Workflow for near-surface velocity automatic estimation: Source-domain full-traveltime inversion followed by waveform inversion

KAUST Repository

Liu, Lu; Fei, Tong; Luo, Yi; Guo, Bowen

2017-01-01

This paper presents a workflow for near-surface velocity automatic estimation using the early arrivals of seismic data. This workflow comprises two methods, source-domain full traveltime inversion (FTI) and early-arrival waveform inversion. Source

Achieving high performance in intermediate temperature direct carbon fuel cells with renewable carbon as a fuel source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hao, Wenbin; He, Xiaojin; Mi, Yongli

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Bamboo fiber and waste paper were pyrolyzed to generate bamboo carbon and waste paper carbon as anode fuels of IT-DCFC. • Superior cell performance was achieved with the waste paper carbon. • The results suggested the high performance was due to the highest thermal reactivity and the catalytic inherent impurities. • Calcite and kaolinite as inherent impurities favored the thermal decomposition and the electrooxidation of carbon. - Abstract: Three kinds of carbon sources obtained from carbon black, bamboo fiber and waste paper were investigated as anode fuels in an intermediate temperature direct carbon fuel cell. The carbon sources were characterized with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, etc. The results indicated that the waste paper carbon was more abundant in calcite and kaolinite, and showed higher thermal reactivity in the intermediate temperature range compared with the other two carbon sources. The cell performance was tested at 650 °C in a hybrid single cell, using Sm 0.20 Ce 0.80 O 2−x as the electrolyte. As a result, the cell fed with waste paper carbon showed the highest performance among the three carbon sources, with a peak power density of 225 mW cm −2 . The results indicated that its inherent impurities, such as calcite and kaolinite, might favor the thermal gasification of renewable carbon sources, which resulted in the enhanced performance of the intermediate temperature direct carbon fuel cell

Automatic opening system for radioactive source in teaching laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seren, Maria Emilia Gibin; Gaal, Vladimir; Rodrigues, Varlei; Morais, Sergio Luiz de

2013-01-01

Compton scattering phenomenon is experimentally studied during the medical physics laboratory course at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP). The Teaching Laboratory of Medical Physics from IFGW/UNICAMP has a structure for its development: a fixed 137 Cs sealed source with activity 610.5MBq, whose emitted radiation collides on a target, and a scintillation detector that turns around the target and detects scattered photons spectrum. 137 Cs source is stored in a lead shield with a collimating window for the gamma radiation emitted with energy of 0.662MeV. This source is exposed only when attenuation barrier protecting the collimating window is opened. The process of opening and closing the attenuation barrier may deliver radiation dose to users when done manually. Taking into account the stochastic harmful effects of ionizing radiation, the objective of this project was to develop an automatic exposure system of the radioactive source in order to reduce the dose during the Compton scattering experiment. The developed system is micro controlled and performs standard operating routines and responds to emergencies. Electromagnetic lock enables quick closing barrier by gravity in case of interruption of electrical current circuit. Besides reducing the total dose of lab users, the system adds more security in the routine since it limits access to the source and prevents accidental exposure. (author)

Growth of graphene films from non-gaseous carbon sources

Science.gov (United States)

Tour, James; Sun, Zhengzong; Yan, Zheng; Ruan, Gedeng; Peng, Zhiwei

2015-08-04

In various embodiments, the present disclosure provides methods of forming graphene films by: (1) depositing a non-gaseous carbon source onto a catalyst surface; (2) exposing the non-gaseous carbon source to at least one gas with a flow rate; and (3) initiating the conversion of the non-gaseous carbon source to the graphene film, where the thickness of the graphene film is controllable by the gas flow rate. Additional embodiments of the present disclosure pertain to graphene films made in accordance with the methods of the present disclosure.

Automatic Carbon Dioxide-Methane Gas Sensor Based on the Solubility of Gases in Water

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raúl O. Cadena-Pereda

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Biogas methane content is a relevant variable in anaerobic digestion processing where knowledge of process kinetics or an early indicator of digester failure is needed. The contribution of this work is the development of a novel, simple and low cost automatic carbon dioxide-methane gas sensor based on the solubility of gases in water as the precursor of a sensor for biogas quality monitoring. The device described in this work was used for determining the composition of binary mixtures, such as carbon dioxide-methane, in the range of 0–100%. The design and implementation of a digital signal processor and control system into a low-cost Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA platform has permitted the successful application of data acquisition, data distribution and digital data processing, making the construction of a standalone carbon dioxide-methane gas sensor possible.

Automatic carbon dioxide-methane gas sensor based on the solubility of gases in water.

Science.gov (United States)

Cadena-Pereda, Raúl O; Rivera-Muñoz, Eric M; Herrera-Ruiz, Gilberto; Gomez-Melendez, Domingo J; Anaya-Rivera, Ely K

2012-01-01

Biogas methane content is a relevant variable in anaerobic digestion processing where knowledge of process kinetics or an early indicator of digester failure is needed. The contribution of this work is the development of a novel, simple and low cost automatic carbon dioxide-methane gas sensor based on the solubility of gases in water as the precursor of a sensor for biogas quality monitoring. The device described in this work was used for determining the composition of binary mixtures, such as carbon dioxide-methane, in the range of 0-100%. The design and implementation of a digital signal processor and control system into a low-cost Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) platform has permitted the successful application of data acquisition, data distribution and digital data processing, making the construction of a standalone carbon dioxide-methane gas sensor possible.

Carbon source feeding strategies for recombinant protein ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

USER

2010-04-12

Apr 12, 2010 ... protein expression with the influence of the carbon source feeding ... in the culture media, increasing the peroxisomes numbers ...... source, temperature, pH, O2, methanol feeding strategy) ..... Catabolite Inactivation in Yeast.

Workflow for near-surface velocity automatic estimation: Source-domain full-traveltime inversion followed by waveform inversion

KAUST Repository

Liu, Lu

2017-08-17

This paper presents a workflow for near-surface velocity automatic estimation using the early arrivals of seismic data. This workflow comprises two methods, source-domain full traveltime inversion (FTI) and early-arrival waveform inversion. Source-domain FTI is capable of automatically generating a background velocity that can kinematically match the reconstructed plane-wave sources of early arrivals with true plane-wave sources. This method does not require picking first arrivals for inversion, which is one of the most challenging aspects of ray-based first-arrival tomographic inversion. Moreover, compared with conventional Born-based methods, source-domain FTI can distinguish between slower or faster initial model errors via providing the correct sign of the model gradient. In addition, this method does not need estimation of the source wavelet, which is a requirement for receiver-domain wave-equation velocity inversion. The model derived from source-domain FTI is then used as input to early-arrival waveform inversion to obtain the short-wavelength velocity components. We have tested the workflow on synthetic and field seismic data sets. The results show source-domain FTI can generate reasonable background velocities for early-arrival waveform inversion even when subsurface velocity reversals are present and the workflow can produce a high-resolution near-surface velocity model.

Carbon trading and carbon taxation: how to consider biotic sources and sinks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Madlener, Reinhard; Schlamadinger, Bernhard

1999-01-01

The Kyoto Protocol (KP) to the UNFCCC includes land-use change and forestry in the carbon accounting process, limited to afforestation, reforestation and deforestation since 1990, and explicitly provides for the option of using a variety of flexibility mechanisms to meet the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets stipulated in a more cost-efficient manner. Domestically, different countries might adopt different approaches to achieve their emission reduction objectives, such as carbon trading or carbon taxation, and it is not clear to date what the implications for bioenergy use, forestry, and land-use change can be expected to be. With respect to national GHG emissions trading, the main issues studied in this paper are: Should trading of fossil fuel emissions allowances be coupled with trading of biotic credits and debits? Should credits for carbon sequestration in forests be auctioned or grandfathered? Should there be a distinction between a carbon permit issued for an additional biotic sink and those issued for fossil fuel carbon emissions? Is there a difference for biotic carbon sinks and sources between one-time permits and permits that allow a continued release of GHG over some pre-specified time? Should permits be issued only for the carbon-stock changes that count under the KP? With respect to national carbon taxation schemes, two questions are investigated: Should a tax credit be given for afforestation/reforestation (and a tax debit for deforestation)? Should tax credits also be given for projects that sequester carbon but do not count under the KP (such as forest protection rather than forest management)? For both schemes a crucial point is that by the formulation chosen in the KP two different classes of forest are created (i.e. those counted and those not counted under the KP), so that the implications for land prices might be significant. From a conceptual point of view this paper addresses the above-mentioned questions and contrasts some of the major

Carbon source in the future chemical industries

Science.gov (United States)

Hofmann, Peter; Heinrich Krauch, Carl

1982-11-01

Rising crude oil prices favour the exploitation of hitherto unutilised energy carriers and the realisation of new technologies in all sectors where carbon is used. These changed economic constraints necessitate both savings in conventional petrochemistry and a change to oil-independent carbon sources in the chemical industry. While, in coal chemistry, the synthesis and process principles of petrochemistry — fragmentation of the raw material and subsequent buildup of molecular structures — can be maintained, the raw material structure largely remains unchanged in the chemistry of renewable raw materials. This lecture is to demonstrate the structural as well as the technological and energy criteria of the chemistry of alternative carbon sources, to forecast the chances of commercial realization and to discuss some promising fields of research and development.

Automatic exposure system for radioactive source at teaching laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seren, Maria Emilia G.; Gaal, Vladmir; Morais, Sergio Luiz de; Rodrigues, Varlei

2013-01-01

The development of Compton Scattering experiment, studied by undergraduate students of the Medical Physics course at the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), takes place in the Medical Physics Teaching Laboratory, belonging to the Gleb Wataghin Physics Institute (IFGW/UNICAMP). The experiment consists of a fixed 137 Cs radioactive source, with current activity of 610.5 MBq and a scintillation detector that turns around the center of the system whose function is to detect the scattered photons spectrum by a scatter object (target). The 137 Cs source is stored in a lead shield with a collimating window for the gamma radiation emitted with energy of 0.662 MeV. This source is exposed only when an attenuation barrier protecting the collimating window is opened. The process of opening and closing the attenuation barrier may deliver a radiation dose to users when done manually. Considering the stochastic harmful effects of ionizing radiation, the goal of this project was to develop an automatic exposure system of the radioactive source, in order to reduce the radiation dose received during the Compton Scattering experiment. The developed system is micro controlled and performs standard operating routines, responding to emergencies. Furthermore, an electromagnetic lock enables quick closing of the barrier by gravity, in case of interruption of the electrical current circuit. Besides reducing the total dose to lab users, the system adds more security to the routine, since it limits the access to the radioactive source and prevents accidental exposure. (author)

Stable carbon isotope ratios: implications for the source of sediment carbon and for phytoplankton carbon assimilation in Lake Memphremagog, Quebec

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

LaZerte, B.D.

1983-01-01

The stable carbon isotope (SCI) ratio of the sediment of Lake Memphremagog, Quebec is compared with that ot terrestrial sources and the phytoplankton to determine the relative proportion of allochthonous carbon incorporated into the sediments. Approximately 40-50% of the organic carbon in the main basins' pelagic sediment was terrestrial in origin, whereas up to 100% was terrestrial in littoral areas. The SCI method of determining the organic carbon source of sediments appears more reliable than the C/N method. A comparison of the SCI fractionation of the phytoplankton with laboratory cultures under different degrees of carbon limitation indicates that the phytoplankton of Lake Memphremagog are not carbon limited and fix carbon primarily by the C 3 pathway

SU-E-T-253: Open-Source Automatic Software for Quantifying Biological Assays of Radiation Effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Detappe, A; Korideck, H; Makrigiorgos, G; Berbeco, R

2014-01-01

Purpose: Clonogenic cell survival is a common assay for quantifying the effect of drugs and radiation. Manual counting of surviving colonies can take 30–90seconds per plate, a major limitation for large studies. Currently available automatic counting tools are not easily modified for radiation oncology research. Our goal is to provide an open-source toolkit for precise, accurate and fast analysis of biological assays in radiation oncology. Methods: As an example analysis, we used HeLa cells incubated with gadolinium nanoparticles prior to irradiation. After treatment, the cells are grown for 14days to allow for colony formation. To analyze the colony growth, we capture images of each dish for archiving and automatic computer-based analysis. A FujifilmX20 camera is placed at the top of a box setup, 20cm above the sample, which is backlit by a LED lamp placed at the bottom of the box. We use a Gaussian filter (width=1.3mm) and color threshold (19–255). The minimum size for a colony to be counted is 1mm. For this example, 20 dishes with a large range of colonies were analyzed. Each dish was counted 3 times manually by 3 different users and then compared to our counter. Results: Automatic counting of cell colonies takes an average of 7seconds, enabling the analysis process to be accelerated 4–12 times. The average precision of the automatic counter was 1.7%. The Student t-test demonstrated the non-significant differences between the two counting methods (p=0.64). The ICC demonstrated the reliability of each method with ICC>0.999 (automatic) and ICC=0.95 (manual). Conclusion: We developed an open-source automatic toolkit for the analysis of biological assays in radiation oncology and demonstrated the accuracy, precision and effort savings for clonogenic cell survival quantification. This toolkit is currently being used in two laboratories for routine experimental analysis and will be made freely available on our departmental website

A Distributed, Open Source based Data Infrastructure for the Megacities Carbon Project

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, R.; Crichton, D. J.; Duren, R. M.; Salameh, P.; Sparks, A.; Sloop, C.

2014-12-01

With the goal of assessing the anthropogenic carbon-emission impact of urban centers on local and global climates, the Megacities Carbon Project has been building carbon-monitoring capabilities for the past two years around the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Hundreds of megabytes (MB) of data are generated daily, and distributed among data centers local to the sensor networks involved. We automatically pull this remotely generated data into a centralized data infrastructure local to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), seeking to (1) provide collaboration opportunities on the data, and (2) generate refined data products through community-requested centralized data processing pipelines. The goal of this informatics effort is to ensure near real-time access to generated data products across the Los Angeles carbon monitoring sensor network and meet the data analysis needs of carbon researchers through the production of customized products. We discuss the goals of the informatics effort, its uniqueness, and assess its effectiveness in providing an insight into the carbon sphere of Los Angeles.

