrodynamic (TEHD) numerical model...

  12. Evaluating an Automated Approach for Monitoring Forest Disturbances in the Pacific Northwest from Logging, Fire and Insect Outbreaks with Landsat Time Series Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    R.Neigh, Christopher S.; Bolton, Douglas K.; Williams, Jennifer J.; Diabate, Mouhamad

    2014-01-01

    Forests are the largest aboveground sink for atmospheric carbon (C), and understanding how they change through time is critical to reduce our C-cycle uncertainties. We investigated a strong decline in Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from 1982 to 1991 in Pacific Northwest forests, observed with the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) series of Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometers (AVHRRs). To understand the causal factors of this decline, we evaluated an automated classification method developed for Landsat time series stacks (LTSS) to map forest change. This method included: (1) multiple disturbance index thresholds; and (2) a spectral trajectory-based image analysis with multiple confidence thresholds. We produced 48 maps and verified their accuracy with air photos, monitoring trends in burn severity data and insect aerial detection survey data. Area-based accuracy estimates for change in forest cover resulted in producer's and user's accuracies of 0.21 +/- 0.06 to 0.38 +/- 0.05 for insect disturbance, 0.23 +/- 0.07 to 1 +/- 0 for burned area and 0.74 +/- 0.03 to 0.76 +/- 0.03 for logging. We believe that accuracy was low for insect disturbance because air photo reference data were temporally sparse, hence missing some outbreaks, and the annual anniversary time step is not dense enough to track defoliation and progressive stand mortality. Producer's and user's accuracy for burned area was low due to the temporally abrupt nature of fire and harvest with a similar response of spectral indices between the disturbance index and normalized burn ratio. We conclude that the spectral trajectory approach also captures multi-year stress that could be caused by climate, acid deposition, pathogens, partial harvest, thinning, etc. Our study focused on understanding the transferability of previously successful methods to new ecosystems and found that this automated method does not perform with the same accuracy in Pacific Northwest forests

  13. The anterior tilt of the acromion: radiographic evaluation and correlation with shoulder diseases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prato, N.; Peloso, D.; Franconeri, A.; Tegaldo, G.; Ravera, G.B.; Silvestri, E.; Derchi, L.E.

    1998-01-01

    The aim of this study was to test whether the anterior tilt of the acromion can be objectively evaluated on lateral radiographs, and whether there is a relation between this anatomical feature and the most common shoulder diseases. Lateral radiographs of 15 dried scapulas were performed in neutral position and with 5 of caudal, cranial, anterior and posterior angulations. Two hundred and forty-three shoulders, both asymptomatic and affected by chronic and post-traumatic impingement, calcific tendinitis and instability, were examined by conventional radiography. The presence of rotator-cuff tears was investigated by sonography. A method was elaborated to obtain reproducible lateral radiographs and to determine the acromial tilt angle. Inter- and intraobserver and inter- and intraoperator variations in measurements were evaluated. Variations in tube angulation produced changes in tilt-angle values on dried scapulas. The average tilt angle for the chronic impingement and the instability groups were significantly different from the post-traumatic, calcific tendinitis and control groups. Rotator-cuff tears were significantly more frequent in the chronic impingement group and related to a more acute tilt angle. The inter- and intraobserver variability coefficients were 0.95 and 0.98, whereas the inter- and intraoperator variability coefficients were 0.94 and 0.96, respectively. Conventional radiography using fluoroscopy for positioning is a well-reproducible method for the evaluation of acromial tilt. There is a significant difference in tilt-angle values between some groups of subjects examined, but the lack of specificity limits the clinical importance of such measurement. (orig.)

  14. The anterior tilt of the acromion: radiographic evaluation and correlation with shoulder diseases

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Prato, N.; Peloso, D.; Franconeri, A. [Department of Radiology, San Carlo Hospital, Genoa (Italy); Tegaldo, G. [Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery, San Carlo Hospital, Genoa (Italy); Ravera, G.B. [Inst. of Medical Statistics and Biometry, University of Genoa (Italy); Silvestri, E.; Derchi, L.E. [Inst. of Radiology, University of Genoa (Italy)

    1998-12-01

    The aim of this study was to test whether the anterior tilt of the acromion can be objectively evaluated on lateral radiographs, and whether there is a relation between this anatomical feature and the most common shoulder diseases. Lateral radiographs of 15 dried scapulas were performed in neutral position and with 5 of caudal, cranial, anterior and posterior angulations. Two hundred and forty-three shoulders, both asymptomatic and affected by chronic and post-traumatic impingement, calcific tendinitis and instability, were examined by conventional radiography. The presence of rotator-cuff tears was investigated by sonography. A method was elaborated to obtain reproducible lateral radiographs and to determine the acromial tilt angle. Inter- and intraobserver and inter- and intraoperator variations in measurements were evaluated. Variations in tube angulation produced changes in tilt-angle values on dried scapulas. The average tilt angle for the chronic impingement and the instability groups were significantly different from the post-traumatic, calcific tendinitis and control groups. Rotator-cuff tears were significantly more frequent in the chronic impingement group and related to a more acute tilt angle. The inter- and intraobserver variability coefficients were 0.95 and 0.98, whereas the inter- and intraoperator variability coefficients were 0.94 and 0.96, respectively. Conventional radiography using fluoroscopy for positioning is a well-reproducible method for the evaluation of acromial tilt. There is a significant difference in tilt-angle values between some groups of subjects examined, but the lack of specificity limits the clinical importance of such measurement. (orig.) With 6 figs., 3 tabs., 34 refs.

  15. Sequentially optimized reconstruction strategy: A meta-strategy for perimetry testing.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Şerife Seda Kucur

    Full Text Available Perimetry testing is an automated method to measure visual function and is heavily used for diagnosing ophthalmic and neurological conditions. Its working principle is to sequentially query a subject about perceived light using different brightness levels at different visual field locations. At a given location, this query-patient-feedback process is expected to converge at a perceived sensitivity, such that a shown stimulus intensity is observed and reported 50% of the time. Given this inherently time-intensive and noisy process, fast testing strategies are necessary in order to measure existing regions more effectively and reliably. In this work, we present a novel meta-strategy which relies on the correlative nature of visual field locations in order to strongly reduce the necessary number of locations that need to be examined. To do this, we sequentially determine locations that most effectively reduce visual field estimation errors in an initial training phase. We then exploit these locations at examination time and show that our approach can easily be combined with existing perceived sensitivity estimation schemes to speed up the examinations. Compared to state-of-the-art strategies, our approach shows marked performance gains with a better accuracy-speed trade-off regime for both mixed and sub-populations.

  16. Analysis of fixed tilt and sun tracking photovoltaic–micro wind based hybrid power systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sinha, Sunanda; Chandel, S.S.

    2016-01-01

    Graphical abstract: 6 kW_p photovoltaic–micro wind based hybrid power system analysis in a Indian Western Himalayan location. - Highlights: • Power generation by a roof mounted photovoltaic–micro wind hybrid system is explored. • Optimum hybrid configurations using fixed and sun tracking photovoltaic systems are determined. • Analysis of hybrid systems with optimally tilted and different sun tracking systems is presented. • Two axis sun tracking systems are found to generate 4.88–26.29% more energy than fixed tilt system. • Hybrid system installed at optimum tilt angle is found to be cost effective than a sun tracking system. - Abstract: In this study fixed tilt and sun tracking photovoltaic based micro wind hybrid power systems are analyzed along with determining the optimum configurations for a 6 kW_p roof mounted micro wind based hybrid system using fixed and tracking photovoltaic systems to enhance the power generation potential in a low windy Indian hilly terrain with good solar resource. The main objective of the study is to enhance power generation by focusing on photovoltaic component of the hybrid system. A comparative power generation analysis of different configurations of hybrid systems with fixed tilt, monthly optimum tilt, yearly optimum tilt and 6 different sun tracking photovoltaic systems is carried out using Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables. Monthly and seasonal optimum tilt angles determined for the location vary between 0° and 60° with annual optimum tilt angle as 29.25°. The optimum configurations for all sun tracking systems except for the two axis tracking system is found to be 7 kW_p photovoltaic system, one 5 kW_p wind turbine, 10 batteries and a 2 kW_p inverter. The optimum configuration for two axis tracking system and two types of fixed tilt systems, is found to be a 8 kW_p photovoltaic system, one 5 kW_p wind turbine, 10 batteries and a 2 kW_p inverter. The results show that horizontal axis with

  17. A phosphine mediated sequential annulation process of 2-tosylaminochalcones with MBH carbonates to construct functionalized aza-benzobicyclo[4.3.0] derivatives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qinglong; Zhu, Yannan; Jin, Hongxing; Huang, You

    2017-04-04

    A novel phosphine mediated sequential annulation process to construct functionalized aza-benzobicyclo[4.3.0] derivatives has been developed involving a one-pot sequential catalytic and stoichiometric process, which generates a series of benzobicyclo[4.3.0] compounds containing one quaternary center with up to 94% yield and 20 : 1 dr value. In this reaction, MBH carbonates act as 1,2,3-C 3 synthons.

  18. Tilt stability in nonlinear programming under Mangasarian-Fromovitz constraint qualification

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Mordukhovich, B. S.; Outrata, Jiří

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 49, č. 3 (2013), s. 446-464 ISSN 0023-5954 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP201/12/0671 Institutional support: RVO:67985556 Keywords : variational analysis * second-order theory * generalized differentiation * tilt stability Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 0.563, year: 2013 http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2013/MTR/outrata-tilt stability in nonlinear programming under mangasarian-fromovitz constraint qualification.pdf

  19. Automated detection of cavities present in the high explosive filler of artillery shells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kruger, R.P.; Janney, D.H.; Breedlove, J.R. Jr.

    1976-01-01

    Initial research has been conducted into the use of digital image analysis techniques for automated detection and characterization of piping cavities present in the high explosive (HE) filler region of 105-mm artillery shells. Experimental work utilizing scene segmentation techniques followed by a sequential similarity detection algorithm for cavitation detection have yielded promising initial results. This work is described with examples of computer-detected defects

  20. How to statistically analyze nano exposure measurement results: Using an ARIMA time series approach

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Klein Entink, R.H.; Fransman, W.; Brouwer, D.H.

    2011-01-01

    Measurement strategies for exposure to nano-sized particles differ from traditional integrated sampling methods for exposure assessment by the use of real-time instruments. The resulting measurement series is a time series, where typically the sequential measurements are not independent from each

  1. Modelling sequentially scored item responses

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Akkermans, W.

    2000-01-01

    The sequential model can be used to describe the variable resulting from a sequential scoring process. In this paper two more item response models are investigated with respect to their suitability for sequential scoring: the partial credit model and the graded response model. The investigation is

  2. Method for semi-automated microscopy of filtration-enriched circulating tumor cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pailler, Emma; Oulhen, Marianne; Billiot, Fanny; Galland, Alexandre; Auger, Nathalie; Faugeroux, Vincent; Laplace-Builhé, Corinne; Besse, Benjamin; Loriot, Yohann; Ngo-Camus, Maud; Hemanda, Merouan; Lindsay, Colin R.; Soria, Jean-Charles; Vielh, Philippe; Farace, Françoise

    2016-01-01

    Circulating tumor cell (CTC)-filtration methods capture high numbers of CTCs in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa) patients, and hold promise as a non-invasive technique for treatment selection and disease monitoring. However filters have drawbacks that make the automation of microscopy challenging. We report the semi-automated microscopy method we developed to analyze filtration-enriched CTCs from NSCLC and mPCa patients. Spiked cell lines in normal blood and CTCs were enriched by ISET (isolation by size of epithelial tumor cells). Fluorescent staining was carried out using epithelial (pan-cytokeratins, EpCAM), mesenchymal (vimentin, N-cadherin), leukocyte (CD45) markers and DAPI. Cytomorphological staining was carried out with Mayer-Hemalun or Diff-Quik. ALK-, ROS1-, ERG-rearrangement were detected by filter-adapted-FISH (FA-FISH). Microscopy was carried out using an Ariol scanner. Two combined assays were developed. The first assay sequentially combined four-color fluorescent staining, scanning, automated selection of CD45 − cells, cytomorphological staining, then scanning and analysis of CD45 − cell phenotypical and cytomorphological characteristics. CD45 − cell selection was based on DAPI and CD45 intensity, and a nuclear area >55 μm 2 . The second assay sequentially combined fluorescent staining, automated selection of CD45 − cells, FISH scanning on CD45 − cells, then analysis of CD45 − cell FISH signals. Specific scanning parameters were developed to deal with the uneven surface of filters and CTC characteristics. Thirty z-stacks spaced 0.6 μm apart were defined as the optimal setting, scanning 82 %, 91 %, and 95 % of CTCs in ALK-, ROS1-, and ERG-rearranged patients respectively. A multi-exposure protocol consisting of three separate exposure times for green and red fluorochromes was optimized to analyze the intensity, size and thickness of FISH signals. The semi-automated microscopy method reported here

  3. Research on Calculation of the IOL Tilt and Decentration Based on Surface Fitting

    OpenAIRE

    Li, Lin; Wang, Ke; Yan, Yan; Song, Xudong; Liu, Zhicheng

    2013-01-01

    The tilt and decentration of intraocular lens (IOL) result in defocussing, astigmatism, and wavefront aberration after operation. The objective is to give a method to estimate the tilt and decentration of IOL more accurately. Based on AS-OCT images of twelve eyes from eight cases with subluxation lens after operation, we fitted spherical equation to the data obtained from the images of the anterior and posterior surfaces of the IOL. By the established relationship between IOL tilt (decentrati...

  4. Impaired perception of surface tilt in progressive supranuclear palsy.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marian L Dale

    Full Text Available Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP is characterized by early postural instability and backward falls. The mechanisms underlying backward postural instability in PSP are not understood. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that postural instability in PSP is a result of dysfunction in the perception of postural verticality.We gathered posturography data on 12 subjects with PSP to compare with 12 subjects with idiopathic Parkinson's Disease (PD and 12 healthy subjects. Objective tests of postural impairment included: dynamic sensory perception tests of gravity and of surface oscillations, postural responses to surface perturbations, the sensory organization test of postural sway under altered sensory conditions and limits of stability in stance.Perception of toes up (but not toes down surface tilt was reduced in subjects with PSP compared to both control subjects (p≤0.001 standing, p≤0.007 seated and subjects with PD (p≤0.03 standing, p≤0.04 seated. Subjects with PSP, PD and normal controls accurately perceived the direction of gravity when standing on a tilting surface. Unlike PD and control subjects, subjects with PSP exerted less postural corrective torque in response to toes up surface tilts.Difficulty perceiving backward tilt of the surface or body may account for backward falls and postural impairments in patients with PSP. These observations suggest that abnormal central integration of sensory inputs for perception of body and surface orientation contributes to the pathophysiology of postural instability in PSP.

  5. Jahn-Teller distortions, cation ordering and octahedral tilting in perovskites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lufaso, M.W.; Woodward, P.M.

    2004-01-01

    In transition metal oxides, preferential occupation of specific d orbitals on the transition metal ion can lead to the development of a long-range ordered pattern of occupied orbitals. This phenomenon, referred to as orbital ordering, is usually observed indirectly from the cooperative Jahn-Teller distortions (CJTDs) that result as a consequence of the orbital ordering. This paper examines the interplay between orbital ordering, octahedral tilting and cation ordering in perovskites. Both ternary AMX 3 perovskites containing an active Jahn-Teller (J-T) ion on the octahedral site and quaternary A 2 MM'X 6 perovskites containing a J-T ion on one-half of the octahedral sites have been examined. In AMX 3 perovskites, the tendency is for the occupied 3d 3x 2 -r 2 and 3d 3z 2 -r 2 orbitals to order in the ac plane, as exemplified by the crystal structures of LaMnO 3 and KCuF 3 . This arrangement maintains a favorable coordination environment for the anion sites. In AMX 3 perovskites, octahedral tilting tends to enhance the magnitude of the J-T distortions. In A 2 MM'X 6 perovskites, the tendency is for the occupied 3d 3z 2 -r 2 orbitals to align parallel to the c axis. This pattern maintains a favorable coordination environment about the symmetric M'-cation site. The orbital ordering found in rock-salt ordered A 2 MM'X 6 perovskites is compatible with octahedral rotations about the c axis (Glazer tilt system a 0 a 0 c - ) but appears to be incompatible with GdFeO 3 -type octahedral tilting (tilt system - b + a - ). (orig.)

  6. Sequential hand hygiene promotion contributes to a reduced nosocomial bloodstream infection rate among very low-birth weight infants: an interrupted time series over a 10-year period.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Helder, Onno K; Brug, Johannes; van Goudoever, Johannes B; Looman, Caspar W N; Reiss, Irwin K M; Kornelisse, René F

    2014-07-01

    Sustained high compliance with hand hygiene (HH) is needed to reduce nosocomial bloodstream infections (NBSIs). However, over time, a wash out effect often occurs. We studied the long-term effect of sequential HH-promoting interventions. An observational study with an interrupted time series analysis of the occurrence of NBSI was performed in very low-birth weight (VLBW) infants. Interventions consisted of an education program, gain-framed screen saver messages, and an infection prevention week with an introduction on consistent glove use. A total of 1,964 VLBW infants admitted between January 1, 2002, and December 31, 2011, were studied. The proportion of infants with ≥1 NBSI decreased from 47.6%-21.2% (P Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Analysis of a ferrofluid core differential transformer tilt measurement sensor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Medvegy, T.; Molnár, Á.; Molnár, G.; Gugolya, Z.

    2017-04-15

    In our work, we developed a ferrofluid core differential transformer sensor, which can be used to measure tilt and acceleration. The proposed sensor consisted of three coils, from which the primary was excited with an alternating current. In the space surrounded by the coils was a cell half-filled with ferrofluid, therefore in the horizontal state of the sensor the fluid distributes equally in the three sections of the cell surrounded by the three coils. Nevertheless when the cell is being tilted or accelerated (in the direction of the axis of the coils), there is a different amount of ferrofluid in the three sections. The voltage induced in the secondary coils strongly depends on the amount of ferrofluid found in the core surrounded by them, so the tilt or the acceleration of the cell becomes measurable. We constructed the sensor in several layouts. The linearly coiled sensor had an excellent resolution. Another version with a toroidal cell had almost perfect linearity and a virtually infinite measuring range. - Highlights: • A ferrofluid core differential transformer can be used to measure tilt. • The theoretical description of two different type of the sensor is introduced. • The measuring range, and the sensitivity depends on the dimensions of the sensor.

  8. Tilted Bianchi type I dust fluid cosmological model in general relativity

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Home; Journals; Pramana – Journal of Physics; Volume 58; Issue 3. Tilted Bianchi type I dust fluid cosmological model in general ... In this paper, we have investigated a tilted Bianchi type I cosmological model filled with dust of perfect fluid in general relativity. To get a determinate solution, we have assumed a condition  ...

  9. Psychomotor performance during a 28 day head-down tilt with and without lower body negative pressure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Traon, A. Pavy-le; de Feneyrols, A. Rous; Cornac, A.; Abdeseelam, R.; N'uygen, D.; Lazerges, M.; Güell, A.; Bes, A.

    Several factors may affect psychomotor performance in space: sensory-motor changes, sleep disturbances, psychological modifications induced by the social isolation and confinement. However, psychomotor performance is difficult to assess. A battery of standardized and computerized tests, so-called "Automated Portable Test System" (APTS) was devised to ascertain the cognitive, perceptive and motor abilities and their possible fluctuations according to environmental effects. Antiorthostatic bedrest, often used to simulate weightlessness, (particularly cardiovascular modifications) also constitutes a situation of social confinement and isolation. During two bedrest experiments (with head-down tilt of -6°) of 28 days each, we intended to assess psychomotor performance of 6 males so as to determine whether: —on the one hand, it could be altered by remaining in decubitus; —on the other, the Lower Body Negative Pressure sessions, designed to prevent orthostatic intolerance back on Earth, could improve the performance. To accomplish this, part of the APTS tests as well as an automated perceptive attention test were performed. No downgrading of psychomotor performance was observed. On the contrary, the tasks were more accurately performed over time. In order to assess the experimental conditions on the acquisition phase, the learning curves were modelled. A beneficial effect of the LBNP sessions on simple tests involving the visual-motor coordination and attention faculties can only be regarded as a mere trend. Methods used in this experiment are also discussed.

  10. A tilted transversely isotropic slowness surface approximation

    KAUST Repository

    Stovas, A.

    2012-05-09

    The relation between vertical and horizontal slownesses, better known as the dispersion relation, for transversely isotropic media with a tilted symmetry axis (TTI) requires solving a quartic polynomial equation, which does not admit a practical explicit solution to be used, for example, in downward continuation. Using a combination of the perturbation theory with respect to the anelliptic parameter and Shanks transform to improve the accuracy of the expansion, we develop an explicit formula for the vertical slowness that is highly accurate for all practical purposes. It also reveals some insights into the anisotropy parameter dependency of the dispersion relation including the low impact that the anelliptic parameter has on the vertical placement of reflectors for a small tilt in the symmetry angle. © 2012 European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers.

  11. Documentation of programs that compute 1) static tilts for a spatially variable slip distribution, and 2) quasi-static tilts produced by an expanding dislocation loop with a spatially variable slip distribution

    Science.gov (United States)

    McHugh, Stuart

    1976-01-01

    The material in this report is concerned with the effects of a vertically oriented rectangular dislocation loop on the tilts observed at the free surface of an elastic half-space. Part I examines the effect of a spatially variable static strike-slip distribution across the slip surface. The tilt components as a function of distance parallel, or perpendicular, to the strike of the slip surface are displayed for different slip-versus-distance profiles. Part II examines the effect of spatially and temporally variable slip distributions across the dislocation loop on the quasi-static tilts at the free surface of an elastic half space. The model discussed in part II may be used to generate theoretical tilt versus time curves produced by creep events.

  12. Motion Perception and Manual Control Performance During Passive Tilt and Translation Following Space Flight

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clement, Gilles; Wood, Scott J.

    2010-01-01

    This joint ESA-NASA study is examining changes in motion perception following Space Shuttle flights and the operational implications of post-flight tilt-translation ambiguity for manual control performance. Vibrotactile feedback of tilt orientation is also being evaluated as a countermeasure to improve performance during a closed-loop nulling task. METHODS. Data has been collected on 5 astronaut subjects during 3 preflight sessions and during the first 8 days after Shuttle landings. Variable radius centrifugation (216 deg/s) combined with body translation (12-22 cm, peak-to-peak) is utilized to elicit roll-tilt perception (equivalent to 20 deg, peak-to-peak). A forward-backward moving sled (24-390 cm, peak-to-peak) with or without chair tilting in pitch is utilized to elicit pitch tilt perception (equivalent to 20 deg, peak-to-peak). These combinations are elicited at 0.15, 0.3, and 0.6 Hz for evaluating the effect of motion frequency on tilt-translation ambiguity. In both devices, a closed-loop nulling task is also performed during pseudorandom motion with and without vibrotactile feedback of tilt. All tests are performed in complete darkness. PRELIMINARY RESULTS. Data collection is currently ongoing. Results to date suggest there is a trend for translation motion perception to be increased at the low and medium frequencies on landing day compared to pre-flight. Manual control performance is improved with vibrotactile feedback. DISCUSSION. The results of this study indicate that post-flight recovery of motion perception and manual control performance is complete within 8 days following short-duration space missions. Vibrotactile feedback of tilt improves manual control performance both before and after flight.

  13. Effect of manual tilt adjustments on incident irradiance on fixed and tracking solar panels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lubitz, William David

    2011-01-01

    Hourly typical meteorological year (TMY3) data was utilized with the Perez radiation model to simulate solar radiation on fixed, azimuth tracking and two axis tracking surfaces at 217 geographically diverse temperate latitude sites across the contiguous United States of America. The optimum tilt angle for maximizing annual irradiation on a fixed south-facing panel varied from being equal to the latitude at low-latitude, high clearness sites, to up to 14 o less than the latitude at a north-western coastal site with very low clearness index. Across the United States, the optimum tilt angle for an azimuth tracking panel was found to be on average 19 o closer to vertical than the optimum tilt angle for a fixed, south-facing panel at the same site. Azimuth tracking increased annual solar irradiation incident on a surface by an average of 29% relative to a fixed south-facing surface at optimum tilt angle. Two axis tracking resulted in an average irradiation increase of 34% relative to the fixed surface. Introduction of manual surface tilt changes during the year produced a greater impact for non-tracking surfaces than it did for azimuth tracking surfaces. Even monthly tilt changes only resulted in an average annual irradiation increase of 5% for fixed panels and 1% for azimuth tracked surfaces, relative to using a single optimized tilt angle in each case. In practice, the decision whether to manually tilt panels requires balancing the added cost in labor and the panel support versus the extra energy generation and the cost value of that energy. A spreadsheet file is available that gives individual results for each of the 217 simulated sites.

  14. A semi-automated approach to derive elevation time-series and calculate glacier mass balance from historical aerial imagery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whorton, E.; Headman, A.; Shean, D. E.; McCann, E.

    2017-12-01

    Understanding the implications of glacier recession on water resources in the western U.S. requires quantifying glacier mass change across large regions over several decades. Very few glaciers in North America have long-term continuous field measurements of glacier mass balance. However, systematic aerial photography campaigns began in 1957 on many glaciers in the western U.S. and Alaska. These historical, vertical aerial stereo-photographs documenting glacier evolution have recently become publically available. Digital elevation models (DEM) of the transient glacier surface preserved in each imagery timestamp can be derived, then differenced to calculate glacier volume and mass change to improve regional geodetic solutions of glacier mass balance. In order to batch process these data, we use Python-based algorithms and Agisoft Photoscan structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetry software to semi-automate DEM creation, and orthorectify and co-register historical aerial imagery in a high-performance computing environment. Scanned photographs are rotated to reduce scaling issues, cropped to the same size to remove fiducials, and batch histogram equalization is applied to improve image quality and aid pixel-matching algorithms using the Python library OpenCV. Processed photographs are then passed to Photoscan through the Photoscan Python library to create DEMs and orthoimagery. To extend the period of record, the elevation products are co-registered to each other, airborne LiDAR data, and DEMs derived from sub-meter commercial satellite imagery. With the exception of the placement of ground control points, the process is entirely automated with Python. Current research is focused on: one, applying these algorithms to create geodetic mass balance time series for the 90 photographed glaciers in Washington State and two, evaluating the minimal amount of positional information required in Photoscan to prevent distortion effects that cannot be addressed during co

  15. Estimation of pelvic tilt on anteroposterior X-rays - a comparison of six parameters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tannast, M.; Murphy, S.B.; Langlotz, F.; Anderson, S.E.; Siebenrock, K.A.

    2006-01-01

    To compare six different parameters described in literature for estimation of pelvic tilt on an anteroposterior pelvic radiograph and to create a simple nomogram for tilt correction of prosthetic cup version in total hip arthroplasty. Simultaneous anteroposterior and lateral pelvic radiographs are taken routinely in our institution and were analyzed prospectively. The different parameters (including three distances and three ratios) were measured and compared to the actual pelvic tilt on the lateral radiograph using simple linear regression analysis. One hundred and four consecutive patients (41 men, 63 women with a mean age of 31.7 years, SD 9.2 years, range 15.7-59.1 years) were studied. The strongest correlation between pelvic tilt and one of the six parameters for both men and women was the distance between the upper border of the symphysis and the sacrococcygeal joint. The correlation coefficient was 0.68 for men (P<0.001) and 0.61 for women (P<0.001). Based on this linear correlation, a nomogram was created that enables fast, tilt-corrected cup version measurements in clinical routine use. This simple method for correcting variations in pelvic tilt on plain radiographs can potentially improve the radiologist's ability to diagnose and interpret malformations of the acetabulum (particularly acetabular retroversion and excessive acetabular overcoverage) and post-operative orientation of the prosthetic acetabulum. (orig.)

  16. Tilt shift determinations with spatial-carrier phase-shift method in temporal phase-shift interferometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Qian; Wang, Yang; He, Jianguo; Ji, Fang; Wang, Baorui

    2014-01-01

    An algorithm is proposed to deal with tilt-shift errors in temporal phase-shift interferometry (PSI). In the algorithm, the tilt shifts are detected with the spatial-carrier phase-shift (SCPS) method and then the tilt shifts are applied as priori information to the least-squares fittings of phase retrieval. The algorithm combines the best features of the SCPS and the temporal PSI. The algorithm could be applied to interferograms of arbitrary aperture without data extrapolation for the Fourier transform is not involved. Simulations and experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm. The statistics of simulation results show a satisfied accuracy in detecting tilt-shift errors. Comparisons of the measurements with and without environmental vibration show that the proposed algorithm could compensate tilt-shift errors and retrieve wavefront phase accurately. The algorithm provides an approach to retrieve wavefront phase for the temporal PSI in vibrating environment. (paper)

  17. Tilt rotor tricopter : control system for the holonomic multirotor platform

    OpenAIRE

    Gjertsen, Sindre; Salem, Daniel

    2013-01-01

    Masteroppgave i mekatronikk MAS500 2013 – Universitetet i Agder, Grimstad Development of a new approach to the multicopter segment of the Unmanned Areal Vehicle (UAV) family is presented. The system is designed on a T-shaped tricopter platform with ability to tilt all three motors, hereby defined as Tilt Rotor Tricopter (TRT). The highly coupled nonlinear system is investigated through the mathematical model, and verified by simulations. Linearization of the system has been ach...

  18. Reliability-Based Optimization of Series Systems of Parallel Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Enevoldsen, I.; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

    Reliability-based design of structural systems is considered. Especially systems where the reliability model is a series system of parallel systems are analysed. A sensitivity analysis for this class of problems is presented. Direct and sequential optimization procedures to solve the optimization...

  19. Influence of tilt training on activation of the autonomic nervous system in patients with vasovagal syncope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gajek, Jacek; Zyśko, Dorota; Halawa, Bogumił; Mazurek, Walentyna

    2006-04-01

    Tilt training is a new treatment for vasovagal syncope. Its therapeutic efficacy is thought to be the result of the desensitization of cardiopulmonary receptors, but it could be the influence of the tilt training on the activation of the autonomic nervous system as well. The study group consisted of 24 vasovagal patients (17 women and 7 men) aged 32.5 +/- 11.8 years. The diagnostic head-up tilt test was performed according to the Italian protocol with nitroglycerin if necessary. The monitoring head-up tilt test was performed according to the Westminster protocol without provocation, after 1 to 3 months of tilt training. Holter ECG recordings for HRV parameters (time and frequency domain) were obtained from selected 2-min intervals before, during and after the diagnostic and monitoring tilt test. The diagnostic test was positive in the passive phase in 6 and after provocation in 18 patients. During the training period no syncope occurred. Analysing the HRV parameters we demonstrated the following findings: I. mRR decreases immediately after assumption of a vertical position in both tests (diagnostic and monitoring) but in the diagnostic test its further decrease occurs earlier than in the monitoring test; 2. the absolute power of the HF component is greater in the early phase of tilt after tilt training than in the corresponding period in the diagnostic test. After a longer period of tilt training the activation of the sympathetic nervous system in response to the erect position is diminished.

  20. Sequential injection approach for simultaneous determination of ultratrace plutonium and neptunium in urine with accelerator mass spectrometry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Qiao, Jixin; Hou, Xiaolin; Roos, Per

    2013-01-01

    An analytical method was developed for simultaneous determination of ultratrace level plutonium (Pu) and neptunium (Np) using iron hydroxide coprecipitation in combination with automated sequential injection extraction chromatography separation and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) measurement...... show that preboiling and aging are important for obtaining high chemical yields for both Pu and Np, which is possibly related to the aggregation and adsorption behavior of organic substances contained in urine. Although the optimal condition for Np and Pu simultaneous determination requires 5-day aging...