Carbon Sources for Polyhydroxyalkanoates and an Integrated Biorefinery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guozhan Jiang

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs are a group of bioplastics that have a wide range of applications. Extensive progress has been made in our understanding of PHAs’ biosynthesis, and currently, it is possible to engineer bacterial strains to produce PHAs with desired properties. The substrates for the fermentative production of PHAs are primarily derived from food-based carbon sources, raising concerns over the sustainability of their production in terms of their impact on food prices. This paper gives an overview of the current carbon sources used for PHA production and the methods used to transform these sources into fermentable forms. This allows us to identify the opportunities and restraints linked to future sustainable PHA production. Hemicellulose hydrolysates and crude glycerol are identified as two promising carbon sources for a sustainable production of PHAs. Hemicellulose hydrolysates and crude glycerol can be produced on a large scale during various second generation biofuels’ production. An integration of PHA production within a modern biorefinery is therefore proposed to produce biofuels and bioplastics simultaneously. This will create the potential to offset the production cost of biofuels and reduce the overall production cost of PHAs.

Carbon Sources for Polyhydroxyalkanoates and an Integrated Biorefinery.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Guozhan; Hill, David J; Kowalczuk, Marek; Johnston, Brian; Adamus, Grazyna; Irorere, Victor; Radecka, Iza

2016-07-19

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a group of bioplastics that have a wide range of applications. Extensive progress has been made in our understanding of PHAs' biosynthesis, and currently, it is possible to engineer bacterial strains to produce PHAs with desired properties. The substrates for the fermentative production of PHAs are primarily derived from food-based carbon sources, raising concerns over the sustainability of their production in terms of their impact on food prices. This paper gives an overview of the current carbon sources used for PHA production and the methods used to transform these sources into fermentable forms. This allows us to identify the opportunities and restraints linked to future sustainable PHA production. Hemicellulose hydrolysates and crude glycerol are identified as two promising carbon sources for a sustainable production of PHAs. Hemicellulose hydrolysates and crude glycerol can be produced on a large scale during various second generation biofuels' production. An integration of PHA production within a modern biorefinery is therefore proposed to produce biofuels and bioplastics simultaneously. This will create the potential to offset the production cost of biofuels and reduce the overall production cost of PHAs.

Effect of carbon dioxide and bicarbonate as inorganic carbon sources on growth and adaptation of autohydrogenotrophic denitrifying bacteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghafari, Shahin; Hasan, Masitah; Aroua, Mohamed Kheireddine

2009-01-01

Acclimation of autohydrogenotrophic denitrifying bacteria using inorganic carbon source (CO 2 and bicarbonate) and hydrogen gas as electron donor was performed in this study. In this regard, activated sludge was used as the seed source and sequencing batch reactor (SBR) technique was applied for accomplishing the acclimatization. Three distinct strategies in feeding of carbon sources were applied: (I) continuous sparging of CO 2 , (II) bicarbonate plus continuous sparging of CO 2 , and (III) only bicarbonate. The pH-reducing nature of CO 2 showed an unfavorable impact on denitrification rate; however bicarbonate resulted in a buffered environment in the mixed liquor and provided a suitable mean to maintain the pH in the desirable range of 7-8.2. As a result, bicarbonate as the only carbon source showed a faster adaptation, while carbon dioxide as the only carbon source as well as a complementary carbon source added to bicarbonate resulted in longer acclimation period. Adapted hydrogenotrophic denitrifying bacteria, using bicarbonate and hydrogen gas in the aforementioned pH range, caused denitrification at a rate of 13.33 mg NO 3 - -N/g MLVSS/h for degrading 20 and 30 mg NO 3 - -N/L and 9.09 mg NO 3 - -N/g MLVSS/h for degrading 50 mg NO 3 - -N/L

Effect of carbon dioxide and bicarbonate as inorganic carbon sources on growth and adaptation of autohydrogenotrophic denitrifying bacteria

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghafari, Shahin; Hasan, Masitah [Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia); Aroua, Mohamed Kheireddine [Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)], E-mail: mk_aroua@um.edu.my

2009-03-15

Acclimation of autohydrogenotrophic denitrifying bacteria using inorganic carbon source (CO{sub 2} and bicarbonate) and hydrogen gas as electron donor was performed in this study. In this regard, activated sludge was used as the seed source and sequencing batch reactor (SBR) technique was applied for accomplishing the acclimatization. Three distinct strategies in feeding of carbon sources were applied: (I) continuous sparging of CO{sub 2}, (II) bicarbonate plus continuous sparging of CO{sub 2}, and (III) only bicarbonate. The pH-reducing nature of CO{sub 2} showed an unfavorable impact on denitrification rate; however bicarbonate resulted in a buffered environment in the mixed liquor and provided a suitable mean to maintain the pH in the desirable range of 7-8.2. As a result, bicarbonate as the only carbon source showed a faster adaptation, while carbon dioxide as the only carbon source as well as a complementary carbon source added to bicarbonate resulted in longer acclimation period. Adapted hydrogenotrophic denitrifying bacteria, using bicarbonate and hydrogen gas in the aforementioned pH range, caused denitrification at a rate of 13.33 mg NO{sub 3}{sup -}-N/g MLVSS/h for degrading 20 and 30 mg NO{sub 3}{sup -}-N/L and 9.09 mg NO{sub 3}{sup -}-N/g MLVSS/h for degrading 50 mg NO{sub 3}{sup -}-N/L.

The Nordic Seas carbon budget: Sources, sinks, and uncertainties

OpenAIRE

Jeansson, Emil; Olsen, Are; Eldevik, Tor; Skjelvan, Ingunn; Omar, Abdirahman M.; Lauvset, Siv K.; Nilsen, Jan Even Ø.; Bellerby, Richard G. J; Johannessen, Truls; Falck, Eva

2011-01-01

A carbon budget for the Nordic Seas is derived by combining recent inorganic carbon data from the CARINA database with relevant volume transports. Values of organic carbon in the Nordic Seas' water masses, the amount of carbon input from river runoff, and the removal through sediment burial are taken from the literature. The largest source of carbon to the Nordic Seas is the Atlantic Water that enters the area across the Greenland-Scotland Ridge; this is in particular true for the anthropogen...

Utilization of carbon and nitrogen sources by Streptomyces ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

We tested a number of carbon and nitrogen compounds for their effect on the production of an antibacterial antibiotic by Streptomyces kananmyceticus M27. Dextrose was found to be the most suitable carbon source, though maltose, sucrose, and soluble starch gave moderate yields. (NH4)H2PO4 and yeast extract were ...

Source apportionment of PM10 mass and particulate carbon in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Bong Mann; Park, Jin-Soo; Kim, Sang-Woo; Kim, Hyunjae; Jeon, Haeun; Cho, Chaeyoon; Kim, Ji-Hyoung; Hong, Seungkyu; Rupakheti, Maheswar; Panday, Arnico K.; Park, Rokjin J.; Hong, Jihyung; Yoon, Soon-Chang

2015-12-01

The Kathmandu Valley in Nepal is a bowl-shaped urban basin in the Himalayan foothills with a serious problem of fine particulate air pollution that impacts local health and impairs visibility. Particulate carbon concentrations have reached severe levels that threaten the health of 3.5 million local residents. Moreover, snow and ice on the Himalayan mountains are melting as a result of additional warming due to particulate carbon, especially high black carbon concentrations. To date, the sources of the Valley's particulate carbon and the impacts of different sources on particulate carbon concentrations are not well understood. Thus, before an effective control strategy can be developed, these particulate carbon sources must be identified and quantified. Our study has found that the four primary sources of particulate carbon in the Kathmandu Valley during winter are brick kilns, motor vehicles, fugitive soil dust, and biomass/garbage burning. Their source contributions are quantified using a recently developed new multivariate receptor model SMP. In contrast to other highly polluted areas such as China, secondary contribution is almost negligible in Kathmandu Valley. Brick kilns (40%), motor vehicles (37%) and biomass/garbage burning (22%) have been identified as the major sources of elemental carbon (black carbon) in the Kathmandu Valley during winter, while motor vehicles (47%), biomass/garbage burning (32%), and soil dust (13%) have been identified as the most important sources of organic carbon. Our research indicates that controlling emissions from motor vehicles, brick kilns, biomass/garbage burning, and soil dust is essential for the mitigation of the particulate carbon that threatens public health, impairs visibility, and influences climate warming within and downwind from the Kathmandu Valley. In addition, this paper suggests several useful particulate carbon mitigation methods that can be applied to Kathmandu Valley and other areas in South Asia with

Shunting arc plasma source for pure carbon ion beam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koguchi, H.; Sakakita, H.; Kiyama, S.; Shimada, T.; Sato, Y.; Hirano, Y. [Energy Technology Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Umezono, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568 (Japan)

2012-02-15

A plasma source is developed using a coaxial shunting arc plasma gun to extract a pure carbon ion beam. The pure carbon ion beam is a new type of deposition system for diamond and other carbon materials. Our plasma device generates pure carbon plasma from solid-state carbon material without using a hydrocarbon gas such as methane gas, and the plasma does not contain any hydrogen. The ion saturation current of the discharge measured by a double probe is about 0.2 mA/mm{sup 2} at the peak of the pulse.

Shunting arc plasma source for pure carbon ion beam.

Science.gov (United States)

Koguchi, H; Sakakita, H; Kiyama, S; Shimada, T; Sato, Y; Hirano, Y

2012-02-01

A plasma source is developed using a coaxial shunting arc plasma gun to extract a pure carbon ion beam. The pure carbon ion beam is a new type of deposition system for diamond and other carbon materials. Our plasma device generates pure carbon plasma from solid-state carbon material without using a hydrocarbon gas such as methane gas, and the plasma does not contain any hydrogen. The ion saturation current of the discharge measured by a double probe is about 0.2 mA∕mm(2) at the peak of the pulse.

The Development of Automatic Sequences for the RF and Cryogenic Systems at the Spallation Neutron Source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gurd, Pamela; Casagrande, Fabio; Mccarthy, Michael; Strong, William; Ganni, Venkatarao

2005-01-01

Automatic sequences both ease the task of operating a complex machine and ensure procedural consistency. At the Spallation Neutron Source project (SNS), a set of automatic sequences have been developed to perform the start up and shut down of the high power RF systems. Similarly, sequences have been developed to perform backfill, pump down, automatic valve control and energy management in the cryogenic system. The sequences run on Linux soft input-output controllers (IOCs), which are similar to ordinary EPICS (Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System) IOCs in terms of data sharing with other EPICS processes, but which share a Linux processor with other such processors. Each sequence waits for a command from an operator console and starts the corresponding set of instructions, allowing operators to follow the sequences either from an overview screen or from detail screens. We describe each system and our operational experience with it.

Effect of carbon coating on cycle performance of LiFePO4/C composite cathodes using Tween80 as carbon source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, You-Guo; Zheng, Feng-Hua; Zhang, Xiao-Hui; Li, Qing-Yu; Wang, Hong-Qiang

2014-01-01

Highlights: • The Tween80 addition could enhance cycle stability of LiFePO 4 material. • The FTIR spectrum confirms Tween80 surfactant can bond with LiFePO 4 particles. • Some chemical bonds between material and carbon layer still exist after sintering. - Abstract: The influence of carbon coating on the cycle performance of LiFePO 4 /C composite cathodes using polyoxyethylenesorbitan monooleate (Tween80) as carbon source against lithium metal foil anode for Li-ion batteries was investigated in this paper. According to Infrared spectrum analysis (FTIR), the Tween80 surfactant molecules bond to the surface of LiFePO 4 and form an adsorption layer, which contribute to the formation of a homogeneous carbon layer tightly coating on the surface of LiFePO 4 particles in the process of sintering, due to a strong binding force provided by surface chemical bonds. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) shows that the carbon layer around LiFePO 4 using Tween80 as carbon source still coating on the surface of LiFePO 4 after 200 cycles at 5 C rate while the carbon layer shed from the surface of LiFePO 4 using glucose as carbon source. As a result, the carbon-coated LiFePO 4 using Tween80 as carbon source exhibits much higher capacity retention than the sample using glucose as carbon source. Electrochemical impedance measurement (EIS) reveals that the carbon-coated LiFePO 4 electrode using Tween80 surfactant has a lower charge transfer resistance than the electrode using glucose as carbon source electrode after 100 and 200 cycles at 5 C rate

Implication of using different carbon sources for denitrification in wastewater treatments.

Science.gov (United States)

Cherchi, Carla; Onnis-Hayden, Annalisa; El-Shawabkeh, Ibrahim; Gu, April Z

2009-08-01

Application of external carbon sources for denitrification becomes necessary for wastewater treatment plants that have to meet very stringent effluent nitrogen limits (e.g., 3 to 5 mgTN/L). In this study, we evaluated and compared three carbon sources--MicroC (Environmental Operating Solutions, Bourne, Massachusetts), methanol, and acetate-in terms of their denitrification rates and kinetics, effect on overall nitrogen removal performance, and microbial community structure of carbon-specific denitrifying enrichments. Denitrification rates and kinetics were determined with both acclimated and non-acclimated biomass, obtained from laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactor systems or full-scale plants. The results demonstrate the feasibility of the use of MicroC for denitrification processes, with maximum denitrification rates (k(dmax)) of 6.4 mgN/gVSSh and an observed yield of 0.36 mgVSS/mgCOD. Comparable maximum nitrate uptake rates were found with methanol, while acetate showed a maximum denitrification rate nearly twice as high as the others. The maximum growth rates measured at 20 degrees C for MicroC and methanol were 3.7 and 1.2 day(-1), respectively. The implications resulting from the differences in the denitrification rates and kinetics of different carbon sources on the full-scale nitrogen removal performance, under various configurations and operational conditions, were assessed using Biowin (EnviroSim Associates, Ltd., Flamborough, Ontario, Canada) simulations for both pre- and post-denitrification systems. Examination of microbial population structures using Automated Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis (ARISA) throughout the study period showed dynamic temporal changes and distinct microbial community structures of different carbon-specific denitrifying cultures. The ability of a specific carbon-acclimated denitrifying population to instantly use other carbon source also was investigated, and the chemical-structure-associated behavior patterns observed

A Precisely Assembled Carbon Source to Synthesize Fluorescent Carbon Quantum Dots for Sensing Probes and Bioimaging Agents.

Science.gov (United States)

Qiao, Yiqiang; Luo, Dan; Yu, Min; Zhang, Ting; Cao, Xuanping; Zhou, Yanheng; Liu, Yan

2018-02-09

A broad range of carbon sources have been used to fabricate varieties of carbon quantum dots (CQDs). However, the majority of these studies concern the influence of primary structures and chemical compositions of precursors on the CQDs; it is still unclear whether or not the superstructures of carbon sources have effects on the physiochemical properties of the synthetic CQDs. In this work, the concept of molecular assembly is first introduced into the design of a new carbon source. Compared with the tropocollagen molecules, the hierarchically assembled collagen scaffolds, as a new carbon source, immobilize functional groups of the precursors through hydrogen bonds, electrostatic attraction, and hydrophobic forces. Moreover, the accumulation of functional groups in collagen self-assembly further promotes the covalent bond formation in the obtained CQDs through a hydrothermal process. Both of these two chemical superiorities give rise to high quality CQDs with enhanced emission. The assembled collagen scaffold-based CQDs with heteroatom doping exhibit superior stability, and could be further applied as effective fluorescent probes for Fe 3+ detection and cellular cytosol imaging. These findings open a wealth of possibilities to explore more nanocarbons from precursors with assembled superstructures. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Carbon footprint of urban source separation for nutrient recovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Kjerstadius, H; Bernstad Saraiva, A; Spångberg, J; Davidsson, Å

2017-07-15

Source separation systems for the management of domestic wastewater and food waste has been suggested as more sustainable sanitation systems for urban areas. The present study used an attributional life cycle assessment to investigate the carbon footprint and potential for nutrient recovery of two sanitation systems for a hypothetical urban area in Southern Sweden. The systems represented a typical Swedish conventional system and a possible source separation system with increased nutrient recovery. The assessment included the management chain from household collection, transport, treatment and final return of nutrients to agriculture or disposal of the residuals. The results for carbon footprint and nutrient recovery (phosphorus and nitrogen) concluded that the source separation system could increase nutrient recovery (0.30-0.38 kg P capita -1 year -1 and 3.10-3.28 kg N capita -1 year -1 ), while decreasing the carbon footprint (-24 to -58 kg CO 2 -eq. capita -1 year -1 ), compared to the conventional system. The nutrient recovery was increased by the use of struvite precipitation and ammonium stripping at the wastewater treatment plant. The carbon footprint decreased, mainly due to the increased biogas production, increased replacement of mineral fertilizer in agriculture and less emissions of nitrous oxide from wastewater treatment. In conclusion, the study showed that source separation systems could potentially be used to increase nutrient recovery from urban areas, while decreasing the climate impact. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A potential explanation for the effect of carbon source on the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper proposes a new theory to account for the effect of carbon source on the characteristics of acetate-fed and glucose-fed aerobic granules. It is well known that reactor pH can vary in response to the oxidation of glucose or sodium acetate. As such, the effects associated with the carbon sources may be explained by ...

Carbon isotopes of dissolved inorganic carbon reflect utilization of different carbon sources by microbial communities in two limestone aquifer assemblages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. E. Nowak

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Isotopes of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC are used to indicate both transit times and biogeochemical evolution of groundwaters. These signals can be complicated in carbonate aquifers, as both abiotic (i.e., carbonate equilibria and biotic factors influence the δ13C and 14C of DIC. We applied a novel graphical method for tracking changes in the δ13C and 14C of DIC in two distinct aquifer complexes identified in the Hainich Critical Zone Exploratory (CZE, a platform to study how water transport links surface and shallow groundwaters in limestone and marlstone rocks in central Germany. For more quantitative estimates of contributions of different biotic and abiotic carbon sources to the DIC pool, we used the NETPATH geochemical modeling program, which accounts for changes in dissolved ions in addition to C isotopes. Although water residence times in the Hainich CZE aquifers based on hydrogeology are relatively short (years or less, DIC isotopes in the shallow, mostly anoxic, aquifer assemblage (HTU were depleted in 14C compared to a deeper, oxic, aquifer complex (HTL. Carbon isotopes and chemical changes in the deeper HTL wells could be explained by interaction of recharge waters equilibrated with post-bomb 14C sources with carbonates. However, oxygen depletion and δ13C and 14C values of DIC below those expected from the processes of carbonate equilibrium alone indicate considerably different biogeochemical evolution of waters in the upper aquifer assemblage (HTU wells. Changes in 14C and 13C in the upper aquifer complexes result from a number of biotic and abiotic processes, including oxidation of 14C-depleted OM derived from recycled microbial carbon and sedimentary organic matter as well as water–rock interactions. The microbial pathways inferred from DIC isotope shifts and changes in water chemistry in the HTU wells were supported by comparison with in situ microbial community structure based on 16S rRNA analyses. Our findings

Automatic fission source convergence criteria for Monte Carlo criticality calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shim, Hyung Jin; Kim, Chang Hyo

2005-01-01

The Monte Carlo criticality calculations for the multiplication factor and the power distribution in a nuclear system require knowledge of stationary or fundamental-mode fission source distribution (FSD) in the system. Because it is a priori unknown, so-called inactive cycle Monte Carlo (MC) runs are performed to determine it. The inactive cycle MC runs should be continued until the FSD converges to the stationary FSD. Obviously, if one stops them prematurely, the MC calculation results may have biases because the followup active cycles may be run with the non-stationary FSD. Conversely, if one performs the inactive cycle MC runs more than necessary, one is apt to waste computing time because inactive cycle MC runs are used to elicit the fundamental-mode FSD only. In the absence of suitable criteria for terminating the inactive cycle MC runs, one cannot but rely on empiricism in deciding how many inactive cycles one should conduct for a given problem. Depending on the problem, this may introduce biases into Monte Carlo estimates of the parameters one tries to calculate. The purpose of this paper is to present new fission source convergence criteria designed for the automatic termination of inactive cycle MC runs

[Kinetic simulation of enhanced biological phosphorus removal with fermentation broth as carbon source].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Chao; Chen, Yin-Guang

2013-07-01

As a high-quality carbon source, fermentation broth could promote the phosphorus removal efficiency in enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR). The transformation of substrates in EBPR fed with fermentation broth was well simulated using the modified activated sludge model No. 2 (ASM2) based on the carbon source metabolism. When fermentation broth was used as the sole carbon source, it was found that heterotrophic bacteria acted as a promoter rather than a competitor to the phosphorus accumulating organisms (PAO). When fermentation broth was used as a supplementary carbon source of real municipal wastewater, the wastewater composition was optimized for PAO growth; and the PAO concentration, which was increased by 3.3 times compared to that in EBPR fed with solely real municipal wastewater, accounting for about 40% of the total biomass in the reactor.

Automatic welding and cladding in heavy fabrication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Altamer, A. de

1980-01-01

A description is given of the automatic welding processes used by an Italian fabricator of pressure vessels for petrochemical and nuclear plant. The automatic submerged arc welding, submerged arc strip cladding, pulsed TIG, hot wire TIG and MIG welding processes have proved satisfactory in terms of process reliability, metal deposition rate, and cost effectiveness for low alloy and carbon steels. An example shows sequences required during automatic butt welding, including heat treatments. Factors which govern satisfactory automatic welding include automatic anti-drift rotator device, electrode guidance and bead programming system, the capability of single and dual head operation, flux recovery and slag removal systems, operator environment and controls, maintaining continuity of welding and automatic reverse side grinding. Automatic welding is used for: joining vessel sections; joining tubes to tubeplate; cladding of vessel rings and tubes, dished ends and extruded nozzles; nozzle to shell and butt welds, including narrow gap welding. (author)

Automatic welding machine for piping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, Kazuhiro; Koyama, Takaichi; Iizuka, Tomio; Ito, Yoshitoshi; Takami, Katsumi.

1978-01-01

A remotely controlled automatic special welding machine for piping was developed. This machine is utilized for long distance pipe lines, chemical plants, thermal power generating plants and nuclear power plants effectively from the viewpoint of good quality control, reduction of labor and good controllability. The function of this welding machine is to inspect the shape and dimensions of edge preparation before welding work by the sense of touch, to detect the temperature of melt pool, inspect the bead form by the sense of touch, and check the welding state by ITV during welding work, and to grind the bead surface and inspect the weld metal by ultrasonic test automatically after welding work. The construction of this welding system, the main specification of the apparatus, the welding procedure in detail, the electrical source of this welding machine, the cooling system, the structure and handling of guide ring, the central control system and the operating characteristics are explained. The working procedure and the effect by using this welding machine, and the application to nuclear power plants and the other industrial field are outlined. The HIDIC 08 is used as the controlling computer. This welding machine is useful for welding SUS piping as well as carbon steel piping. (Nakai, Y.)

Characterization of Black and Brown Carbon Concentrations and Sources during winter in Beijing

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Caiqing; Liu, Yue; Hansen, Anthony D. A.; Močnik, Griša; Zheng, Mei

2017-04-01

Carbonaceous aerosols, including black carbon (BC) and organic carbon (OC), play important roles in air quality, human health, and climate change. A better understanding of sources of light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosol (including black carbon and brown carbon) is particular critical for formulating emission-based control strategies and reducing uncertainties in current aerosol radiative forcing estimates. Beijing, the capital of China, has experienced serious air pollution problems and high concentrations of carbonaceous aerosols in recent years, especially during heating seasons. During November and December of 2016, several severe haze episodes occurred in Beijing, with hourly average PM2.5 mass concentration up to 400 μg/m3. In this study, concentration levels and sources of black carbon and brown carbon were investigated based on 7-wavelength Aethalometer (AE-33) with combination of other PM2.5 chemical composition information. Contributions of traffic and non-traffic emissions (e.g., coal combustion, biomass burning) were apportioned, and brown carbon was separated from black carbon. Our preliminary results showed that (1) Concentrations of BC were around 5.3±4.2 μg/m3 during the study period, with distinct diurnal variations during haze and non-haze days. (2) Traffic emissions contributed to about 37±17% of total BC, and exhibited higher contributions during non-haze days compared to haze days. (3) Coal combustion was a major source of black carbon and brown carbon in Beijing, which was more significant compared to biomass burning. Sources and the relative contributions to black carbon and brown carbon during haze and non-haze days will be further discussed.

UTILIZATION OF PINEAPPLE WASTE AS CARBON SOURCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdullah Moch Busairi

2012-02-01

Full Text Available The liquid pineapple waste contains mainly sucrose, glucose, fructose and other nutrients. It therefore can potentially be used as carbon source for organic acid fermentation.  The objective of this work is to evaluate the use of pineapple waste as substrate for lactic acid fermentation under variables of aerobic, anaerobic condition and pH controlling. Initial results showed that the liquid pineapple waste can be used as carbon source for lactic acid fermentation using Lactobacillus delbrueckii. In the anaerobic condition growth of bacteria and lactic acid production better than aerobic condition. In the anaerobic condition and the controlled pH  the production of lactic acid are found to be 54.79 g/l  (78.27% yield at  40oC, pH 6, 50 rpm and 70 g/l sugar concentration.  In contrast, only 13.87g/l lactic acid produced if the fermentation pH was not controlled even though the fermentation parameters were kept at the same conditions

Automatic differentiation of functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Douglas, S.R.

1990-06-01

Automatic differentiation is a method of computing derivatives of functions to any order in any number of variables. The functions must be expressible as combinations of elementary functions. When evaluated at specific numerical points, the derivatives have no truncation error and are automatically found. The method is illustrated by simple examples. Source code in FORTRAN is provided

Parallelization of the AliRoot event reconstruction by performing a semi- automatic source-code transformation

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2012-01-01

side bus or processor interconnections. Parallelism can only result in performance gain, if the memory usage is optimized, memory locality improved and the communication between threads is minimized. But the domain of concurrent programming has become a field for highly skilled experts, as the implementation of multithreading is difficult, error prone and labor intensive. A full re-implementation for parallel execution of existing offline frameworks, like AliRoot in ALICE, is thus unaffordable. An alternative method, is to use a semi-automatic source-to-source transformation for getting a simple parallel design, with almost no interference between threads. This reduces the need of rewriting the develop...

Automatic translation of MPI source into a latency-tolerant, data-driven form

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, Tan; Cicotti, Pietro; Bylaska, Eric; Quinlan, Dan; Baden, Scott

2017-01-01

Hiding communication behind useful computation is an important performance programming technique but remains an inscrutable programming exercise even for the expert. We present Bamboo, a code transformation framework that can realize communication overlap in applications written in MPI without the need to intrusively modify the source code. We reformulate MPI source into a task dependency graph representation, which partially orders the tasks, enabling the program to execute in a data-driven fashion under the control of an external runtime system. Experimental results demonstrate that Bamboo significantly reduces communication delays while requiring only modest amounts of programmer annotation for a variety of applications and platforms, including those employing co-processors and accelerators. Moreover, Bamboo’s performance meets or exceeds that of labor-intensive hand coding. As a result, the translator is more than a means of hiding communication costs automatically; it demonstrates the utility of semantic level optimization against a well-known library.

Mineral Carbonation Potential of CO2 from Natural and Industrial-based Alkalinity Sources

Science.gov (United States)

Wilcox, J.; Kirchofer, A.