  1. Comparative analysis of diffused solar radiation models for optimum tilt angle determination for Indian locations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yadav, P.; Chandel, S.S.

    2014-01-01

    Tilt angle and orientation greatly are influenced on the performance of the solar photo voltaic panels. The tilt angle of solar photovoltaic panels is one of the important parameters for the optimum sizing of solar photovoltaic systems. This paper analyses six different isotropic and anisotropic diffused solar radiation models for optimum tilt angle determination. The predicted optimum tilt angles are compared with the experimentally measured values for summer season under outdoor conditions. The Liu and Jordan model is found to exhibit t lowest error as compared to other models for the location. (author)

  2. Tilting Uranus without a Collision

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rogoszinski, Zeeve; Hamilton, Douglas P.

    2016-10-01

    The most accepted hypothesis for the origin of Uranus' 98° obliquity is a giant collision during the late stages of planetary accretion. This model requires a single Earth mass object striking Uranus at high latitudes; such events occur with a probability of about 10%. Alternatively, Uranus' obliquity may have arisen from a sequence of smaller impactors which lead to a uniform distribution of obliquities. Here we explore a third model for tilting Uranus using secular spin-orbit resonance theory. We investigate early Solar System configurations in which a secular resonance between Uranus' axial precession frequency and another planet's orbital node precession frequency might occur.Thommes et al. (1999) hypothesized that Uranus and Neptune initially formed between Jupiter and Saturn, and were then kicked outward. In our scenario, Neptune leaves first while Uranus remains behind. As an exterior Neptune slowly migrates outward, it picks up both Uranus and Saturn in spin-orbit resonances (Ward and Hamilton 2004; Hamilton and Ward 2004). Only a distant Neptune has a nodal frequency slow enough to resonate with Uranus' axial precession.This scenario, with diverging orbits, results in resonance capture. As Neptune migrates outward its nodal precession slows. While in resonance, Uranus and Saturn each tilt a bit further, slowing their axial precession rates to continually match Neptune's nodal precession rate. Tilting Uranus to high obliquities takes a few 100 Myrs. This timescale may be too long to hold Uranus captive between Jupiter and Saturn, and we are investigating how to reduce it. We also find that resonance capture is rare if Uranus' initial obliquity is greater than about 10°, as the probability of capture decreases as the planet's initial obliquity increases. We will refine this estimate by quantifying capture statistics, and running accretion simulations to test the likelihood of a low early obliquity. Our preliminary findings show that most assumptions about

  3. Non-parametric characterization of long-term rainfall time series

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiwari, Harinarayan; Pandey, Brij Kishor

    2018-03-01

    The statistical study of rainfall time series is one of the approaches for efficient hydrological system design. Identifying, and characterizing long-term rainfall time series could aid in improving hydrological systems forecasting. In the present study, eventual statistics was applied for the long-term (1851-2006) rainfall time series under seven meteorological regions of India. Linear trend analysis was carried out using Mann-Kendall test for the observed rainfall series. The observed trend using the above-mentioned approach has been ascertained using the innovative trend analysis method. Innovative trend analysis has been found to be a strong tool to detect the general trend of rainfall time series. Sequential Mann-Kendall test has also been carried out to examine nonlinear trends of the series. The partial sum of cumulative deviation test is also found to be suitable to detect the nonlinear trend. Innovative trend analysis, sequential Mann-Kendall test and partial cumulative deviation test have potential to detect the general as well as nonlinear trend for the rainfall time series. Annual rainfall analysis suggests that the maximum changes in mean rainfall is 11.53% for West Peninsular India, whereas the maximum fall in mean rainfall is 7.8% for the North Mountainous Indian region. The innovative trend analysis method is also capable of finding the number of change point available in the time series. Additionally, we have performed von Neumann ratio test and cumulative deviation test to estimate the departure from homogeneity. Singular spectrum analysis has been applied in this study to evaluate the order of departure from homogeneity in the rainfall time series. Monsoon season (JS) of North Mountainous India and West Peninsular India zones has higher departure from homogeneity and singular spectrum analysis shows the results to be in coherence with the same.

  4. The Influence of Injection Pockets on the Performance of Tilting-Pad Thrust Bearings: Part II – Comparison Between Theory and Experiment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heinrichson, Niels; Santos, Ilmar

    2006-01-01

    This is Part II of a two-part series of papers describing the effects of high pressure injection pockets on the operating conditions of tilting-pad thrust bearings. Measurements of the distribution of pressure and oil film thickness are presented for tilting-pad thrust bearing pads of approximately...... 100 cm2 surface area. Two pads are measured in a laboratory test-rig at loads of approximately 0.5, 1.5 and 4.0 MPa and velocities of up to 33 m/s. One pad has a plain surface. The other pad has a conical injection pocket at the pivot point and a leading edge taper. The measurements are compared...... to theoretical values obtained using a three dimensional thermo-elasto-hydrodynamic (TEHD) numerical model. At low and intermediate loads the theoretical pressure distribution corresponds well to the measured values for both pads although the influence of the pocket is slightly underestimated. At high loads...

  5. Multi-agent sequential hypothesis testing

    KAUST Repository

    Kim, Kwang-Ki K.

    2014-12-15

    This paper considers multi-agent sequential hypothesis testing and presents a framework for strategic learning in sequential games with explicit consideration of both temporal and spatial coordination. The associated Bayes risk functions explicitly incorporate costs of taking private/public measurements, costs of time-difference and disagreement in actions of agents, and costs of false declaration/choices in the sequential hypothesis testing. The corresponding sequential decision processes have well-defined value functions with respect to (a) the belief states for the case of conditional independent private noisy measurements that are also assumed to be independent identically distributed over time, and (b) the information states for the case of correlated private noisy measurements. A sequential investment game of strategic coordination and delay is also discussed as an application of the proposed strategic learning rules.

  6. Why is it so difficult to tilt Uranus?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rogoszinski, Zeeve; Hamilton, Douglas

    2018-04-01

    The leading hypothesis for the origin of Uranus' large obliquity (98°) is a polar strike from an Earth sized object, but to tilt Saturn similarly would require an impactor roughly 10x as massive. A more likely cause for Saturn's tilt (27°) is a spin-orbit resonance with Neptune (Ward & Hamilton, 2004; Hamilton & Ward, 2004); might the same process work for Uranus? It initially seems unlikely, as at its current location Uranus' axial precession period is too long to resonate with any of the giant planets' orbital precession frequencies. If we place Uranus between Jupiter and Saturn, however, then Uranus' spin axis would precess much more quickly. Thommes et al. (1999, 2002, 2003) first postulated that Uranus and Neptune were formed between Jupiter and Saturn because the conditions there allow the ice giants to be built rapidly. A resonance for our closer Uranus still requires a distant planet, nevertheless, a condition that can be satisfied if Neptune is ejected from Jupiter and Saturn first with Uranus following significantly later. This scenario, while contrived, is consistent with at least some versions of the Nice model and allows us to fully test the resonance hypothesis. We discovered that even with these optimistic assumptions, i) a resonance capture requires a migration timescale on the order of 100 Myr, and ii) it is impossible to tilt Uranus past 90°. Increasing Neptune's migration speed precludes resonant capture, and instead results in a resonance kick. In the most favorable cases, a resonance kick could raise Uranus' obliquity by 40° on a time span of about 50 Myr. We conclude that even in our best scenario, a resonance cannot fully account for Uranus' tilt. We have investigated some scenarios that include both resonances and collisions, and will report on our findings.

  7. Analysis and Optimization of Wireless Power Transfer Efficiency Considering the Tilt Angle of a Coil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei Huang

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Wireless power transfer (WPT based on magnetic resonant coupling is a promising technology in many industrial applications. Efficiency of the WPT system usually depends on the tilt angle of the transmitter or the receiver coil. This work analyzes the effect of the tilt angle on the efficiency of the WPT system with horizontal misalignment. The mutual inductance between two coils located at arbitrary positions with tilt angles is calculated using a numerical analysis based on the Neumann formula. The efficiency of the WPT system with a tilted coil is extracted using an equivalent circuit model with extracted mutual inductance. By analyzing the results, we propose an optimal tilt angle to maximize the efficiency of the WPT system. The best angle to maximize the efficiency depends on the radii of the two coils and their relative position. The calculated efficiencies versus the tilt angle for various WPT cases, which change the radius of RX (r2 = 0.075 m, 0.1 m, 0.15 m and the horizontal distance (y = 0 m, 0.05 m, 0.1 m, are compared with the experimental results. The analytically extracted efficiencies and the extracted optimal tilt angles agree well with those of the experimental results.

  8. An electronic pan/tilt/magnify and rotate camera system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zimmermann, S.; Martin, H.L.

    1992-01-01

    A new camera system has been developed for omnidirectional image-viewing applications that provides pan, tilt, magnify, and rotational orientation within a hemispherical field of view (FOV) without any moving parts. The imaging device is based on the fact that the image from a fish-eye lens, which produces a circular image of an entire hemispherical FOV, can be mathematically corrected using high-speed electronic circuitry. More specifically, an incoming fish-eye image from any image acquisition source is captured in the memory of the device, a transformation is performed for the viewing region of interest and viewing direction, and a corrected image is output as a video image signal for viewing, recording, or analysis. The image transformation device can provide corrected images at frame rates compatible with RS-170 standard video equipment. As a result, this device can accomplish the functions of pan, tilt, rotation, and magnification throughout a hemispherical FOV without the need for any mechanical devices. Multiple images, each with different image magnifications and pan-tilt-rotate parameters, can be obtained from a single camera

  9. Tilt Table Therapies for Patients with Severe Disorders of Consciousness: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krewer, Carmen; Luther, Marianne; Koenig, Eberhard; Müller, Friedemann

    2015-01-01

    One major aim of the neurological rehabilitation of patients with severe disorders of consciousness (DOC) is to enhance patients' arousal and ability to communicate. Mobilization into a standing position by means of a tilt table has been shown to improve their arousal and awareness. However, due to the frequent occurrence of syncopes on a tilt table, it is easier to accomplish verticalization using a tilt table with an integrated stepping device. The objective of this randomized controlled clinical trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of a tilt table therapy with or without an integrated stepping device on the level of consciousness. A total of 50 participants in vegetative or minimally conscious states 4 weeks to 6 month after injury were treated with verticalization during this randomized controlled trial. Interventions involved ten 1-hour sessions of the specific treatment over a 3-week period. Blinded assessors made measurements before and after the intervention period, as well as after a 3-week follow-up period. The coma recovery scale-revised (CRS-R) showed an improvement by a median of 2 points for the group receiving tilt table with integrated stepping (Erigo). The rate of recovery of the group receiving the conventional tilt table therapy significantly increased by 5 points during treatment and by an additional 2 points during the 3-week follow-up period. Changes in spasticity did not significantly differ between the two intervention groups. Compared to the conventional tilt table, the tilt table with integrated stepping device failed to have any additional benefit for DOC patients. Verticalization itself seems to be beneficial though and should be administered to patients in DOC in early rehabilitation. Trial Registration: Current Controlled Trials Ltd (www.controlled-trials.com), identifier number ISRCTN72853718.

  10. Tilt Table Therapies for Patients with Severe Disorders of Consciousness: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carmen Krewer

    Full Text Available One major aim of the neurological rehabilitation of patients with severe disorders of consciousness (DOC is to enhance patients' arousal and ability to communicate. Mobilization into a standing position by means of a tilt table has been shown to improve their arousal and awareness. However, due to the frequent occurrence of syncopes on a tilt table, it is easier to accomplish verticalization using a tilt table with an integrated stepping device. The objective of this randomized controlled clinical trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of a tilt table therapy with or without an integrated stepping device on the level of consciousness. A total of 50 participants in vegetative or minimally conscious states 4 weeks to 6 month after injury were treated with verticalization during this randomized controlled trial. Interventions involved ten 1-hour sessions of the specific treatment over a 3-week period. Blinded assessors made measurements before and after the intervention period, as well as after a 3-week follow-up period. The coma recovery scale-revised (CRS-R showed an improvement by a median of 2 points for the group receiving tilt table with integrated stepping (Erigo. The rate of recovery of the group receiving the conventional tilt table therapy significantly increased by 5 points during treatment and by an additional 2 points during the 3-week follow-up period. Changes in spasticity did not significantly differ between the two intervention groups. Compared to the conventional tilt table, the tilt table with integrated stepping device failed to have any additional benefit for DOC patients. Verticalization itself seems to be beneficial though and should be administered to patients in DOC in early rehabilitation. Trial Registration: Current Controlled Trials Ltd (www.controlled-trials.com, identifier number ISRCTN72853718.

  11. Doping and tilting on optics in noncentrosymmetric multi-Weyl semimetals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mukherjee, S. P.; Carbotte, J. P.

    2018-01-01

    We calculate the absorptive part of the ac optical conductivity of a multi-Weyl semimetal with winding number J in both the direction of the tilt σz z(Ω ) and perpendicular to it σx x(Ω ) as a function of photon energy Ω , tilt C, and chemical potential μ (doping). For zero tilt there is a discontinuous rise in the conductivity at twice the value of the chemical potential Ω =2 μ . Below 2 μ , both σx x(Ω ) and σz z(Ω ) are zero and above 2 μ they merge with their value at charge neutrality and display a linear in Ω dependence for J =1 while for J =2 , σx x(Ω ) remains linear but σz z(Ω ) is instead constant. For finite tilt the sharp jump at Ω =2 μ is lost and the onset of absorption starts instead from zero at a lower photon energy Ω =2 μ /(1 +C ) after which it acquires a quasilinear rise to merge with the undoped untilted interband background at Ω =2 μ /(1 -C ) for type I Weyl while for type II the undoped untilted background is never recovered. For noncentrosymmetric materials the energies of a pair of opposite chirality Weyl nodes become shifted by ±Q0 and this leads to two separate absorption edges corresponding to the effective chemical potential of each of the two nodes at 2 (μ +χ Q0) depending on chirality χ =± . We provide analytic expressions for the conductivity in this case which depend only on the ratio Q0/μ and tilt when plotted against Ω /μ . The signature of finite energy shift Q0 is more pronounced for σz z and J =2 than for the other cases.

  12. A COMMON SOURCE OF ACCRETION DISK TILT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Montgomery, M. M.; Martin, E. L.

    2010-01-01

    Many different system types retrogradely precess, and retrograde precession could be from a tidal torque by the secondary on a misaligned accretion disk. However, a source that causes and maintains disk tilt is unknown. In this work, we show that accretion disks can tilt due to a force called lift. Lift results from differing gas stream supersonic speeds over and under an accretion disk. Because lift acts at the disk's center of pressure, a torque is applied around a rotation axis passing through the disk's center of mass. The disk responds to lift by pitching around the disk's line of nodes. If the gas stream flow ebbs, then lift also ebbs and the disk attempts to return to its original orientation. To first approximation, lift does not depend on magnetic fields or radiation sources but does depend on the mass and the surface area of the disk. Also, for disk tilt to be initiated, a minimum mass transfer rate must be exceeded. For example, a 10 -11 M sun disk around a 0.8 M sun compact central object requires a mass transfer rate greater than ∼ 8 x 10 -11 M sun yr -1 , a value well below the known mass transfer rates in cataclysmic variable dwarf novae systems that retrogradely precess and exhibit negative superhumps in their light curves and a value well below mass transfer rates in protostellar-forming systems.

  13. Robotics and automation activities in South Africa

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Utete, S

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Second in the series of articles focusing on the state of robotics and automation in the BRICS countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, this article provides an overview on South Africa written by researchers from the Council...

  14. Sequential charged particle reaction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hori, Jun-ichi; Ochiai, Kentaro; Sato, Satoshi; Yamauchi, Michinori; Nishitani, Takeo

    2004-01-01

    The effective cross sections for producing the sequential reaction products in F82H, pure vanadium and LiF with respect to the 14.9-MeV neutron were obtained and compared with the estimation ones. Since the sequential reactions depend on the secondary charged particles behavior, the effective cross sections are corresponding to the target nuclei and the material composition. The effective cross sections were also estimated by using the EAF-libraries and compared with the experimental ones. There were large discrepancies between estimated and experimental values. Additionally, we showed the contribution of the sequential reaction on the induced activity and dose rate in the boundary region with water. From the present study, it has been clarified that the sequential reactions are of great importance to evaluate the dose rates around the surface of cooling pipe and the activated corrosion products. (author)

  15. An iterative fast sweeping based eikonal solver for tilted orthorhombic media

    KAUST Repository

    Waheed, Umair bin

    2014-08-01

    Computing first-arrival traveltimes of quasi-P waves in the presence of anisotropy is important for high-end near-surface modeling, microseismic-source localization, and fractured-reservoir characterization, and requires solving an anisotropic eikonal equation. Anisotropy deviating from elliptical anisotropy introduces higher-order nonlinearity into the eikonal equation, which makes solving the eikonal equation a challenge. We address this challenge by iteratively solving a sequence of simpler tilted elliptically anisotropic eikonal equations. At each iteration, the source function is updated to capture the effects of the higher order nonlinear terms. We use Aitken extrapolation to speed up the convergence rate of the iterative algorithm. The result is an algorithm for first-arrival traveltime computations in tilted anisotropic media. We demonstrate our method on tilted transversely isotropic media and tilted orthorhombic media. Our numerical tests demonstrate that the proposed method can match the first arrivals obtained by wavefield extrapolation, even for strong anisotropy and complex structures. Therefore, for the cases where oneor two-point ray tracing fails, our method may be a potential substitute for computing traveltimes. Our approach can be extended to anisotropic media with lower symmetries, such as monoclinic or even triclinic media.

  16. An iterative fast sweeping based eikonal solver for tilted orthorhombic media

    KAUST Repository

    Waheed, Umair bin; Yarman, Can Evren; Flagg, Garret

    2014-01-01

    Computing first-arrival traveltimes of quasi-P waves in the presence of anisotropy is important for high-end near-surface modeling, microseismic-source localization, and fractured-reservoir characterization, and requires solving an anisotropic eikonal equation. Anisotropy deviating from elliptical anisotropy introduces higher-order nonlinearity into the eikonal equation, which makes solving the eikonal equation a challenge. We address this challenge by iteratively solving a sequence of simpler tilted elliptically anisotropic eikonal equations. At each iteration, the source function is updated to capture the effects of the higher order nonlinear terms. We use Aitken extrapolation to speed up the convergence rate of the iterative algorithm. The result is an algorithm for first-arrival traveltime computations in tilted anisotropic media. We demonstrate our method on tilted transversely isotropic media and tilted orthorhombic media. Our numerical tests demonstrate that the proposed method can match the first arrivals obtained by wavefield extrapolation, even for strong anisotropy and complex structures. Therefore, for the cases where oneor two-point ray tracing fails, our method may be a potential substitute for computing traveltimes. Our approach can be extended to anisotropic media with lower symmetries, such as monoclinic or even triclinic media.

  17. Hyperbolic umbilic caustics from oblate water drops with tilted illumination: Observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jobe, Oli; Thiessen, David B.; Marston, Philip L.

    2017-11-01

    Various groups have reported observations of hyperbolic umbilic diffraction catastrophe patterns in the far-field scattering by oblate acoustically levitated drops with symmetric illumination. In observations of that type the drop's symmetry axis is vertical and the illuminating light beam (typically an expanded laser beam) travels horizontally. In the research summarized here, scattering patterns in the primary rainbow region and drop measurements were recorded with vertically tilted laser beam illumination having a grazing angle as large as 4 degrees. The findings from these observations may be summarized as follows: (a) It remains possible to adjust the drop aspect ratio (diameter/height) = D/H so as to produce a V-shaped hyperbolic umbilic focal section (HUFS) in the far-field scattering. (b) The shift in the required D/H was typically an increase of less than 1% and was quadratic in the tilt. (c) The apex of the V-shaped HUFS was shifted vertically by an amount proportional to the tilt with a coefficient close to unity. The levitated drops had negligible up-down asymmetry. Our method of investigation should be useful for other generalized rainbows with tilted illumination.

  18. Cellular structures using U_q-tilting modules

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Henning Haahr; Stroppel, Catharina; Tubbenhauer, Daniel

    We use the theory of Uq-tilting modules to construct cellular bases for centralizer algebras. Our methods are quite general and work for any quantum group Uq attached to a Cartan matrix and include the non semi-simple cases for q being a root of unity and ground fields of positive characteristic........ Our approach also generalize to certain categories containing infinite dimensional modules. As an application, we recover several known cellular structures (which can all be fit into our general set-up) as we illustrate in a list of examples.......We use the theory of Uq-tilting modules to construct cellular bases for centralizer algebras. Our methods are quite general and work for any quantum group Uq attached to a Cartan matrix and include the non semi-simple cases for q being a root of unity and ground fields of positive characteristic...

  19. Acute effects of head-down tilt and hypoxia on modulators of fluid homeostasis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whitson, P. A.; Cintron, N. M.; Pietrzyk, R. A.; Scotto, P.; Loeppky, J. A.

    1994-01-01

    In an effort to understand the interaction between acute postural fluid shifts and hypoxia on hormonal regulation of fluid homeostasis, the authors measured the responses to head-down tilt with and without acute exposure to normobaric hypoxia. Plasma atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), plasma aldosterone (ALD), and plasma renin activity (PRA) were measured in six healthy male volunteers who were exposed to a head-down tilt protocol during normoxia and hypoxia. The tilt protocol consisted of a 17 degrees head-up phase (30 minutes), a 28 degrees head-down phase (1 hour), and a 17 degrees head-up recovery period (2 hours, with the last hour normoxic in both experiments). Altitude equivalent to 14,828 ft was simulated by having the subjects breathe an inspired gas mixture with 13.9% oxygen. The results indicate that the postural fluid redistribution associated with a 60-minute head-down tilt induces the release of ANP and cGMP during both hypoxia and normoxia. Hypoxia increased cGMP, cAMP, ALD, and PRA throughout the protocol and significantly potentiated the increase in cGMP during head-down tilt. Hypoxia had no overall effect on the release of ANP, but appeared to attenuate the increase with head-down tilt. This study describes the acute effects of hypoxia on the endocrine response during fluid redistribution and suggests that the magnitude, but not the direction, of these changes with posture is affected by hypoxia.

  20. Sequential nonadiabatic excitation of large molecules and ions driven by strong laser fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Markevitch, Alexei N.; Levis, Robert J.; Romanov, Dmitri A.; Smith, Stanley M.; Schlegel, H. Bernhard; Ivanov, Misha Yu.

    2004-01-01

    Electronic processes leading to dissociative ionization of polyatomic molecules in strong laser fields are investigated experimentally, theoretically, and numerically. Using time-of-flight ion mass spectroscopy, we study the dependence of fragmentation on laser intensity for a series of related molecules and report regular trends in this dependence on the size, symmetry, and electronic structure of a molecule. Based on these data, we develop a model of dissociative ionization of polyatomic molecules in intense laser fields. The model is built on three elements: (i) nonadiabatic population transfer from the ground electronic state to the excited-state manifold via a doorway (charge-transfer) transition; (ii) exponential enhancement of this transition by collective dynamic polarization of all electrons, and (iii) sequential energy deposition in both neutral molecules and resulting molecular ions. The sequential nonadiabatic excitation is accelerated by a counterintuitive increase of a large molecule's polarizability following its ionization. The generic theory of sequential nonadiabatic excitation forms a basis for quantitative description of various nonlinear processes in polyatomic molecules and ions in strong laser fields

  1. Corpus Callosum Analysis using MDL-based Sequential Models of Shape and Appearance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stegmann, Mikkel Bille; Davies, Rhodri H.; Ryberg, Charlotte

    2004-01-01

    are proposed, but all remain applicable to other domain problems. The well-known multi-resolution AAM optimisation is extended to include sequential relaxations on texture resolution, model coverage and model parameter constraints. Fully unsupervised analysis is obtained by exploiting model parameter...... that show that the method produces accurate, robust and rapid segmentations in a cross sectional study of 17 subjects, establishing its feasibility as a fully automated clinical tool for analysis and segmentation.......This paper describes a method for automatically analysing and segmenting the corpus callosum from magnetic resonance images of the brain based on the widely used Active Appearance Models (AAMs) by Cootes et al. Extensions of the original method, which are designed to improve this specific case...

  2. Use of an Android application “clinometer” for measurement of head down tilt given during subarachnoid block

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dixit, RB; Neema, MM

    2016-01-01

    Context: Head down tilt is given to patients after sub arachnoid block for adjustment of height of block. However, the amount of tilt given is subjective and cannot be documented. Aims: We used an android application named “clinometer” to measure exact degree of tilt given by anesthesiologists as their routine practice. Settings and Design: This observational study, at a medical college hospital, was done in 130 patients given sub arachnoid block for lower abdominal surgeries. Materials and Methods: We observed and documented vital data of patients and measured tilt given by application “clinometer.” Results: We observed that the application was easy to use and measured tilt each time. The result obtained can be documented, digitally saved and transferred. In 130 patients studied, we observed incidence of degree of tilt as follows: 6-8° tilt in 38 patients (29.23%), 8-10 in 36 patients (27.69%), 10-12 in 30 patients (23.08%), 12-14 in 12 patients (9.23%) and 14-16° tilt in 14 patients (10.77%). Use of application was received with enthusiasm by practicing anesthesiologists. Various possible uses of this application are discussed. PMID:26955307

  3. Eyewitness confidence in simultaneous and sequential lineups: a criterion shift account for sequential mistaken identification overconfidence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dobolyi, David G; Dodson, Chad S

    2013-12-01

    Confidence judgments for eyewitness identifications play an integral role in determining guilt during legal proceedings. Past research has shown that confidence in positive identifications is strongly associated with accuracy. Using a standard lineup recognition paradigm, we investigated accuracy using signal detection and ROC analyses, along with the tendency to choose a face with both simultaneous and sequential lineups. We replicated past findings of reduced rates of choosing with sequential as compared to simultaneous lineups, but notably found an accuracy advantage in favor of simultaneous lineups. Moreover, our analysis of the confidence-accuracy relationship revealed two key findings. First, we observed a sequential mistaken identification overconfidence effect: despite an overall reduction in false alarms, confidence for false alarms that did occur was higher with sequential lineups than with simultaneous lineups, with no differences in confidence for correct identifications. This sequential mistaken identification overconfidence effect is an expected byproduct of the use of a more conservative identification criterion with sequential than with simultaneous lineups. Second, we found a steady drop in confidence for mistaken identifications (i.e., foil identifications and false alarms) from the first to the last face in sequential lineups, whereas confidence in and accuracy of correct identifications remained relatively stable. Overall, we observed that sequential lineups are both less accurate and produce higher confidence false identifications than do simultaneous lineups. Given the increasing prominence of sequential lineups in our legal system, our data argue for increased scrutiny and possibly a wholesale reevaluation of this lineup format. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

  4. Patient Specific Modeling of Head-Up Tilt

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Williams, Nakeya; Wright, Andrew; Mehlsen, Jesper

    2014-01-01

    Short term cardiovascular responses to head-up tilt (HUT) experiments involve complex cardiovascular regulation in order to maintain blood pressure at homeostatic levels. This manuscript presents a patient specific compartmental model developed to predict dynamic changes in heart rate and arterial...

  5. Exploring integral controllers in actively-lubricated tilting-pad journal bearings

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Salazar, Jorge Andrés González; Santos, Ilmar

    2015-01-01

    investigation of integral controllers for feedback-controlled lubrication with the aim of: a) presetting the static journal center and consequently exploring the changes of bearing dynamic properties; b) obtaining an integral controller capable of re-positioning the static journal eccentricity for matching......Active tilting-pad journal bearings with radial oil injection combine good stability properties of conventional tilting-pad journal bearings with the capability of improving their dynamic properties even more by control techniques. The main contribution of this work is the experimental...

  6. Variable contact gap single-molecule conductance determination for a series of conjugated molecular bridges

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Haiss, W.; Wang, Christian; Jitchati, R.

    2008-01-01

    It is now becoming clear that the characteristics of the whole junction are important in determining the conductance of single molecules bound between two metal contacts. This paper shows through measurements on a series of seven conjugated molecular bridges that contact separation is an importan...... that conductance increases rather dramatically at higher tilt angle away from the normal for conformationally rigid molecular wires and that this increase in conductance arises from increased electronic coupling between the molecular bridge and the gold contacts.......It is now becoming clear that the characteristics of the whole junction are important in determining the conductance of single molecules bound between two metal contacts. This paper shows through measurements on a series of seven conjugated molecular bridges that contact separation is an important......-distance curves and knowledge of the terminal to terminal length of the molecular wire. The contact gap separation dependence is interpreted as arising from tilting of these molecules in the junction and this model is underpinned by ab initio transport computations. In this respect we make the general observation...

  7. Research on Method of Photoelectric Measurement for Tilt Angle of Scanning Mirror of Infrared Earth Sensor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xu, X P; Zhang, G Y; Zhang, N; Wang, L Y [Changchun University of Science and Technology, 130022, Changchun (China)

    2006-10-15

    Tilt angle of scanning mirror is one of the important qualifications of performance measurement on the earth surface for swing scanning mode infrared the earth sensor. In order to settle the problem of measuring the tilt angle of scanning mirror in dynamic, real-time and non-contact, based on laser inspecting technology and CCD probing technology, a method of laser dynamical measurement for tilt angle of scanning mirror of the infrared earth sensor is presented. The measurement system developed in this paper can accomplish the dynamic and static laser non-contact measurement for the parameters of scanning mirror such as tilt angle, swing frequency, etc. In this paper the composition and overall structure of system are introduced. Emphasis on analyzing and discussing the theory of dynamically measuring tilt angle of scanning mirror, the problems of data processing and error correction are settled by established mathematic model of system. The accuracy of measurement system is verified by experiment, the results indicated that measurement range of system for tilt angle is 0{approx}{+-}12{sup 0}, accuracy of dynamic and static measurement is less than {+-}0.05{sup 0}, this method of dynamically measuring tilt angle is suitable.

  8. Evaluation of tilted cone-beam CT orbits in the development of a dedicated hybrid mammotomograph

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Madhav, P; Crotty, D J; Tornai, M P; McKinley, R L

    2009-01-01

    A compact dedicated 3D breast SPECT-CT (mammotomography) system is currently under development. In its initial prototype, the cone-beam CT sub-system is restricted to a fixed-tilt circular rotation around the patient's pendant breast. This study evaluated stationary-tilt angles for the CT sub-system that will enable maximal volumetric sampling and viewing of the breast and chest wall. Images of geometric/anthropomorphic phantoms were acquired using various fixed-tilt circular and 3D sinusoidal trajectories. The iteratively reconstructed images showed more distortion and attenuation coefficient inaccuracy from tilted cone-beam orbits than from the complex trajectory. Additionally, line profiles illustrated cupping artifacts in planes distal to the central plane of the tilted cone-beam, otherwise not apparent for images acquired with complex trajectories. This indicates that undersampled cone-beam data may be an additional cause of cupping artifacts. High-frequency objects could be distinguished for all trajectories, but their shapes and locations were corrupted by out-of-plane frequency information. Although more acrylic balls were visualized with a fixed-tilt and nearly flat cone-beam at the posterior of the breast, 3D complex trajectories have less distortion and more complete sampling throughout the reconstruction volume. While complex trajectories would ideally be preferred, negatively fixed-tilt source-detector configuration demonstrates minimally distorted patient images.

  9. "Happiness and Education": Tilting at Windmills?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verducci, Susan

    2013-01-01

    This essay explores the question: Is Nel Noddings a visionary who sees past the constraints of contemporary education or is she, like Don Quixote, madly tilting at windmills in her description and defense of happiness as an educational aim? Viewing the educational aim of happiness as an ideal raises substantial challenges for the practicality of…

  10. Key sectors of the home automation industry, topical report, January 1993

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    White, K.L.