2014-12-01

Mineral carbonation is a Carbon Capture and Storage (CSS) technology where gaseous CO2 is reacted with alkaline materials (such as silicate minerals and alkaline industrial wastes) and converted into stable and environmentally benign carbonate minerals (Metz et al., 2005). Here, we present a holistic, transparent life cycle assessment model of aqueous mineral carbonation built using a hybrid process model and economic input-output life cycle assessment approach. We compared the energy efficiency and the net CO2 storage potential of various mineral carbonation processes based on different feedstock material and process schemes on a consistent basis by determining the energy and material balance of each implementation (Kirchofer et al., 2011). In particular, we evaluated the net CO2 storage potential of aqueous mineral carbonation for serpentine, olivine, cement kiln dust, fly ash, and steel slag across a range of reaction conditions and process parameters. A preliminary systematic investigation of the tradeoffs inherent in mineral carbonation processes was conducted and guidelines for the optimization of the life-cycle energy efficiency are provided. The life-cycle assessment of aqueous mineral carbonation suggests that a variety of alkalinity sources and process configurations are capable of net CO2 reductions. The maximum carbonation efficiency, defined as mass percent of CO2 mitigated per CO2 input, was 83% for CKD at ambient temperature and pressure conditions. In order of decreasing efficiency, the maximum carbonation efficiencies for the other alkalinity sources investigated were: olivine, 66%; SS, 64%; FA, 36%; and serpentine, 13%. For natural alkalinity sources, availability is estimated based on U.S. production rates of a) lime (18 Mt/yr) or b) sand and gravel (760 Mt/yr) (USGS, 2011). The low estimate assumes the maximum sequestration efficiency of the alkalinity source obtained in the current work and the high estimate assumes a sequestration efficiency

The EC CAST project (carbon-14 source term)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, S. J.

2015-01-01

Carbon-14 is a key radionuclide in the assessment of the safety of underground geological disposal facilities for radioactive wastes. It is possible for carbon-14 to be released from waste packages in a variety of chemical forms, both organic and inorganic, and as dissolved or gaseous species The EC CAST (CArbon-14 Source Term) project aims to develop understanding of the generation and release of carbon-14 from radioactive waste materials under conditions relevant to packaging and disposal. It focuses on the release of carbon-14 from irradiated metals (steels and zirconium alloys), from irradiated graphite and from spent ion-exchange resins. The CAST consortium brings together 33 partners. CAST commenced in October 2013 and this paper describes progress to March 2015. The main activities during this period were reviews of the current status of knowledge, the identification and acquisition of suitable samples and the design of experiments and analytical procedures. (authors)

Automatic Control of Veno-Venous Extracorporeal Lung Assist.

Science.gov (United States)

Kopp, Ruedger; Bensberg, Ralf; Stollenwerk, Andre; Arens, Jutta; Grottke, Oliver; Walter, Marian; Rossaint, Rolf

2016-10-01

Veno-venous extracorporeal lung assist (ECLA) can provide sufficient gas exchange even in most severe cases of acute respiratory distress syndrome. Commercially available systems are manually controlled, although an automatically controlled ECLA could allow individualized and continuous adaption to clinical requirements. Therefore, we developed a demonstrator with an integrated control algorithm to keep continuously measured peripheral oxygen saturation and partial pressure of carbon dioxide constant by automatically adjusting extracorporeal blood and gas flow. The "SmartECLA" system was tested in six animal experiments with increasing pulmonary hypoventilation and hypoxic inspiratory gas mixture to simulate progressive acute respiratory failure. During a cumulative evaluation time of 32 h for all experiments, automatic ECLA control resulted in a peripheral oxygen saturation ≥90% for 98% of the time with the lowest value of 82% for 15 s. Partial pressure of venous carbon dioxide was between 40 and 49 mm Hg for 97% of the time with no value 49 mm Hg. With decreasing inspiratory oxygen concentration, extracorporeal oxygen uptake increased from 68 ± 25 to 154 ± 34 mL/min (P < 0.05), and reducing respiratory rate resulted in increasing extracorporeal carbon dioxide elimination from 71 ± 37 to 92 ± 37 mL/min (P < 0.05). The "SmartECLA" demonstrator allowed reliable automatic control of the extracorporeal circuit. Proof of concept could be demonstrated for this novel automatically controlled veno-venous ECLA circuit. Copyright © 2015 International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A Novel Airborne Carbon Isotope Analyzer for Methane and Carbon Dioxide Source Fingerprinting

Science.gov (United States)

Berman, E. S.; Huang, Y. W.; Owano, T. G.; Leifer, I.

2014-12-01

Recent field studies on major sources of the important greenhouse gas methane (CH4) indicate significant underestimation of methane release from fossil fuel industrial (FFI) and animal husbandry sources, among others. In addition, uncertainties still exist with respect to carbon dioxide (CO2) measurements, especially source fingerprinting. CO2 isotopic analysis provides a valuable in situ measurement approach to fingerprint CH4 and CO2as associated with combustion sources, leakage from geologic reservoirs, or biogenic sources. As a result, these measurements can characterize strong combustion source plumes, such as power plant emissions, and discriminate these emissions from other sources. As part of the COMEX (CO2 and MEthane eXperiment) campaign, a novel CO2 isotopic analyzer was installed and collected data aboard the CIRPAS Twin Otter aircraft. Developing methods to derive CH4 and CO2 budgets from remote sensing data is the goal of the summer 2014 COMEX campaign, which combines hyperspectral imaging (HSI) and non-imaging spectroscopy (NIS) with in situ airborne and surface data. COMEX leverages the synergy between high spatial resolution HSI and moderate spatial resolution NIS. The carbon dioxide isotope analyzer developed by Los Gatos Research (LGR) uses LGR's patented Off-Axis ICOS (Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy) technology and incorporates proprietary internal thermal control for high sensitivity and optimal instrument stability. This analyzer measures CO2 concentration as well as δ13C, δ18O, and δ17O from CO2 at natural abundance (100-3000 ppm). The laboratory accuracy is ±1.2 ppm (1σ) in CO2 from 370-1000 ppm, with a long-term (1000 s) precision of ±0.012 ppm. The long-term precision for both δ13C and δ18O is 0.04 ‰, and for δ17O is 0.06 ‰. The analyzer was field-tested as part of the COWGAS campaign, a pre-cursor campaign to COMEX in March 2014, where it successfully discriminated plumes related to combustion processes associated with

Characterizing and sourcing ambient PM2.5 over key emission regions in China III: Carbon isotope based source apportionment of black carbon

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Kuangyou; Xing, Zhenyu; Huang, Xiaofeng; Deng, Junjun; Andersson, August; Fang, Wenzheng; Gustafsson, Örjan; Zhou, Jiabin; Du, Ke

2018-03-01

Regional haze over China has severe implications for air quality and regional climate. To effectively combat these effects the high uncertainties regarding the emissions from different sources needs to be reduced. In this paper, which is the third in a series on the sources of PM2.5 in pollution hotspot regions of China, we focus on the sources of black carbon aerosols (BC), using carbon isotope signatures. Four-season samples were collected at two key locations: Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH, part of Northern China plain), and the Pearl River Delta (PRD). We find that that fossil fuel combustion was the predominant source of BC in both BTH and PRD regions, accounting for 75 ± 5%. However, the contributions of what fossil fuel components were dominating differed significantly between BTH and PRD, and varied dramatically with seasons. Coal combustion is overall the all-important BC source in BTH, accounting for 46 ± 12% of the BC in BTH, with the maximum value (62%) found in winter. In contrast for the PRD region, liquid fossil fuel combustion (e.g., oil, diesel, and gasoline) is the dominant source of BC, with an annual mean value of 41 ± 15% and the maximum value of 55% found in winter. Region- and season-specific source apportionments are recommended to both accurately assess the climate impact of carbonaceous aerosol emissions and to effectively mitigate deteriorating air quality caused by carbonaceous aerosols.

Lipids Reprogram Metabolism to Become a Major Carbon Source for Histone Acetylation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

McDonnell, Eoin; Crown, Scott B; Fox, Douglas B

2016-01-01

Cells integrate nutrient sensing and metabolism to coordinate proper cellular responses to a particular nutrient source. For example, glucose drives a gene expression program characterized by activating genes involved in its metabolism, in part by increasing glucose-derived histone acetylation....... Here, we find that lipid-derived acetyl-CoA is a major source of carbon for histone acetylation. Using (13)C-carbon tracing combined with acetyl-proteomics, we show that up to 90% of acetylation on certain histone lysines can be derived from fatty acid carbon, even in the presence of excess glucose...

Influence of carbon source on alpha-amylase production by Aspergillus oryzae

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Carlsen, Morten; Nielsen, Jens

2001-01-01

on sucrose, fructose, glycerol, mannitol and acetate. During growth on acetate there was no production of alpha -amylase, whereas addition of small amounts of glucose resulted in alpha -amylase production. A possible induction by alpha -methyl-D-glucoside during growth on glucose was also investigated......, but this compound was not found to be a better inducer of alpha -amylase production than glucose. The results strongly indicate that besides acting as a repressor via the CreA protein, glucose acts as an inducer.......The influence of the carbon source on a-amylase production by Aspergillus oryzae was quantified in carbon-limited chemostat cultures. The following carbon sources were investigated: maltose, maltodextrin (different chain lengths), glucose, fructose, galactose, sucrose, glycerol, mannitol...

The influence of various carbon and nitrogen sources on oil production by Fusarium oxysporum.

Science.gov (United States)

Joshi, S; Mathur, J M

1987-01-01

The oil-synthesizing capacity of Fusarium oxysporum, cultivated on basal nutrient medium, was evaluated using different carbon and nitrogen sources. In one of the media, molasses was also used as a principal carbon source. Media containing glucose and ammonium nitrate were found to be most efficient for oil production. Fatty acid profile of the fungal oil indicated the presence of a wide range of fatty acids ranging from C8 to C24. Fatty acid composition largely depends on the type of carbon and nitrogen sources.

Optical Performance of Carbon-Nanotube Electron Sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jonge, Niels de; Allioux, Myriam; Oostveen, Jim T.; Teo, Kenneth B. K.; Milne, William I.

2005-01-01

The figure of merit for the electron optical performance of carbon-nanotube (CNT) electron sources is presented. This figure is given by the relation between the reduced brightness and the energy spread in the region of stable emission. It is shown experimentally that a CNT electron source exhibits a highly stable emission process that follows the Fowler-Nordheim theory for field emission, fixing the relationship among the energy spread, the current, and the radius. The performance of the CNT emitter under realistic operating conditions is compared with state-of-the-art electron point sources. It is demonstrated that the reduced brightness is a function of the tunneling parameter, a measure of the energy spread at low temperatures, only, independent of the geometry of the emitter

The development of an automatic sample-changer and control instrumentation for isotope-source neutron-activation analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andeweg, A.H.; Watterson, J.I.W.

1983-01-01

An automatic sample-changer was developed at the Council for Mineral Technology for use in isotope-source neutron-activation analysis. Tests show that the sample-changer can transfer a sample of up to 3 kg in mass over a distance of 3 m within 5 s. In addition, instrumentation in the form of a three-stage sequential timer was developed to control the sequence of irradiation transfer and analysis

Effects of carbon and nitrogen sources on the induction and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

user

about the induction and repression mechanism of this hydrolytic enzyme. This report ... chitin as a sole source of carbon followed by the medium containing an extra nitrogen source, yeast extract. .... against fluorescent background by UV illumination. Statistical ..... Virulence Associated with Native and Mutant Isolates of an.

Validation of a semi-automatic protocol for the assessment of the tear meniscus central area based on open-source software

Science.gov (United States)

Pena-Verdeal, Hugo; Garcia-Resua, Carlos; Yebra-Pimentel, Eva; Giraldez, Maria J.

2017-08-01

Purpose: Different lower tear meniscus parameters can be clinical assessed on dry eye diagnosis. The aim of this study was to propose and analyse the variability of a semi-automatic method for measuring lower tear meniscus central area (TMCA) by using open source software. Material and methods: On a group of 105 subjects, one video of the lower tear meniscus after fluorescein instillation was generated by a digital camera attached to a slit-lamp. A short light beam (3x5 mm) with moderate illumination in the central portion of the meniscus (6 o'clock) was used. Images were extracted from each video by a masked observer. By using an open source software based on Java (NIH ImageJ), a further observer measured in a masked and randomized order the TMCA in the short light beam illuminated area by two methods: (1) manual method, where TMCA images was "manually" measured; (2) semi-automatic method, where TMCA images were transformed in an 8-bit-binary image, then holes inside this shape were filled and on the isolated shape, the area size was obtained. Finally, both measurements, manual and semi-automatic, were compared. Results: Paired t-test showed no statistical difference between both techniques results (p = 0.102). Pearson correlation between techniques show a significant positive near to perfect correlation (r = 0.99; p Conclusions: This study showed a useful tool to objectively measure the frontal central area of the meniscus in photography by free open source software.

Mangroves, a major source of dissolved organic carbon to the oceans

Science.gov (United States)

Dittmar, Thorsten; Hertkorn, Norbert; Kattner, Gerhard; Lara, RubéN. J.

2006-03-01

Organic matter, which is dissolved in low concentrations in the vast waters of the oceans, contains a total amount of carbon similar to atmospheric carbon dioxide. To understand global biogeochemical cycles, it is crucial to quantify the sources of marine dissolved organic carbon (DOC). We investigated the impact of mangroves, the dominant intertidal vegetation of the tropics, on marine DOC inventories. Stable carbon isotopes and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy showed that mangroves are the main source of terrigenous DOC in the open ocean off northern Brazil. Sunlight efficiently destroyed aromatic molecules during transport offshore, removing about one third of mangrove-derived DOC. The remainder was refractory and may thus be distributed over the oceans. On a global scale, we estimate that mangroves account for >10% of the terrestrially derived, refractory DOC transported to the ocean, while they cover only <0.1% of the continents' surface.

Food sources for the mangrove tree crab aratus pisonii: a carbon isotopic study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lacerda, L.D.; Silva, C.A.R.; Rezende, C.E.; Martinelli, L.A.

1991-01-01

Muscle tissues from the mangrove tree crab Aratus pisonii was analysed for carbon isotopic composition, in order to trace its major food sources. Potential food sources: mangrove leaves epi phytic green algae, mangrove sediments and open water and mangrove suspended matter; were also analysed. The results show that A. pisonii is basically omnivorous, with major food sources from marine origin. However, mangrove carbon can contribute with 16% to 42% in the crab's diet. (author)

Evaluating vertical concentration profile of carbon source released from slow-releasing carbon source tablets and in situ biological nitrate denitrification activity

Science.gov (United States)

Yeum, Y.; HAN, K.; Yoon, J.; Lee, J. H.; Song, K.; Kang, J. H.; Park, C. W.; Kwon, S.; Kim, Y.

2017-12-01

Slow-releasing carbon source tablets were manufactured during the design of a small-scale in situ biological denitrification system to reduce high-strength nitrate (> 30 mg N/L) from a point source such as livestock complexes. Two types of slow-releasing tablets, precipitating tablet (PT, apparent density of 2.0 g/mL) and floating tablet (FT), were prepared to achieve a vertically even distribution of carbon source (CS) in a well and an aquifer. Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) was used to control the release rate, and microcrystalline cellulose pH 101 (MCC 101) was added as a binder. The #8 sand was used as a precipitation agent for the PTs, and the floating agents for the FTs were calcium carbonate and citric acid. FTs floated within 30 min. and remained in water because of the buoyance from carbon dioxide, which formed during the acid-base reaction between citric acid and calcium carbonate. The longevities of PTs with 300 mg of HPMC and FTs with 400 mg of HPMC were 25.4 days and 37.3 days, respectively. We assessed vertical CS profile in a continuous flowing physical aquifer model (release test, RT) and its efficiency on biological nitrate denitrification (denitrification test, DT). During the RT, PTs, FTs and a tracer (as 1 mg rhodamine B/L) were initially injected into a well of physical aquifer model (PAM). Concentrations of CS and the tracer were monitored along the streamline in the PAM to evaluate vertical profile of CS. During the DT, the same experiment was performed as RT, except continuous injection of solution containing 30 mg N/L into the PAM to evaluate biological denitrification activity. As a result of RT, temporal profiles of CS were similar at 3 different depths of monitoring wells. These results suggest that simultaneous addition of PT and FT be suitable for achieving a vertically even distribution of the CS in the injection well and an aquifer. In DT, similar profile of CS was detected in the injection well, and nitrate was biologically

How organic carbon derived from multiple sources contributes to carbon sequestration processes in a shallow coastal system?

Science.gov (United States)

Watanabe, Kenta; Kuwae, Tomohiro

2015-04-16

Carbon captured by marine organisms helps sequester atmospheric CO 2 , especially in shallow coastal ecosystems, where rates of primary production and burial of organic carbon (OC) from multiple sources are high. However, linkages between the dynamics of OC derived from multiple sources and carbon sequestration are poorly understood. We investigated the origin (terrestrial, phytobenthos derived, and phytoplankton derived) of particulate OC (POC) and dissolved OC (DOC) in the water column and sedimentary OC using elemental, isotopic, and optical signatures in Furen Lagoon, Japan. Based on these data analysis, we explored how OC from multiple sources contributes to sequestration via storage in sediments, water column sequestration, and air-sea CO 2 exchanges, and analyzed how the contributions vary with salinity in a shallow seagrass meadow as well. The relative contribution of terrestrial POC in the water column decreased with increasing salinity, whereas autochthonous POC increased in the salinity range 10-30. Phytoplankton-derived POC dominated the water column POC (65-95%) within this salinity range; however, it was minor in the sediments (3-29%). In contrast, terrestrial and phytobenthos-derived POC were relatively minor contributors in the water column but were major contributors in the sediments (49-78% and 19-36%, respectively), indicating that terrestrial and phytobenthos-derived POC were selectively stored in the sediments. Autochthonous DOC, part of which can contribute to long-term carbon sequestration in the water column, accounted for >25% of the total water column DOC pool in the salinity range 15-30. Autochthonous OC production decreased the concentration of dissolved inorganic carbon in the water column and thereby contributed to atmospheric CO 2 uptake, except in the low-salinity zone. Our results indicate that shallow coastal ecosystems function not only as transition zones between land and ocean but also as carbon sequestration filters. They

Secondary organic carbon quantification and source apportionment of PM10 in Kaifeng, China

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

WU Lin; FENG Yinchang; WU Jianhui; ZHU Tan; BI Xiaohui; HAN Bo; YANG Weihong; YANG Zhiqiang

2009-01-01

During 2005, the filter samples of ambient PM10 from five sites and the source samples of particulate matter were collected in Kaifeng, Henan province of China. Nineteen elements, water-soluble ions, total carbon (TC) and organic carbon (OC) contained in samples were analyzed. Seven contributive source types were identified and their contributions to ambient PM10 were estimated by chemical mass balance (CMB) receptor model. Weak associations between the concentrations of organic carbon and element carbon (EC) were observed during the sampling periods, indicating that there was secondary organic aerosol pollution in the urban atmosphere. An indirect method of "OC/EC minimum ratio" was applied to estimate the concentration of secondary organic carbon (SOC). The results showed that SOC contributed 26.2%, 32.4% and 18.0% of TC in spring, summer-fall and winter respectively, and the annual average SOC concentration was 7.07 μg/m3, accounting for 5.73% of the total mass in ambient PM10. The carbon species concentrations in ambient PM10 were recalculated by subtracting the SOC concentrations from measured concentrations of TC and OC to increase the compatibility of source and receptor measurements for CMB model.

Electron source with a carbon-fibrous cathode for radiation-technology accelerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korenev, S.A.

1994-01-01

The paper analyses the circuit of a full operating voltage electron source which is a direct-action electron accelerator. The electron source consists of a power supply, high-voltage multiplier-rectifier, vacuum planar diode, vacuum system and control system. The vacuum electron diode contains an autoemission carbon-fibrous cathode and beryllium foil strip anode. The results of measurements of emission characteristics of alumosilicate and carbon-fibrous cathodes are presented. The investigations into test electron source show that it can be used as a basis for creating an electron accelerator which will be capable of generating 1 MW electron beams of 1-2 MeV energy and 1 A current. 3 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab

The influence of different nitrogen and carbon sources on mycotoxin production in Alternaria alternata.

Science.gov (United States)

Brzonkalik, Katrin; Herrling, Tanja; Syldatk, Christoph; Neumann, Anke

2011-05-27

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of different carbon and nitrogen sources on the production of the mycotoxins alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME) and tenuazonic acid (TA) by Alternaria alternata at 28°C using a semi-synthetic medium (modified Czapek-Dox broth) supplemented with nitrogen and carbon sources. Additionally the effect of shaken and static cultivation on mycotoxin production was tested. Initial experiments showed a clear dependency between nitrogen depletion and mycotoxin production. To assess whether nitrogen limitation in general or the type of nitrogen source triggers the production, various nitrogen sources including several ammonium/nitrate salts and amino acids were tested. In static culture the production of AOH/AME can be enhanced greatly with phenylalanine whereas some nitrogen sources seem to inhibit the AOH/AME production completely. TA was not significantly affected by the choice of nitrogen source. In shaken culture the overall production of all mycotoxins was lower compared to static cultivation. Furthermore tests with a wide variety of carbon sources including monosaccharides, disaccharides, complex saccharides such as starch as well as glycerol and acetate were performed. In shaken culture AOH was produced when glucose, fructose, sucrose, acetate or mixtures of glucose/sucrose and glucose/acetate were used as carbon sources. AME production was not detected. The use of sodium acetate resulted in the highest AOH production. In static culture AOH production was also stimulated by acetate and the amount is comparable to shaken conditions. Under static conditions production of AOH was lower except when cultivated with acetate. In static cultivation 9 of 14 tested carbon sources induced mycotoxin production compared to 4 in shaken culture. This is the first study which analyses the influence of carbon and nitrogen sources in a semi-synthetic medium and assesses the effects of culture conditions on

BioSimplify: an open source sentence simplification engine to improve recall in automatic biomedical information extraction

OpenAIRE

Jonnalagadda, Siddhartha; Gonzalez, Graciela

2011-01-01

BioSimplify is an open source tool written in Java that introduces and facilitates the use of a novel model for sentence simplification tuned for automatic discourse analysis and information extraction (as opposed to sentence simplification for improving human readability). The model is based on a "shot-gun" approach that produces many different (simpler) versions of the original sentence by combining variants of its constituent elements. This tool is optimized for processing biomedical scien...

Russia's black carbon emissions: focus on diesel sources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Kholod

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Black carbon (BC is a significant climate forcer with a particularly pronounced forcing effect in polar regions such as the Russian Arctic. Diesel combustion is a major global source of BC emissions, accounting for 25–30 % of all BC emissions. While the demand for diesel is growing in Russia, the country's diesel emissions are poorly understood. This paper presents a detailed inventory of Russian BC emissions from diesel sources. Drawing on a complete Russian vehicle registry with detailed information about vehicle types and emission standards, this paper analyzes BC emissions from diesel on-road vehicles. We use the COPERT emission model (COmputer Programme to calculate Emissions from Road Transport with Russia-specific emission factors for all types of on-road vehicles. On-road diesel vehicles emitted 21 Gg of BC in 2014: heavy-duty trucks account for 60 % of the on-road BC emissions, while cars represent only 5 % (light commercial vehicles and buses account for the remainder. Using Russian activity data and fuel-based emission factors, the paper also presents BC emissions from diesel locomotives and ships, off-road engines in industry, construction and agriculture, and generators. The study also factors in the role of superemitters in BC emissions from diesel on-road vehicles and off-road sources. The total emissions from diesel sources in Russia are estimated to be 49 Gg of BC and 17 Gg of organic carbon (OC in 2014. Off-road diesel sources emitted 58 % of all diesel BC in Russia.

Determination of the growth of nematophagous fungi on diverse carbon sources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martha Orozco

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Organic amendments have been widely used to stimulate the populations of predatory nematophagous fungi (PNF in soil; however, the use of organic amendments has produced inconsistent results in the control of parasitic nematodes. The inconsistencies have been partially attributed to the chemical composition of the organic amendments, specifically to carbon and nitrogen contents. Therefore, to know the carbon preferences of these fungi could be helpful to promote the predatory phase of the PNF in soil. The aim of this study was to determine the growth of native PNF strains from Costa Rica in diverse carbon sources. The PNF Arthrobotrys oligospora and Candelabrella musiformis were grown in artificial culture media containing the following carbon sources: cellulose, chitin, pectin, starch, and skim milk. The growth rate developed by the PNF in each one of the culture media was determined and compared. The growth rates developed by both fungal species followed the next order: cellulos e>chitin>pectin>starch>skim milk. Significant differences in the growth rates developed by the fungal strains were detected only in culture medium containing cellulose, in comparison with culture media containing other carbon sources. In culture medium containing cellulose both A. oligospora and C. musiformis grew faster with respect to the other culture media, but A. oligospora strains grew faster in comparison with C. musiformis strains. Both fungal species developed the lowest growth rates in culture media containing starch and skim milk.

Carbon source from the toroidal pumped limiter during long discharge operation in Tore Supra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dufour, E.; Brosset, C.; Lowry, C.; Bucalossi, J.; Chappuis, P.; Corre, Y.; Desgranges, C.; Guirlet, R.; Gunn, J.; Loarer, T.; Mitteau, R.; Monier-Garbet, P.; Pegourie, B.; Reichle, R.; Thomas, P.; Tsitrone, E.; Hogan, J.; Roubin, P.; Martin, C.; Arnas, C.

2005-01-01

A better understanding of deuterium retention mechanisms requires the knowledge of carbon sources in Tore-Supra. The main source of carbon in the vacuum vessel during long discharges is the toroidal pumped limiter (TPL). This work is devoted to the experimental characterisation of the carbon source from the TPL surface during long discharges using a visible spectroscopy diagnostic. Moreover, we present an attempt to perform a carbon balance over a typical campaign and we discuss it with regards to the deuterium in-vessel inventory deduced from particle balance and the deuterium content of the deposited layers. The study shows that only a third of the estimated deuterium trapped in the vessel is trapped in the carbon deposits. Thus, in the present state of our knowledge and characterisation of the permanent retention, one has to search for mechanisms other than co-deposition to explain the deuterium retention in Tore Supra. (A.C.)

Carbon source-sink limitations differ between two species with contrasting growth strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Burnett, Angela C; Rogers, Alistair; Rees, Mark; Osborne, Colin P

2016-11-01

Understanding how carbon source and sink strengths limit plant growth is a critical knowledge gap that hinders efforts to maximize crop yield. We investigated how differences in growth rate arise from source-sink limitations, using a model system comparing a fast-growing domesticated annual barley (Hordeum vulgare cv. NFC Tipple) with a slow-growing wild perennial relative (Hordeum bulbosum). Source strength was manipulated by growing plants at sub-ambient and elevated CO 2 concentrations ([CO 2 ]). Limitations on vegetative growth imposed by source and sink were diagnosed by measuring relative growth rate, developmental plasticity, photosynthesis and major carbon and nitrogen metabolite pools. Growth was sink limited in the annual but source limited in the perennial. RGR and carbon acquisition were higher in the annual, but photosynthesis responded weakly to elevated [CO 2 ] indicating that source strength was near maximal at current [CO 2 ]. In contrast, photosynthetic rate and sink development responded strongly to elevated [CO 2 ] in the perennial, indicating significant source limitation. Sink limitation was avoided in the perennial by high sink plasticity: a marked increase in tillering and root:shoot ratio at elevated [CO 2 ], and lower non-structural carbohydrate accumulation. Alleviating sink limitation during vegetative development could be important for maximizing growth of elite cereals under future elevated [CO 2 ]. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Sources of uncertainties in modelling black carbon at the global scale

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vignati, E.; Karl, M.; Krol, M.C.; Wilson, J.; Stier, P.; Cavalli, F.