    1993-01-01

    This is one of a series of topical reports dealing with the strategic, technical, and market development of home automation. Particular emphasis is placed upon identifying those aspects of home automation that will impact the gas industry and gas products. Communication standards, market drivers, key organizations, technical implementation, product opportunities, and market growth projections will all be addressed in this or subsequent reports. These reports will also discuss how the gas industry and gas-fired equipment can use home automation technology to benefit the consumer

  11. Profile relaxation and tilt instability in a field-reversed configuration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohtani, H.; Horiuchi, R.; Sato, T.

    2003-01-01

    The profile relaxation from a magnetic hydrodynamic (MHD) profile to a kinetic equilibrium in field-reversed configurations (FRCs) is investigated by two-dimensional electromagnetic particle simulation. The radial oscillation takes place in order to relax an excess energy in the MHD profile, and the system spontaneously relaxes toward a kinetic equilibrium. In this kinetic equilibrium, the hollow electron current profile is realized as a result of the combined effects of the single particle orbits and the ion finite Larmor radius, and the ion current profile becomes peaked due to the effect of the ion meandering motion. Three-dimensional full electromagnetic particle simulation is also performed to study the stability of these kinetic equilibrium against the tilt mode. The growth rate of the tilt instability is reduced by the kinetic effects. It is found that the stabilization effect of tilt mode becomes much distinct when the current density changes from the peaked profile to the hollow one. (author)

  12. Profile relaxation and tilt instability in a field-reversed configuration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohtani, H.; Horiuchi, R.; Sato, T.

    2002-10-01

    The profile relaxation from a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) profile to a kinetic equilibrium in field-reversed configurations (FRCs) is investigated by two-dimensional electromagnetic particle simulation. The radial oscillation takes place in order to relax an excess energy in the MHD profile, and the system spontaneously relaxes toward a kinetic equilibrium. In this kinetic equilibrium, the hollow electron current profile is realized as a result of the combined effects of the single particle orbits and the ion finite Larmor radius, and the ion current profile becomes peaked due to the effect of the ion meandering motion. Three-dimensional full electromagnetic particle simulation is also performed to study the stability of these kinetic equilibrium against the tilt mode. The growth rate of the tilt instability is reduced by the kinetic effects. It is found that the stabilization effect of tilt mode becomes much distinct when the current density changes from the peaked profile to the hollow one. (author)

  13. Profile relaxation and tilt instability in a field-reversed configuration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohtani, H.; Horiuchi, R.; Sato, T.

    2002-01-01

    The profile relaxation from a magnetichydrodynamic (MHD) profile to a kinetic equilibrium in field-reversed configurations (FRCs) in investigated by two-dimensional electromagnetic particle simulation. The radial oscillation takes place in order to relax an excess energy in the MHD profile, and the system spontaneously relaxes toward a kinetic equilibrium. In this kinetic equilibrium, the hollow electron current profile is realized as a result of the combined effects of the single particle orbits and the ion finite Larmor radius, and the ion current profile becomes peaked due to the effect of the ion meandering motion. Three-dimensional full electromagnetic particle simulations is also performed to study the stability of these kinetic equilibrium against the tilt mode. The growth rate of the tilt instability is reduced by the kinetic is effects. It is found that the stabilization effect of tilt mode becomes much distinct when the current density changes from the peaked profile to the hollow one. (author)

  14. The aurora at quite magnetospheric conditions: Repeatability and dipole tilt angle dependence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oznovich, I.; Eastes, R.W.; Huffman, R.E.; Tur, M.; Glaser, I.

    1993-01-01

    Is there a magnetospheric ground state? Do the position and size of the auroral oval depend on the magnetic dipole tilt angle at quiet magnetospheric conditions? In order to address these questions, northern hemisphere images of the aurora at 1356 Angstrom, obtained by Polar BEAR at solar minimum (beginning of 1987), were related to high temporal resolution IPM 8 measurements of the interplanetary magnetic field, to solar wind velocity, and to the ground-based activity index Kp. The first problem was addressed by a two-dimensional correlation study of the repeatability of auroral emissions in corrected geomagnetic space at conditions of minimum energy transfer from the magnetosphere. The correlation measure of auroral images was 0.6-0.85. Error simulations indicate that given the uncertainties in pixel position and intensity, the maximum expected value of the correlation measure is 0.65-0.9. The notion of a ground state magnetosphere is therefore supported by this data. Repeatability was found at the same level regardless of time or reconfigurations of the magnetosphere between images and independent of magnetic time sector. The second problem was addressed by relating latitudinal shifts of the aurora with dipole tilt angle without resorting to auroral boundary specification. This data indicate that the latitude of the continuous aurora is related to the dipole tilt angle at quiet magnetospheric conditions. In the winter hemisphere a 10 degrees increase in the dipole tilt angle causes a 1 degree decrease (increase) in the latitude of auroral emissions at noon (midnight). The magnetic local time distribution of the latitudinal shifts with dipole tilt angle support a simple model in which the dipole tilt angle determines the position of the center of the auroral circle along the magnetic meridian 1320-0120 MLT (for IMF B y positive) and does not affect its radius. 22 refs., 8 figs

  15. Human cutaneous vascular responses to whole-body tilting, Gz centrifugation, and LBNP

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watenpaugh, Donald E.; Breit, Gregory A.; Buckley, Theresa M.; Ballard, Richard E.; Murthy, Gita; Hargens, Alan R.

    2004-01-01

    We hypothesized that gravitational stimuli elicit cardiovascular responses in the following order with gravitational stress equalized at the level of the feet, from lowest to highest response: short-(SAC) and long-arm centrifugation (LAC), tilt, and lower body negative pressure (LBNP). Up to 15 healthy subjects underwent graded application of the four stimuli. Laser-Doppler flowmetry measured regional skin blood flow. At 0.6 G(z) (60 mmHg LBNP), tilt and LBNP similarly reduced leg skin blood flow to approximately 36% of supine baseline levels. Flow increased back toward baseline levels at 80-100 mmHg LBNP yet remained stable during 0.8-1.0 G(z) tilt. Centrifugation usually produced less leg vasoconstriction than tilt or LBNP. Surprisingly, SAC and LAC did not differ significantly. Thigh responses were less definitive than leg responses. No gravitational vasoconstriction occurred in the neck. All conditions except SAC increased heart rate, according to our hypothesized order. LBNP may be a more effective and practical means of simulating cardiovascular effects of gravity than centrifugation.

  16. Tilting-Twisting-Rolling: a pen-based technique for compass geometric construction

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Fei LYU; Feng TIAN; Guozhong DAI; Hongan WANG

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents a new pen-based technique,Tilting-Twisting-Rolling,to support compass geometric construction.By leveraging the 3D orientation information and 3D rotation information of a pen,this technique allows smooth pen action to complete multi-step geometric construction without switching task states.Results from a user study show this Tilting-Twisting-Rolling technique can improve user performance and user experience in compass geometric construction.

  17. Solar Cycle Variability Induced by Tilt Angle Scatter in a Babcock-Leighton Solar Dynamo Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karak, Bidya Binay; Miesch, Mark

    2017-09-01

    We present results from a three-dimensional Babcock-Leighton (BL) dynamo model that is sustained by the emergence and dispersal of bipolar magnetic regions (BMRs). On average, each BMR has a systematic tilt given by Joy’s law. Randomness and nonlinearity in the BMR emergence of our model produce variable magnetic cycles. However, when we allow for a random scatter in the tilt angle to mimic the observed departures from Joy’s law, we find more variability in the magnetic cycles. We find that the observed standard deviation in Joy’s law of {σ }δ =15^\\circ produces a variability comparable to the observed solar cycle variability of ˜32%, as quantified by the sunspot number maxima between 1755 and 2008. We also find that tilt angle scatter can promote grand minima and grand maxima. The time spent in grand minima for {σ }δ =15^\\circ is somewhat less than that inferred for the Sun from cosmogenic isotopes (about 9% compared to 17%). However, when we double the tilt scatter to {σ }δ =30^\\circ , the simulation statistics are comparable to the Sun (˜18% of the time in grand minima and ˜10% in grand maxima). Though the BL mechanism is the only source of poloidal field, we find that our simulations always maintain magnetic cycles even at large fluctuations in the tilt angle. We also demonstrate that tilt quenching is a viable and efficient mechanism for dynamo saturation; a suppression of the tilt by only 1°-2° is sufficient to limit the dynamo growth. Thus, any potential observational signatures of tilt quenching in the Sun may be subtle.

  18. Experimental Results of Network-Assisted Interference Suppression Scheme Using Adaptive Beam-Tilt Switching

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomoki Murakami

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper introduces a network-assisted interference suppression scheme using beam-tilt switching per frame for wireless local area network systems and its effectiveness in an actual indoor environment. In the proposed scheme, two access points simultaneously transmit to their own desired station by adjusting angle of beam-tilt including transmit power assisted from network server for the improvement of system throughput. In the conventional researches, it is widely known that beam-tilt is effective for ICI suppression in the outdoor scenario. However, the indoor effectiveness of beam-tilt for ICI suppression has not yet been indicated from the experimental evaluation. Thus, this paper indicates the effectiveness of the proposed scheme by analyzing multiple-input multiple-output channel matrices from experimental measurements in an office environment. The experimental results clearly show that the proposed scheme offers higher system throughput than the conventional scheme using just transmit power control.

  19. Realization of a tilted reference wave for electron holography by means of a condenser biprism

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Röder, Falk, E-mail: Falk.Roeder@tu-dresden.de [Triebenberg Labor, Institut für Strukturphysik, Technische Universität Dresden, D-01062 Dresden (Germany); CEMES-CNRS and Université de Toulouse, 29 rue Jeanne Marvig, F-31055 Toulouse (France); Houdellier, Florent; Denneulin, Thibaud; Snoeck, Etienne; Hÿtch, Martin [CEMES-CNRS and Université de Toulouse, 29 rue Jeanne Marvig, F-31055 Toulouse (France)

    2016-02-15

    As proposed recently, a tilted reference wave in off-axis electron holography is expected to be useful for aberration measurement and correction. Furthermore, in dark-field electron holography, it is considered to replace the reference wave, which is conventionally diffracted in an unstrained object area, by a well-defined object-independent reference wave. Here, we first realize a tilted reference wave by employing a biprism placed in the condenser system above three condenser lenses producing a relative tilt magnitude up to 20/nm at the object plane (300 kV). Paraxial ray-tracing predicts condenser settings for a parallel illumination at the object plane, where only one half of the round illumination disc is tilted relative to the optical axis without displacement. Holographic measurements verify the kink-like phase modulation of the incident beam and return the interference fringe contrast as a function of the relative tilt between both parts of the illumination. Contrast transfer theory including condenser aberrations and biprism instabilities was applied to explain the fringe contrast measurement. A first dark-field hologram with a tilted – object-free – reference wave was acquired and reconstructed. A new application for bright/dark-field imaging is presented.

  20. Automated sampling and data processing derived from biomimetic membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Perry, Mark; Vissing, Thomas; Boesen, P.

    2009-01-01

    data processing software to analyze and organize the large amounts of data generated. In this work, we developed an automated instrumental voltage clamp solution based on a custom-designed software controller application (the WaveManager), which enables automated on-line voltage clamp data acquisition...... applicable to long-time series experiments. We designed another software program for off-line data processing. The automation of the on-line voltage clamp data acquisition and off-line processing was furthermore integrated with a searchable database (DiscoverySheet (TM)) for efficient data management......Recent advances in biomimetic membrane systems have resulted in an increase in membrane lifetimes from hours to days and months. Long-lived membrane systems demand the development of both new automated monitoring equipment capable of measuring electrophysiological membrane characteristics and new...

  1. A Fiber Bragg grating based tilt sensor suitable for constant temperature room

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang, Guoyu; Wei, Jue; Zhou, Wei; Wu, Mingyu; Yang, Meichao; Xie, Ruijun; Xu, Xiaofeng

    2015-01-01

    Constant-temperature rooms have been widely used in industrial production, quality testing, and research laboratories. This paper proposes a high-precision tilt sensor suitable for a constant- temperature room, which has achieved a wide-range power change while the fiber Bragg grating (FBG) reflection peak wavelength shifted very little, thereby demonstrating a novel method for obtaining a high-precision tilt sensor. This paper also studies the effect of the reflection peak on measurement precision. The proposed sensor can distinguish the direction of tilt with an excellent sensitivity of 403 dBm/° and a highest achievable resolution of 2.481 × 10 −5 ° (that is, 0.08% of the measuring range). (paper)

  2. Tilted seat position for non-ambulant individuals with neurological and neuromuscular impairment: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michael, S M; Porter, D; Pountney, T E

    2007-12-01

    To determine the effects of tilt-in-space seating on outcomes for people with neurological or neuromuscular impairment who cannot walk. Search through electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, AMED). Discussions with researchers who are active in field. Selection criteria included interventional studies that investigated the effects of seat tilt on outcome or observational studies that identified outcomes for those who had used tilt-in-space seating in populations with neurological or neuromuscular impairments. Two reviewers independently selected trials for inclusion, assessed quality and extracted data. Nineteen studies were identified which fulfilled the selection criteria. Seventeen of these were essentially before-after studies investigating the immediate effects of tilting the seating. All studies looked at populations with neurological impairment, and most were on children with cerebral palsy (n=8) or adults with spinal cord injury (n=8). REVIEWER'S CONCLUSION: Posterior tilt can reduce pressures at the interface under the pelvis.

  3. High thermoelectric properties of (Sb, Bi)2Te3 nanowire arrays by tilt-structure engineering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Ming; Hao, Yanming; Deng, Yuan; Chen, Jingyi

    2018-06-01

    In this paper, we present an innovative tilt-structure design concept for (Sb, Bi)2Te3 nanowire array assembled by high-quality nanowires with well oriented growth, utilizing a simple vacuum thermal evaporation technique. The unusual tilt-structure (Sb, Bi)2Te3 nanowire array with a tilted angle of 45° exhibits a high thermoelectric dimensionless figure-of-merit ZT = 1.72 at room temperature. The relatively high ZT value in contrast to that of previously reported (Sb, Bi)2Te3 materials and the vertical (Sb, Bi)2Te3 nanowire arrays evidently reveals the crucial role of the unique tilt-structure in favorably influencing carrier and phonon transport properties, resulting in a significantly improved ZT value. The transport mechanism of such tilt-structure is proposed and investigated. This method opens a new approach to optimize nano-structure in thin films for next-generation thermoelectric materials and devices.

  4. MUSCLE OR MOTIVATION? A STOP SIGNAL STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF SEQUENTIAL COGNITIVE CONTROL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hilde M. Huizenga

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Performance in cognitive control tasks deteriorates when these tasks are performed together with other tasks that also require cognitive control, that is, if simultaneous cognitive control is required. Surprisingly, this decrease in performance is also observed if tasks are preceded by other cognitive control tasks, that is, if sequential cognitive control is required. The common explanation for the latter finding is that previous acts of cognitive control deplete a common resource, just like a muscle becomes fatigued after repeated use. An alternative explanation however has also been put forward, namely that repeated acts of cognitive control reduce the motivation to match allocated resources to required resources. In this paper we formalize these two accounts, the muscle and the motivation account, and show that they yield differential predictions on the interaction between simultaneous and sequential cognitive control. Such an interaction is not predicted by the muscle account, whereas it is predicted by the motivation account.These predictions were tested in a paradigm where participants had to perform a series of stop-signal tasks, these tasks varied both in their demands on simultaneous control and in their demands on sequential control. This paradigm, combined with a multilevel analysis, offered the possibility to test the differential predictions directly. Results of two studies indicate that an interaction between simultaneous and sequential cognitive control is present. Therefore it is concluded that effects of sequential cognitive control are best explained by the motivation account.

  5. Automated positioning dual-axis solar tracking system with precision elevation and azimuth angle control

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sidek, M.H.M.; Azis, N.; Hasan, W.Z.W.; Ab Kadir, M.Z.A.; Shafie, S.; Radzi, M.A.M.

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents a study on an automated positioning open-loop dual-axis solar tracking system. The solar tracker was designed and fabricated using standard cylindrical aluminium hollow and Polyuthrene (PE). The control system of the solar tracker was governed by Micro Controller Unit (MCU) with auxiliary devices which includes encoder and Global Positioning System (GPS). The sun path trajectory algorithm utilizing the astronomical equation and GPS information was also embedded in the system. The power generation performance of the dual-axis solar tracking system was compared with the fixed-tilted Photovoltaic (PV) system. It is found that the solar tracker is able to position itself automatically based on sun path trajectory algorithm with an accuracy of ±0.5°. The embedded Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) positioning system improves the tracking of elevation and azimuth angles with minimum energy consumption. It is reveals that the proposed solar tracker is able generate 26.9% and 12.8% higher power than fixed-tilted PV system on a clear and heavy overcast conditions respectively. Overall, the open-loop dual-axis solar tracker can be deployed automatically at any location on the earth with minimal configurations and is suitable for mobile solar tracking system. - Highlights: • Self-positioning dual-axis solar tracking system. • Precise control of elevation and azimuth angle. • Sun path trajectory based on astronomical equation and GPS. • Can achieve up to 26.9% higher power than fixed-tilted PV system under clear weather condition.

  6. Flow injection analysis: Emerging tool for laboratory automation in radiochemistry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Egorov, O.; Ruzicka, J.; Grate, J.W.; Janata, J.

    1996-01-01

    Automation of routine and serial assays is a common practice of modern analytical laboratory, while it is virtually nonexistent in the field of radiochemistry. Flow injection analysis (FIA) is a general solution handling methodology that has been extensively used for automation of routine assays in many areas of analytical chemistry. Reproducible automated solution handling and on-line separation capabilities are among several distinctive features that make FI a very promising, yet under utilized tool for automation in analytical radiochemistry. The potential of the technique is demonstrated through the development of an automated 90 Sr analyzer and its application in the analysis of tank waste samples from the Hanford site. Sequential injection (SI), the latest generation of FIA, is used to rapidly separate 90 Sr from interfering radionuclides and deliver separated Sr zone to a flow-through liquid scintillation detector. The separation is performed on a mini column containing Sr-specific sorbent extraction material, which selectively retains Sr under acidic conditions. The 90 Sr is eluted with water, mixed with scintillation cocktail, and sent through the flow cell of a flow through counter, where 90 Sr radioactivity is detected as a transient signal. Both peak area and peak height can be used for quantification of sample radioactivity. Alternatively, stopped flow detection can be performed to improve detection precision for low activity samples. The authors current research activities are focused on expansion of radiochemical applications of FIA methodology, with an ultimate goal of creating a set of automated methods that will cover the basic needs of radiochemical analysis at the Hanford site. The results of preliminary experiments indicate that FIA is a highly suitable technique for the automation of chemically more challenging separations, such as separation of actinide elements

  7. Hypotension Risk Prediction via Sequential Contrast Patterns of ICU Blood Pressure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghosh, Shameek; Feng, Mengling; Nguyen, Hung; Li, Jinyan

    2016-09-01

    Acute hypotension is a significant risk factor for in-hospital mortality at intensive care units. Prolonged hypotension can cause tissue hypoperfusion, leading to cellular dysfunction and severe injuries to multiple organs. Prompt medical interventions are thus extremely important for dealing with acute hypotensive episodes (AHE). Population level prognostic scoring systems for risk stratification of patients are suboptimal in such scenarios. However, the design of an efficient risk prediction system can significantly help in the identification of critical care patients, who are at risk of developing an AHE within a future time span. Toward this objective, a pattern mining algorithm is employed to extract informative sequential contrast patterns from hemodynamic data, for the prediction of hypotensive episodes. The hypotensive and normotensive patient groups are extracted from the MIMIC-II critical care research database, following an appropriate clinical inclusion criteria. The proposed method consists of a data preprocessing step to convert the blood pressure time series into symbolic sequences, using a symbolic aggregate approximation algorithm. Then, distinguishing subsequences are identified using the sequential contrast mining algorithm. These subsequences are used to predict the occurrence of an AHE in a future time window separated by a user-defined gap interval. Results indicate that the method performs well in terms of the prediction performance as well as in the generation of sequential patterns of clinical significance. Hence, the novelty of sequential patterns is in their usefulness as potential physiological biomarkers for building optimal patient risk stratification systems and for further clinical investigation of interesting patterns in critical care patients.

  8. A MEMS lamination technology based on sequential multilayer electrodeposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Minsoo; Kim, Jooncheol; Herrault, Florian; Schafer, Richard; Allen, Mark G

    2013-01-01

    A MEMS lamination technology based on sequential multilayer electrodeposition is presented. The process comprises three main steps: (1) automated sequential electrodeposition of permalloy (Ni 80 Fe 20 ) structural and copper sacrificial layers to form multilayer structures of significant total thickness; (2) fabrication of polymeric anchor structures through the thickness of the multilayer structures and (3) selective removal of copper. The resulting structure is a set of air-insulated permalloy laminations, the separation of which is sustained by insulating polymeric anchor structures. Individual laminations have precisely controllable thicknesses ranging from 500 nm to 5 µm, and each lamination layer is electrically isolated from adjacent layers by narrow air gaps of similar scale. In addition to air, interlamination insulators based on polymers are investigated. Interlamination air gaps with very high aspect ratio (>1:100) can be filled with polyvinylalcohol and polydimethylsiloxane. The laminated structures are characterized using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy to directly examine properties such as the roughness and the thickness uniformity of the layers. In addition, the quality of the electrical insulation between the laminations is evaluated by quantifying the eddy current within the sample as a function of frequency. Fabricated laminations are comprised of uniform, smooth (surface roughness <100 nm) layers with effective electrical insulation for all layer thicknesses and insulator approaches studied. Such highly laminated structures have potential uses ranging from energy conversion to applications where composite materials with highly anisotropic mechanical or thermal properties are required. (paper)

  9. Tip-tilt compensation: Resolution limits for ground-based telescopes using laser guide star adaptive optics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Olivier, S.S.; Max, C.E.; Gavel, D.T.; Brase, J.M.

    1992-01-01

    The angular resolution of long-exposure images from ground-based telescopes equipped with laser guide star adaptive optics systems is fundamentally limited by the the accuracy with which the tip-tilt aberrations introduced by the atmosphere can be corrected. Assuming that a natural star is used as the tilt reference, the residual error due to tilt anisoplanatism can significantly degrade the long-exposure resolution even if the tilt reference star is separated from the object being imaged by a small angle. Given the observed distribution of stars in the sky, the need to find a tilt reference star quite close to the object restricts the fraction of the sky over which long-exposure images with diffraction limited resolution can be obtained. In this paper, the authors present a comprehensive performance analysis of tip-tilt compensation systems that use a natural star as a tilt reference, taking into account properties of the atmosphere and of the Galactic stellar populations, and optimizing over the system operating parameters to determine the fundamental limits to the long-exposure resolution. Their results show that for a ten meter telescope on Mauna Kea, if the image of the tilt reference star is uncorrected, about half the sky can be imaged in the V band with long-exposure resolution less than 60 milli-arc-seconds (mas), while if the image of the tilt reference star is fully corrected, about half the sky can be imaged in the V band with long-exposure resolution less than 16 mas. Furthermore, V band images long-exposure resolution of less than 16 mas may be obtained with a ten meter telescope on Mauna Kea for unresolved objects brighter than magnitude 22 that are fully corrected by a laser guide star adaptive optics system. This level of resolution represents about 70% of the diffraction limit of a ten meter telescope in the V band and is more than a factor of 45 better than the median seeing in the V band on Mauna Kea

  10. Gravity influences the visual representation of object tilt in parietal cortex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosenberg, Ari; Angelaki, Dora E

    2014-10-22

    Sensory systems encode the environment in egocentric (e.g., eye, head, or body) reference frames, creating inherently unstable representations that shift and rotate as we move. However, it is widely speculated that the brain transforms these signals into an allocentric, gravity-centered representation of the world that is stable and independent of the observer's spatial pose. Where and how this representation may be achieved is currently unknown. Here we demonstrate that a subpopulation of neurons in the macaque caudal intraparietal area (CIP) visually encodes object tilt in nonegocentric coordinates defined relative to the gravitational vector. Neuronal responses to the tilt of a visually presented planar surface were measured with the monkey in different spatial orientations (upright and rolled left/right ear down) and then compared. This revealed a continuum of representations in which planar tilt was encoded in a gravity-centered reference frame in approximately one-tenth of the comparisons, intermediate reference frames ranging between gravity-centered and egocentric in approximately two-tenths of the comparisons, and in an egocentric reference frame in less than half of the comparisons. Altogether, almost half of the comparisons revealed a shift in the preferred tilt and/or a gain change consistent with encoding object orientation in nonegocentric coordinates. Through neural network modeling, we further show that a purely gravity-centered representation of object tilt can be achieved directly from the population activity of CIP-like units. These results suggest that area CIP may play a key role in creating a stable, allocentric representation of the environment defined relative to an "earth-vertical" direction. Copyright © 2014 the authors 0270-6474/14/3414170-11$15.00/0.

  11. Capillary force on a tilted cylinder: Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) measurements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kosgodagan Acharige, Sébastien; Laurent, Justine; Steinberger, Audrey

    2017-11-01

    The capillary force in situations where the liquid meniscus is asymmetric, such as the one around a tilted object, has been hitherto barely investigated even though these situations are very common in practice. In particular, the capillary force exerted on a tilted object may depend on the dipping angle i. We investigate experimentally the capillary force that applies on a tilted cylinder as a function of its dipping angle i, using a home-built tilting Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) with custom made probes. A micrometric-size rod is glued at the end of an AFM cantilever of known stiffness, whose deflection is measured when the cylindrical probe is dipped in and retracted from reference liquids. We show that a torque correction is necessary to understand the measured deflection. We give the explicit expression of this correction as a function of the probes' geometrical parameters, so that its magnitude can be readily evaluated. The results are compatible with a vertical capillary force varying as 1/cosi, in agreement with a recent theoretical prediction. Finally, we discuss the accuracy of the method for measuring the surface tension times the cosine of the contact angle of the liquid on the probe. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Effect of Pelvic Tilt and Rotation on Cup Orientation in Both Supine and Standing Positions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yun, Hohyun; Murphy, William S; Ward, Daniel M; Zheng, Guoyan; Hayden, Brett L; Murphy, Stephen B

    2018-05-01

    The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of pelvic tilt and rotation on radiographic measurement of cup orientation. A total of 68 patients (79 hips) were included in this study. The patients had a computed tomography study and approximately 3 months of postoperative standing anteroposterior pelvic radiographs in both supine and standing positions. We used 2-dimensional (2D)/3-dimensional (3D) matching to measure pelvic tilt and rotation, and cup orientation. There was a wide range of pelvic tilt between individuals in both supine and standing positions. Supine pelvic tilt was different from standing pelvic tilt (P cup anteversion before and after 2D/3D matching in both supine and standing positions (P cup anteversion before and after 2D/3D matching. When all 79 hips were separated into right and left side, pelvic rotation inversely correlated with the pelvic tilt-adjusted difference in anteversion before and after 2D/3D matching of the right side but directly correlated with that of the left side in both supine and standing positions. This study demonstrated that the measurement of cup anteversion on anteroposterior radiographs is significantly affected by both pelvic tilt and pelvic rotation (depending on the side). Improved understanding of pelvic orientation and improved ability to measure pelvic orientation may eventually allow for desired cup positioning to potentially protect against complications associated with malposition of the cup. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Control of Pan-tilt Mechanism Angle using Position Matrix Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hendri Maja Saputra

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Control of a Pan-Tilt Mechanism (PTM angle for the bomb disposal robot Morolipi-V2 using inertial sensor measurement unit, x-IMU, has been done. The PTM has to be able to be actively controlled both manually and automatically in order to correct the orientation of the moving Morolipi-V2 platform. The x-IMU detects the platform orientation and sends the result in order to automatically control the PTM. The orientation is calculated using the quaternion combined with Madwick and Mahony filter methods. The orientation data that consists of angles of roll (α, pitch (β, and yaw (γ from the x-IMU are then being sent to the camera for controlling the PTM motion (pan & tilt angles after calculating the reverse angle using position matrix method. Experiment results using Madwick and Mahony methods show that the x-IMU can be used to find the robot platform orientation. Acceleration data from accelerometer and flux from magnetometer produce noise with standard deviation of 0.015 g and 0.006 G, respectively. Maximum absolute errors caused by Madgwick and Mahony method with respect to Xaxis are 48.45º and 33.91º, respectively. The x-IMU implementation as inertia sensor to control the Pan-Tilt Mechanism shows a good result, which the probability of pan angle tends to be the same with yaw and tilt angle equal to the pitch angle, except a very small angle shift due to the influence of roll angle..

  14. Perception of tilt (somatogravic illusion) in response to sustained linear acceleration during space flight

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clement, G.; Moore, S. T.; Raphan, T.; Cohen, B.

    2001-01-01

    During the 1998 Neurolab mission (STS-90), four astronauts were exposed to interaural and head vertical (dorsoventral) linear accelerations of 0.5 g and 1 g during constant velocity rotation on a centrifuge, both on Earth and during orbital space flight. Subjects were oriented either left-ear-out or right-ear-out (Gy centrifugation), or lay supine along the centrifuge arm with their head off-axis (Gz centrifugation). Pre-flight centrifugation, producing linear accelerations of 0.5 g and 1 g along the Gy (interaural) axis, induced illusions of roll-tilt of 20 degrees and 34 degrees for gravito-inertial acceleration (GIA) vector tilts of 27 degrees and 45 degrees , respectively. Pre-flight 0.5 g and 1 g Gz (head dorsoventral) centrifugation generated perceptions of backward pitch of 5 degrees and 15 degrees , respectively. In the absence of gravity during space flight, the same centrifugation generated a GIA that was equivalent to the centripetal acceleration and aligned with the Gy or Gz axes. Perception of tilt was underestimated relative to this new GIA orientation during early in-flight Gy centrifugation, but was close to the GIA after 16 days in orbit, when subjects reported that they felt as if they were 'lying on side'. During the course of the mission, inflight roll-tilt perception during Gy centrifugation increased from 45 degrees to 83 degrees at 1 g and from 42 degrees to 48 degrees at 0.5 g. Subjects felt 'upside-down' during in-flight Gz centrifugation from the first in-flight test session, which reflected the new GIA orientation along the head dorsoventral axis. The different levels of in-flight tilt perception during 0.5 g and 1 g Gy centrifugation suggests that other non-vestibular inputs, including an internal estimate of the body vertical and somatic sensation, were utilized in generating tilt perception. Interpretation of data by a weighted sum of body vertical and somatic vectors, with an estimate of the GIA from the otoliths, suggests that

  15. Application of a path sensitizing method on automated generation of test specifications for control software

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morimoto, Yuuichi; Fukuda, Mitsuko

    1995-01-01

    An automated generation method for test specifications has been developed for sequential control software in plant control equipment. Sequential control software can be represented as sequential circuits. The control software implemented in a control equipment is designed from these circuit diagrams. In logic tests of VLSI's, path sensitizing methods are widely used to generate test specifications. But the method generates test specifications at a single time only, and can not be directly applied to sequential control software. The basic idea of the proposed method is as follows. Specifications of each logic operator in the diagrams are defined in the software design process. Therefore, test specifications of each operator in the control software can be determined from these specifications, and validity of software can be judged by inspecting all of the operators in the logic circuit diagrams. Candidates for sensitized paths, on which test data for each operator propagates, can be generated by the path sensitizing method. To confirm feasibility of the method, it was experimentally applied to control software in digital control equipment. The program could generate test specifications exactly, and feasibility of the method was confirmed. (orig.) (3 refs., 7 figs.)