2010-01-01

Our understanding of the global black carbon (BC) cycle is essentially qualitative due to uncertainties in our knowledge of its properties. This work investigates two source of uncertainties in modelling black carbon: those due to the use of different schemes for BC ageing and its removal rate in

Distribution of organic carbon and petroleum source rock potential of Cretaceous and lower Tertiary carbonates, South Florida Basin: preliminary results

Science.gov (United States)

Palacas, James George

1978-01-01

Analyses of 134 core samples from the South Florida Basin show that the carbonates of Comanchean age are relatively richer in average organic carbon (0.41 percent) than those of Coahuilan age (0.28 percent), Gulfian age (0.18 percent) and Paleocene age (0.20 percent). They are also nearly twice as rich as the average world, wide carbonate (average 0.24 percent). The majority of carbonates have organic carbons less than 0.30 percent but the presence of many relatively organic rich beds composed of highly bituminous, argillaceous, highly stylolitic, and algal-bearing limestones and dolomites accounts for the higher percentage of organic carbon in some of the stratigraphic units. Carbonate rocks that contain greater than 0.4 percent organic carbon and that might be considered as possible petroleum sources were noted in almost each subdivision of the Coahuilan and Comanchean Series but particularly the units of Fredericksburg 'B', Trinity 'A', Trinity 'F', and Upper Sunniland. Possible source rocks have been ascribed by others to the Lower Sunniland, but lack of sufficient samples precluded any firm assessment in this initial report. In the shallower section of the basin, organic-rich carbonates containing as much as 3.2 percent organic carbon were observed in the lowermost part of the Gulfian Series and carbonate rocks with oil staining or 'dead' and 'live oil' were noted by others in the uppermost Gulfian and upper Cedar Keys Formation. It is questionable whether these shallower rocks are of sufficient thermal maturity to have generated commercial oil. The South Florida basin is still sparsely drilled and produces only from the Sunniland Limestone at an average depth of 11,500 feet (3500 m). Because the Sunniland contains good reservoir rocks and apparently adequate source rocks, and because the success rate of new oil field discoveries has increased in recent years, the chances of finding additional oil reserves in the Sunniland are promising. Furthermore, the

Factors for Microbial Carbon Sources in Organic and Mineral Soils from Eastern United States Deciduous Forests

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stitt, Caroline R. [Mills College, Oakland, CA (United States)

2013-09-16

Forest soils represent a large portion of global terrestrial carbon; however, which soil carbon sources are used by soil microbes and respired as carbon dioxide (CO2) is not well known. This study will focus on characterizing microbial carbon sources from organic and mineral soils from four eastern United States deciduous forests using a unique radiocarbon (14C) tracer. Results from the dark incubation of organic and mineral soils are heavily influenced by site characteristics when incubated at optimal microbial activity temperature. Sites with considerable differences in temperature, texture, and location differ in carbon source attribution, indicating that site characteristics play a role in soil respiration.

A mobile light source for carbon/nitrogen cameras

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trower, W.P.; Melekhin, V.N.; Shvedunov, V.I.; Sobenin, N.P.

1995-01-01

The pulsed light source for carbon/nitrogen cameras developed to image concealed narcotics/explosives is described. This race-track microtron will produce 40 mA pulses of 70 MeV electrons, have minimal size and weight, and maximal ruggedness and reliability, so that it can be transported on a truck. (orig.)

A mobile light source for carbon/nitrogen cameras

Science.gov (United States)

Trower, W. P.; Karev, A. I.; Melekhin, V. N.; Shvedunov, V. I.; Sobenin, N. P.

1995-05-01

The pulsed light source for carbon/nitrogen cameras developed to image concealed narcotics/explosives is described. This race-track microtron will produce 40 mA pulses of 70 MeV electrons, have minimal size and weight, and maximal ruggedness and reliability, so that it can be transported on a truck.

WormGender - Open-Source Software for Automatic Caenorhabditis elegans Sex Ratio Measurement.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marta K Labocha

Full Text Available Fast and quantitative analysis of animal phenotypes is one of the major challenges of current biology. Here we report the WormGender open-source software, which is designed for accurate quantification of sex ratio in Caenorhabditis elegans. The software functions include, i automatic recognition and counting of adult hermaphrodites and males, ii a manual inspection feature that enables manual correction of errors, and iii flexibility to use new training images to optimize the software for different imaging conditions. We evaluated the performance of our software by comparing manual and automated assessment of sex ratio. Our data showed that the WormGender software provided overall accurate sex ratio measurements. We further demonstrated the usage of WormGender by quantifying the high incidence of male (him phenotype in 27 mutant strains. Mutants of nine genes (brc-1, C30G12.6, cep-1, coh-3, him-3, him-5, him-8, skr-1, unc-86 showed significant him phenotype. The WormGender is written in Java and can be installed and run on both Windows and Mac platforms. The source code is freely available together with a user manual and sample data at http://www.QuantWorm.org/. The source code and sample data are also available at http://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.1541248.

Spatial distribution of carbon sources and sinks in Canada's forests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Jing M.; Weimin, Ju; Liu, Jane; Cihlar, Josef; Chen, Wenjun

2003-01-01

Annual spatial distributions of carbon sources and sinks in Canada's forests at 1 km resolution are computed for the period from 1901 to 1998 using ecosystem models that integrate remote sensing images, gridded climate, soils and forest inventory data. GIS-based fire scar maps for most regions of Canada are used to develop a remote sensing algorithm for mapping and dating forest burned areas in the 25 yr prior to 1998. These mapped and dated burned areas are used in combination with inventory data to produce a complete image of forest stand age in 1998. Empirical NPP age relationships were used to simulate the annual variations of forest growth and carbon balance in 1 km pixels, each treated as a homogeneous forest stand. Annual CO 2 flux data from four sites were used for model validation. Averaged over the period 1990-1998, the carbon source and sink map for Canada's forests show the following features: (i) large spatial variations corresponding to the patchiness of recent fire scars and productive forests and (ii) a general south-to-north gradient of decreasing carbon sink strength and increasing source strength. This gradient results mostly from differential effects of temperature increase on growing season length, nutrient mineralization and heterotrophic respiration at different latitudes as well as from uneven nitrogen deposition. The results from the present study are compared with those of two previous studies. The comparison suggests that the overall positive effects of non-disturbance factors (climate, CO 2 and nitrogen) outweighed the effects of increased disturbances in the last two decades, making Canada's forests a carbon sink in the 1980s and 1990s. Comparisons of the modeled results with tower-based eddy covariance measurements of net ecosystem exchange at four forest stands indicate that the sink values from the present study may be underestimated

Wood-burning stoves in low-carbon dwellings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Luis Teles de Carvalho, Ricardo; Jensen, Ole Michael; Afshari, Alireza

2013-01-01

The European climate change strategy intends to encourage the erection of low-carbon buildings and the upgrading of existing buildings to low-carbon level. At the same time, it is an EU vision to maximise the use of renewable energy resources. In this strategy, small-scale wood......-burning is an overlooked source for heating. A wood-burning stove is considered low-carbon technology since its fuel is based on local residual biomass. A field study investigating how modern wood-burning stoves operated in modern single-family houses showed that intermittent heat supply occasionally conflicted...... combustion technology and automatics, controlling the interplay between stove and house, can make wood-burning stoves suitable for low-carbon dwellings and meet the remaining heat demand during the coldest period. It was further concluded that new guidelines need to be elaborated about how to install...

Ligninolytic Activity of Ganoderma strains on Different Carbon Sources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

TYPUK ARTININGSIH

2006-10-01

Full Text Available Lignin is a phenylpropanoid polymers with only few carbon bonds might be hydrolized. Due to its complexity, lignin is particularly difficult to decompose. Ganoderma is one of white rot fungi capable of lignin degradation. The ligninolytic of several species Ganoderma growing under different carbon sources was studied under controlled conditions which P. chrysosporium was used as standard comparison.Three types of ligninolytic, namely LiP, MnP, and laccase were assessed quantitatively and qualitatively. Ratio between clear zone and diameter of fungal colony was used for measuring specific activity qualitatively.Four sspecies of Ganoderma showed positive ligninolytic qualitatively that G. lucidum KT2-32 gave the highest ligninolytic. Activity of LiP and MnP in different carbon sources was consistently resulted by G. lucidum KT2-32, while the highest activity of laccase was shown by G. ochrolaccatum SA2-14. Medium of Indulin AT affected production of protein extracellular and induced ligninolytic. Glucose, BMC, and pine sawdust did not affect the activity of ligninolytic. The specific activity of Ganoderma species was found to be higher than the one of P. chrysosporium.

A method for the automatic control method of the carbonation of alkylsalicylic acids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Manoilo, A M; Alekseev, A K; Antonov, V N; Gordash, Iu T; Mikhailov, Iu A; Vavilov, N E; Zvonarev, A P

1980-03-17

In the method for the automatic control of the process of carbonation of alkylsalicylic acids (in the production of alkylsalicylic additives for motor oils) by a hydrate of an oxide of alkali earth metal (AEM) and CO/sub 2/ in a medium of petroleum oil by changing the consumption of CO/sub 2/, oil, and AEM, for the purpose of reducing the consumption of the reagent with the preservation of the stability of the quality of the target product, the consumption of CO/sub 2/ is changed depending on the viscosity of the target product. With this, it is necessary the observe the equality of the unit of the ratio of the values of its viscosity, measured at two different velocites of the shift, and at an inclination of the given value from one, the supply of CO/sub 2//sup -/ is curtailed. The total consumption of oil and consumption of AEM is changed, in addition, proportionally to the change in the viscosity of alkylsalicylic acids. The method makes it possible to stabilize the concentration of the active substance and the general alkalinity of the carbonation product and to maintain the given properties with great accuracy, which improves the quality of the additives with economically valuable reagents and an increase in the productivity of the installation.

The Effect of Carbon Source and Fluoride Concentrations in the "Streptococcus Mutans" Biofilm Formation

Science.gov (United States)

Paulino, Tony P.; Andrade, Ricardo O.; Bruschi-Thedei, Giuliana C. M.; Thedei, Geraldo, Jr.; Ciancaglini, Pietro

2004-01-01

The main objective of this class experiment is to show the influence of carbon source and of different fluoride concentrations on the biofilm formation by the bacterium "Streptococcus mutans." The observation of different biofilm morphology as a function of carbon source and fluoride concentration allows an interesting discussion regarding the…

Constraining the subsoil carbon source to cave-air CO2 and speleothem calcite in central Texas

Science.gov (United States)

Bergel, Shelly J.; Carlson, Peter E.; Larson, Toti E.; Wood, Chris T.; Johnson, Kathleen R.; Banner, Jay L.; Breecker, Daniel O.

2017-11-01

Canonical models for speleothem formation and the subsurface carbon cycle invoke soil respiration as the dominant carbon source. However, evidence from some karst regions suggests that belowground CO2 originates from a deeper, older source. We therefore investigated the carbon sources to central Texas caves. Drip-water chemistry of two caves in central Texas implies equilibration with calcite at CO2 concentrations (PCO2_sat) higher than the maximum CO2 concentrations observed in overlying soils. This observation suggests that CO2 is added to waters after they percolate through the soils, which requires a subsoil carbon source. We directly evaluate the carbon isotope composition of the subsoil carbon source using δ13C measurements on cave-air CO2, which we independently demonstrate has little to no contribution from host rock carbon. We do so using the oxidative ratio, OR, defined as the number of moles of O2 consumed per mole of CO2 produced during respiration. However, additional belowground processes that affect O2 and CO2 concentrations, such as gas-water exchange and/or diffusion, may also influence the measured oxidative ratio, yielding an apparent OR (ORapparent). Cave air in Natural Bridge South Cavern has ORapparent values (1.09 ± 0.06) indistinguishable from those expected for respiration alone (1.08 ± 0.06). Pore space gases from soils above the cave have lower values (ORapparent = 0.67 ± 0.05) consistent with respiration and gas transport by diffusion. The simplest explanation for these observations is that cave air in NB South is influenced by respiration in open-system bedrock fractures such that neither diffusion nor exchange with water influence the composition of the cave air. The radiocarbon activities of NB South cave-air CO2 suggest the subsoil carbon source is hundreds of years old. The calculated δ13C values of the subsoil carbon source are consistent with tree-sourced carbon (perhaps decomposing root matter), the δ13C values of which

Prioritizing low-carbon energy sources to enhance China’s energy security

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ren, Jingzheng; Sovacool, Benjamin K.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Four dimensions and ten metrics are used for energy security assessment. • Both qualitative and quantitative metrics are considered for energy security. • AHP has been used to quantify qualitative metrics. • TOPSIS method has been used for prioritize the low-carbon energy sources. • Sensitivity analysis and integrated ranking have been carried out. - Abstract: This paper explores how low-carbon systems compare to each other in terms of their net effect on Chinese energy security, and how they ought to be ranked and strategized into an optimal and integrated resource plan. The paper utilizes Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to first determine the relative performances of hydroelectricity, wind energy, solar energy, biomass energy, and nuclear power with respect to the energy security dimensions of availability, affordability, accessibility, and acceptability. Both qualitative and quantitative metrics are considered. It relies on AHP to calculate the relative weights of the qualitative metrics attached to these dimensions of energy security for each of our five low carbon energy sources. Then, energy security performance is determined by aggregating multiple, weighted metrics into a generic index based on the method of TOPSIS and then tweaked with a sensitivity analysis. Finally, an integrated method has been developed to rank the low-carbon energy systems from most to least important, with major implications for Chinese decision-makers and stakeholders. We conclude that hydroelectricity and wind power are the two low-carbon energy sources with the most potential to enhance China’s energy security. By contrast, nuclear and solar power have the least potential

Evaluating measurements of carbon dioxide emissions using a precision source--A natural gas burner.