  16. Constrained treatment planning using sequential beam selection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Woudstra, E.; Storchi, P.R.M.

    2000-01-01

    In this paper an algorithm is described for automated treatment plan generation. The algorithm aims at delivery of the prescribed dose to the target volume without violation of constraints for target, organs at risk and the surrounding normal tissue. Pre-calculated dose distributions for all candidate orientations are used as input. Treatment beams are selected in a sequential way. A score function designed for beam selection is used for the simultaneous selection of beam orientations and weights. In order to determine the optimum choice for the orientation and the corresponding weight of each new beam, the score function is first redefined to account for the dose distribution of the previously selected beams. Addition of more beams to the plan is stopped when the target dose is reached or when no additional dose can be delivered without violating a constraint. In the latter case the score function is modified by importance factor changes to enforce better sparing of the organ with the limiting constraint and the algorithm is run again. (author)

  17. Effects of Frequency and Motion Paradigm on Perception of Tilt and Translation During Periodic Linear Acceleration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beaton, K. H.; Holly, J. E.; Clement, G. R.; Wood, Scott J.

    2009-01-01

    Previous studies have demonstrated an effect of frequency on the gain of tilt and translation perception. Results from different motion paradigms are often combined to extend the stimulus frequency range. For example, Off-Vertical Axis Rotation (OVAR) and Variable Radius Centrifugation (VRC) are useful to test low frequencies of linear acceleration at amplitudes that would require impractical sled lengths. The purpose of this study was to compare roll-tilt and lateral translation motion perception in 12 healthy subjects across four paradigms: OVAR, VRC, sled translation and rotation about an earth-horizontal axis. Subjects were oscillated in darkness at six frequencies from 0.01875 to 0.6 Hz (peak acceleration equivalent to 10 deg, less for sled motion below 0.15 Hz). Subjects verbally described the amplitude of perceived tilt and translation, and used a joystick to indicate the direction of motion. Consistent with previous reports, tilt perception gain decreased as a function of stimulus frequency in the motion paradigms without concordant canal tilt cues (OVAR, VRC and Sled). Translation perception gain was negligible at low stimulus frequencies and increased at higher frequencies. There were no significant differences between the phase of tilt and translation, nor did the phase significantly vary across stimulus frequency. There were differences in perception gain across the different paradigms. Paradigms that included actual tilt stimuli had the larger tilt gains, and paradigms that included actual translation stimuli had larger translation gains. In addition, the frequency at which there was a crossover of tilt and translation gains appeared to vary across motion paradigm between 0.15 and 0.3 Hz. Since the linear acceleration in the head lateral plane was equivalent across paradigms, differences in gain may be attributable to the presence of linear accelerations in orthogonal directions and/or cognitive aspects based on the expected motion paths.

  18. Remarks on sequential designs in risk assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seidenfeld, T.

    1982-01-01

    The special merits of sequential designs are reviewed in light of particular challenges that attend risk assessment for human population. The kinds of ''statistical inference'' are distinguished and the problem of design which is pursued is the clash between Neyman-Pearson and Bayesian programs of sequential design. The value of sequential designs is discussed and the Neyman-Pearson vs. Bayesian sequential designs are probed in particular. Finally, warnings with sequential designs are considered, especially in relation to utilitarianism

  19. Different methods for analysing and imputation missing values in wind speed series; La problematica de la calidad de la informacion en series de velocidad del viento-metodologias de analisis y imputacion de datos faltantes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ferreira, A. M.

    2004-07-01

    This study concerns about different methods for analysing and imputation missing values in wind speed series. The algorithm EM and a methodology derivated from the sequential hot deck have been utilized. Series with missing values imputed are compared with original and complete series, using several criteria, such the wind potential; and appears to exist a significant goodness of fit between the estimates and real values. (Author)

  20. Tilt measurements at Vulcano Island

    OpenAIRE

    B. Saraceno; G. Laudani; F. Guglielmino; A. Ferro; G. Falzone; O. Campisi; S. Gambino

    2007-01-01

    A network of tiltmeters has been operational on Vulcano Island for numerous years. At present, the network comprises five functioning borehole stations, four of which are installed at 8-10 m and allow recording very stable, high precision signals with very low noise. We report observations over the last 12 years that illustrate impulsive variations linked to seismicity and long-term (several years) trends in the signals. We suggest a relationship between tilt changes correlated to the stro...

  1. Sequential cooling insert for turbine stator vane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Russel B

    2017-04-04

    A sequential flow cooling insert for a turbine stator vane of a small gas turbine engine, where the impingement cooling insert is formed as a single piece from a metal additive manufacturing process such as 3D metal printing, and where the insert includes a plurality of rows of radial extending impingement cooling air holes alternating with rows of radial extending return air holes on a pressure side wall, and where the insert includes a plurality of rows of chordwise extending second impingement cooling air holes on a suction side wall. The insert includes alternating rows of radial extending cooling air supply channels and return air channels that form a series of impingement cooling on the pressure side followed by the suction side of the insert.

  2. Sequential lineup laps and eyewitness accuracy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steblay, Nancy K; Dietrich, Hannah L; Ryan, Shannon L; Raczynski, Jeanette L; James, Kali A

    2011-08-01

    Police practice of double-blind sequential lineups prompts a question about the efficacy of repeated viewings (laps) of the sequential lineup. Two laboratory experiments confirmed the presence of a sequential lap effect: an increase in witness lineup picks from first to second lap, when the culprit was a stranger. The second lap produced more errors than correct identifications. In Experiment 2, lineup diagnosticity was significantly higher for sequential lineup procedures that employed a single versus double laps. Witnesses who elected to view a second lap made significantly more errors than witnesses who chose to stop after one lap or those who were required to view two laps. Witnesses with prior exposure to the culprit did not exhibit a sequential lap effect.

  3. Estimating 3D tilt from local image cues in natural scenes

    OpenAIRE

    Burge, Johannes; McCann, Brian C.; Geisler, Wilson S.

    2016-01-01

    Estimating three-dimensional (3D) surface orientation (slant and tilt) is an important first step toward estimating 3D shape. Here, we examine how three local image cues from the same location (disparity gradient, luminance gradient, and dominant texture orientation) should be combined to estimate 3D tilt in natural scenes. We collected a database of natural stereoscopic images with precisely co-registered range images that provide the ground-truth distance at each pixel location. We then ana...

  4. Automated migration analysis based on cell texture: method & reliability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chittenden Thomas W

    2005-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In this paper, we present and validate a way to measure automatically the extent of cell migration based on automated examination of a series of digital photographs. It was designed specifically to identify the impact of Second Hand Smoke (SHS on endothelial cell migration but has broader applications. The analysis has two stages: (1 preprocessing of image texture, and (2 migration analysis. Results The output is a graphic overlay that indicates the front lines of cell migration superimposed on each original image, with automated reporting of the distance traversed vs. time. Expert preference compares to manual placement of leading edge shows complete equivalence of automated vs. manual leading edge definition for cell migration measurement. Conclusion Our method is indistinguishable from careful manual determinations of cell front lines, with the advantages of full automation, objectivity, and speed.

  5. Non-uniform-tilt-modulated fiber Bragg grating for temperature-immune micro-displacement measurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo, Tuan; Chen, Chengkun; Albert, Jacques

    2009-01-01

    Temperature-immune micro-displacement measurement is demonstrated by using a Gaussian-chirped tilted fiber Bragg grating (TFBG). The internal tilt angles of the sensing TFBG are effectively modulated via a displacement-induced Gaussian-strain-gradient along the specially designed bending cantilever beam. The phase mismatch between different effective pitches and tilt angles weakens the core-to-cladding mode coupling as the beam is displaced. While the power of the ghost mode resonance in transmission shows a strong sensitivity to the displacement, it is immune from spatially uniform temperature changes. Ghost-power-referenced displacement measurement and temperature-insensitive property are experimentally achieved for this cost-effective sensing device

  6. Experimental study on the effect of heat flux tilt on rod bundle dryout limitation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sugawara, S; Terunuma, K; Kamoshida, H [Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corp., Oarai, Ibaraki (Japan). Oarai Engineering Center

    1996-12-31

    The effect of heat flux tilt on rod bundle dryout limitation was studied experimentally using a full-scale mock-up test facility and simulated 36-rod fuel bundles in which heater pins have azimuthal nonuniform heat flux distribution (i.e., heat flux tilt). Experimental results for typical lateral power distribution in the bundle indicate that the bundle dryout power with azimuthal heat flux tilt is higher than that without azimuthal heat flux tilt in the entire experimental range. Consequently, it is concluded that the dryout experiment using the test bundle with heater pins which has circumferentially uniform heat flux distribution gives conservative results for the usual lateral power distribution in a bundle in which the relative power of outermost-circle fuel rods is higher than those of middle- and inner-circle ones. (author). 15 refs., 2 tabs., 8 figs.

  7. Impact of Mechanical down Tilt and Height on the Pilot Coverage of UMTS Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. Faruk

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available The task of planning a network can be very challenging as it involves many careful studies with a lot of considerations and, at times, trial and error. In this paper, the impacts of antenna mechanical down tilt and antenna height on UMTS network performance are studied. First, we used ASSET3G simulation software to design 3G pilot coverage. Optimization techniques were deployed to study the performance of the network. Simulation results show about 2.6% increase in the coverage area when the antenna height was increased from 15 m to 25 m at the same tilt angle of 0 ° The coverage drops by 24% when transiting from 0° to 6° tilt angle was made for 15 m height antenna. The results also indicated that, pilot pollution could be reduced by choosing optimum down tilt angle.

  8. Process, Design and Materials for Unidirectionally Tilted Polymeric Micro/Nanohairs and Their Adhesion Characteristics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hyeon Seong Im

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Recent research in the field of gecko-inspired dry adhesive has focused on modifying the material and structural properties of polymer-based nanohairs. Polymers such as polystyrene (PS, high-density polyethylene (HDPE, ultraviolet curable epoxy (SU-8, polyurethane acrylate (PUA, polycarbonate (PC, and polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS can fulfill many mechanical property requirements, are easily tunable, and can be produced via large-scale fabrication. However, the fabrication process for tilted structure remains challenging. The tilted structure is a crucial factor in high-degree conformal contact, which facilitates high adhesion, low effective modulus, and directional adhesion properties. Recent studies have attempted to create a tilted structure by applying beam irradiation, mechanical and thermal stress, and magnetic fields. This review provides a comprehensive investigation into advanced strategies for producing tilted polymeric nanostructures and their potential applications in the near future.

  9. Properties of HTS YBCO thin films deposited on tilted NdGaO3 substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nurgaliev, T.; Donchev, T.; Mateev, E.; Miteva, S.; Mozhaev, P.B.; Mozhaeva, J.E.

    2005-01-01

    Thin YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 films were fabricated by 2-opposed DC magnetron sputtering onto NdGaO 3 substrates, tilted from standard (1 1 0) orientation by 0-26 deg , and their surface morphology and electrical characteristics were investigated. Normal state resistivity (at 295 K) and microwave surface resistance (at 77 K and ∼8 GHz) of the films demonstrated anisotropy, introduced by the tilted substrate, and some improvement of the superconducting parameters of the films was observed at small tilt angles (θ ∼ 1.5-3 deg ). The increase of the microwave surface resistance at high tilt angles for the current tracks, perpendicular to the steps of the substrate, was described in the framework of a simple model, which takes into account the complex conductivity of the film and the weak links between the film terraces

  10. Experimental study on the effect of heat flux tilt on rod bundle dryout limitation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sugawara, S.; Terunuma, K.; Kamoshida, H.

    1995-01-01

    The effect of heat flux tilt on rod bundle dryout limitation was studied experimentally using a full-scale mock-up test facility and simulated 36-rod fuel bundles in which heater pins have azimuthal nonuniform heat flux distribution (i.e., heat flux tilt). Experimental results for typical lateral power distribution in the bundle indicate that the bundle dryout power with azimuthal heat flux tilt is higher than that without azimuthal heat flux tilt in the entire experimental range. Consequently, it is concluded that the dryout experiment using the test bundle with heater pins which has circumferentially uniform heat flux distribution gives conservative results for the usual lateral power distribution in a bundle in which the relative power of outermost-circle fuel rods is higher than those of middle- and inner-circle ones. (author). 15 refs., 2 tabs., 8 figs

  11. Spontaneous tilting after placement of the gunther-tulip inferior vena caval filter: a case report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seo, Tae Seok; Cha, In Ho; Seol, Hae Young; Park, Cheol Min

    2006-01-01

    Tilting of a deployed filter in the inferior vena cava (IVC) is a particular kind of periprocedural complication and this can reduce the filter's clot-trapping ability and increase the occlusion of the IVC at a later period. The authors report here on a case of spontaneous tilting of an inferior vena caval filter that was associated with thrombosis in the IVC within 2 weeks of the initially successful placement of the filter without tilting

  12. Visual time series analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fischer, Paul; Hilbert, Astrid

    2012-01-01

    We introduce a platform which supplies an easy-to-handle, interactive, extendable, and fast analysis tool for time series analysis. In contrast to other software suits like Maple, Matlab, or R, which use a command-line-like interface and where the user has to memorize/look-up the appropriate...... commands, our application is select-and-click-driven. It allows to derive many different sequences of deviations for a given time series and to visualize them in different ways in order to judge their expressive power and to reuse the procedure found. For many transformations or model-ts, the user may...... choose between manual and automated parameter selection. The user can dene new transformations and add them to the system. The application contains efficient implementations of advanced and recent techniques for time series analysis including techniques related to extreme value analysis and filtering...

  13. Robustness of the Sequential Lineup Advantage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gronlund, Scott D.; Carlson, Curt A.; Dailey, Sarah B.; Goodsell, Charles A.

    2009-01-01

    A growing movement in the United States and around the world involves promoting the advantages of conducting an eyewitness lineup in a sequential manner. We conducted a large study (N = 2,529) that included 24 comparisons of sequential versus simultaneous lineups. A liberal statistical criterion revealed only 2 significant sequential lineup…

  14. Keblish's lateral surgical approach enhances patellar tilt in valgus knee arthroplasty

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Roberto Tonelli Filho

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical and radiological outcomes of conventional medial and lateral approaches for total knee replacement in the valgus osteoarthritic knee. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, 21 patients with valgus knee osteoarthritis were randomized to total knee replacement through medial or lateral approach. The primary outcome was radiographic patellar tilt. Secondary outcomes were visual analog scale of pain, postoperative levels of hemoglobin, and clinical aspect of the operative wound. RESULTS: There were no differences between the groups regarding other clinical variables. Mean lateral tilt of the patella was 3.1 degrees (SD ± 5.3 in the lateral approach group and 18 degrees (SD ± 10.2 in the medial approach group (p = 0.02. There were no differences regarding the secondary outcomes. CONCLUSION: Lateral approach provided better patellar tilt following total knee replacement in valgus osteoarthritic knee.

  15. Tilt measurement using inclinometer based on redundant configuration of MEMS accelerometers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Jiazhen; Liu, Xuecong; Zhang, Hao

    2018-05-01

    Inclinometers are widely used in tilt measurement and their required accuracy is becoming ever higher. Most existing methods can effectively work only when the tilt is less than 60°, and the accuracy still can be improved. A redundant configuration of micro-electro mechanical system accelerometers is proposed in this paper and a least squares method and data processing normalization are used. A rigorous mathematical derivation is given. Simulation and experiment are used to verify its feasibility. The results of a Monte Carlo simulation, repeated 3000 times, and turntable reference experiments have shown that the tilt measure range can be expanded to 0°–90° by this method and that the measurement accuracy of θ can be improved by more than 10 times and the measurement accuracy of γ can be also improved effectively. The proposed method is proved to be effective and significant in practical application.

  16. Perceived direction of gravity and the body-axis during static whole body roll-tilt in healthy subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tamura, Atsushi; Wada, Yoshiro; Inui, Takuo; Shiotani, Akihiro

    2017-10-01

    We used the subjective visual vertical (SVV) and two different subjective visual body axis (SVBA) methods to quantify roll-tilt perception under gravity, and investigated the characteristics of these methods during static roll-tilt. In addition, we independently developed a compact device to facilitate evaluation of SVBA in different gravitational environments. Ten male volunteers participated in this study. We created a roll-tilt environment using a flight simulator in a dark room. The cockpit of the simulator was tilted leftward or rightward (-30°, -20°, -10°, 0°, 10°, 20° and 30°) in each randomly ordered trial. We quantified roll-tilt perception such that the experiment was conducted under 21 different conditions per participant. We found no significant differences among the SVV error and the two types of SVBA error. The SVV and the SVBA methods may be useful for evaluating subjective roll-tilt perception.

  17. Automated Feature Design for Time Series Classification by Genetic Programming

    OpenAIRE

    Harvey, Dustin Yewell

    2014-01-01

    Time series classification (TSC) methods discover and exploit patterns in time series and other one-dimensional signals. Although many accurate, robust classifiers exist for multivariate feature sets, general approaches are needed to extend machine learning techniques to make use of signal inputs. Numerous applications of TSC can be found in structural engineering, especially in the areas of structural health monitoring and non-destructive evaluation. Additionally, the fields of process contr...

  18. Crustal-scale tilting of the central Salton block, southern California

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dorsey, Rebecca; Langenheim, Victoria

    2015-01-01

    The southern San Andreas fault system (California, USA) provides an excellent natural laboratory for studying the controls on vertical crustal motions related to strike-slip deformation. Here we present geologic, geomorphic, and gravity data that provide evidence for active northeastward tilting of the Santa Rosa Mountains and southern Coachella Valley about a horizontal axis oriented parallel to the San Jacinto and San Andreas faults. The Santa Rosa fault, a strand of the San Jacinto fault zone, is a large southwest-dipping normal fault on the west flank of the Santa Rosa Mountains that displays well-developed triangular facets, narrow footwall canyons, and steep hanging-wall alluvial fans. Geologic and geomorphic data reveal ongoing footwall uplift in the southern Santa Rosa Mountains, and gravity data suggest total vertical separation of ∼5.0–6.5 km from the range crest to the base of the Clark Valley basin. The northeast side of the Santa Rosa Mountains has a gentler topographic gradient, large alluvial fans, no major active faults, and tilted inactive late Pleistocene fan surfaces that are deeply incised by modern upper fan channels. Sediments beneath the Coachella Valley thicken gradually northeast to a depth of ∼4–5 km at an abrupt boundary at the San Andreas fault. These features all record crustal-scale tilting to the northeast that likely started when the San Jacinto fault zone initiated ca. 1.2 Ma. Tilting appears to be driven by oblique shortening and loading across a northeast-dipping southern San Andreas fault, consistent with the results of a recent boundary-element modeling study.

  19. Recent international activity in cooperative vehicle-highway automation systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-12-01

    This report summarizes the current state of the art in cooperative vehiclehighway automation systems in Europe and Asia : based on a series of meetings, demonstrations, and site visits, combined with the results of literature review. This review c...

  20. Multi-agent sequential hypothesis testing

    KAUST Repository

    Kim, Kwang-Ki K.; Shamma, Jeff S.

    2014-01-01

    incorporate costs of taking private/public measurements, costs of time-difference and disagreement in actions of agents, and costs of false declaration/choices in the sequential hypothesis testing. The corresponding sequential decision processes have well

  1. Spontaneous tilting after placement of the gunther-tulip inferior vena caval filter: a case report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seo, Tae Seok; Cha, In Ho; Seol, Hae Young; Park, Cheol Min [Guro Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2006-10-15

    Tilting of a deployed filter in the inferior vena cava (IVC) is a particular kind of periprocedural complication and this can reduce the filter's clot-trapping ability and increase the occlusion of the IVC at a later period. The authors report here on a case of spontaneous tilting of an inferior vena caval filter that was associated with thrombosis in the IVC within 2 weeks of the initially successful placement of the filter without tilting.

  2. Assessment of automated disease detection in diabetic retinopathy screening using two-field photography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goatman, Keith; Charnley, Amanda; Webster, Laura; Nussey, Stephen

    2011-01-01

    To assess the performance of automated disease detection in diabetic retinopathy screening using two field mydriatic photography. Images from 8,271 sequential patient screening episodes from a South London diabetic retinopathy screening service were processed by the Medalytix iGrading™ automated grading system. For each screening episode macular-centred and disc-centred images of both eyes were acquired and independently graded according to the English national grading scheme. Where discrepancies were found between the automated result and original manual grade, internal and external arbitration was used to determine the final study grades. Two versions of the software were used: one that detected microaneurysms alone, and one that detected blot haemorrhages and exudates in addition to microaneurysms. Results for each version were calculated once using both fields and once using the macula-centred field alone. Of the 8,271 episodes, 346 (4.2%) were considered unassessable. Referable disease was detected in 587 episodes (7.1%). The sensitivity of the automated system for detecting unassessable images ranged from 97.4% to 99.1% depending on configuration. The sensitivity of the automated system for referable episodes ranged from 98.3% to 99.3%. All the episodes that included proliferative or pre-proliferative retinopathy were detected by the automated system regardless of configuration (192/192, 95% confidence interval 98.0% to 100%). If implemented as the first step in grading, the automated system would have reduced the manual grading effort by between 2,183 and 3,147 patient episodes (26.4% to 38.1%). Automated grading can safely reduce the workload of manual grading using two field, mydriatic photography in a routine screening service.

  3. Shifting nitrous oxide source/sink behaviour in a subtropical estuary revealed by automated time series observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reading, Michael J.; Santos, Isaac R.; Maher, Damien T.; Jeffrey, Luke C.; Tait, Douglas R.

    2017-07-01

    The oceans are a major source of the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) to the atmosphere. However, little information is available on how estuaries and the coastal ocean may contribute to N2O budgets, and on the drivers of N2O in aquatic environments. This study utilised five time series stations along the freshwater to marine continuum in a sub-tropical estuary in Australia (Coffs Creek, Australia). Each time series station captured N2O, radon (222Rn, a natural submarine groundwater discharge tracer), dissolved nitrogen, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations for a minimum of 25 h. The use of automated time series observations enabled spatial and tidal-scale variability of N2O to be captured. Groundwater was highly enriched in N2O (up to 306 nM) compared to the receiving surface water. Dissolved N2O supersaturation as high as 386% (27.4 nM) was observed in the upstream freshwater and brackish water areas which represented only a small (∼13%) proportion of the total estuary area. A large area of N2O undersaturation (as low as 53% or 3.9 nM) was observed in the mangrove-dominated lower estuary. This undersaturated area likely resulted from N2O consumption due to nitrate/nitrite (NOx) limitation in mangrove sediments subject to shallow porewater exchange. Overall, the estuary was a minor source of N2O to the atmosphere as the lower mangrove-dominated estuary sink of N2O counteracted groundwater-dominated source of N2O in the upper estuary. Average area-weighted N2O fluxes at the water-air interface approached zero (0.2-0.7 μmol m-2 d-1, depending on piston velocity model used), and were much lower than nitrogen-rich Northern Hemisphere estuaries that are considered large sources of N2O to the atmosphere. This study revealed a temporally and spatially diverse estuary, with areas of N2O production and consumption related to oxygen and total dissolved nitrogen availability, submarine groundwater discharge, and uptake within mangroves.

  4. VARIABILITY FROM NON-AXISYMMETRIC FLUCTUATIONS INTERACTING WITH STANDING SHOCKS IN TILTED BLACK HOLE ACCRETION DISKS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Henisey, Ken B. [Natural Science Division, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA 90263 (United States); Blaes, Omer M. [Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States); Fragile, P. Chris [Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC 29424 (United States)

    2012-12-10

    We study the spatial and temporal behavior of fluid in fully three-dimensional, general relativistic, magnetohydrodynamical simulations of both tilted and untilted black hole accretion flows. We uncover characteristically greater variability in tilted simulations at frequencies similar to those predicted by the formalism of trapped modes, but ultimately conclude that its spatial structure is inconsistent with a modal interpretation. We find instead that previously identified, transient, overdense clumps orbiting on roughly Keplerian trajectories appear generically in our global simulations, independent of tilt. Associated with these fluctuations are acoustic spiral waves interior to the orbits of the clumps. We show that the two non-axisymmetric standing shock structures that exist in the inner regions of these tilted flows effectively amplify the variability caused by these spiral waves to markedly higher levels than in untilted flows, which lack standing shocks. Our identification of clumps, spirals, and spiral-shock interactions in these fully general relativistic, magnetohydrodynamical simulations suggests that these features may be important dynamical elements in models that incorporate tilt as a way to explain the observed variability in black hole accretion flows.

  5. Sequential stochastic optimization

    CERN Document Server

    Cairoli, Renzo

    1996-01-01

    Sequential Stochastic Optimization provides mathematicians and applied researchers with a well-developed framework in which stochastic optimization problems can be formulated and solved. Offering much material that is either new or has never before appeared in book form, it lucidly presents a unified theory of optimal stopping and optimal sequential control of stochastic processes. This book has been carefully organized so that little prior knowledge of the subject is assumed; its only prerequisites are a standard graduate course in probability theory and some familiarity with discrete-paramet

  6. Tilting-Pad Guide Bearing in Large Hydro-unit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li-Feng Ma

    2000-01-01

    Full Text Available A new numerical method is proposed for predicting the nonlinearity of tilting-pad guide bearing oilfilm force in the rotor-bearing system in a large hydro-unit. Nonlinear displacement and velocity of the journal center, as well as nonlinear tilting angles and angular velocities of the pads in non-stationary Reynolds equation are taken into account. This method is also suited for other small rotor-bearing system. As an example, the response due to a momentarily created unbalance is Calculated. The nonlinear motion patterns of the pad and journal whirling orbit are obtained. Finally, the nonlinear orbit is compared to the linear one that could be calculated from linear stiffness and damping coefficients. It is shown that there are important differences between those two orbits and that the nonlinear simulation is more accurate.

  7. On the Design of Tilting-Pad Thrust Bearings

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heinrichson, Niels

    2007-01-01

    Pockets are often machined in the surfaces of tilting-pad thrust bearings to allow for hydrostatic jacking in the start-up phase. Pockets and other recesses in the surfaces of bearing pads influence the pressure distribution and thereby the position of the pivot resulting in the most advantageous...... based on the Reynolds equation are used. They include the effects of variations of viscosity with temperature and the deformation of the bearing pads due to pressure and thermal gradients. The models are validated using measurements. Tilting-pad bearings of standard design are studied and the influences...... of the friction loss. Both this bearing and the bearing design with enclosed recesses in the high-pressure regions of the pads suffer from a higher sensitivity to the position of the pivot. The design of such bearing is therefore no trivial task....

  8. An Approximate Cone Beam Reconstruction Algorithm for Gantry-Tilted CT Using Tangential Filtering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ming Yan

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available FDK algorithm is a well-known 3D (three-dimensional approximate algorithm for CT (computed tomography image reconstruction and is also known to suffer from considerable artifacts when the scanning cone angle is large. Recently, it has been improved by performing the ramp filtering along the tangential direction of the X-ray source helix for dealing with the large cone angle problem. In this paper, we present an FDK-type approximate reconstruction algorithm for gantry-tilted CT imaging. The proposed method improves the image reconstruction by filtering the projection data along a proper direction which is determined by CT parameters and gantry-tilted angle. As a result, the proposed algorithm for gantry-tilted CT reconstruction can provide more scanning flexibilities in clinical CT scanning and is efficient in computation. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated with turbell clock phantom and thorax phantom and compared with FDK algorithm and a popular 2D (two-dimensional approximate algorithm. The results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve better image quality for gantry-tilted CT image reconstruction.

  9. Numerical study of crucial parameters in tilt casting for titanium aluminides

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hong Wang

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Numerical modeling of the tilt casting process for TiAl alloys was investigated to achieve a tranquil mould filling and TiAl castings free of defects. Titanium alloys are very reactive in molten state, so they are widely melted in cold crucible, e.g. the Induction Skull Melting (ISM furnace. Then the crucible holding the molten metal together with the mould is rotated to transfer the metal into the mould — ISM+ tilt casting. This paper emphasizes the effect of crucial parameters on mould filling and solidification of the castings during tilt casting. All crucial parameters, such as rotation rate, rotation profile, venting, initial mould temperature, casting orientation, feeder design, change of radius in 'T' junction and mould insulation have been discussed using numerical modeling data. Simulations were performed using a 3D CFD code PHYSICA implemented with front tracking, heat transfer algorithms and a turbulence model (which accounts for an advancing solid front.

  10. Highly comparative time-series analysis: the empirical structure of time series and their methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fulcher, Ben D; Little, Max A; Jones, Nick S

    2013-06-06

    The process of collecting and organizing sets of observations represents a common theme throughout the history of science. However, despite the ubiquity of scientists measuring, recording and analysing the dynamics of different processes, an extensive organization of scientific time-series data and analysis methods has never been performed. Addressing this, annotated collections of over 35 000 real-world and model-generated time series, and over 9000 time-series analysis algorithms are analysed in this work. We introduce reduced representations of both time series, in terms of their properties measured by diverse scientific methods, and of time-series analysis methods, in terms of their behaviour on empirical time series, and use them to organize these interdisciplinary resources. This new approach to comparing across diverse scientific data and methods allows us to organize time-series datasets automatically according to their properties, retrieve alternatives to particular analysis methods developed in other scientific disciplines and automate the selection of useful methods for time-series classification and regression tasks. The broad scientific utility of these tools is demonstrated on datasets of electroencephalograms, self-affine time series, heartbeat intervals, speech signals and others, in each case contributing novel analysis techniques to the existing literature. Highly comparative techniques that compare across an interdisciplinary literature can thus be used to guide more focused research in time-series analysis for applications across the scientific disciplines.

  11. CONTRIBUTION OF QUADRATIC RESIDUE DIFFUSERS TO EFFICIENCY OF TILTED PROFILE PARALLEL HIGHWAY NOISE BARRIERS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. R. Monazzam ، P. Nassiri

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the results of an investigation on the acoustic performance of tilted profile parallel barriers with quadratic residue diffuser (QRD tops and faces. A 2D boundary element method (BEM is used to predict the barrier insertion loss. The results of rigid and with absorptive coverage are also calculated for comparisons. Using QRD on the top surface and faces of all tilted profile parallel barrier models introduced here is found to improve the efficiency of barriers compared with rigid equivalent parallel barrier at the examined receiver positions. Applying a QRD with frequency design of 400 Hz on 5 degrees tilted parallel barrier improves the overall performance of its equivalent rigid barrier by 1.8 dB(A. Increase in the treated surfaces with reactive elements shifts the effective performance toward lower frequencies. It is found that by tilting the barriers from 0 to 10 degrees in parallel set up, the degradation effects in parallel barriers is reduced but the absorption effect of fibrous materials and also diffusivity of the quadratic residue diffuser is reduced significantly. In this case all the designed barriers have better performance with 10 degrees tilting in parallel set up. The most economic traffic noise parallel barrier which produces significantly high performance, is achieved by covering the top surface of the barrier closed to the receiver by just a QRD with frequency design of 400 Hz and tilting angle of 10 degrees. The average A-weighted insertion loss in this barrier is predicted to be 16.3 dB (A.

  12. Results of simultaneous and sequential pediatric liver and kidney transplantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rogers, J; Bueno, J; Shapiro, R; Scantlebury, V; Mazariegos, G; Fung, J; Reyes, J

    2001-11-27

    (86%) of seven sequentially transplanted kidneys developed acute cellular rejection compared with only two (25%) of eight simultaneously transplanted kidneys (P<0.04). Simultaneously transplanted kidneys were less likely to develop rejection than sequentially transplanted kidneys in this series. This did not have any bearing on patient or graft survival rates. Mortality correlated directly with the severity of United Network of Organ Sharing status at the time of kidney transplantation. Candidates for simultaneous or sequential LTx/KTx should be prioritized based on medical stability to optimize distribution of scarce renal allografts.

  13. Automated cellular sample preparation using a Centrifuge-on-a-Chip.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mach, Albert J; Kim, Jae Hyun; Arshi, Armin; Hur, Soojung Claire; Di Carlo, Dino

    2011-09-07

    The standard centrifuge is a laboratory instrument widely used by biologists and medical technicians for preparing cell samples. Efforts to automate the operations of concentration, cell separation, and solution exchange that a centrifuge performs in a simpler and smaller platform have had limited success. Here, we present a microfluidic chip that replicates the functions of a centrifuge without moving parts or external forces. The device operates using a purely fluid dynamic phenomenon in which cells selectively enter and are maintained in microscale vortices. Continuous and sequential operation allows enrichment of cancer cells from spiked blood samples at the mL min(-1) scale, followed by fluorescent labeling of intra- and extra-cellular antigens on the cells without the need for manual pipetting and washing steps. A versatile centrifuge-analogue may open opportunities in automated, low-cost and high-throughput sample preparation as an alternative to the standard benchtop centrifuge in standardized clinical diagnostics or resource poor settings.

  14. On the effect of cover tilt angle of the simple solar still on its productivity in different seasons and latitudes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khalifa, Abdul Jabbar N.

    2011-01-01

    Many experimental and numerical studies have been carried out on different configurations of solar stills to optimize the design by investigating the effect of climatic, operational and design parameters on its performance. One of the main parameters that have received a considerable attention is the cover tilt angle. A large number of studies on the effect of cover tilt angle on productivity in different seasons and latitude angles are cited in this article. The investigation that tackle the detailed effect of the cover tilt angle on productivity report contradictory conclusions about the effect of tilt angle on productivity and the value of the optimum tilt angle. A relation between the cover tilt angle and productivity of simple solar still in various seasons is established together with a relation between the optimum tilt angle and the latitude angle by an extensive review of the literature. The conclusions of this study should assist in choosing the proper cover tilt angle in various seasons and latitudes.

  15. Exploring the sequential lineup advantage using WITNESS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodsell, Charles A; Gronlund, Scott D; Carlson, Curt A

    2010-12-01

    Advocates claim that the sequential lineup is an improvement over simultaneous lineup procedures, but no formal (quantitatively specified) explanation exists for why it is better. The computational model WITNESS (Clark, Appl Cogn Psychol 17:629-654, 2003) was used to develop theoretical explanations for the sequential lineup advantage. In its current form, WITNESS produced a sequential advantage only by pairing conservative sequential choosing with liberal simultaneous choosing. However, this combination failed to approximate four extant experiments that exhibited large sequential advantages. Two of these experiments became the focus of our efforts because the data were uncontaminated by likely suspect position effects. Decision-based and memory-based modifications to WITNESS approximated the data and produced a sequential advantage. The next step is to evaluate the proposed explanations and modify public policy recommendations accordingly.

  16. CFD calculations on the unsteady aerodynamic characteristics of a tilt-rotor in a conversion mode

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Peng

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available In order to calculate the unsteady aerodynamic characteristics of a tilt-rotor in a conversion mode, a virtual blade model (VBM and an real blade model (RBM are established respectively. A new multi-layer moving-embedded grid technique is proposed to reduce the numerical dissipation of the tilt-rotor wake in a conversion mode. In this method, a grid system generated abound the rotor accounts for rigid blade motions, and a new searching scheme named adaptive inverse map (AIM is established to search corresponding donor elements in the present moving-embedded grid system to translate information among the different computational zones. A dual-time method is employed to fulfill unsteady calculations on the flowfield of the tilt-rotor, and a second-order centered difference scheme considering artificial viscosity is used to calculate the flux. In order to improve the computing efficiency, the single program multiple data (SPMD model parallel acceleration technology is adopted, according to the characteristic of the current grid system. The lift and drag coefficients of an NACA0012 airfoil, the dynamic pressure distributions below a typical rotor plane, and the sectional pressure distributions on a three-bladed Branum–Tung tilt-rotor in hover flight are calculated respectively, and the present VBM and RBM are validated by comparing the calculated results with available experimental data. Then, unsteady aerodynamic forces and flowfields of an XV-15 tilt-rotor in different modes, such as a fixed conversion mode at different tilt angles (15°, 30°, 60° and a whole conversion mode which converses from 0° to 90°, are numerically simulated by the VBM and RBM respectively. By analyses and comparisons on the simulated results of unsteady aerodynamic forces of the tilt-rotor in different modes, some meaningful conclusions about distorted blade-tip vortex distribution and unsteady aerodynamic force variation in a conversion mode are obtained, and these

  17. Vibrotactile tilt feedback improves dynamic gait index: a fall risk indicator in older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wall, Conrad; Wrisley, Diane M; Statler, Kennyn D

    2009-07-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of vibrotactile feedback of body tilt in improving dynamic gait index (DGI) a fall risk indicator in community dwelling older adults. Twelve healthy elderly subjects (three males and nine females, age 79.7+/-5.4 yrs) were tested in an institutional balance rehabilitation laboratory to investigate changes between the feedback off and on conditions. Subjects were acutely exposed to a vibrotactile display that indicated the magnitude and direction of their body tilt from the vertical. DGI and mediolateral (ML) sway were determined during locomotion with, and without, vibrotactile tilt feedback (VTTF). All subjects were at risk for falls based on their initial DGI Score (range: 15-19, mean 17.4+/-1.56), which was taken with the vibratory stimulus turned off. Subjects learned to use the trunk tilt information from the vibrotactile feedback vest through 20-30 min of gait and balance training consisting of activities that challenged their balance. Subjects were then retested on the DGI. Statistically significant changes were demonstrated for the DGI total score while using the vibrotactile tilt feedback. DGI total scores improved from 17.1+/-0.4 to 20.8+/-0.3 (pfall risk indicators for this population.

  18. Is neck tilt and shoulder imbalance the same phenomenon? A prospective analysis of 89 adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients (Lenke type 1 and 2).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwan, Mun Keong; Wong, Kai Ann; Lee, Chee Kean; Chan, Chris Yin Wei

    2016-02-01

    To introduce a new clinical neck tilt grading and to investigate clinically and radiologically whether neck tilt and shoulder imbalance is the same phenomenon in AIS patients. 89 AIS Lenke 1 and 2 cases were assessed prospectively using the new clinical neck tilt grading. Shoulder imbalance and neck tilt were correlated with coracoid height difference (CHD), clavicle\\rib intersection distance (CRID), clavicle angle (CA), radiographic shoulder height (RSH), T1 tilt and cervical axis. Mean age was 17.2 ± 3.8 years old. 66.3 % were Lenke type 1 and 33.7 % were type 2 curves. Strong intraobserver (0.79) and interobserver (0.75) agreement of the clinical neck tilt grading was noted. No significant correlation was observed between clinical neck tilt and shoulder imbalance (0.936). 56.3 % of grade 3 neck tilt, 50.0 % grade 2 neck tilt patients had grade 0 shoulder imbalance. In patients with grade 2 shoulder imbalance, 42.9 % had grade 0, 35.7 % grade 1, 14.3 % grade 2 and only 7.1 % had grade 3 neck tilt. CHD, CRID, CA and RSH correlated with shoulder imbalance. T1 tilt and cervical axis measurements correlated with neck tilt. In conclusion, neck tilt is distinct from shoulder imbalance. Clinical neck tilt has poor correlation with clinical shoulder imbalance. Clinical neck tilt grading correlated with cervical axis and T1 tilt whereas clinical shoulder grading correlated with CHD, RSH CRID and CA.

  19. Sequential Injection Method for Rapid and Simultaneous Determination of 236U, 237Np, and Pu Isotopes in Seawater

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Qiao, Jixin; Hou, Xiaolin; Steier, Peter

    2013-01-01

    An automated analytical method implemented in a novel dual-column tandem sequential injection (SI) system was developed for simultaneous determination of 236U, 237Np, 239Pu, and 240Pu in seawater samples. A combination of TEVA and UTEVA extraction chromatography was exploited to separate and purify...... target analytes, whereupon plutonium and neptunium were simultaneously isolated and purified on TEVA, while uranium was collected on UTEVA. The separation behavior of U, Np, and Pu on TEVA–UTEVA columns was investigated in detail in order to achieve high chemical yields and complete purification...

  20. Sequential and simultaneous choices: testing the diet selection and sequential choice models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freidin, Esteban; Aw, Justine; Kacelnik, Alex

    2009-03-01

    We investigate simultaneous and sequential choices in starlings, using Charnov's Diet Choice Model (DCM) and Shapiro, Siller and Kacelnik's Sequential Choice Model (SCM) to integrate function and mechanism. During a training phase, starlings encountered one food-related option per trial (A, B or R) in random sequence and with equal probability. A and B delivered food rewards after programmed delays (shorter for A), while R ('rejection') moved directly to the next trial without reward. In this phase we measured latencies to respond. In a later, choice, phase, birds encountered the pairs A-B, A-R and B-R, the first implementing a simultaneous choice and the second and third sequential choices. The DCM predicts when R should be chosen to maximize intake rate, and SCM uses latencies of the training phase to predict choices between any pair of options in the choice phase. The predictions of both models coincided, and both successfully predicted the birds' preferences. The DCM does not deal with partial preferences, while the SCM does, and experimental results were strongly correlated to this model's predictions. We believe that the SCM may expose a very general mechanism of animal choice, and that its wider domain of success reflects the greater ecological significance of sequential over simultaneous choices.

  1. 48 CFR 702.170-17 - Automated Directives System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    .... “Automated Directives System” (“ADS”) sets forth the Agency's policies and essential procedures, as well as supplementary informational references. It contains six functional series, interim policy updates, valid USAID handbook chapters, a resource library, and a glossary. References to “ADS” throughout this chapter 7 are...

  2. Critical bias fields for tilting stability in the BETA-II experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dalhed, H.E.

    1981-01-01

    The PEST equilibrium code and the GATO ideal MHD stability code have been modified to study stability properties of Spheromak configurations. Of particular interest is the effect on tilting modes of perfectly conducting walls which do not link the plasma. This paper makes use of equilibria and conducting walls specifically designed to model the BETA-II experiment at LLNL. Onset of the tilting mode is determined as a function of the bias magnetic field. Comparison with available experimental data shows promising agreement with the numerical results

  3. Sequential memory: Binding dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Afraimovich, Valentin; Gong, Xue; Rabinovich, Mikhail

    2015-10-01

    Temporal order memories are critical for everyday animal and human functioning. Experiments and our own experience show that the binding or association of various features of an event together and the maintaining of multimodality events in sequential order are the key components of any sequential memories—episodic, semantic, working, etc. We study a robustness of binding sequential dynamics based on our previously introduced model in the form of generalized Lotka-Volterra equations. In the phase space of the model, there exists a multi-dimensional binding heteroclinic network consisting of saddle equilibrium points and heteroclinic trajectories joining them. We prove here the robustness of the binding sequential dynamics, i.e., the feasibility phenomenon for coupled heteroclinic networks: for each collection of successive heteroclinic trajectories inside the unified networks, there is an open set of initial points such that the trajectory going through each of them follows the prescribed collection staying in a small neighborhood of it. We show also that the symbolic complexity function of the system restricted to this neighborhood is a polynomial of degree L - 1, where L is the number of modalities.

  4. Determination of the Basic Friction Angle of Rock Surfaces by Tilt Tests

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jang, Hyun-Sic; Zhang, Qing-Zhao; Kang, Seong-Seung; Jang, Bo-An

    2018-04-01

    Samples of Hwangdeung granite from Korea and Berea sandstone from USA, both containing sliding planes, were prepared by saw-cutting or polishing using either #100 or #600 grinding powders. Their basic friction angles were measured by direct shear testing, triaxial compression testing, and tilt testing. The direct shear tests and triaxial compression tests on the saw-cut, #100, and #600 surfaces indicated that the most reliable results were obtained from the #100 surface: basic friction angle of 29.4° for granite and 34.1° for sandstone. To examine the effect of surface conditions on the friction angle in tilt tests, the sliding angles were measured 50 times with two surface conditions (surfaces cleaned and not cleaned after each measurement). The initial sliding angles were high regardless of rock type and surface conditions and decreased exponentially as measurements continued. The characteristics of the sliding angles, differences between tilt tests, and dispersion between measurements in each test indicated that #100 surface produced the most reliable basic friction angle measurement. Without cleaning the surfaces, the average angles for granite (32 measurements) and sandstone (23 measurements) were similar to the basic friction angle. When 20-50 measurements without cleaning were averaged, the basic friction angle was within ± 2° for granite and ± 3° for sandstone. Sliding angles using five different tilting speeds were measured but the average was similar, indicating that tilting speed (between 0.2° and 1.6°/s) has little effect on the sliding angle. Sliding angles using four different sample sizes were measured with the best results obtained for samples larger than 8 × 8 cm.

  5. Modelling of series of types of automated trenchless works tunneling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gendarz, P.; Rzasinski, R.

    2016-08-01

    Microtunneling is the newest method for making underground installations. Show method is the result of experience and methods applied in other, previous methods of trenchless underground works. It is considered reasonable to elaborate a series of types of construction of tunneling machines, to develop this particular earthworks method. There are many design solutions of machines, but the current goal is to develop non - excavation robotized machine. Erosion machines with main dimensions of the tunnels which are: 1600, 2000, 2500, 3150 are design with use of the computer aided methods. Series of types of construction of tunneling machines creating process was preceded by analysis of current state. The verification of practical methodology of creating the systematic part series was based on the designed erosion machines series of types. There were developed: method of construction similarity of the erosion machines, algorithmic methods of quantitative construction attributes variant analyzes in the I-DEAS advanced graphical program, relational and program parameterization. There manufacturing process of the parts will be created, which allows to verify the technological process on the CNC machines. The models of designed will be modified and the construction will be consulted with erosion machine users and manufacturers like: Tauber Rohrbau GmbH & Co.KG from Minster, OHL ZS a.s. from Brna,. The companies’ acceptance will result in practical verification by JUMARPOL company.

  6. An Online Tilt Estimation and Compensation Algorithm for a Small Satellite Camera

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Da-Hyun; Hwang, Jai-hyuk

    2018-04-01

    In the case of a satellite camera designed to execute an Earth observation mission, even after a pre-launch precision alignment process has been carried out, misalignment will occur due to external factors during the launch and in the operating environment. In particular, for high-resolution satellite cameras, which require submicron accuracy for alignment between optical components, misalignment is a major cause of image quality degradation. To compensate for this, most high-resolution satellite cameras undergo a precise realignment process called refocusing before and during the operation process. However, conventional Earth observation satellites only execute refocusing upon de-space. Thus, in this paper, an online tilt estimation and compensation algorithm that can be utilized after de-space correction is executed. Although the sensitivity of the optical performance degradation due to the misalignment is highest in de-space, the MTF can be additionally increased by correcting tilt after refocusing. The algorithm proposed in this research can be used to estimate the amount of tilt that occurs by taking star images, and it can also be used to carry out automatic tilt corrections by employing a compensation mechanism that gives angular motion to the secondary mirror. Crucially, this algorithm is developed using an online processing system so that it can operate without communication with the ground.

  7. Jumps in GNSS coordinates time series, a simple and fast methodology to clean the data sets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruni, Sara; Zerbini, Susanna; Raicich, Fabio; Errico, Maddalena; Santi, Efisio

    2014-05-01

    GNSS coordinate time series often suffer from the presence of undesired offsets of different nature which may impair the reliable estimation of the long-period trend and that should be corrected in the original data sets. Examples of such discontinuities are those originated by earthquakes, monumentation problems, replacement/maintenance of the station equipment, change of the reference system and by a number of unforeseen events. We have developed an automated and fast data inspection procedure for estimating the time of occurrence and the magnitude of the jumps and for correcting the time series accordingly. These processing characteristics are important because many time series are now spanning almost two decades, and dense GNSS networks are becoming a reality. The procedure has been developed and tailored to GNSS data sets starting from the Sequential T-test Analysis of Regime Shifts (STARS) originally conceived by Rodionov (Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L09204, 2004) in the context of climatic studies. This technique does not make any a priori assumption on the time of occurrence and on the magnitude of the discontinuities. A jump is detected and its magnitude estimated when, over two consecutive time windows of the same length, the mean value exhibits a statistically significant change. Three user-defined parameters are required: the cut-off length, L, representing the minimum time interval between two consecutive discontinuities, the significance level, p, of the exploited two-tailed Student t-test, and the Huber parameter, H, used to compute a weighted mean over the L-day intervals. The method has been tested on GPS coordinates time series of stations located in the southeastern Po Plain, in Italy. The series span more than 15 years and are affected by offsets of different nature. The methodology has proven to be effective, as confirmed by the comparison between the corrected GPS time series and those obtained by other co-located observation techniques such as

  8. Tilt engineering of exchange coupling at G-type SrMnO3/(La,Sr)MnO3 interfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, F.; Song, C.; Wang, Y. Y.; Cui, B.; Mao, H. J.; Peng, J. J.; Li, S. N.; Wang, G. Y.; Pan, F.

    2015-11-01

    With the recent realization of hybrid improper ferroelectricity and room-temperature multiferroic by tilt engineering, “functional” octahedral tilting has become a novel concept in multifunctional perovskite oxides, showing great potential for property manipulation and device design. However, the control of magnetism by octahedral tilting has remained a challenging issue. Here a qualitative and quantitative tilt engineering of exchange coupling, one of the magnetic properties, is demonstrated at compensated G-type antiferromagnetic/ferromagnetic (SrMnO3/La2/3Sr1/3MnO3) interfaces. According to interfacial Hamiltonian, exchange bias (EB) in this system originates from an in-plane antiphase rotation (a-) in G-type antiferromagnetic layer. Based on first-principles calculation, tilt patterns in SrMnO3 are artificially designed in experiment with different epitaxial strain and a much stronger EB is attained in the tensile heterostructure than the compressive counterpart. By controlling the magnitude of octahedral tilting, the manipulation of exchange coupling is even performed in a quantitative manner, as expected in the theoretical estimation. This work realized the combination of tilt engineering and exchange coupling, which might be significant for the development of multifunctional materials and antiferromagnetic spintronics.

  9. Advanced single-slice rebinning for tilted spiral cone-beam CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kachelriess, Marc; Fuchs, Theo; Schaller, Stefan; Kalender, Willi A.

    2001-01-01

    Future medical CT scanners and today's micro CT scanners demand cone-beam reconstruction algorithms that are capable of reconstructing data acquired from a tilted spiral trajectory where the vector of rotation is not necessarily parallel to the vector of table increment. For the medical CT scanner this case of nonparallel object motion is met for nonzero gantry tilt: the table moves into a direction that is not perpendicular to the plane of rotation. Since this is not a special application of medical CT but rather a daily routine in head exams, there is a strong need for corresponding reconstruction algorithms. In contrast to medical CT, where the special case of nonperpendicular motion is used on purpose, micro CT scanners cannot avoid aberrations of the rotational axis and the table increment vector due to alignment problems. Especially for those micro CT scanners that have the lifting stage mounted on the rotation table (in contrast to setups where the lifting stage holds the rotation table), this kind of misalignment is equivalent to a gantry tilt. We therefore generalize the advanced single-slice rebinning algorithm (ASSR), which is considered a very promising approach for medical cone-beam reconstruction due to its high image quality and its high reconstruction speed [Med. Phys. 27, 754-772 (2000)], to the case of tilted gantries. We evaluate this extended ASSR approach (which we will denote as ASSR + , for convenience) in comparison to the original ASSR algorithm using simulated phantom data for reconstruction. For the case of nonparallel object motion ASSR + shows significant improvements over ASSR, however, its computational complexity is slightly increased due to the broken symmetry of the spiral trajectory

  10. Upper full arch rehabilitation with sinus by-pass with tilted implants via tapered-threaded expanders in low density bone: a clinical trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andreasi Bassi, M; Andrisani, C; Lico, S; Ormanier, Z; Arcuri, C

    2016-01-01

    In the present paper the use of tapered-screw bone expanders (TSBEs) is proposed, in combination with the placement of tilted implants, in close proximity to the anterior sinus wall, solving the problem of the reduced height of the alveolar bone in the sub-antral area. The Authors present a case series of full-arch rehabilitations performed with this procedure named: Tilted Implant Expansion Osteotomy (TIEO). 12 patients (5 males and 7 females, average age 58.5 ± 8.1 years) with totally or partially edentulous maxilla were enrolled in this study. For each patient 4 implants were placed, the anterior implants in the area of lateral incisors or canines while, the posterior implants, immediately in front of the maxillary sinus, with an inclined position. Adopting the aforesaid procedure, 48 cylindrical two-piece implants were placed, 24 of which were placed in tilted position, in order to by-pass the maxillary sinus. After a healing period of 6 months, the second stage surgery was performed. The cases were finalized by means of a hybrid metal-acrylic prosthesis. The post finalization follow-up was at 12 months. Survival rate was 100% since none fixtures were lost. At the one-year follow up the clinical and radiological appearance of the soft and hard tissues was optimal and no pathological signs were recorded. TIEO is a promising surgical procedure for full-arch rehabilitation of maxillary edentulous sites and represents a therapeutic alternative to sinus lift techniques.

  11. Serous Macular Detachment Associated with Dome-Shaped Macula and Tilted Disc

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diamar Pardo-López

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: An entirely new type of staphyloma has been recently described as dome-shaped macula (DSM. It is characterized by an abnormal convex macular contour within the concavity of a posterior staphyloma. We found DSM associated with serous macular detachment (SMD and tilted disc in two consecutive cases. Case Reports: Case 1: A 37-year-old female presented to our department because of sudden onset blurred vision in her right eye (OD. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA was 0.5 in both eyes. Funduscopy evidenced bilateral tilted disc associated with posterior staphyloma. Optical coherence tomography (OCT demonstrated a DSM with SMD in her OD. After 15 months of follow-up, BCVA of her OD remained stable with chronic SMD. Case 2: A 32-year-old female presented to our department because of blurred vision in her OD. The BCVA was 0.4 in the OD and 1.0 in the left eye (OS. Bilateral tilted disc and posterior staphyloma were evidenced in the funduscopy. OCT demonstrated a bilateral DSM with SMD in her OD. After 45 months of follow-up, two further episodes of transient SMD were observed in her OD and seven in her OS. The final BCVA was 0.63 in the OD and 0.8 in the OS. Discussion: SMD associated with tilted disc constitutes a potential cause of subretinal fluid accumulation in myopic patients. OCT is essential for the detection of both SMD and DSM.

  12. PARTICLE FILTERING WITH SEQUENTIAL PARAMETER LEARNING FOR NONLINEAR BOLD fMRI SIGNALS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xia, Jing; Wang, Michelle Yongmei

    Analyzing the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) effect in the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is typically based on recent ground-breaking time series analysis techniques. This work represents a significant improvement over existing approaches to system identification using nonlinear hemodynamic models. It is important for three reasons. First, instead of using linearized approximations of the dynamics, we present a nonlinear filtering based on the sequential Monte Carlo method to capture the inherent nonlinearities in the physiological system. Second, we simultaneously estimate the hidden physiological states and the system parameters through particle filtering with sequential parameter learning to fully take advantage of the dynamic information of the BOLD signals. Third, during the unknown static parameter learning, we employ the low-dimensional sufficient statistics for efficiency and avoiding potential degeneration of the parameters. The performance of the proposed method is validated using both the simulated data and real BOLD fMRI data.

  13. Sequential Probability Ration Tests : Conservative and Robust

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kleijnen, J.P.C.; Shi, Wen

    2017-01-01

    In practice, most computers generate simulation outputs sequentially, so it is attractive to analyze these outputs through sequential statistical methods such as sequential probability ratio tests (SPRTs). We investigate several SPRTs for choosing between two hypothesized values for the mean output

  14. Adjudication Decision Support (ADS) System Automated Approval Estimates for NACLC Investigations

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Lang, Eric L; Youpa, Daniel G; Berman, Sandi; Leggitt, John S

    2007-01-01

    The present research is the second in a series of studies to test preliminary decision rules and provide automated approval estimates for a Department of Defense Adjudication Decision Support (ADS) system...

  15. TILT ANGLE AND FOOTPOINT SEPARATION OF SMALL AND LARGE BIPOLAR SUNSPOT REGIONS OBSERVED WITH HMI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McClintock, B. H.; Norton, A. A.

    2016-01-01

    We investigate bipolar sunspot regions and how tilt angle and footpoint separation vary during emergence and decay. The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on board the Solar Dynamic Observatory collects data at a higher cadence than historical records and allows for a detailed analysis of regions over their lifetimes. We sample the umbral tilt angle, footpoint separation, and umbral area of 235 bipolar sunspot regions in Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager—Debrecen Data with an hourly cadence. We use the time when the umbral area peaks as time zero to distinguish between the emergence and decay periods of each region and we limit our analysis of tilt and separation behavior over time to within ±96 hr of time zero. Tilt angle evolution is distinctly different for regions with small (≈30 MSH), midsize (≈50 MSH), and large (≈110 MSH) maximum umbral areas, with 45 and 90 MSH being useful divisions for separating the groups. At the peak umbral area, we determine median tilt angles for small (7.°6), midsize (5.°9), and large (9.°3) regions. Within ±48 hr of the time of peak umbral area, large regions steadily increase in tilt angle, midsize regions are nearly constant, and small regions show evidence of negative tilt during emergence. A period of growth in footpoint separation occurs over a 72-hr period for all of the regions from roughly 40 to 70 Mm. The smallest bipoles (<9 MSH) are outliers in that they do not obey Joy's law and have a much smaller footpoint separation. We confirm the Muñoz-Jaramillo et al. results that the sunspots appear to be two distinct populations

  16. Flow tilt angles near forest edges - Part 1: Sonic anemometry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dellwik, Ebba; Mann, Jakob; Larsen, Klaus Steenberg

    2010-01-01

    distortion and vertical alignment, it was only possible to a limited extent to relate sonic anemometer flow tilt angles to upwind forest edges, but the results by the lidar indicated that an internal boundary layer affect flow tilt angles at 21m above the forest. This is in accordance with earlier studies......-flow angles were assumed for neutral flow, the data was interpreted in relation to upstream and downstream forest edges. Uncertainties caused by flow distortion, vertical misalignment and limited sampling time (statistical uncertainty) were evaluated and found to be highly significant. Since the attack angle...... balance, unless all terms in the carbon dioxide conservation equation can be precisely estimated....

  17. Tilt table standing for reducing spasticity after spinal cord injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bohannon, R W

    1993-10-01

    A patient with a T12 spinal cord injury and intractable extensor spasms of the lower extremities participated in tilt table standing trial on 5 nonconsecutive days to determine if the intervention would affect his spasticity and spasms. Each day's standing trial was followed by an immediate reduction in lower extremity spasticity (measured using the modified Ashworth scale and pendulum testing). Standing was also accompanied by a reduction in spasms that lasted until the following morning. The reduction of spasms was particularly advantageous to the performance of car transfers. Tilt table standing merits further examination as a physical treatment of spasms that accompany central nervous system lesions.

  18. Formation of tilted smectic-C liquid crystal phase in polar Gay-Berne molecules

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saha, J.; Bose, T.R.; Ghosh, D.; Saha, M.

    2005-01-01

    We perform molecular dynamics simulation for a system of Gay-Berne molecules having two terminal dipole moments to generate tilted smectic-C liquid crystal phase. We investigate the effect of dipolar orientation with respect to the long molecular axis on phase behaviour. The study indicates that larger dipolar angle can give rise to greater tilt in molecular organization within a layer

  19. The effects of superimposed tilt and lower body negative pressure on anterior and posterior cerebral circulations

    OpenAIRE

    Tymko, Michael M.; Rickards, Caroline A.; Skow, Rachel J.; Ingram?Cotton, Nathan C.; Howatt, Michael K.; Day, Trevor A.

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Steady?state tilt has no effect on cerebrovascular reactivity to increases in the partial pressure of end?tidal carbon dioxide (PETCO 2). However, the anterior and posterior cerebral circulations may respond differently to a variety of stimuli that alter central blood volume, including lower body negative pressure (LBNP). Little is known about the superimposed effects of head?up tilt (HUT; decreased central blood volume and intracranial pressure) and head?down tilt (HDT; increased ce...

  20. Contribution of diffuser surfaces to efficiency of tilted T shape parallel highway noise barriers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. Javid Rouzi

    2009-04-01

    Full Text Available Background and aimsThe paper presents the results of an investigation on the acoustic  performance of tilted profile parallel barriers with quadratic residue diffuser tops and faces.MethodsA2D boundary element method (BEM is used to predict the barrier insertion loss. The results of rigid and with absorptive coverage are also calculated for comparisons. Using QRD on the top surface and faces of all tilted profile parallel barrier models introduced here is found to  improve the efficiency of barriers compared with rigid equivalent parallel barrier at the examined  receiver positions.Results Applying a QRD with frequency design of 400 Hz on 5 degrees tilted parallel barrier  improves the overall performance of its equivalent rigid barrier by 1.8 dB(A. Increase the treated surfaces with reactive elements shifts the effective performance toward lower frequencies. It is  found that by tilting the barriers from 0 to 10 degrees in parallel set up, the degradation effects in  parallel barriers is reduced but the absorption effect of fibrous materials and also diffusivity of thequadratic residue diffuser is reduced significantly. In this case all the designed barriers have better  performance with 10 degrees tilting in parallel set up.ConclusionThe most economic traffic noise parallel barrier, which produces significantly  high performance, is achieved by covering the top surface of the barrier closed to the receiver by  just a QRD with frequency design of 400 Hz and tilting angle of 10 degrees. The average Aweighted  insertion loss in this barrier is predicted to be 16.3 dB (A.

  1. Automated dual-wavelength spectrophotometer optimized for phytochrome assay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pratt, L.H.; Wampler, J.E.; Rich, E.S. Jr.

    1985-01-01

    A microcomputer-controlled dual-wavelength spectrophotometer suitable for automated phytochrome assay is described. The optomechanical unit provides for sequential irradiation of the sample by the two measuring wavelengths with intervening dark intervals and for actinic irradiation to interconvert phytochrome between its two forms. Photomultiplier current is amplified, converted to a digital value and transferred into the computer using a custom-designed IEEE-488 bus interface. The microcomputer calculates mathematically both absorbance and absorbance difference values with dynamic correction for photomultiplier dark current. In addition, the computer controls the operating parameters of the spectrophotometer via a separate interface. These parameters include control of the durations of measuring and actinic irradiation intervals and their sequence. 14 references, 4 figures

  2. Motion sickness and tilts of the inertial force environment : Active suspension systems vs. active passengers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Golding, J. F.; van der Bles, W.; Bos, J. E.; Haynes, T.; Gresty, M. A.

    2003-01-01

    Background: Maneuvering in vehicles exposes occupants to low frequency forces (<1 Hz) which can provoke motion sickness. Hypothesis: Aligning with the tilting inertial resultant (gravity + imposed horizontal acceleration: gravito-inertial force (GIF)) may reduce motion sickness when tilting is

  3. Tilted cranking classification of multibandspectra

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Frauendorf, S [IHK F2-Rossendorf, Dresden (Germany); [Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States); May, F R [Niels Bohr Inst., Copenhagen (Denmark); [Lund Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Mathematical Physics

    1992-08-01

    The tilted cranking theory of multi-band spectra of deformed nuclei is discussed. The existence of TDHF (time-dependent Hartree Fock) solutions rotating uniformly about a non-principal axis of the deformed axial potential is demonstrated. The solutions represent {Delta}I=1 bands. Self-consistency and symmetry are discussed. The transfer of experimental spectra to the rotating field of reference is introduced. Excitation spectra at high spin are calculated, and found to agree well with recent data on {sup 163}Er and {sup 174}Hf. 7 refs., 5 figs.