Science.gov (United States)

Bryant, Rodney; Bundy, Matthew; Zong, Ruowen

2015-07-01

A natural gas burner has been used as a precise and accurate source for generating large quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2) to evaluate emissions measurements at near-industrial scale. Two methods for determining carbon dioxide emissions from stationary sources are considered here: predicting emissions based on fuel consumption measurements-predicted emissions measurements, and direct measurement of emissions quantities in the flue gas-direct emissions measurements. Uncertainty for the predicted emissions measurement was estimated at less than 1%. Uncertainty estimates for the direct emissions measurement of carbon dioxide were on the order of ±4%. The relative difference between the direct emissions measurements and the predicted emissions measurements was within the range of the measurement uncertainty, therefore demonstrating good agreement. The study demonstrates how independent methods are used to validate source emissions measurements, while also demonstrating how a fire research facility can be used as a precision test-bed to evaluate and improve carbon dioxide emissions measurements from stationary sources. Fossil-fuel-consuming stationary sources such as electric power plants and industrial facilities account for more than half of the CO2 emissions in the United States. Therefore, accurate emissions measurements from these sources are critical for evaluating efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This study demonstrates how a surrogate for a stationary source, a fire research facility, can be used to evaluate the accuracy of measurements of CO2 emissions.

Synthesis of Carbon Nanotubes of Few Walls Using Aliphatic Alcohols as a Carbon Source

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francisco Espinosa-Magaña

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Carbon nanotubes with single and few walls are highly appreciated for their technological applications, regardless of the limited availability due to their high production cost. In this paper we present an alternative process that can lead to lowering the manufacturing cost of CNTs of only few walls by means of the use of the spray pyrolysis technique. For this purpose, ferrocene is utilized as a catalyst and aliphatic alcohols (methanol, ethanol, propanol or butanol as the carbon source. The characterization of CNTs was performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM and transmission electron microscopy (TEM. The study of the synthesized carbon nanotubes (CNTs show important differences in the number of layers that constitute the nanotubes, the diameter length, the quantity and the quality as a function of the number of carbons employed in the alcohol. The main interest of this study is to give the basis of an efficient synthesis process to produce CNTs of few walls for applications where small diameter is required.

Sources of uncertainties in modelling black carbon at the global scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Vignati

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Our understanding of the global black carbon (BC cycle is essentially qualitative due to uncertainties in our knowledge of its properties. This work investigates two source of uncertainties in modelling black carbon: those due to the use of different schemes for BC ageing and its removal rate in the global Transport-Chemistry model TM5 and those due to the uncertainties in the definition and quantification of the observations, which propagate through to both the emission inventories, and the measurements used for the model evaluation.

The schemes for the atmospheric processing of black carbon that have been tested with the model are (i a simple approach considering BC as bulk aerosol and a simple treatment of the removal with fixed 70% of in-cloud black carbon concentrations scavenged by clouds and removed when rain is present and (ii a more complete description of microphysical ageing within an aerosol dynamics model, where removal is coupled to the microphysical properties of the aerosol, which results in a global average of 40% in-cloud black carbon that is scavenged in clouds and subsequently removed by rain, thus resulting in a longer atmospheric lifetime. This difference is reflected in comparisons between both sets of modelled results and the measurements. Close to the sources, both anthropogenic and vegetation fire source regions, the model results do not differ significantly, indicating that the emissions are the prevailing mechanism determining the concentrations and the choice of the aerosol scheme does not influence the levels. In more remote areas such as oceanic and polar regions the differences can be orders of magnitude, due to the differences between the two schemes. The more complete description reproduces the seasonal trend of the black carbon observations in those areas, although not always the magnitude of the signal, while the more simplified approach underestimates black carbon concentrations by orders of

Sensitivity analysis and design optimization through automatic differentiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hovland, Paul D; Norris, Boyana; Strout, Michelle Mills; Bhowmick, Sanjukta; Utke, Jean

2005-01-01

Automatic differentiation is a technique for transforming a program or subprogram that computes a function, including arbitrarily complex simulation codes, into one that computes the derivatives of that function. We describe the implementation and application of automatic differentiation tools. We highlight recent advances in the combinatorial algorithms and compiler technology that underlie successful implementation of automatic differentiation tools. We discuss applications of automatic differentiation in design optimization and sensitivity analysis. We also describe ongoing research in the design of language-independent source transformation infrastructures for automatic differentiation algorithms

Wireless Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy Sensor Network for Automatic Carbon Dioxide Fertilization in a Greenhouse Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianing Wang

2016-11-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a wireless mid-infrared spectroscopy sensor network was designed and implemented for carbon dioxide fertilization in a greenhouse environment. A mid-infrared carbon dioxide (CO2 sensor based on non-dispersive infrared (NDIR with the functionalities of wireless communication and anti-condensation prevention was realized as the sensor node. Smart transmission power regulation was applied in the wireless sensor network, according to the Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI, to realize high communication stability and low-power consumption deployment. Besides real-time monitoring, this system also provides a CO2 control facility for manual and automatic control through a LabVIEW platform. According to simulations and field tests, the implemented sensor node has a satisfying anti-condensation ability and reliable measurement performance on CO2 concentrations ranging from 30 ppm to 5000 ppm. As an application, based on the Fuzzy proportional, integral, and derivative (PID algorithm realized on a LabVIEW platform, the CO2 concentration was regulated to some desired concentrations, such as 800 ppm and 1200 ppm, in 30 min with a controlled fluctuation of <±35 ppm in an acre of greenhouse.

Synthesis of CNTs via chemical vapor deposition of carbon dioxide as a carbon source in the presence of NiMgO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Allaedini, Ghazaleh, E-mail: jiny_ghazaleh@yahoo.com [Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia); Tasirin, Siti Masrinda [Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia); Aminayi, Payam [Chemical and Paper Engineering, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI (United States)

2015-10-25

Carbon nanotubes were synthesized via the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, using Ni/MgO as a catalyst and CO{sub 2} as a nontoxic, abundant, and economical carbon source. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), along with the results from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Raman spectroscopy, confirmed the successful formation of CNTs. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) was performed to investigate the weight percentage of the present elements in the synthesized powder, and a significant yield of 27.38% was confirmed. The reaction mechanism was discussed, and the role of the carbon source, catalyst support, and presence of H{sub 2} in the reaction environment was elaborated. - Highlights: • CO{sub 2} was used as a nontoxic and economical carbon source for CNT production. • A novel Ni supported MgO has been synthesized and employed in the CVD process. • CNTs were produced with a significant yield of 27.38%.

Utilization of carbon sources in a northern Brazilian mangrove ecosystem

Science.gov (United States)

Giarrizzo, Tommaso; Schwamborn, Ralf; Saint-Paul, Ulrich

2011-12-01

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios ( 13C and 15N) and trophic level (TL) estimates based on stomach content analysis and published data were used to assess the contribution of autotrophic sources to 55 consumers in an intertidal mangrove creek of the Curuçá estuary, northern Brazil. Primary producers showed δ 13C signatures ranging between -29.2 and -19.5‰ and δ 15N from 3.0 to 6.3‰. The wide range of the isotopic composition of carbon of consumers (-28.6 to -17.1‰) indicated that different autotrophic sources are important in the intertidal mangrove food webs. Food web segregation structures the ecosystem into three relatively distinct food webs: (i) mangrove food web, where vascular plants contribute directly or indirectly via POM to the most 13C-depleted consumers (e.g. Ucides cordatus and zooplanktivorous food chains); (ii) algal food web, where benthic algae are eaten directly by consumers (e.g. Uca maracoani, mullets, polychaetes, several fishes); (iii) mixed food web where the consumers use the carbon from different primary sources (mainly benthivorous fishes). An IsoError mixing model was used to determine the contributions of primary sources to consumers, based on δ 13C values. Model outputs were very sensitive to the magnitude of trophic isotope fractionation and to the variability in 13C data. Nevertheless, the simplification of the system by a priori aggregation of primary producers allowed interpretable results for several taxa, revealing the segregation into different food webs.

Sustainable carbon sources for microbial organic acid production with filamentous fungi.

Science.gov (United States)

Dörsam, Stefan; Fesseler, Jana; Gorte, Olga; Hahn, Thomas; Zibek, Susanne; Syldatk, Christoph; Ochsenreither, Katrin

2017-01-01

The organic acid producer Aspergillus oryzae and Rhizopus delemar are able to convert several alternative carbon sources to malic and fumaric acid. Thus, carbohydrate hydrolysates from lignocellulose separation are likely suitable as substrate for organic acid production with these fungi. Before lignocellulose hydrolysate fractions were tested as substrates, experiments with several mono- and disaccharides, possibly present in pretreated biomass, were conducted for their suitability for malic acid production with A. oryzae. This includes levoglucosan, glucose, galactose, mannose, arabinose, xylose, ribose, and cellobiose as well as cheap and easy available sugars, e.g., fructose and maltose. A. oryzae is able to convert every sugar investigated to malate, albeit with different yields. Based on the promising results from the pure sugar conversion experiments, fractions of the organosolv process from beechwood ( Fagus sylvatica ) and Miscanthus giganteus were further analyzed as carbon source for cultivation and fermentation with A. oryzae for malic acid and R. delemar for fumaric acid production. The highest malic acid concentration of 37.9 ± 2.6 g/L could be reached using beechwood cellulose fraction as carbon source in bioreactor fermentation with A. oryzae and 16.2 ± 0.2 g/L fumaric acid with R. delemar . We showed in this study that the range of convertible sugars for A. oryzae is even higher than known before. We approved the suitability of fiber/cellulose hydrolysate obtained from the organosolv process as carbon source for A. oryzae in shake flasks as well as in a small-scale bioreactor. The more challenging hemicellulose fraction of F. sylvatica was also positively evaluated for malic acid production with A. oryzae .

Nitrogen and carbon source-sink relationships in trees at the Himalayan treelines compared with lower elevations.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Mai-He; Xiao, Wen-Fa; Shi, Peili; Wang, San-Gen; Zhong, Yong-De; Liu, Xing-Liang; Wang, Xiao-Dan; Cai, Xiao-Hu; Shi, Zuo-Min

2008-10-01

No single hypothesis or theory has been widely accepted for explaining the functional mechanism of global alpine/arctic treeline formation. The present study tested whether the alpine treeline is determined by (1) the needle nitrogen content associated with photosynthesis (carbon gain); (2) a sufficient source-sink ratio of carbon; or (3) a sufficient C-N ratio. Nitrogen does not limit the growth and development of trees studied at the Himalayan treelines. Levels of non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) in trees were species-specific and site-dependent; therefore, the treeline cases studied did not show consistent evidence of source/carbon limitation or sink/growth limitation in treeline trees. However, results of the combined three treelines showed that the treeline trees may suffer from a winter carbon shortage. The source capacity and the sink capacity of a tree influence its tissue NSC concentrations and the carbon balance; therefore, we suggest that the persistence and development of treeline trees in a harsh alpine environment may require a minimum level of the total NSC concentration, a sufficiently high sugar:starch ratio, and a balanced carbon source-sink relationship.

Automatic device for measuring β-emitting sources: P.A.P.A. β-meters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Colomer, J.; Valentin, M.

1969-01-01

The apparatus described is designed for measuring β-emitting elements by the absorption method; it is suitable for carrying out a large number of routine analyses. A mechanical device pushes an aluminium absorption set automatically between the source and the detector; the movement is programmed for cutting on and off by a transistorized electronic unit, with printing out and punching of the results on tape; then this can be mathematically processed by a computer (tracing of absorption spectra, extrapolation and calculation of the activity). The detector is either a β-probe or a proportional counter with a specially designed loop. For routine measurements, the accuracy obtained, with all corrections made, is from 5 to 8 per cent; the reproducibility is about 2 per cent. (authors) [fr

A new tool for rapid and automatic estimation of earthquake source parameters and generation of seismic bulletins

Science.gov (United States)

Zollo, Aldo

2016-04-01

RISS S.r.l. is a Spin-off company recently born from the initiative of the research group constituting the Seismology Laboratory of the Department of Physics of the University of Naples Federico II. RISS is an innovative start-up, based on the decade-long experience in earthquake monitoring systems and seismic data analysis of its members and has the major goal to transform the most recent innovations of the scientific research into technological products and prototypes. With this aim, RISS has recently started the development of a new software, which is an elegant solution to manage and analyse seismic data and to create automatic earthquake bulletins. The software has been initially developed to manage data recorded at the ISNet network (Irpinia Seismic Network), which is a network of seismic stations deployed in Southern Apennines along the active fault system responsible for the 1980, November 23, MS 6.9 Irpinia earthquake. The software, however, is fully exportable and can be used to manage data from different networks, with any kind of station geometry or network configuration and is able to provide reliable estimates of earthquake source parameters, whichever is the background seismicity level of the area of interest. Here we present the real-time automated procedures and the analyses performed by the software package, which is essentially a chain of different modules, each of them aimed at the automatic computation of a specific source parameter. The P-wave arrival times are first detected on the real-time streaming of data and then the software performs the phase association and earthquake binding. As soon as an event is automatically detected by the binder, the earthquake location coordinates and the origin time are rapidly estimated, using a probabilistic, non-linear, exploration algorithm. Then, the software is able to automatically provide three different magnitude estimates. First, the local magnitude (Ml) is computed, using the peak-to-peak amplitude

Using hydrocarbon as a carbon source for synthesis of carbon nanotube by electric field induced needle-pulsed plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kazemi Kia, Kaveh; Bonabi, Fahimeh

2013-01-01

In this work different hydrocarbons are used as the carbon source, in the production of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and nano onions. An electric field induced needle pulse arc-discharge reactor is used. The influence of starting carbon on the synthesis of CNTs is investigated. The production efficiency is compared for Acetone, Isopropanol and Naphthalene as simple hydrocarbons. The hydrocarbons are preheated and then pretreated by electric field before being exposed to plasma. The hydrocarbon vapor is injected into plasma through a graphite spout in the cathode assembly. The pulsed plasma takes place between two graphite rods while a strong electric field has been already established alongside the electrodes. The pulse width is 0.3 μs. Mechanism of precursor decomposition is discussed by describing three forms of energy that are utilized to disintegrate the precursor molecules: thermal energy, electric field and kinetic energy of plasma. Molecular polarity of a hydrocarbon is one of the reasons for choosing carbon raw material as a precursor in an electric field induced low power pulsed-plasma. The results show that in order to obtain high quality carbon nanotubes, Acetone is preferred to Isopropanol and Naphthalene. Scanning probe microscopy techniques are used to investigate the products. - Highlights: • We synthesized CNTs (carbon nano tubes) by needle pulsed plasma. • We use different hydrocarbons as carbon source in the production of CNTs. • We investigated the influence of starting carbon on the synthesis of CNTs. • Thermal energy, electric field and kinetic energy are used to break carbon bonds. • Polar hydrocarbon molecules are more efficient than nonpolar ones in production

Sources and sinks of carbon in boreal ecosystems of interior Alaska: a review

Science.gov (United States)

Douglas, Thomas A.; Jones, Miriam C.; Hiemstra, Christopher A.