  4. Sequential lineup presentation: Patterns and policy

    OpenAIRE

    Lindsay, R C L; Mansour, Jamal K; Beaudry, J L; Leach, A-M; Bertrand, M I

    2009-01-01

    Sequential lineups were offered as an alternative to the traditional simultaneous lineup. Sequential lineups reduce incorrect lineup selections; however, the accompanying loss of correct identifications has resulted in controversy regarding adoption of the technique. We discuss the procedure and research relevant to (1) the pattern of results found using sequential versus simultaneous lineups; (2) reasons (theory) for differences in witness responses; (3) two methodological issues; and (4) im...

  5. Sequential Product of Quantum Effects: An Overview

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gudder, Stan

    2010-12-01

    This article presents an overview for the theory of sequential products of quantum effects. We first summarize some of the highlights of this relatively recent field of investigation and then provide some new results. We begin by discussing sequential effect algebras which are effect algebras endowed with a sequential product satisfying certain basic conditions. We then consider sequential products of (discrete) quantum measurements. We next treat transition effect matrices (TEMs) and their associated sequential product. A TEM is a matrix whose entries are effects and whose rows form quantum measurements. We show that TEMs can be employed for the study of quantum Markov chains. Finally, we prove some new results concerning TEMs and vector densities.

  6. Optimal Sequential Rules for Computer-Based Instruction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vos, Hans J.

    1998-01-01

    Formulates sequential rules for adapting the appropriate amount of instruction to learning needs in the context of computer-based instruction. Topics include Bayesian decision theory, threshold and linear-utility structure, psychometric model, optimal sequential number of test questions, and an empirical example of sequential instructional…

  7. A transversely isotropic medium with a tilted symmetry axis normal to the reflector

    KAUST Repository

    Alkhalifah, Tariq Ali

    2010-05-01

    The computational tools for imaging in transversely isotropic media with tilted axes of symmetry (TTI) are complex and in most cases do not have an explicit closed-form representation. Developing such tools for a TTI medium with tilt constrained to be normal to the reflector dip (DTI) reduces their complexity and allows for closed-form representations. The homogeneous-case zero-offset migration in such a medium can be performed using an isotropic operator scaled by the velocity of the medium in the tilt direction. For the nonzero-offset case, the reflection angle is always equal to the incidence angle, and thus, the velocities for the source and receiver waves at the reflection point are equal and explicitly dependent on the reflection angle. This fact allows for the development of explicit representations for angle decomposition as well as moveout formulas for analysis of extended images obtained by wave-equation migration. Although setting the tilt normal to the reflector dip may not be valid everywhere (i.e., on salt flanks), it can be used in the process of velocity model building, in which such constrains are useful and typically are used. © 2010 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

  8. A transversely isotropic medium with a tilted symmetry axis normal to the reflector

    KAUST Repository

    Alkhalifah, Tariq Ali; Sava, Paul C.

    2010-01-01

    The computational tools for imaging in transversely isotropic media with tilted axes of symmetry (TTI) are complex and in most cases do not have an explicit closed-form representation. Developing such tools for a TTI medium with tilt constrained to be normal to the reflector dip (DTI) reduces their complexity and allows for closed-form representations. The homogeneous-case zero-offset migration in such a medium can be performed using an isotropic operator scaled by the velocity of the medium in the tilt direction. For the nonzero-offset case, the reflection angle is always equal to the incidence angle, and thus, the velocities for the source and receiver waves at the reflection point are equal and explicitly dependent on the reflection angle. This fact allows for the development of explicit representations for angle decomposition as well as moveout formulas for analysis of extended images obtained by wave-equation migration. Although setting the tilt normal to the reflector dip may not be valid everywhere (i.e., on salt flanks), it can be used in the process of velocity model building, in which such constrains are useful and typically are used. © 2010 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

  9. Motion sickness and tilts of the inertial force environment: active suspension systems vs. active passengers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Golding, J.F.; Bles, W.; Bos, J.E.; Haynes, T.; Gresty, M.A.

    2003-01-01

    Maneuvering in vehicles exposes occupants to low frequency forces (<1 Hz) which can provoke motion sickness. Hypothesis: Aligning with the tilting inertial resultant (gravity + imposed horizontal acceleration: gravito-inertial force (GIF)) may reduce motion sickness when tilting is either 'active'

  10. System for the Automatic Estimation of the Tilt Angle of a Flat Solar Collector

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jorge Fonseca-Campos

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available In this work, a compact system for the automatic estimation of the tilt angle at any location of the world is presented. The system components are one computer, one GPS receiver and one Python program. The tilt angle is calculated through the maximization of the flux of direct radiation incident upon a flat solar collector. An estimation of the adjustments of this angle at different time periods are obtained. This angle is calculated in steps of six minutes during a whole year. Daily, monthly, biannually and yearly averages of this value are obtained. A comparison of the energetic gain when the tilt angle changes at the different time periods is made as well. Because, the algorithm doesn’t receive as an input the solar radiation incident upon a surface at the location of the calculation, a comparison was made between the results obtained and the results reported for the monthly tilt angle of 22 different places. The root mean square error obtained with this comparison was between 1.5 and 9.5 degrees. The monthly tilt angle estimated deviated in average for less than 6.3° with respect to the values reported for the different locations. Finally, the application of a correction factor in the monthly estimated angles is proposed, which might increase the collected energy.

  11. Mathematical Model and Analysis of the Water-Lubricated Hydrostatic Journal Bearings considering the Translational and Tilting Motions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hui-Hui Feng

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The water-lubricated bearings have been paid attention for their advantages to reduce the power loss and temperature rise and increase load capacity at high speed. To fully study the complete dynamic coefficients of two water-lubricated, hydrostatic journal bearings used to support a rigid rotor, a four-degree-of-freedom model considering the translational and tilting motion is presented. The effects of tilting ratio, rotary speed, and eccentricity ratio on the static and dynamic performances of the bearings are investigated. The bulk turbulent Reynolds equation is adopted. The finite difference method and a linear perturbation method are used to calculate the zeroth- and first-order pressure fields to obtain the static and dynamic coefficients. The results suggest that when the tilting ratio is smaller than 0.4 or the eccentricity ratio is smaller than 0.1, the static and dynamic characteristics are relatively insensitive to the tilting and eccentricity ratios; however, for larger tilting or eccentricity ratios, the tilting and eccentric effects should be fully considered. Meanwhile, the rotary speed significantly affects the performance of the hydrostatic, water-lubricated bearings.

  12. Transient theory of double slope floating cum tilted - wick type solar still

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Balan, R.; Chandrasekaran, J.; Janarthanan, B.; Kumar, S.

    2011-01-01

    A double slope floating cum tilted-wick solar still has been fabricated and transient theory of floating cum tilted-wick type solar still has been proposed. Analytical expressions have been derived for the different temperatures components of the proposed system. For elocution of the analytical results, numerical calculations have been carried out using the meteorological parameters for a typical summer day in Coimbatore. Analytical expression results are found to be in the close agreement with the experimental results. (authors)

  13. Tilt signals at Mount Melbourne, Antarctica: evidence of a shallow volcanic source

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Salvatore Gambino

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Mount Melbourne (74°21′ S, 164°43′ E is a quiescent volcano located in northern Victoria Land, Antarctica. Tilt signals have been recorded on Mount Melbourne since early 1989 by a permanent shallow borehole tiltmeter network comprising five stations. An overall picture of tilt, air and permafrost temperatures over 15 years of continuous recording data is reported. We focused our observations on long-term tilt trends that at the end of 1997 showed coherent changes at the three highest altitude stations, suggesting the presence of a ground deformation source whose effects are restricted to the summit area of Mount Melbourne. We inverted these data using a finite spherical body source, thereby obtaining a shallow deflation volume source located under the summit area. The ground deformation observed corroborates the hypothesis that the volcanic edifice of Mount Melbourne is active and should be monitored multidisciplinarily.

  14. Radial basis function neural networks with sequential learning MRAN and its applications

    CERN Document Server

    Sundararajan, N; Wei Lu Ying

    1999-01-01

    This book presents in detail the newly developed sequential learning algorithm for radial basis function neural networks, which realizes a minimal network. This algorithm, created by the authors, is referred to as Minimal Resource Allocation Networks (MRAN). The book describes the application of MRAN in different areas, including pattern recognition, time series prediction, system identification, control, communication and signal processing. Benchmark problems from these areas have been studied, and MRAN is compared with other algorithms. In order to make the book self-contained, a review of t

  15. Automated sampling and data processing derived from biomimetic membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perry, M; Vissing, T; Hansen, J S; Nielsen, C H; Boesen, T P; Emneus, J

    2009-01-01

    Recent advances in biomimetic membrane systems have resulted in an increase in membrane lifetimes from hours to days and months. Long-lived membrane systems demand the development of both new automated monitoring equipment capable of measuring electrophysiological membrane characteristics and new data processing software to analyze and organize the large amounts of data generated. In this work, we developed an automated instrumental voltage clamp solution based on a custom-designed software controller application (the WaveManager), which enables automated on-line voltage clamp data acquisition applicable to long-time series experiments. We designed another software program for off-line data processing. The automation of the on-line voltage clamp data acquisition and off-line processing was furthermore integrated with a searchable database (DiscoverySheet(TM)) for efficient data management. The combined solution provides a cost efficient and fast way to acquire, process and administrate large amounts of voltage clamp data that may be too laborious and time consuming to handle manually. (communication)

  16. Automated sampling and data processing derived from biomimetic membranes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perry, M; Vissing, T; Hansen, J S; Nielsen, C H [Aquaporin A/S, Diplomvej 377, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby (Denmark); Boesen, T P [Xefion ApS, Kildegaardsvej 8C, DK-2900 Hellerup (Denmark); Emneus, J, E-mail: Claus.Nielsen@fysik.dtu.d [DTU Nanotech, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby (Denmark)

    2009-12-15

    Recent advances in biomimetic membrane systems have resulted in an increase in membrane lifetimes from hours to days and months. Long-lived membrane systems demand the development of both new automated monitoring equipment capable of measuring electrophysiological membrane characteristics and new data processing software to analyze and organize the large amounts of data generated. In this work, we developed an automated instrumental voltage clamp solution based on a custom-designed software controller application (the WaveManager), which enables automated on-line voltage clamp data acquisition applicable to long-time series experiments. We designed another software program for off-line data processing. The automation of the on-line voltage clamp data acquisition and off-line processing was furthermore integrated with a searchable database (DiscoverySheet(TM)) for efficient data management. The combined solution provides a cost efficient and fast way to acquire, process and administrate large amounts of voltage clamp data that may be too laborious and time consuming to handle manually. (communication)

  17. Effect of tilted anisotropy on spin states of strongly anisotropic 2D film

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fridman, Yu. A.; Klevets, F. N.; Gorelikov, G. A.

    2012-01-01

    The spin states of a 2D film with a strong easy-plane anisotropy and single-ion tilted anisotropy, the axis of which forms a certain angle with the normal to the film plane are investigated. In this system, an angular ferromagnetic phase, a spatially inhomogeneous state, and a quadrupole phase can be formed; the realization of these states noticeably depends on the degree of tilted anisotropy.

  18. MODELLING AND CONTROL OF H-SHAPED RACING QUADCOPTER WITH TILTING PROPELLERS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmed Alkamachi

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Traditional quadcopter suffers terribly from its underactuation which implies the coupling between the rotational and the translational motion. In this paper, we present a quadcopter with dynamic rotor tilting capability in which the four propellers are allowed to tilt together around their arm axis. The proposed model provides leveled forward/backward horizontal motion and therefore, ensures a correct view of the onboard camera, and increases the vehicle speed by reducing the air drag. The rotor tilt mechanism also provides an instant high speed in the forward or reverse direction and offers a quick and solid air brake to restrain that fast moving speed.  The nonlinear dynamical model for the quadcopter under consideration is derived using Newton-Euler formalization. A control strategy is then proposed aimed to control the altitude, attitude, and the forward speed of the obtained model. Finally, a numerical simulation is used to integrate the system model with the controller and to test the system performance. Simulation results are reported to demonstrate the advantages of the proposed novel configuration.

  19. Octahedral tilt independent magnetism in confined GdTiO3 films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Need, R. F.; Isaac, B. J.; Kirby, B. J.; Borchers, J. A.; Stemmer, S.; Wilson, Stephen D.

    2018-03-01

    Low temperature polarized neutron reflectometry measurements are presented, exploring the evolution of ferrimagnetism in thin GdTiO3 films embedded within a SrTiO3 matrix. In GdTiO3 films thinner than ˜4 nm, the TiO6 octahedral tilts endemic to GdTiO3 coherently relax toward the undistorted, cubic phase of SrTiO3. Our measurements indicate that the ferrimagnetic state within the GdTiO3 layers survives as these TiO6 octahedral tilts are suppressed. Furthermore, our data suggest that layers of suppressed magnetization (i.e., magnetic dead layers) develop within the GdTiO3 layer at each GdTiO3/SrTiO3 interface and explain the apparent magnetization suppression observed in thin GdTiO3 films when using volume-averaged techniques. Our data show that the low temperature magnetic moment inherent to the core GdTiO3 layers is only weakly impacted as the octahedral tilt angles are suppressed by more than 50% and the t2 g bandwidth is dramatically renormalized.

  20. A new method to detect and correct sample tilt in scanning transmission electron microscopy bright-field imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brown, H.G. [School of Physics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010 (Australia); Ishikawa, R.; Sánchez-Santolino, G. [Institute of Engineering Innovation, School of Engineering, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); Lugg, N.R., E-mail: shibata@sigma.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp [Institute of Engineering Innovation, School of Engineering, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); Ikuhara, Y. [Institute of Engineering Innovation, School of Engineering, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); Allen, L.J. [School of Physics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010 (Australia); Shibata, N. [Institute of Engineering Innovation, School of Engineering, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan)

    2017-02-15

    Important properties of functional materials, such as ferroelectric shifts and octahedral distortions, are associated with displacements of the positions of lighter atoms in the unit cell. Annular bright-field scanning transmission electron microscopy is a good experimental method for investigating such phenomena due to its ability to image light and heavy atoms simultaneously. To map atomic positions at the required accuracy precise angular alignment of the sample with the microscope optical axis is necessary, since misalignment (tilt) of the specimen contributes to errors in position measurements of lighter elements in annular bright-field imaging. In this paper it is shown that it is possible to detect tilt with the aid of images recorded using a central bright-field detector placed within the inner radius of the annular bright-field detector. For a probe focus near the middle of the specimen the central bright-field image becomes especially sensitive to tilt and we demonstrate experimentally that misalignment can be detected with a precision of less than a milliradian, as we also confirm in simulation. Coma in the probe, an aberration that can be misidentified as tilt of the specimen, is also investigated and it is shown how the effects of coma and tilt can be differentiated. The effects of tilt may be offset to a large extent by shifting the diffraction plane detector an amount equivalent to the specimen tilt and we provide an experimental proof of principle of this using a segmented detector system. - Highlights: • Octahedral distortions are associated with displacements of lighter atoms. • Annular bright-field imaging is sensitive to light and heavy atoms simultaneously. • Mistilt of the specimen leads to errors in position measurements of lighter elements. • It is possible to detect tilt using images taken by a central bright-field detector. • Tilt may be offset by shifting the diffraction plane detector by an equivalent amount.

  1. Properties of HTS YBCO thin films deposited on tilted NdGaO{sub 3} substrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nurgaliev, T. [Laboratory of Superconductivity and Cryoelectronics, Institute of Electronics BAS, 72 Tsarigradsko Chausse, 1784 Sofia (Bulgaria)]. E-mail: timur@ie.bas.bg; Donchev, T. [Laboratory of Superconductivity and Cryoelectronics, Institute of Electronics BAS, 72 Tsarigradsko Chausse, 1784 Sofia (Bulgaria); Mateev, E. [Laboratory of Superconductivity and Cryoelectronics, Institute of Electronics BAS, 72 Tsarigradsko Chausse, 1784 Sofia (Bulgaria); Miteva, S. [Laboratory of Superconductivity and Cryoelectronics, Institute of Electronics BAS, 72 Tsarigradsko Chausse, 1784 Sofia (Bulgaria); Mozhaev, P.B. [Institute of Physics and Technology RAS, Nakhimovsky Ave. 36, 117218 Moscow (Russian Federation); Mozhaeva, J.E. [Institute of Physics and Technology RAS, Nakhimovsky Ave. 36, 117218 Moscow (Russian Federation)

    2005-03-15

    Thin YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7} films were fabricated by 2-opposed DC magnetron sputtering onto NdGaO{sub 3} substrates, tilted from standard (1 1 0) orientation by 0-26 deg , and their surface morphology and electrical characteristics were investigated. Normal state resistivity (at 295 K) and microwave surface resistance (at 77 K and {approx}8 GHz) of the films demonstrated anisotropy, introduced by the tilted substrate, and some improvement of the superconducting parameters of the films was observed at small tilt angles ({theta} {approx} 1.5-3 deg ). The increase of the microwave surface resistance at high tilt angles for the current tracks, perpendicular to the steps of the substrate, was described in the framework of a simple model, which takes into account the complex conductivity of the film and the weak links between the film terraces.

  2. The dynamic performance of narrow actively tilting vehicles

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pauwelussen, J.P.

    2000-01-01

    The major advantage of a motorcycle with respect to a passenger car is the possibility of the driver to tilt during cornering and thereby maintaining stability whereas a passenger car will suffer from the risk of capsizing at high speed. This observation has motivated recently various manufacturers

  3. Determination of the Optimal Tilt Angle for Solar Photovoltaic Panel in Ilorin, Nigeria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K.R. Ajao

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available The optimal tilt angle of solar photovoltaic panel in Ilorin, Nigeria was determined. The solar panel was first mounted at 0o to the horizontal and after ten minutes, the voltage and current generated with the corresponding atmospheric temperature were recorded. The same procedure was repeated for 2o to 30o at a succession of 2o at ten minutes time interval over the entire measurement period. The result obtained shows that the average optimal tilt angle at which a solar panel will be mounted for maximum power performance at fixed position in Ilorin is 22o. This optimum angle of tilt of the solar panel and the orientation are dependent on the month of the year and the location of the site of study.

  4. Quantum Inequalities and Sequential Measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Candelpergher, B.; Grandouz, T.; Rubinx, J.L.

    2011-01-01

    In this article, the peculiar context of sequential measurements is chosen in order to analyze the quantum specificity in the two most famous examples of Heisenberg and Bell inequalities: Results are found at some interesting variance with customary textbook materials, where the context of initial state re-initialization is described. A key-point of the analysis is the possibility of defining Joint Probability Distributions for sequential random variables associated to quantum operators. Within the sequential context, it is shown that Joint Probability Distributions can be defined in situations where not all of the quantum operators (corresponding to random variables) do commute two by two. (authors)

  5. The Little Giant: The IBM Series/1 in Library Applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hendricks, Donald D.; Manino, Glenn

    1987-01-01

    This description of the use of IBM Series/1 minicomputers to implement a library automation system includes discussion of current functions of the system, the system configuration, communications capabilities, software, and cost factors. (CLB)

  6. Increased Aldosterone Release During Head-Up Tilt in Early Primary Hypertension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reinold, Annemarie; Schneider, Andreas; Kalizki, Tatjana; Raff, Ulrike; Schneider, Markus P; Schmieder, Roland E; Schmidt, Bernhard M W

    2017-05-01

    Hyperaldosteronism is well known cause of secondary hypertension. However, the importance of aldosterone for the much larger group of patients with primary hypertension is less clear. We hypothesized that in young subjects with primary hypertension, the rise of plasma aldosterone levels in response to head-up tilt testing as a stress stimulus is exaggerated. Hemodynamics (blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), cardiac index (CI), and total peripheral vascular resistance index (TPRI), all by TaskForce monitor) and hormones (plasma renin activity (PRA), angiotensin II (Ang II), aldosterone) were measured before and during 30 minutes of head-up tilt in 45 young hypertensive and 45 normotensive subjects. BP, HR, CI, and TPRI all increased in response to head-up tilt, with no difference between groups. There was no difference in baseline PRA, Ang II, and aldosterone between groups. During head-up tilt, PRA, and Ang II levels increased similarly. However, aldosterone levels increased to a greater extent in the hypertensive vs. normotensive subjects (P = 0.0021). Our data suggest that an increased release of aldosterone in response to orthostatic stress is a feature of early primary hypertension. The similar increase in PRA and Ang II suggests a potential role for secretagogues of aldosterone other than Ang II in this response. In addition to its established role in secondary hypertension, dysregulation of aldosterone release might contribute to the development of primary arterial hypertension. © American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd 2017. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

  7. Single macroscopic pillars as model system for bioinspired adhesives: influence of tip dimension, aspect ratio, and tilt angle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Micciché, Maurizio; Arzt, Eduard; Kroner, Elmar

    2014-05-28

    The goal of our study is to better understand the design parameters of bioinspired dry adhesives inspired by geckos. For this, we fabricated single macroscopic pillars of 400 μm diameter with different aspect ratios and different tip shapes (i.e., flat tips, spherical tips with different radii, and mushroom tips with different diameters). Tilt-angle-dependent adhesion measurements showed that although the tip shape of the pillars strongly influences the pull-off force, the pull-off strength is similar for flat and mushroom-shaped tips. We found no tilt-angle dependency of adhesion for spherical tip structures and, except for high tilt angle and low preload experiments, no tilt-angle effect for mushroom-tip pillars. For flat-tip pillars, we found a strong influence of tilt angle on adhesion, which decreased linearly with increasing aspect ratio. The experiments show that for the tested aspect ratios between 1 and 5, a linear decrease of tilt-angle dependency is found. The results of our studies will help to design bioinspired adhesives for application on smooth and rough surfaces.

  8. hctsa: A Computational Framework for Automated Time-Series Phenotyping Using Massive Feature Extraction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fulcher, Ben D; Jones, Nick S

    2017-11-22

    Phenotype measurements frequently take the form of time series, but we currently lack a systematic method for relating these complex data streams to scientifically meaningful outcomes, such as relating the movement dynamics of organisms to their genotype or measurements of brain dynamics of a patient to their disease diagnosis. Previous work addressed this problem by comparing implementations of thousands of diverse scientific time-series analysis methods in an approach termed highly comparative time-series analysis. Here, we introduce hctsa, a software tool for applying this methodological approach to data. hctsa includes an architecture for computing over 7,700 time-series features and a suite of analysis and visualization algorithms to automatically select useful and interpretable time-series features for a given application. Using exemplar applications to high-throughput phenotyping experiments, we show how hctsa allows researchers to leverage decades of time-series research to quantify and understand informative structure in time-series data. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Description of multi-quasiparticle bands by the tilted axis cranking model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frauendorf, S.

    2000-01-01

    The selfconsistent cranking approach is extended to the case of rotation about an axis which is tilted with respect to the principal axes of the deformed potential (Tilted Axis Cranking). Expressions for the energies and the intra bands electro-magnetic transition probabilities are given. The mean field solutions are interpreted in terms of quantal rotational states. The construction of the quasiparticle configurations and the elimination of spurious states is discussed. The application of the theory to high spin data is demonstrated by analyzing the multi-quasiparticle bands in the nuclides with N=102,103 and Z=71,72,73

  10. Patients with severe acquired brain injury show increased arousal in tilt-table training

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Riberholt, Christian G; Thorlund, Jonas Bloch; Mehlsen, Jesper

    2013-01-01

    Patients with severe acquired brain injury (ABI) are often mobilised using a tilt-table. Complications such as orthostatic intolerance have been reported. The primary objective of this study was to investigate if using a tilt-table was feasible for mobilising patients with severe ABI admitted...... for sub-acute rehabilitation. We also investigated change in arousal, treatment duration before termination due to orthostatic reactions and change in muscle tone....

  11. Tilted c-Axis Thin-Film Bulk Wave Resonant Pressure Sensors With Improved Sensitivity

    OpenAIRE

    Anderås, Emil; Katardjiev, Ilia; Yantchev, Ventsislav

    2012-01-01

    Aluminum nitride thin film bulk wave resonant pressure sensors employing c- and tilted c-axis texture, have been fabricated and tested for their pressure sensitivities. The c-axis tilted FBAR pressure sensors demonstrate substantially higher pressure sensitivity compared to its c-axis oriented counterpart. More specifically the thickness plate quasi-shear resonance has demonstrated the highest pressure sensitivity while further being able to preserve its performance in liquid environment.

  12. Development of a sequential injection-square wave voltammetry method for determination of paraquat in water samples employing the hanging mercury drop electrode.

    Science.gov (United States)

    dos Santos, Luciana B O; Infante, Carlos M C; Masini, Jorge C

    2010-03-01

    This work describes the development and optimization of a sequential injection method to automate the determination of paraquat by square-wave voltammetry employing a hanging mercury drop electrode. Automation by sequential injection enhanced the sampling throughput, improving the sensitivity and precision of the measurements as a consequence of the highly reproducible and efficient conditions of mass transport of the analyte toward the electrode surface. For instance, 212 analyses can be made per hour if the sample/standard solution is prepared off-line and the sequential injection system is used just to inject the solution towards the flow cell. In-line sample conditioning reduces the sampling frequency to 44 h(-1). Experiments were performed in 0.10 M NaCl, which was the carrier solution, using a frequency of 200 Hz, a pulse height of 25 mV, a potential step of 2 mV, and a flow rate of 100 µL s(-1). For a concentration range between 0.010 and 0.25 mg L(-1), the current (i(p), µA) read at the potential corresponding to the peak maximum fitted the following linear equation with the paraquat concentration (mg L(-1)): i(p) = (-20.5 ± 0.3)C (paraquat) - (0.02 ± 0.03). The limits of detection and quantification were 2.0 and 7.0 µg L(-1), respectively. The accuracy of the method was evaluated by recovery studies using spiked water samples that were also analyzed by molecular absorption spectrophotometry after reduction of paraquat with sodium dithionite in an alkaline medium. No evidence of statistically significant differences between the two methods was observed at the 95% confidence level.

  13. Slow changing postural cues cancel visual field dependence on self-tilt detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scotto Di Cesare, C; Macaluso, T; Mestre, D R; Bringoux, L

    2015-01-01

    Interindividual differences influence the multisensory integration process involved in spatial perception. Here, we assessed the effect of visual field dependence on self-tilt detection relative to upright, as a function of static vs. slow changing visual or postural cues. To that aim, we manipulated slow rotations (i.e., 0.05° s(-1)) of the body and/or the visual scene in pitch. Participants had to indicate whether they felt being tilted forward at successive angles. Results show that thresholds for self-tilt detection substantially differed between visual field dependent/independent subjects, when only the visual scene was rotated. This difference was no longer present when the body was actually rotated, whatever the visual scene condition (i.e., absent, static or rotated relative to the observer). These results suggest that the cancellation of visual field dependence by dynamic postural cues may rely on a multisensory reweighting process, where slow changing vestibular/somatosensory inputs may prevail over visual inputs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Downward continuation and tilt derivative of magnetic data for ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    S K Pal

    2017-06-12

    Jun 12, 2017 ... Downward continuation; tilt derivative; magnetic data; coal fire mapping; Jharia coal field;. India. 1. .... of seams are thin and not suitable for mining but have the ...... Theory and Application; McGraw Hill Education (India).

  15. determination of determination of optimal tilt angle for maximum

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    eobe

    Keywords: Energy output, photovoltaic module, best tilt angle, solar radiation, sunshine hours, ambient temperature. 1. .... at any given time is vital in the design of a PV system. The solar ..... [8] E. Taymur, Photovoltaic System Sizing [thesis].

  16. A study of tilt change recorded from July to October 2006 at the Phlegraean Fields (Naples, Italy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Del Gaudio

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available The tiltmetric dataset of Phlegraean Fields area showed a discrete correlation with the volcanic dynamics, suggesting that tiltmetric monitoring is important for the surveillance of active volcanic areas. Tilt data recorded in 2006 at 2 stations belonging to the monitoring network of the Osservatorio Vesuviano (INGV, National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology, Italy in the Phlegraean Fields are discussed in this paper. The acquired signals have shown a strong tiltmetric inversion that took place from the end of July 2006. After correcting tilt variations to eliminate the influence of temperature (influencing 90% of the signal at OLB station, hereafter OLB a significant value of the tilt still remains. This change is related to a local inflation episode lasting 3 months, during an unrest phase that started 2 years before. It is interesting to note that tilt amplitude is much greater at OLB than the slope of the displacement field predicted by the theoretical inflation models, but data show that this field is not homogeneous and in some areas very tilted. Moreover, in the last days before the end of tilt inversion, a low energy seismic swarm happened at about 1 km of distance from the tiltmetric station by hundreds of VT (Volcano-Tectonics and LP (Long-Period events.

  17. MUF residuals tested by a sequential test with power one

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sellinschegg, D.; Bicking, U.

    1983-01-01

    Near-real-time material accountancy is an ongoing safeguards development to extend the current capability of IAEA safeguards. The evaluation of the observed ''Material Unaccounted For'' (MUF) time series is an important part in a near-real-time material accountancy regime. The maximum capability of a sequential data evaluation procedure is demonstrated by applying this procedure to the material balance area of the chemical separation process of a reference reprocessing facility with a throughput of 1000 tonnes heavy metal per year, as an example. It is shown that, compared to a conventional material accountancy approach, the detection time as well as the detection probability is significantly improved. (author)

  18. The clinical relevance of the duration of loss of consciousness provoked by tilt testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zyśko, Dorota; Gajek, Jacek; Kozluk, Edward; Agrawal, Anil Kumar; Smereka, Jacek; Checiński, Igor

    2010-04-01

    The authors assessed the relationships between the duration of loss of consciousness (dLOC) during tilt testing-induced syncope (TTS) and demographics, medical history as well as tilt testing results. Previous research focused on the relevance of the type of neurocardiogenic reaction during TTS. The importance of dLOC has not been assessed so far. The study was carried out in 274 patients with suspected neurally mediated syncope and total loss of consciousness during tilt testing. The syncope burden, demographics, and data regarding spontaneous syncope orTTS were compared between group I with dLOC > or =47 seconds and group 2 with dLOC <47 seconds. Medical history revealed that patients in group I had more syncopal spells, more frequent syncope-related traumatic injuries, urine incontinence, jerking movements and typical vasovagal history than in group 2. Moreover, group I patients had more frequently a cardioinhibitory type of reaction and a shorter active phase duration. In addition, they manifested more frequent accompanying cerebral hypoperfusion signs and reproduction of symptoms during TTS than patients in group 2. The loss of consciousness during tilt testing-induced syncope differs in terms of duration among patients with neurally mediated syncope. The dLOC during TTS is associated with medical history and tilt-testing data which confirm the vasovagal aetiology of spontaneous events. The longer dLOC suggests deeper cerebral haemodynamic disturbances during either spontaneous or provoked syncope.

  19. Tilting-induced decrease in systolic blood pressure in bedridden hypertensive elderly inpatients: effects of azelnidipine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morimoto, Shigeto; Takahashi, Takashi; Okaishi, Kohya; Nakahashi, Takeshi; Nomura, Kohji; Kanda, Tsugiyasu; Okuro, Masashi; Murai, Hiroshi; Nishino, Tomoichi; Matsumoto, Masayuki

    2006-12-01

    The object of this study was to examine blood pressure (BP) variability due to postural change in elderly hypertensive patients. The subjects studied were 154 elderly inpatients in a hospital for the elderly (48 male and 106 female; median age: 82 years), consisting of age- and sex-matched bedridden (n=39) and non-bedridden (n=39) normotensive controls and bedridden (n=38) and non-bedridden (n=38) hypertensive patients. BP and pulse rate (PR) were measured in the supine position, then again after a 2-min, 45 deg head-up tilt with the legs horizontal. The decrease in systolic BP (SBP) on tilting in the bedridden hypertensive group (median: -10 mmHg; range: -32 to 9 mmHg) was significantly (pbedridden hypertensive group. Our findings indicate that tilt-induced decrease in SBP is a rather common phenomenon in bedridden elderly hypertensive patients, and that treatment with azelnidipine attenuates tilt-induced decrease in SBP, probably through an improvement of baroreceptor sensitivity.

  20. Modeling of Tilting-Pad Journal Bearings with Transfer Functions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. A. Vázquez

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available Tilting-pad journal bearings are widely used to promote stability in modern rotating machinery. However, the dynamics associated with pad motion alters this stabilizing capacity depending on the operating speed of the machine and the bearing geometric parameters, particularly the bearing preload. In modeling the dynamics of the entire rotor-bearing system, the rotor is augmented with a model of the bearings. This model may explicitly include the pad degrees of freedom or may implicitly include them by using dynamic matrix reduction methods. The dynamic reduction models may be represented as a set of polynomials in the eigenvalues of the system used to determine stability. All tilting-pad bearings can then be represented by a fixed size matrix with polynomial elements interacting with the rotor. This paper presents a procedure to calculate the coefficients of polynomials for implicit bearing models. The order of the polynomials changes to reflect the number of pads in the bearings. This results in a very compact and computationally efficient method for fully including the dynamics of tilting-pad bearings or other multiple degrees of freedom components that interact with rotors. The fixed size of the dynamic reduction matrices permits the method to be easily incorporated into rotor dynamic stability codes. A recursive algorithm is developed and presented for calculating the coefficients of the polynomials. The method is applied to stability calculations for a model of a typical industrial compressor.

  1. An Efficient Series Solution for Nonlinear Multiterm Fractional Differential Equations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moh’d Khier Al-Srihin

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we introduce an efficient series solution for a class of nonlinear multiterm fractional differential equations of Caputo type. The approach is a generalization to our recent work for single fractional differential equations. We extend the idea of the Taylor series expansion method to multiterm fractional differential equations, where we overcome the difficulty of computing iterated fractional derivatives, which are difficult to be computed in general. The terms of the series are obtained sequentially using a closed formula, where only integer derivatives have to be computed. Several examples are presented to illustrate the efficiency of the new approach and comparison with the Adomian decomposition method is performed.

  2. An iterative, fast-sweeping-based eikonal solver for 3D tilted anisotropic media

    KAUST Repository

    Waheed, Umair bin; Yarman, Can Evren; Flagg, Garret

    2015-01-01

    Computation of first-arrival traveltimes for quasi-P waves in the presence of anisotropy is important for high-end near-surface modeling, microseismic-source localization, and fractured-reservoir characterization - and it requires solving an anisotropic eikonal equation. Anisotropy deviating from elliptical anisotropy introduces higher order nonlinearity into the eikonal equation, which makes solving the eikonal equation a challenge. We addressed this challenge by iteratively solving a sequence of simpler tilted elliptically anisotropic eikonal equations. At each iteration, the source function was updated to capture the effects of the higher order nonlinear terms. We used Aitken's extrapolation to speed up convergence rate of the iterative algorithm. The result is an algorithm for computing first-arrival traveltimes in tilted anisotropic media. We evaluated the applicability and usefulness of our method on tilted transversely isotropic media and tilted orthorhombic media. Our numerical tests determined that the proposed method matches the first arrivals obtained by wavefield extrapolation, even for strongly anisotropic and highly complex subsurface structures. Thus, for the cases where two-point ray tracing fails, our method can be a potential substitute for computing traveltimes. The approach presented here can be easily extended to compute first-arrival traveltimes for anisotropic media with lower symmetries, such as monoclinic or even the triclinic media.

  3. An iterative, fast-sweeping-based eikonal solver for 3D tilted anisotropic media

    KAUST Repository

    Waheed, Umair bin

    2015-03-30

    Computation of first-arrival traveltimes for quasi-P waves in the presence of anisotropy is important for high-end near-surface modeling, microseismic-source localization, and fractured-reservoir characterization - and it requires solving an anisotropic eikonal equation. Anisotropy deviating from elliptical anisotropy introduces higher order nonlinearity into the eikonal equation, which makes solving the eikonal equation a challenge. We addressed this challenge by iteratively solving a sequence of simpler tilted elliptically anisotropic eikonal equations. At each iteration, the source function was updated to capture the effects of the higher order nonlinear terms. We used Aitken\\'s extrapolation to speed up convergence rate of the iterative algorithm. The result is an algorithm for computing first-arrival traveltimes in tilted anisotropic media. We evaluated the applicability and usefulness of our method on tilted transversely isotropic media and tilted orthorhombic media. Our numerical tests determined that the proposed method matches the first arrivals obtained by wavefield extrapolation, even for strongly anisotropic and highly complex subsurface structures. Thus, for the cases where two-point ray tracing fails, our method can be a potential substitute for computing traveltimes. The approach presented here can be easily extended to compute first-arrival traveltimes for anisotropic media with lower symmetries, such as monoclinic or even the triclinic media.

  4. Dynamic performance of a C/C composite finger seal in a tilting mode

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hailin ZHAO

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The complex operating state of aeroengines has an impact on the performance of finger seals. However, little work has been focused on the issue and the dynamic performance of finger seals is also rarely studied. Therefore, a distributed mass equivalent model considering working conditions is proposed in this paper for solving the existing problems. The effects of the fiber bundle density and the preparation direction of the fiber bundle of a C/C composite on the dynamic performance of a finger seal are investigated in rotor tilt based on the proposed model. The difference between the C/C composite finger seal performances under the rotor precession and nutation tilt cases is also investigated. The results show that the fiber bundle density and the preparation direction of the fiber bundle have an influence on the dynamic performance of the finger seal as rotor tilt is considered, and the dynamic performance of the finger seal is different in the two kinds of tilting modes. In addition, a novel method for design of finger seals is presented based on the contact pressure between finger boots and the rotor. Finger seals with good leakage rates and low wear can be acquired in this method.

  5. Semi-automated digital image analysis of patellofemoral joint space width from lateral knee radiographs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grochowski, S.J. [Mayo Clinic, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Rochester (United States); Amrami, K.K. [Mayo Clinic, Department of Radiology, Rochester (United States); Kaufman, K. [Mayo Clinic, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Rochester (United States); Mayo Clinic/Foundation, Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Charlton North L-110L, Rochester (United States)

    2005-10-01

    To design a semi-automated program to measure minimum patellofemoral joint space width (JSW) using standing lateral view radiographs. Lateral patellofemoral knee radiographs were obtained from 35 asymptomatic subjects. The radiographs were analyzed to report both the repeatability of the image analysis program and the reproducibility of JSW measurements within a 2 week period. The results were also compared with manual measurements done by an experienced musculoskeletal radiologist. The image analysis program was shown to have an excellent coefficient of repeatability of 0.18 and 0.23 mm for intra- and inter-observer measurements respectively. The manual method measured a greater minimum JSW than the automated method. Reproducibility between days was comparable to other published results, but was less satisfactory for both manual and semi-automated measurements. The image analysis program had an inter-day coefficient of repeatability of 1.24 mm, which was lower than 1.66 mm for the manual method. A repeatable semi-automated method for measurement of the patellofemoral JSW from radiographs has been developed. The method is more accurate than manual measurements. However, the between-day reproducibility is higher than the intra-day reproducibility. Further investigation of the protocol for obtaining sequential lateral knee radiographs is needed in order to reduce the between-day variability. (orig.)

  6. The impact of gravity during head-up tilt

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ottesen, Johnny T.; Olufsen, Mette; Smith, Brittany

    2011-01-01

    The impact of gravity during head-up tilt, a test often used in the clinic to diagnose patients who suffer from dizziness or frequent episodes of syncope, is not well described. This study uses mathematical modeling to analyze experimental blood pressure data measured at the level of the aorta an...

  7. Establishment of Approximate Analytical Model of Oil Film Force for Finite Length Tilting Pad Journal Bearings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yongliang Wang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Tilting pad bearings offer unique dynamic stability enabling successful deployment of high-speed rotating machinery. The model of dynamic stiffness, damping, and added mass coefficients is often used for rotordynamic analyses, and this method does not suffice to describe the dynamic behaviour due to the nonlinear effects of oil film force under larger shaft vibration or vertical rotor conditions. The objective of this paper is to present a nonlinear oil force model for finite length tilting pad journal bearings. An approximate analytic oil film force model was established by analysing the dynamic characteristic of oil film of a single pad journal bearing using variable separation method under the dynamic π oil film boundary condition. And an oil film force model of a four-tilting-pad journal bearing was established by using the pad assembly technique and considering pad tilting angle. The validity of the model established was proved by analyzing the distribution of oil film pressure and the locus of journal centre for tilting pad journal bearings and by comparing the model established in this paper with the model established using finite difference method.

  8. Sequential Generalized Transforms on Function Space

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jae Gil Choi

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available We define two sequential transforms on a function space Ca,b[0,T] induced by generalized Brownian motion process. We then establish the existence of the sequential transforms for functionals in a Banach algebra of functionals on Ca,b[0,T]. We also establish that any one of these transforms acts like an inverse transform of the other transform. Finally, we give some remarks about certain relations between our sequential transforms and other well-known transforms on Ca,b[0,T].

  9. Conceptual design study of 1985 commercial tilt rotor transports. Volume 3. STOL design summary. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sambell, K.W.

    1976-04-01

    A conceptual design study is presented of 1,985 commercial tilt rotor STOL transports for a NASA 200 n. mi. (370 km) STOL Mission. A 100-passenger STOL Variant (Bell D313) of the Phase I VTOL Tilt Rotor Aircraft is defined. Aircraft characteristics are given; with the aircraft redesigned to meet 2,000-foot (610 m) field criteria, with emphasis on low fuel consumption and low direct operating cost. The 100-passenger STOL Tilt Rotor Aircraft was analyzed for performance, weights, economics, handling qualities, noise footprint and aeroelastic stability. (GRA)

  10. Enhancing sequential time perception and storytelling ability of deaf and hard of hearing children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ingber, Sara; Eden, Sigal

    2011-01-01

    A 3-month intervention was conducted to enhance the sequential time perception and storytelling ability of young children with hearing loss. The children were trained to arrange pictorial episodes of temporal scripts and tell the stories they created. Participants (N = 34, aged 4-7 years) were divided into 2 groups based on whether their spoken-language gap was more or less than 1 year compared to age norms. They completed A. Kaufman and N. Kaufman's (1983) picture series subtest and Guralnik's (1982) storytelling test at pretest and posttest. Measures demonstrated significant improvement in sequential time and storytelling achievement postintervention. Three of the examined demographic variables revealed correlations: Participants with genetic etiology showed greater improvement in time sequencing and storytelling than participants with unknown etiology; early onset of treatment correlated with better achievement in time sequencing; cochlear implant users showed greater storytelling improvement than hearing aid users.

  11. Forced Sequence Sequential Decoding

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Ole Riis; Paaske, Erik

    1998-01-01

    We describe a new concatenated decoding scheme based on iterations between an inner sequentially decoded convolutional code of rate R=1/4 and memory M=23, and block interleaved outer Reed-Solomon (RS) codes with nonuniform profile. With this scheme decoding with good performance is possible as low...... as Eb/N0=0.6 dB, which is about 1.25 dB below the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) that marks the cutoff rate for the full system. Accounting for about 0.45 dB due to the outer codes, sequential decoding takes place at about 1.7 dB below the SNR cutoff rate for the convolutional code. This is possible since...... the iteration process provides the sequential decoders with side information that allows a smaller average load and minimizes the probability of computational overflow. Analytical results for the probability that the first RS word is decoded after C computations are presented. These results are supported...

  12. Flow tilt angles near forest edges – Part 1: Sonic anemometry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Dellwik

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available An analysis of flow tilt angles from a fetch-limited beech forest site with clearings is presented in the context of vertical advection of carbon dioxide. Flow angles and vertical velocities from two sonic anemometers by different manufacturers were analyzed. Instead of using rotations, where zero-flow angles were assumed for neutral flow, the data was interpreted in relation to upstream and downstream forest edges.

    Uncertainties caused by flow distortion, vertical misalignment and limited sampling time (statistical uncertainty were evaluated and found to be highly significant. Since the attack angle distribution of the wind on the sonic anemometer is a function of atmospheric stratification, an instrumental error caused by imperfect flow distortion correction is also a function of the atmospheric stratification. In addition, it is discussed that the sonic anemometers have temperature dependent off-sets. These features of the investigated sonic anemometers make them unsuitable for measuring vertical velocities over highly turbulent forested terrain. By comparing the sonic anemometer results to that of a conically scanning Doppler lidar (Dellwik et al., 2010b, sonic anemometer accuracy for measuring mean flow tilt angles was estimated to between 2° and 3°. Use of planar fit algorithms, where the mean vertical velocity is calculated as the difference between the neutral and non-neutral flow, does not solve this problem of low accuracy and is not recommended.

    Because of the large uncertainties caused by flow distortion and vertical alignment, it was only possible to a limited extent to relate sonic anemometer flow tilt angles to upwind forest edges, but the results by the lidar indicated that an internal boundary layer affect flow tilt angles at 21m above the forest. This is in accordance with earlier studies at the site.

    Since the mean flow tilt angles do not follow the terrain, an estimate of the vertical advection

  13. Acute Cutaneous Microvascular Flow Responses to Whole-Body Tilting in Humans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Breit, Gregory A.; Watenpaugh, Donald E.; Ballard, Richard E.; Hargens, Alan R.

    1993-01-01

    The transition from upright to head-down tilt (HDT) posture in humans increases blood pressure superior to the heart and decreases pressure inferior to the heart. Consequently, above heart level, myogenic arteriolar tone probably increases with HDT, in opposition to the withdrawal of baroreceptor-mediated sympathetic tone. We hypothesized that due to antagonism between central and local controls, the response of the facial cutaneous microcirculation to acute postural change will be weaker than that in the leg, where these two mechanisms reinforce each other. Cutaneous microvascular flow was measured by laser Doppler flowmetry simultaneously at the shin and the neck of 7 male and 3 female subjects. Subjects underwent a stepwise tilt protocol from standing control to 54 deg head-up tilt (HUT), 30 deg, 12 deg, O deg, -6 deg (HDT), -12 deg, -6 deg, O deg, 12 deg, 30 deg, 54 deg, and standing, for 30-sec periods with 10-sec transitions between postures. Flows at the shin and the neck increased significantly (P less than 0.05) from standing baseline to 12 deg HUT (252 +/- 55 and 126 +/- 9% (bar X +/- SE) of baseline, respectively). From 12 deg to -12 deg tilt, flows continued to increase at the shin (509 +/- 71% of baseline) but decreased at the neck to baseline levels (100 +/- 15% of baseline). Cutaneous microvascular flow recovered at both sites during the return to standing posture with significant hysteresis. Flow increases from standing to near-supine posture are attributed at both sites to baroreceptor-mediated vasodilation. The great dissimilarity in flow response magnitudes at the two measurement sites may be indicative of central/local regulatory antagonism above heart level and reinforcement below heart level.

  14. Intelligent viewing control for robotic and automation systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schenker, Paul S.; Peters, Stephen F.; Paljug, Eric D.; Kim, Won S.

    1994-10-01

    We present a new system for supervisory automated control of multiple remote cameras. Our primary purpose in developing this system has been to provide capability for knowledge- based, `hands-off' viewing during execution of teleoperation/telerobotic tasks. The reported technology has broader applicability to remote surveillance, telescience observation, automated manufacturing workcells, etc. We refer to this new capability as `Intelligent Viewing Control (IVC),' distinguishing it from a simple programmed camera motion control. In the IVC system, camera viewing assignment, sequencing, positioning, panning, and parameter adjustment (zoom, focus, aperture, etc.) are invoked and interactively executed by real-time by a knowledge-based controller, drawing on a priori known task models and constraints, including operator preferences. This multi-camera control is integrated with a real-time, high-fidelity 3D graphics simulation, which is correctly calibrated in perspective to the actual cameras and their platform kinematics (translation/pan-tilt). Such merged graphics- with-video design allows the system user to preview and modify the planned (`choreographed') viewing sequences. Further, during actual task execution, the system operator has available both the resulting optimized video sequence, as well as supplementary graphics views from arbitrary perspectives. IVC, including operator-interactive designation of robot task actions, is presented to the user as a well-integrated video-graphic single screen user interface allowing easy access to all relevant telerobot communication/command/control resources. We describe and show pictorial results of a preliminary IVC system implementation for telerobotic servicing of a satellite.

  15. A computerized method for automated identification of erect posteroanterior and supine anteroposterior chest radiographs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kao, E-Fong; Chou, Ming-Chung; Lin, Wei-Chen; Hsu, Jui-Sheng; Jaw, Twei-Shiun; Liu, Gin-Chung

    2011-01-01

    A computerized scheme was developed for automated identification of erect posteroanterior (PA) and supine anteroposterior (AP) chest radiographs. The method was based on three features, the tilt angle of the scapula superior border, the tilt angle of the clavicle and the extent of radiolucence in lung fields, to identify the view of a chest radiograph. The three indices A scapula , A clavicle and C lung were determined from a chest image for the three features. Linear discriminant analysis was used to classify PA and AP chest images based on the three indices. The performance of the method was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic analysis. The proposed method was evaluated using a database of 600 PA and 600 AP chest radiographs. The discriminant performances Az of A scapula , A clavicle and C lung were 0.878 ± 0.010, 0.683 ± 0.015 and 0.962 ± 0.006, respectively. The combination of the three indices obtained an Az value of 0.979 ± 0.004. The results indicate that the combination of the three indices could yield high discriminant performance. The proposed method could provide radiologists with information about the view of chest radiographs for interpretation or could be used as a preprocessing step for analyzing chest images.

  16. Sequential probability ratio controllers for safeguards radiation monitors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fehlau, P.E.; Coop, K.L.; Nixon, K.V.

    1984-01-01

    Sequential hypothesis tests applied to nuclear safeguards accounting methods make the methods more sensitive to detecting diversion. The sequential tests also improve transient signal detection in safeguards radiation monitors. This paper describes three microprocessor control units with sequential probability-ratio tests for detecting transient increases in radiation intensity. The control units are designed for three specific applications: low-intensity monitoring with Poisson probability ratios, higher intensity gamma-ray monitoring where fixed counting intervals are shortened by sequential testing, and monitoring moving traffic where the sequential technique responds to variable-duration signals. The fixed-interval controller shortens a customary 50-s monitoring time to an average of 18 s, making the monitoring delay less bothersome. The controller for monitoring moving vehicles benefits from the sequential technique by maintaining more than half its sensitivity when the normal passage speed doubles

  17. A new software routine that automates the fitting of protein X-ray crystallographic electron-density maps.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levitt, D G

    2001-07-01

    The classical approach to building the amino-acid residues into the initial electron-density map requires days to weeks of a skilled investigator's time. Automating this procedure should not only save time, but has the potential to provide a more accurate starting model for input to refinement programs. The new software routine MAID builds the protein structure into the electron-density map in a series of sequential steps. The first step is the fitting of the secondary alpha-helix and beta-sheet structures. These 'fits' are then used to determine the local amino-acid sequence assignment. These assigned fits are then extended through the loop regions and fused with the neighboring sheet or helix. The program was tested on the unaveraged 2.5 A selenomethionine multiple-wavelength anomalous dispersion (SMAD) electron-density map that was originally used to solve the structure of the 291-residue protein human heart short-chain L-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (SHAD). Inputting just the map density and the amino-acid sequence, MAID fitted 80% of the residues with an r.m.s.d. error of 0.43 A for the main-chain atoms and 1.0 A for all atoms without any user intervention. When tested on a higher quality 1.9 A SMAD map, MAID correctly fitted 100% (418) of the residues. A major advantage of the MAID fitting procedure is that it maintains ideal bond lengths and angles and constrains phi/psi angles to the appropriate Ramachandran regions. Recycling the output of this new routine through a partial structure-refinement program may have the potential to completely automate the fitting of electron-density maps.

  18. Correction of Pelvic Tilt and Pelvic Rotation in Cup Measurement after THA - An Experimental Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwarz, Timo Julian; Weber, Markus; Dornia, Christian; Worlicek, Michael; Renkawitz, Tobias; Grifka, Joachim; Craiovan, Benjamin

    2017-09-01

    Purpose  Accurate assessment of cup orientation on postoperative pelvic radiographs is essential for evaluating outcome after THA. Here, we present a novel method for correcting measurement inaccuracies due to pelvic tilt and rotation. Method  In an experimental setting, a cup was implanted into a dummy pelvis, and its final position was verified via CT. To show the effect of pelvic tilt and rotation on cup position, the dummy was fixed to a rack to achieve a tilt between + 15° anterior and -15° posterior and 0° to 20° rotation to the contralateral side. According to Murray's definitions of anteversion and inclination, we created a novel corrective procedure to measure cup position in the pelvic reference frame (anterior pelvic plane) to compensate measurement errors due to pelvic tilt and rotation. Results  The cup anteversion measured on CT was 23.3°; on AP pelvic radiographs, however, variations in pelvic tilt (± 15°) resulted in anteversion angles between 11.0° and 36.2° (mean error 8.3°± 3.9°). The cup inclination was 34.1° on CT and ranged between 31.0° and 38.7° (m. e. 2.3°± 1.5°) on radiographs. Pelvic rotation between 0° and 20° showed high variation in radiographic anteversion (21.2°-31.2°, m. e. 6.0°± 3.1°) and inclination (34.1°-27.2°, m. e. 3.4°± 2.5°). Our novel correction algorithm for pelvic tilt reduced the mean error in anteversion measurements to 0.6°± 0.2° and in inclination measurements to 0.7° (SD± 0.2). Similarly, the mean error due to pelvic rotation was reduced to 0.4°± 0.4° for anteversion and to 1.3°± 0.8 for inclination. Conclusion  Pelvic tilt and pelvic rotation may lead to misinterpretation of cup position on anteroposterior pelvic radiographs. Mathematical correction concepts have the potential to significantly reduce these errors, and could be implemented in future radiological software tools. Key Points   · Pelvic tilt and rotation influence cup

  19. Biased lineups: sequential presentation reduces the problem.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindsay, R C; Lea, J A; Nosworthy, G J; Fulford, J A; Hector, J; LeVan, V; Seabrook, C

    1991-12-01

    Biased lineups have been shown to increase significantly false, but not correct, identification rates (Lindsay, Wallbridge, & Drennan, 1987; Lindsay & Wells, 1980; Malpass & Devine, 1981). Lindsay and Wells (1985) found that sequential lineup presentation reduced false identification rates, presumably by reducing reliance on relative judgment processes. Five staged-crime experiments were conducted to examine the effect of lineup biases and sequential presentation on eyewitness recognition accuracy. Sequential lineup presentation significantly reduced false identification rates from fair lineups as well as from lineups biased with regard to foil similarity, instructions, or witness attire, and from lineups biased in all of these ways. The results support recommendations that police present lineups sequentially.

  20. A tilted fiber-optic plate coupled CCD detector for high resolution neutron imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Jongyul; Cho, Gyuseong [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jongyul; Hwy, Limchang; Kim, Taejoo; Lee, Kyehong [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Seungwook [Pusan National Univ., Pusan (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-05-15

    One of these efforts is that a tilted scintillator geometry and lens coupled CCD detector for neutron imaging system were used to improve spatial resolution in one dimension. The increased spatial resolution in one dimension was applied to fuel cell study. However, a lens coupled CCD detector has lower sensitivity than a fiber-optic plate coupled CCD detector due to light loss. In this research, a tilted detector using fiber-optic plate coupled CCD detector was developed to improve resolution and sensitivity. In addition, a tilted detector can prevent an image sensor from direct radiation damage. Neutron imaging has been used for fuel cell study, lithium ion battery study, and many scientific applications. High quality neutron imaging is demanded for more detailed studies of applications, and spatial resolution should be considered to get high quality neutron imaging. Therefore, there were many efforts to improve spatial resolution.

  1. Current Measurements and Overwash Monitoring Using Tilt Current Meters in Three Coastal Environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lowell, N. S.; Sherwood, C. R.; Decarlo, T. M.; Grant, J. R.

    2014-12-01

    Tilt Current Meters (TCMs) provide accurate, cost effective measurements of near-bottom current velocities. Many studies in coastal environments require current measurements, which are frequently made with Acoustic Doppler Profilers (ADPs). ADPs are expensive, however, and may not be suitable for locations where there is significant risk of damage, loss, or theft or where a large spatial array of measurements is required. TCMs, by contrast, are smaller, less expensive, and easier to deploy. This study tested TCMs in three sites to determine their suitability for use in research applications. TCMs are based on the drag-tilt principle, where the instrument tilts in response to current. The meter consists of a buoyant float with an onboard accelerometer, three-axis tilt sensor, three-axis magnetometer (compass), and a data logger. Current measurements are derived by post processing the tilt and compass values and converting them to velocity using empirical calibration data. Large data-storage capacity (4 GB) and low power requirements allow long deployments (many months) at high sample rates (16 Hz). We demonstrate the utility of TCM current measurements on a reef at Dongsha Atoll in the South China Sea, and in Vineyard Sound off Cape Cod, where the TCM performance was evaluated against ADP measurements. We have also used the TCM to record waves during an overwash event on a Cape Cod barrier beach during a winter storm. The TCM recorded waves as they came through the overwash channel, and the data were in agreement with the water-level record used as a reference. These tests demonstrate that TCMs may be used in a variety of near shore environments and have the potential to significantly increase the density of meters in future studies were current measurements are required.

  2. Automated extraction of radiation dose information from CT dose report images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xinhua; Zhang, Da; Liu, Bob

    2011-06-01

    The purpose of this article is to describe the development of an automated tool for retrieving texts from CT dose report images. Optical character recognition was adopted to perform text recognitions of CT dose report images. The developed tool is able to automate the process of analyzing multiple CT examinations, including text recognition, parsing, error correction, and exporting data to spreadsheets. The results were precise for total dose-length product (DLP) and were about 95% accurate for CT dose index and DLP of scanned series.

  3. Lineup composition, suspect position, and the sequential lineup advantage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlson, Curt A; Gronlund, Scott D; Clark, Steven E

    2008-06-01

    N. M. Steblay, J. Dysart, S. Fulero, and R. C. L. Lindsay (2001) argued that sequential lineups reduce the likelihood of mistaken eyewitness identification. Experiment 1 replicated the design of R. C. L. Lindsay and G. L. Wells (1985), the first study to show the sequential lineup advantage. However, the innocent suspect was chosen at a lower rate in the simultaneous lineup, and no sequential lineup advantage was found. This led the authors to hypothesize that protection from a sequential lineup might emerge only when an innocent suspect stands out from the other lineup members. In Experiment 2, participants viewed a simultaneous or sequential lineup with either the guilty suspect or 1 of 3 innocent suspects. Lineup fairness was varied to influence the degree to which a suspect stood out. A sequential lineup advantage was found only for the unfair lineups. Additional analyses of suspect position in the sequential lineups showed an increase in the diagnosticity of suspect identifications as the suspect was placed later in the sequential lineup. These results suggest that the sequential lineup advantage is dependent on lineup composition and suspect position. (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved

  4. 3D decompaction and sequential restoration: a tool to quantify sedimentary and tectonic control on elusive Quaternary structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    D'Ambrogi, Chiara; Emanuele Maesano, Francesco

    2015-04-01

    Basin-wide detailed 3D model, deeply constrained by the interpretation of an impressive dense seismic dataset (12.000 km, provided confidentially by ENI S.p.A.) and 136 well stratigraphies, is the core of a workflow of decompaction and sequential restoration in 3D aimed to quantify the sedimentation and uplift rate in the central part of the Po Plain (northern Italy), during Quaternary. The Po basin is the common foredeep of two opposite verging chains, the Southern Alps, to the north, and the Northern Apennines, to the south, that influenced the evolution of the foreland basin from Paleogene onward. In this particular setting there are many examples of interaction of sedimentary processes and tectonics, both at regional and local scale. During the Quaternary the complex interaction of tectonic processes, sea-level fluctuations, climate changes, and sediment supply produced the filling of the basin with the progradation of the fluvio-deltaic system, from west toward east. The most important tectonic phases can be easily recognized along the basin margin marked by the deformation and tilting of river terraces and of exposed syntectonic sediments; conversely their detection is particularly difficult in the central-distal part of the basin. In such structurally complex area analysis of syntectonic deposits and growth strata are strategic to describe the basin evolution and tectonic control; in their analysis 3D decompaction and regional tilting must be taken into account to assess the residual vertical separation that can be attributed to tectonic processes only. The Pleistocene portion of a detailed 3D model, build in the framework of the EU-funded GeoMol Project, is the starting point of a sequential restoration workflow in 3D that included the unfolding and decompaction of 6, chronologically constrained, sedimentary units ranging from 1.5 to 0.45 Myr. This previously unavailable detail in the definition of the geometry of Quaternary bodies in the central part of

  5. The perception of roll tilt in pilots during a simulated coordinated turn in a gondola centrifuge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tribukait, Arne; Grönkvist, Mikael; Eiken, Ola

    2011-05-01

    It has previously been reported that nonpilots underestimate the roll tilt angle after acceleration in a gondola centrifuge. The aim of the present work was to elucidate the significance of flight experience for roll tilt perception based on vestibular information. The subjective visual horizontal (SVH) was measured by means of an adjustable luminous line in darkness. Eight nonpilots (N), nine fighter pilots (F), and eight helicopter pilots (H) underwent two centrifuge runs (2 G, 5 min) heading forward and backward, respectively. The roll position of the gondola (60 degrees at 2 G) was controlled so that the subject was always upright with respect to the gravitoinertial force. Upon acceleration of the centrifuge there was a tilt of the SVH in a direction compensatory to the inclination of the gondola. This tilt was larger in the forward position [N: 17.2 +/- 6.4 degrees, F: 31.2 +/- 16.4 degrees, H: 33.6 +/- 18.2 degrees (means +/- SD)] than in the backward position (N: -5.0 +/- 6.8 degrees, F: -12.2 +/- 17.4 degrees, H: -10.4 +/- 15.4 degrees). In N the tilt declined with time, approaching zero by the end of the 2-G plateau. In the pilots it was significantly larger and did not decline. Flight experience results in an increased ability to perceive the roll tilt during movement along a curved path. That this can be revealed in a centrifuge might suggest that acceleration of the centrifuge constitutes a movement pattern which is similar, from a vestibular point of view, to that of an airplane entering a coordinated turn.

  6. Global, direct and diffuse solar radiation on horizontal and tilted surfaces in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Sebaii, A.A.; Al-Hazmi, F.S.; Al-Ghamdi, A.A.; Yaghmour, S.J.

    2010-01-01

    The measured data of global and diffuse solar radiation on a horizontal surface, the number of bright sunshine hours, mean daily ambient temperature, maximum and minimum ambient temperatures, relative humidity and amount of cloud cover for Jeddah (lat. 21 o 42'37''N, long. 39 o 11'12''E), Saudi Arabia, during the period (1996-2007) are analyzed. The monthly averages of daily values for these meteorological variables have been calculated. The data are then divided into two sets. The sub-data set I (1996-2004) are employed to develop empirical correlations between the monthly average of daily global solar radiation fraction (H/H 0 ) and the various weather parameters. The sub-data set II (2005-2007) are then used to evaluate the derived correlations. Furthermore, the total solar radiation on horizontal surfaces is separated into the beam and diffuses components. Empirical correlations for estimating the diffuse solar radiation incident on horizontal surfaces have been proposed. The total solar radiation incident on a tilted surface facing south H t with different tilt angles is then calculated using both Liu and Jordan isotropic model and Klucher's anisotropic model. It is inferred that the isotropic model is able to estimate H t more accurate than the anisotropic one. At the optimum tilt angle, the maximum value of H t is obtained as ∼36 (MJ/m 2 day) during January. Comparisons with 22 years average data of NASA SSE Model showed that the proposed correlations are able to predict the total annual energy on horizontal and tilted surfaces in Jeddah with a reasonable accuracy. It is also found that at Jeddah, the solar energy devices have to be tilted to face south with a tilt angle equals the latitude of the place in order to achieve the best performance all year round.

  7. HREM investigation of the structure of the Σ5(310)/[001] symmetric tilt grain boundaries in Nb

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    King, W.E.; Compbell, G.H.; Coombs, A.; Ruehle, M.

    1991-01-01

    This paper reports on atomistic simulations using interatomic potentials for Nb developed employing the embedded atom method (EAM) and the model generalized pseudopotential theory (MGPT) that have indicated a possible cusp at the Σ5 (310) orientation in the energy vs tilt angle curves for left-angle 001 right-angle symmetric tilt grain boundaries. In addition, the most stable structure predicted using EAM exhibits shifts of one crystal relative to the other along the tilt axis and along the direction perpendicular to the tilt axis lying in the boundary plane. The structure predicted using the MGPT was mirror symmetric across the plane of the grain boundary. This boundary has been prepared for experimental study using the ultra high vacuum diffusion bonding method. A segment of this boundary has been studied using high resolution electron microscopy

  8. Monte Carlo modelling of germanium crystals that are tilted and have rounded front edges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gasparro, Joel; Hult, Mikael; Johnston, Peter N.; Tagziria, Hamid

    2008-01-01

    Gamma-ray detection efficiencies and cascade summing effects in germanium detectors are often calculated using Monte Carlo codes based on a computer model of the detection system. Such a model can never fully replicate reality and it is important to understand how various parameters affect the results. This work concentrates on quantifying two issues, namely (i) the effect of having a Ge-crystal that is tilted inside the cryostat and (ii) the effect of having a model of a Ge-crystal with rounded edges (bulletization). The effect of the tilting is very small (in the order of per mille) when the tilting angles are within a realistic range. The effect of the rounded edges is, however, relatively large (5-10% or higher) particularly for gamma-ray energies below 100 keV

  9. Monte Carlo modelling of germanium crystals that are tilted and have rounded front edges

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gasparro, Joel [EC-JRC-IRMM, Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements, Retieseweg 111, B-2440 Geel (Belgium); Hult, Mikael [EC-JRC-IRMM, Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements, Retieseweg 111, B-2440 Geel (Belgium)], E-mail: mikael.hult@ec.europa.eu; Johnston, Peter N. [Applied Physics, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, GPO Box 2476V, Melbourne 3001 (Australia); Tagziria, Hamid [EC-JRC-IPSC, Institute for the Protection and the Security of the Citizen, Via E. Fermi 1, I-21020 Ispra (Vatican City State, Holy See,) (Italy)

    2008-09-01

    Gamma-ray detection efficiencies and cascade summing effects in germanium detectors are often calculated using Monte Carlo codes based on a computer model of the detection system. Such a model can never fully replicate reality and it is important to understand how various parameters affect the results. This work concentrates on quantifying two issues, namely (i) the effect of having a Ge-crystal that is tilted inside the cryostat and (ii) the effect of having a model of a Ge-crystal with rounded edges (bulletization). The effect of the tilting is very small (in the order of per mille) when the tilting angles are within a realistic range. The effect of the rounded edges is, however, relatively large (5-10% or higher) particularly for gamma-ray energies below 100 keV.

  10. Cost characteristics of tilt-rotor, conventional air and high speed rail short-haul intercity passenger service

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schoendorfer, David L.; Morlok, Edward K.

    1985-01-01

    The cost analysis done to support an assessment of the potential for a small tilt-rotor aircraft to operate in short-haul intercity passenger service is described in detail. Anticipated costs of tilt-rotor air service were compared to the costs of two alternatives: conventional air and high speed rail (HSR). Costs were developed for corridor service, varying key market characteristics including distance, passenger volumes, and minimum frequency standards. The resulting cost vs output information can then be used to compare modal costs for essentially identical service quality and passenger volume or for different service levels and volumes for each mode, as appropriate. Extensive sensitivity analyses are performed. The cost-output features of these technologies are compared. Tilt-rotor is very attractive compared to HSR in terms of costs over the entire range of volume. It also has costs not dramatically different from conventional air, but tilt-rotor costs are generally higher. Thus some of its other advantages, such as the VTOL capability, must offset the cost disadvantage for it to be a preferred or competitive mode in any given market. These issues are addressed in the companion report which considers strategies for tilt-rotor development in commercial air service.

  11. Advances in Electrical Engineering and Automation

    CERN Document Server

    Huang, Xiong

    2012-01-01

    EEA2011 is an integrated conference concentration its focus on Electrical Engineering and Automation. In the proceeding, you can learn much more knowledge about  Electrical Engineering and Automation of researchers from all around the world. The main role of the proceeding is to be used as an exchange pillar for researchers who are working in the mentioned fields. In order to meet the high quality of Springer, AISC series, the organization committee has made their efforts to do the following things. Firstly, poor quality paper has been refused after reviewing course by anonymous referee experts. Secondly, periodically review meetings have been held around the reviewers about five times for exchanging reviewing suggestions. Finally, the conference organizers had several preliminary sessions before the conference. Through efforts of different people and departments, the conference will be successful and fruitful.  

  12. Dynamic characteristics of polymer faced tilting pad journal bearings

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Simmons, Gregory F.; Cerda Varela, Alejandro Javier; Santos, Ilmar

    2014-01-01

    Dynamic characteristics of polymer faced tilting pad journal bearings are presented. Investigations are conducted using a single pad, load on pad configuration over a range of shaft speeds and loads. Two polyether ether ketone (PEEK) faced pads, one polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) faced pad and two...

  13. Tradable permit allocations and sequential choice

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    MacKenzie, Ian A. [Centre for Economic Research, ETH Zuerich, Zurichbergstrasse 18, 8092 Zuerich (Switzerland)

    2011-01-15

    This paper investigates initial allocation choices in an international tradable pollution permit market. For two sovereign governments, we compare allocation choices that are either simultaneously or sequentially announced. We show sequential allocation announcements result in higher (lower) aggregate emissions when announcements are strategic substitutes (complements). Whether allocation announcements are strategic substitutes or complements depends on the relationship between the follower's damage function and governments' abatement costs. When the marginal damage function is relatively steep (flat), allocation announcements are strategic substitutes (complements). For quadratic abatement costs and damages, sequential announcements provide a higher level of aggregate emissions. (author)

  14. The effects of lateral head tilt on ocular astigmatic axis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hamid Fesharaki

    2014-01-01

    Conclusion: Any minimal angle of head tilt may cause erroneous measurement of astigmatic axis and should be avoided during refraction. One cannot rely on the compensatory function of ocular counter-torsion during the refraction.

  15. Semi-automated high-efficiency reflectivity chamber for vacuum UV measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiley, James; Fleming, Brian; Renninger, Nicholas; Egan, Arika

    2017-08-01

    This paper presents the design and theory of operation for a semi-automated reflectivity chamber for ultraviolet optimized optics. A graphical user interface designed in LabVIEW controls the stages, interfaces with the detector system, takes semi-autonomous measurements, and monitors the system in case of error. Samples and an optical photodiode sit on an optics plate mounted to a rotation stage in the middle of the vacuum chamber. The optics plate rotates the samples and diode between an incident and reflected position to measure the absolute reflectivity of the samples at wavelengths limited by the monochromator operational bandpass of 70 nm to 550 nm. A collimating parabolic mirror on a fine steering tip-tilt motor enables beam steering for detector peak-ups. This chamber is designed to take measurements rapidly and with minimal oversight, increasing lab efficiency for high cadence and high accuracy vacuum UV reflectivity measurements.

  16. Effective wave tilt and surface impedance over a laterally inhomogeneous two-layer earth

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hughes, W.J.; Wait, J.R.

    1975-01-01

    Using a perturbation method, the effect of a simple two-dimensional model on the electromagnetic fields at the surface of the Earth is considered for a postulated downcoming plane wave. The calculated change in the surface impedance and wave tilt due to lateral inhomogeneities is examined. It is found that the magnetic wave tilt (H/sub z//H/sub x/) is most seriously affected by such anomalies. This may have important consequences on electromagnetic probing of nonuniform portions of the Earth's crust

  17. Applying the minimax principle to sequential mastery testing

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vos, Hendrik J.

    2002-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to derive optimal rules for sequential mastery tests. In a sequential mastery test, the decision is to classify a subject as a master, a nonmaster, or to continue sampling and administering another random item. The framework of minimax sequential decision theory (minimum

  18. TIME SERIES ANALYSIS USING A UNIQUE MODEL OF TRANSFORMATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Goran Klepac

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available REFII1 model is an authorial mathematical model for time series data mining. The main purpose of that model is to automate time series analysis, through a unique transformation model of time series. An advantage of this approach of time series analysis is the linkage of different methods for time series analysis, linking traditional data mining tools in time series, and constructing new algorithms for analyzing time series. It is worth mentioning that REFII model is not a closed system, which means that we have a finite set of methods. At first, this is a model for transformation of values of time series, which prepares data used by different sets of methods based on the same model of transformation in a domain of problem space. REFII model gives a new approach in time series analysis based on a unique model of transformation, which is a base for all kind of time series analysis. The advantage of REFII model is its possible application in many different areas such as finance, medicine, voice recognition, face recognition and text mining.

  19. Classical and sequential limit analysis revisited

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leblond, Jean-Baptiste; Kondo, Djimédo; Morin, Léo; Remmal, Almahdi

    2018-04-01

    Classical limit analysis applies to ideal plastic materials, and within a linearized geometrical framework implying small displacements and strains. Sequential limit analysis was proposed as a heuristic extension to materials exhibiting strain hardening, and within a fully general geometrical framework involving large displacements and strains. The purpose of this paper is to study and clearly state the precise conditions permitting such an extension. This is done by comparing the evolution equations of the full elastic-plastic problem, the equations of classical limit analysis, and those of sequential limit analysis. The main conclusion is that, whereas classical limit analysis applies to materials exhibiting elasticity - in the absence of hardening and within a linearized geometrical framework -, sequential limit analysis, to be applicable, strictly prohibits the presence of elasticity - although it tolerates strain hardening and large displacements and strains. For a given mechanical situation, the relevance of sequential limit analysis therefore essentially depends upon the importance of the elastic-plastic coupling in the specific case considered.

  20. Design and construction of an optical test bed for LISA imaging systems and tilt-to-length coupling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chwalla, M; Fitzsimons, E; Danzmann, K; Fernández Barranco, G; Gerberding, O; Heinzel, G; Lieser, M; Schuster, S; Schwarze, T S; Tröbs, M; Zwetz, M; Killow, C J; Perreur-Lloyd, M; Robertson, D I; Ward, H

    2016-01-01

    The laser interferometer space antenna (LISA) is a future space-based interferometric gravitational-wave detector consisting of three spacecraft in a triangular configuration. The interferometric measurements of path length changes between satellites will be performed on optical benches in the satellites. Angular misalignments of the interfering beams couple into the length measurement and represent a significant noise source. Imaging systems will be used to reduce this tilt-to-length coupling. We designed and constructed an optical test bed to experimentally investigate tilt-to-length coupling. It consists of two separate structures, a minimal optical bench and a telescope simulator. The minimal optical bench comprises the science interferometer where the local laser is interfered with light from a remote spacecraft. In our experiment, a simulated version of this received beam is generated on the telescope simulator. The telescope simulator provides a tilting beam, a reference interferometer and an additional static beam as a phase reference. The tilting beam can either be a flat-top beam or a Gaussian beam. We avoid tilt-to-length coupling in the reference interferometer by using a small photo diode placed at an image of the beam rotation point. We show that the test bed is operational with an initial measurement of tilt-to-length coupling without imaging systems. Furthermore, we show the design of two different imaging systems whose performance will be investigated in future experiments. (paper)

  1. Quantum capacitance in topological insulators under strain in a tilted magnetic field

    KAUST Repository

    Tahir, M.

    2012-12-06

    Topological insulators exhibit unique properties due to surface states of massless Dirac fermions with conserved time reversal symmetry. We consider the quantum capacitance under strain in an external tilted magnetic field and demonstrate a minimum at the charge neutrality point due to splitting of the zeroth Landau level. We also find beating in the Shubnikov de Haas oscillations due to strain, which originate from the topological helical states. Varying the tilting angle from perpendicular to parallel washes out these oscillations with a strain induced gap at the charge neutrality point. Our results explain recent quantum capacitance and transport experiments.

  2. Quantum capacitance in topological insulators under strain in a tilted magnetic field

    KAUST Repository

    Tahir, M.; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

    2012-01-01

    Topological insulators exhibit unique properties due to surface states of massless Dirac fermions with conserved time reversal symmetry. We consider the quantum capacitance under strain in an external tilted magnetic field and demonstrate a minimum at the charge neutrality point due to splitting of the zeroth Landau level. We also find beating in the Shubnikov de Haas oscillations due to strain, which originate from the topological helical states. Varying the tilting angle from perpendicular to parallel washes out these oscillations with a strain induced gap at the charge neutrality point. Our results explain recent quantum capacitance and transport experiments.

  3. Kinetic Titration Series with Biolayer Interferometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frenzel, Daniel; Willbold, Dieter

    2014-01-01

    Biolayer interferometry is a method to analyze protein interactions in real-time. In this study, we illustrate the usefulness to quantitatively analyze high affinity protein ligand interactions employing a kinetic titration series for characterizing the interactions between two pairs of interaction patterns, in particular immunoglobulin G and protein G B1 as well as scFv IC16 and amyloid beta (1–42). Kinetic titration series are commonly used in surface plasmon resonance and involve sequential injections of analyte over a desired concentration range on a single ligand coated sensor chip without waiting for complete dissociation between the injections. We show that applying this method to biolayer interferometry is straightforward and i) circumvents problems in data evaluation caused by unavoidable sensor differences, ii) saves resources and iii) increases throughput if screening a multitude of different analyte/ligand combinations. PMID:25229647

  4. Design Optimization of Tilting-Pad Journal Bearing Using a Genetic Algorithm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hamit Saruhan

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available This article focuses on the use of genetic algorithms in developing an efficient optimum design method for tilting pad bearings. The approach optimizes based on minimum film thickness, power loss, maximum film temperature, and a global objective. Results for a five tilting-pad preloaded bearing are presented to provide a comparison with more traditional optimum design methods such as the gradient-based global criterion method, and also to provide insight into the potential of genetic algorithms in the design of rotor bearings. Genetic algorithms are efficient search techniques based on the idea of natural selection and genetics. These robust methods have gained recognition as general problem solving techniques in many applications.

  5. Sequential optimization and reliability assessment method for metal forming processes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sahai, Atul; Schramm, Uwe; Buranathiti, Thaweepat; Chen Wei; Cao Jian; Xia, Cedric Z.

    2004-01-01

    Uncertainty is inevitable in any design process. The uncertainty could be due to the variations in geometry of the part, material properties or due to the lack of knowledge about the phenomena being modeled itself. Deterministic design optimization does not take uncertainty into account and worst case scenario assumptions lead to vastly over conservative design. Probabilistic design, such as reliability-based design and robust design, offers tools for making robust and reliable decisions under the presence of uncertainty in the design process. Probabilistic design optimization often involves double-loop procedure for optimization and iterative probabilistic assessment. This results in high computational demand. The high computational demand can be reduced by replacing computationally intensive simulation models with less costly surrogate models and by employing Sequential Optimization and reliability assessment (SORA) method. The SORA method uses a single-loop strategy with a series of cycles of deterministic optimization and reliability assessment. The deterministic optimization and reliability assessment is decoupled in each cycle. This leads to quick improvement of design from one cycle to other and increase in computational efficiency. This paper demonstrates the effectiveness of Sequential Optimization and Reliability Assessment (SORA) method when applied to designing a sheet metal flanging process. Surrogate models are used as less costly approximations to the computationally expensive Finite Element simulations

  6. The influence of a tilt training programme on the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system activity in patients with vasovagal syncope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gajek, Jacek; Zyśko, Dorota; Krzemińska, Sylwia; Mazurek, Walentyna

    2009-08-01

    We assessed the influence of short-term and long-term tilt training on the activity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) in vasovagal patients. Thirty-nine patients (28 F, 11 M) aged 39.7 +/- 11.2 years with a history of vasovagal syncope and a positive head-up tilt test (HUT) were studied. Blood samples for plasma renin activity (PRA) and aldosterone (ALDO) concentration were drawn at the baseline, immediately after HUT and 10 min after HUT, during the diagnostic, the negative short-term (2-5 days) follow-up HUT and long-term (1-3 months) follow-up HUT. Tilt training was started after diagnostic HUT. In diagnostic HUT, PRA increased significantly immediately after HUT comparing to the baseline, during recovery the values did not change. ALDO concentration increased after HUT comparing to baseline and further increased during recovery. After short-term tilt training, PRA and ALDO concentrations did not significantly change compared to their corresponding values in diagnostic HUT. After long-term tilt training, PRA did not significantly change compared to the values in the diagnostic and short-term follow-up HUT. ALDO concentration also did not change significantly at the baseline and immediately after HUT, and 10 min after HUT ALDO concentration was significantly lower than after diagnostic HUT. Tilt training changes the response of RAAS to the prolonged orthostasis in vasovagal patients. The coupling between PRA and ALDO after diagnostic HUT has been found to be altered and the physiological relationship was restored after long-term tilt training. The beneficial effect of tilt training depends partially on changed RAAS activation.

  7. Tilted axis rotation in odd-odd {sup 164}Tm

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reviol, W.; Riedinger, L.L.; Wang, X.Z.; Zhang, J.Y. [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)] [and others

    1996-12-31

    Ten band structures are observed in {sup 164}Tm, among them sets of parallel and anti-parallel couplings of the proton and neutron spins. The Tilted Axis Cranking scheme is applied for the first time to an odd-odd nucleus in a prominent region of nuclear deformation.

  8. Simultaneous versus sequential penetrating keratoplasty and cataract surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayashi, Ken; Hayashi, Hideyuki

    2006-10-01

    To compare the surgical outcomes of simultaneous penetrating keratoplasty and cataract surgery with those of sequential surgery. Thirty-nine eyes of 39 patients scheduled for simultaneous keratoplasty and cataract surgery and 23 eyes of 23 patients scheduled for sequential keratoplasty and secondary phacoemulsification surgery were recruited. Refractive error, regular and irregular corneal astigmatism determined by Fourier analysis, and endothelial cell loss were studied at 1 week and 3, 6, and 12 months after combined surgery in the simultaneous surgery group or after subsequent phacoemulsification surgery in the sequential surgery group. At 3 and more months after surgery, mean refractive error was significantly greater in the simultaneous surgery group than in the sequential surgery group, although no difference was seen at 1 week. The refractive error at 12 months was within 2 D of that targeted in 15 eyes (39%) in the simultaneous surgery group and within 2 D in 16 eyes (70%) in the sequential surgery group; the incidence was significantly greater in the sequential group (P = 0.0344). The regular and irregular astigmatism was not significantly different between the groups at 3 and more months after surgery. No significant difference was also found in the percentage of endothelial cell loss between the groups. Although corneal astigmatism and endothelial cell loss were not different, refractive error from target refraction was greater after simultaneous keratoplasty and cataract surgery than after sequential surgery, indicating a better outcome after sequential surgery than after simultaneous surgery.

  9. Altering user' acceptance of automation through prior automation exposure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bekier, Marek; Molesworth, Brett R C

    2017-06-01

    Air navigation service providers worldwide see increased use of automation as one solution to overcome the capacity constraints imbedded in the present air traffic management (ATM) system. However, increased use of automation within any system is dependent on user acceptance. The present research sought to determine if the point at which an individual is no longer willing to accept or cooperate with automation can be manipulated. Forty participants underwent training on a computer-based air traffic control programme, followed by two ATM exercises (order counterbalanced), one with and one without the aid of automation. Results revealed after exposure to a task with automation assistance, user acceptance of high(er) levels of automation ('tipping point') decreased; suggesting it is indeed possible to alter automation acceptance. Practitioner Summary: This paper investigates whether the point at which a user of automation rejects automation (i.e. 'tipping point') is constant or can be manipulated. The results revealed after exposure to a task with automation assistance, user acceptance of high(er) levels of automation decreased; suggesting it is possible to alter automation acceptance.

  10. Friction and Lubrication of Large Tilting-Pad Thrust Bearings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michał Wasilczuk

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Fluid film bearings have been extensively used in the industry because of their unbeatable durability and extremely low friction coefficient, despite a very low coefficient of friction dissipation of energy being noticeable, especially in large bearings. Lubricating systems of large tilting pad thrust bearings utilized in large, vertical shaft hydrogenerators are presented in this paper. A large amount of heat is generated due to viscous shearing of the lubricant large tilting pad thrust bearings, and this requires systems for forced cooling of the lubricant. In the dominant bath lubrication systems, cooling is realized by internal coolers or external cooling systems, with the latter showing some important advantages at the cost of complexity and also, potentially, lower reliability. Substantial losses in the bearings, reaching 1 MW in extreme cases, are a good motivation for the research and development aimed at reducing them. Some possible methods and their potential efficiency, along with some effects already documented, are also described in the paper.

  11. Automating Visualization Service Generation with the WATT Compiler

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bollig, E. F.; Lyness, M. D.; Erlebacher, G.; Yuen, D. A.

    2007-12-01

    As tasks and workflows become increasingly complex, software developers are devoting increasing attention to automation tools. Among many examples, the Automator tool from Apple collects components of a workflow into a single script, with very little effort on the part of the user. Tasks are most often described as a series of instructions. The granularity of the tasks dictates the tools to use. Compilers translate fine-grained instructions to assembler code, while scripting languages (ruby, perl) are used to describe a series of tasks at a higher level. Compilers can also be viewed as transformational tools: a cross-compiler can translate executable code written on one computer to assembler code understood on another, while transformational tools can translate from one high-level language to another. We are interested in creating visualization web services automatically, starting from stand-alone VTK (Visualization Toolkit) code written in Tcl. To this end, using the OCaml programming language, we have developed a compiler that translates Tcl into C++, including all the stubs, classes and methods to interface with gSOAP, a C++ implementation of the Soap 1.1/1.2 protocols. This compiler, referred to as the Web Automation and Translation Toolkit (WATT), is the first step towards automated creation of specialized visualization web services without input from the user. The WATT compiler seeks to automate all aspects of web service generation, including the transport layer, the division of labor and the details related to interface generation. The WATT compiler is part of ongoing efforts within the NSF funded VLab consortium [1] to facilitate and automate time-consuming tasks for the science related to understanding planetary materials. Through examples of services produced by WATT for the VLab portal, we will illustrate features, limitations and the improvements necessary to achieve the ultimate goal of complete and transparent automation in the generation of web

  12. Using Page’s cumulative sum test on MODIS time series to detect land-cover changes

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Grobler, TL

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available by natural vegetation using 500-m Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer time-series satellite data. The method is a sequential per-pixel change alarm algorithm that can take into account positive detection delay, probability of detection, and false...

  13. Automated detection of fluorescent cells in in-resin fluorescence sections for integrated light and electron microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delpiano, J; Pizarro, L; Peddie, C J; Jones, M L; Griffin, L D; Collinson, L M

    2018-04-26

    Integrated array tomography combines fluorescence and electron imaging of ultrathin sections in one microscope, and enables accurate high-resolution correlation of fluorescent proteins to cell organelles and membranes. Large numbers of serial sections can be imaged sequentially to produce aligned volumes from both imaging modalities, thus producing enormous amounts of data that must be handled and processed using novel techniques. Here, we present a scheme for automated detection of fluorescent cells within thin resin sections, which could then be used to drive automated electron image acquisition from target regions via 'smart tracking'. The aim of this work is to aid in optimization of the data acquisition process through automation, freeing the operator to work on other tasks and speeding up the process, while reducing data rates by only acquiring images from regions of interest. This new method is shown to be robust against noise and able to deal with regions of low fluorescence. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Microscopy published by JohnWiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Royal Microscopical Society.

  14. PASA - A Program for Automated Protein NMR Backbone Signal Assignment by Pattern-Filtering Approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Yizhuang; Wang Xiaoxia; Yang Jun; Vaynberg, Julia; Qin Jun

    2006-01-01

    We present a new program, PASA (Program for Automated Sequential Assignment), for assigning protein backbone resonances based on multidimensional heteronuclear NMR data. Distinct from existing programs, PASA emphasizes a per-residue-based pattern-filtering approach during the initial stage of the automated 13 C α and/or 13 C β chemical shift matching. The pattern filter employs one or multiple constraints such as 13 C α /C β chemical shift ranges for different amino acid types and side-chain spin systems, which helps to rule out, in a stepwise fashion, improbable assignments as resulted from resonance degeneracy or missing signals. Such stepwise filtering approach substantially minimizes early false linkage problems that often propagate, amplify, and ultimately cause complication or combinatorial explosion of the automation process. Our program (http://www.lerner.ccf.org/moleccard/qin/) was tested on four representative small-large sized proteins with various degrees of resonance degeneracy and missing signals, and we show that PASA achieved the assignments efficiently and rapidly that are fully consistent with those obtained by laborious manual protocols. The results demonstrate that PASA may be a valuable tool for NMR-based structural analyses, genomics, and proteomics

  15. Trial Sequential Methods for Meta-Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kulinskaya, Elena; Wood, John

    2014-01-01

    Statistical methods for sequential meta-analysis have applications also for the design of new trials. Existing methods are based on group sequential methods developed for single trials and start with the calculation of a required information size. This works satisfactorily within the framework of fixed effects meta-analysis, but conceptual…

  16. Marker-controlled watershed for lymphoma segmentation in sequential CT images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan Jiayong; Zhao Binsheng; Wang, Liang; Zelenetz, Andrew; Schwartz, Lawrence H.

    2006-01-01

    Segmentation of lymphoma containing lymph nodes is a difficult task because of multiple variables associated with the tumor's location, intensity distribution, and contrast to its surrounding tissues. In this paper, we present a reliable and practical marker-controlled watershed algorithm for semi-automated segmentation of lymphoma in sequential CT images. Robust determination of internal and external markers is the key to successful use of the marker-controlled watershed transform in the segmentation of lymphoma and is the focus of this work. The external marker in our algorithm is the circle enclosing the lymphoma in a single slice. The internal marker, however, is determined automatically by combining techniques including Canny edge detection, thresholding, morphological operation, and distance map estimation. To obtain tumor volume, the segmented lymphoma in the current slice needs to be propagated to the adjacent slice to help determine the external and internal markers for delineation of the lymphoma in that slice. The algorithm was applied to 29 lymphomas (size range, 9-53 mm in diameter; mean, 23 mm) in nine patients. A blinded radiologist manually delineated all lymphomas on all slices. The manual result served as the ''gold standard'' for comparison. Several quantitative methods were applied to objectively evaluate the performance of the segmentation algorithm. The algorithm received a mean overlap, overestimation, and underestimation ratios of 83.2%, 13.5%, and 5.5%, respectively. The mean average boundary distance and Hausdorff boundary distance were 0.7 and 3.7 mm. Preliminary results have shown the potential of this computer algorithm to allow reliable segmentation and quantification of lymphomas on sequential CT images

  17. Sequentially pulsed traveling wave accelerator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caporaso, George J [Livermore, CA; Nelson, Scott D [Patterson, CA; Poole, Brian R [Tracy, CA

    2009-08-18

    A sequentially pulsed traveling wave compact accelerator having two or more pulse forming lines each with a switch for producing a short acceleration pulse along a short length of a beam tube, and a trigger mechanism for sequentially triggering the switches so that a traveling axial electric field is produced along the beam tube in synchronism with an axially traversing pulsed beam of charged particles to serially impart energy to the particle beam.

  18. Spatial Coding of Eye Movements Relative to Perceived Orientations During Roll Tilt with Different Gravitoinertial Loads

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, Scott; Clement, Gilles

    2013-01-01

    This purpose of this study was to examine the spatial coding of eye movements during roll tilt relative to perceived orientations while free-floating during the microgravity phase of parabolic flight or during head tilt in normal gravity. Binocular videographic recordings obtained in darkness from six subjects allowed us to quantify the mean deviations in gaze trajectories along both horizontal and vertical coordinates relative to the aircraft and head orientations. Both variability and curvature of gaze trajectories increased during roll tilt compared to the upright position. The saccades were less accurate during parabolic flight compared to measurements obtained in normal gravity. The trajectories of saccades along perceived horizontal orientations tended to deviate in the same direction as the head tilt, while the deviations in gaze trajectories along the perceived vertical orientations deviated in the opposite direction relative to the head tilt. Although subjects were instructed to look off in the distance while performing the eye movements, fixation distance varied with vertical gaze direction independent of whether the saccades were made along perceived aircraft or head orientations. This coupling of horizontal vergence with vertical gaze is in a consistent direction with the vertical slant of the horopter. The increased errors in gaze trajectories along both perceived orientations during microgravity can be attributed to the otolith's role in spatial coding of eye movements.

  19. Endogenous indole-3-acetic acid and ethylene evolution in tilted Metasequoia glyptostroboides stems in relation to compression-wood formation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Du, Sheng; Sugano, Mami; Tsushima, Miho; Nakamura, Teruko; Yamamoto, Fukuju

    2004-04-01

    Eight-year-old Metasequoia glyptostroboides seedlings were tilted at a 45 degrees angle to induce compression-wood formation on the lower side of the stems. After 2 weeks of treatment, half of the seedlings were sampled and the remaining half were tilted to the opposite orientation to exchange the upper and lower sides and were kept for 2 more weeks until sampled. Cambium-emitted ethylene was analyzed by gas chromatography with flame-ionization detection. Endogenous indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) was measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Tracheid production and compression-wood formation were determined by light microscopy. Anatomical studies showed that tracheid production was promoted and compression-wood tracheids always developed on the gravitationally lower side of tilted stems in both the original tilting and the subsequent reverse-tilting periods. These were accompanied by an increase in IAA content in and an accelerated ethylene-evolution rate from the cambial region of the same side.

  20. Complacency and Automation Bias in the Use of Imperfect Automation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wickens, Christopher D; Clegg, Benjamin A; Vieane, Alex Z; Sebok, Angelia L

    2015-08-01

    We examine the effects of two different kinds of decision-aiding automation errors on human-automation interaction (HAI), occurring at the first failure following repeated exposure to correctly functioning automation. The two errors are incorrect advice, triggering the automation bias, and missing advice, reflecting complacency. Contrasts between analogous automation errors in alerting systems, rather than decision aiding, have revealed that alerting false alarms are more problematic to HAI than alerting misses are. Prior research in decision aiding, although contrasting the two aiding errors (incorrect vs. missing), has confounded error expectancy. Participants performed an environmental process control simulation with and without decision aiding. For those with the aid, automation dependence was created through several trials of perfect aiding performance, and an unexpected automation error was then imposed in which automation was either gone (one group) or wrong (a second group). A control group received no automation support. The correct aid supported faster and more accurate diagnosis and lower workload. The aid failure degraded all three variables, but "automation wrong" had a much greater effect on accuracy, reflecting the automation bias, than did "automation gone," reflecting the impact of complacency. Some complacency was manifested for automation gone, by a longer latency and more modest reduction in accuracy. Automation wrong, creating the automation bias, appears to be a more problematic form of automation error than automation gone, reflecting complacency. Decision-aiding automation should indicate its lower degree of confidence in uncertain environments to avoid the automation bias. © 2015, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.