2014-01-01

Boreal regions store large quantities of carbon but are increasingly vulnerable to carbon loss due to disturbance and climate warming. The boreal region, underlain by discontinuous permafrost, presents a challenging landscape for itemizing current and potential carbon sources and sinks in the boreal soil and vegetation. The roles of fire, forest succession, and the presence (or absence) of permafrost on carbon cycle, vegetation, and hydrologic processes have been the focus of multidisciplinary research in this area for the past 20 years. However, projections of a warming future climate, an increase in fire severity and extent, and the potential degradation of permafrost could lead to major landscape process changes over the next 20 to 50 years. This provides a major challenge for predicting how the interplay between land management activities and impacts of climate warming will affect carbon sources and sinks in Interior Alaska. To assist land managers in adapting and managing for potential changes in the Interior Alaska carbon cycle we developed this review paper incorporating an overview of the climate, ecosystem processes, vegetation types, and soil regimes in Interior Alaska with a focus on ramifications for the carbon cycle. Our objective is to provide a synthesis of the most current carbon storage estimates and measurements to support policy and land management decisions on how to best manage carbon sources and sinks in Interior Alaska. To support this we have surveyed relevant peer reviewed estimates of carbon stocks in aboveground and belowground biomass for Interior Alaska boreal ecosystems. We have also summarized methane and carbon dioxide fluxes from the same ecosystems. These data have been converted into the same units to facilitate comparison across ecosystem compartments. We identify potential changes in the carbon cycle with climate change and human disturbance including how compounding disturbances can affect the boreal system. Finally, we provide

Human Impacts and Management of Carbon Sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Benson, S.; Edmonds, J.; Socolow, R.; Surles, T.

1999-08-20

The energy system dominates human-induced carbon flows on our planet. Globally, six billion tons of carbon are contained in the fossil fuels removed from below the ground every year. More than 90% of the carbon in fossil fuels is used for energy purposes, with carbon dioxide as the carbon product and the atmosphere as the initial destination for the carbon dioxide. Significantly affecting the carbon flows associated with fossil fuels is an immense undertaking. Four principal technological approaches are available to affect these carbon flows: (1) Fossil fuels and other energy resources can be utilized more efficiently; (2) Energy sources other than fossil fuels can be used; (3) Carbon dioxide from the combustion of fossil fuels can be trapped and redirected, preventing it from reaching the atmosphere (fossil carbon sequestration); and (4) One can work outside the energy system to remove carbon dioxide biologically from the atmosphere (biological carbon sequestration). An optimum carbon management strategy will surely implement all four approaches and a wise R&D program will have vigorous sub-programs in all four areas. These programs can be effective by integrating scenario analyses into the planning process. A number of future scenarios must be evaluated to determine the need for the new technologies in a future energy mix. This planning activity must be an iterative process. At present, R&D in the first two areas--energy efficiency and non-fossil fuel energy resources--is relatively well developed. By contrast, R&D in the third and the fourth areas--the two carbon sequestration options--is less well developed. The task before the workshop was to recommend ways to initiate a vigorous carbon sequestration research program without compromising the strength of the current programs in the first two areas. We recommend that this task be fulfilled by initiating several new programs in parallel. First, we recommend that a vigorous carbon sequestration program be launched

Carbon allocation, source-sink relations and plant growth: do we need to revise our carbon centric concepts?

Science.gov (United States)

Körner, Christian

2014-05-01

Since the discovery that plants 'eat air' 215 years ago, carbon supply was considered the largely unquestioned top driver of plant growth. The ease at which CO2 uptake (C source activity) can be measured, and the elegant algorithms that describe the responses of photosynthesis to light, temperature and CO2 concentration, explain why carbon driven growth and productivity became the starting point of all process based vegetation models. Most of these models, nowadays adopt other environmental drivers, such as nutrient availability, as modulating co-controls, but the carbon priority is retained. Yet, if we believe in the basic rules of stoichometry of all life, there is an inevitable need of 25-30 elements other then carbon, oxygen and hydrogen to build a healthy plant body. Plants compete for most of these elements, and their availability (except for N) is finite per unit land area. Hence, by pure plausibility, it is a highly unlikely situation that carbon plays the rate limiting role of growth under natural conditions, except in deep shade or on exceptionally fertile soils. Furthermore, water shortage and low temperature, both act directly upon tissue formation (meristems) long before photosynthetic limitations come into play. Hence, plants will incorporate C only to the extent other environmental drivers permit. In the case of nutrients and mature ecosystems, this sink control of plant growth may be masked in the short term by a tight, almost closed nutrient cycle or by widening the C to other element ratio. Because source and sink activity must match in the long term, it is not possible to identify the hierarchy of growth controls without manipulating the environment. Dry matter allocation to C rich structures and reserves may provide some stoichimetric leeway or periodic escapes from the more fundamental, long-term environmental controls of growth and productivity. I will explain why carbon centric explanations of growth are limited or arrive at plausible answers

Effect of additional carbon source on naphthalene biodegradation by Pseudomonas putida G7

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Kangtaek; Park, Jin-Won; Ahn, Ik-Sung

2003-01-01

Addition of a carbon source as a nutrient into soil is believed to enhance in situ bioremediation by stimulating the growth of microorganisms that are indigenous to the subsurface and are capable of degrading contaminants. However, it may inhibit the biodegradation of organic contaminants and result in diauxic growth. The objective of this work is to study the effect of pyruvate as another carbon source on the biodegradation of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In this study, naphthalene was used as a model PAH, ammonium sulfate as a nitrogen source, and oxygen as an electron acceptor. Pseudomonas putida G7 was used as a model naphthalene-degrading microorganism. From a chemostat culture, the growth kinetics of P. putida G7 on pyruvate was determined. At concentrations of naphthalene and pyruvate giving similar growth rates of P. putida G7, diauxic growth of P. putida G7 was not observed. It is suggested that pyruvate does not inhibit naphthalene biodegradation and can be used as an additional carbon source to stimulate the growth of P. putida G7 that can degrade polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons

Utilisation of flue gases from biofuels in greenhouses as carbon dioxide source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuopanportti, H.; Rissanen, R.; Vuollet, A.; Kanniainen, T.; Tikka, A.; Ramm-Chmidt, L.; Seppaelae, R.; Piira, T.

2006-01-01

The objectives of the project is to develop technologies by which the flue gases from burning bio fuels and peat can be purified for used in green houses as a low cost source of carbon dioxide. Traditionally carbon dioxide has been produced by burning propane or natural gas or by injecting bottled carbon dioxide gas directly into the green house. The new methods should be more affordable than the present ones. (orig.)

Molecular dynamics simulation of chemical vapor deposition of amorphous carbon. Dependence on H/C ratio of source gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ito, Atsushi M.; Takayama, Arimichi; Nakamura, Hiroaki; Saito, Seiki; Ohno, Noriyasu; Kajita, Shin

2011-01-01

By molecular dynamics simulation, the chemical vapor deposition of amorphous carbon onto graphite and diamond surfaces was studied. In particular, we investigated the effect of source H/C ratio, which is the ratio of the number of hydrogen atoms to the number of carbon atoms in a source gas, on the deposition process. In the present simulation, the following two source gas conditions were tested: one was that the source gas was injected as isolated carbon and hydrogen atoms, and the other was that the source gas was injected as hydrocarbon molecules. Under the former condition, we found that as the source H/C ratio increases, the deposition rate of carbon atoms decreases exponentially. This exponential decrease in the deposition rate with increasing source H/C ratio agrees with experimental data. However, under the latter molecular source condition, the deposition rate did not decrease exponentially because of a chemical reaction peculiar to the type of hydrocarbon in the source gas. (author)

Controlled Carbon Source Addition to an Alternating Nitrification-Denitrification Wastewater Treatment Process Including Biological P Removal

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Isaacs, Steven Howard; Henze, Mogens

1995-01-01

The paper investigates the effect of adding an external carbon source on the rate of denitrification in an alternating activated sludge process including biological P removal. Two carbon sources were examined, acetate and hydrolysate derived from biologically hydrolyzed sludge. Preliminary batch ...

[Harvest of the carbon source in wastewater by the adsorption and desorption of activated sludge].

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hong-Bo; Wen, Xiang-Hua; Zhao, Fang; Mei, Yi-Jun

2011-04-01

The carbon source in municipal wastewater was adsorbed by activated sludge and then harvested through the hydrolysis of activated sludge. Results indicated that activated sludge had high absorbing ability towards organic carbon and phosphorus under continuous operation mode, and the average COD and TP absorption rate reached as high as 63% and 76%, respectively. Moreover, about 50% of the soluble carbon source was outside of the sludge cell and could be released under mild hydrolysis condition. Whereas the absorbed amount of nitrogen was relatively low, and the removal rate of ammonia was only 13% . Furthermore, the releases of organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus from the sludge absorbing pollutants in the wastewater were studied. By comparing different hydrolysis conditions of normal (pH 7.5, 20 degrees C), heating (pH 7.5, 60 degrees C) and the alkaline heating (pH 11, 60 degrees C), the last one presented the optimum hydrolysis efficiency. Under which, the release rate of COD could reach 320 mg/g after 24 hours, whereas nitrogen and phosphorus just obtained low release rates of 18 mg/g and 2 mg/g, respectively. Results indicate that the carbon source in wastewater could be harvested by the adsorption and desorption of activated sludge, and the concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus are low and would not influence the reuse of the harvested carbon source.

Carbon Sources Influence Fumonisin Production in Fusarium proliferatum.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Taotao; Gong, Liang; Jiang, Guoxiang; Wang, Yong; Gupta, Vijai Kumar; Qu, Hongxia; Duan, Xuewu; Wang, Jiasheng; Jiang, Yueming

2017-10-01

Fusarium proliferatum is a worldwide fungal pathogen that produces fumonisins which are harmful to animal and human health. However, environmental factors affecting fumonisin biosynthesis in F. proliferatum are not well understood. Based on our preliminary results, in this study, we investigated the effect of sucrose or mannose as the sole carbon source on fumonisin B (FB) production by F. proliferatum and studied their underlying mechanisms via proteome and gene expression analysis. Our results showed that mannose, used as the sole carbon source, significantly blocked fumonisin B 1 and B 2 production by F. proliferatum as compared with the use of sucrose. Fifty-seven differentially expressed proteins were successfully identified. The downregulated proteins in the mannose-cultured strain were mainly involved in carbon metabolism, response to stress, and methionine metabolism, as compared with the sucrose-cultured strain. Moreover, quantitative real-time PCR analysis indicated that expression of several key genes involved in FB biosynthetic pathway and in transcription regulation were significantly downregulated in the mannose-cultured F. proliferatum, whereas expression of histone deacetylation-related genes were significantly upregulated. These results suggested that the blockage of FB biosynthesis by mannose was associated with the decreases in conversion of acetyl-CoA to polyketide, methionine biosynthesis, and NADPH regeneration. More importantly, milder oxidative stress, downregulated expression of genes involved in biosynthetic pathway and transcription regulation, and upregulated expression of genes with histone deacetylation possibly were responsible for the blockage of FB biosynthesis in F. proliferatum. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Biotechnological Production of Docosahexaenoic Acid Using Aurantiochytrium limacinum: Carbon Sources Comparison And Growth Characterization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergi Abad

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Aurantiochytrium limacinum, a marine heterotrophic protist/microalga has shown interesting yields of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA when cultured with different carbon sources: glucose, pure and crude glycerol. A complete study in a lab-scale fermenter allowed for the characterization and comparison of the growth kinetic parameters corresponding to each carbon source. Artificial Marine Medium (AMM with glucose, pure and crude glycerol offered similar biomass yields. The net growth rates (0.10–0.12 h−1, biomass (0.7–0.8 g cells/g Substrate and product (0.14–0.15 g DHA/g cells yields, as well as DHA productivity were similar using the three carbon sources. Viable potential applications to valorize crude glycerol are envisioned to avoid an environmental problem due to the excess of byproduct.

Automatic control of commercial computer programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rezvov, B.A.; Artem'ev, A.N.; Maevskij, A.G.; Demkiv, A.A.; Kirillov, B.F.; Belyaev, A.D.; Artem'ev, N.A.

2010-01-01

The way of automatic control of commercial computer programs is presented. The developed connection of the EXAFS spectrometer automatic system (which is managed by PC for DOS) is taken with the commercial program for the CCD detector control (which is managed by PC for Windows). The described complex system is used for the automation of intermediate amplitude spectra processing in EXAFS spectrum measurements at Kurchatov SR source

Sources and characteristics of terrestrial carbon in Holocene-scale sediments of the East Siberian Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Keskitalo, Kirsi; Tesi, Tommaso; Bröder, Lisa; Andersson, August; Pearce, Christof; Sköld, Martin; Semiletov, Igor P.; Dudarev, Oleg V.; Gustafsson, Örjan

2017-09-01

Thawing of permafrost carbon (PF-C) due to climate warming can remobilise considerable amounts of terrestrial carbon from its long-term storage to the marine environment. PF-C can be then be buried in sediments or remineralised to CO2 with implications for the carbon-climate feedback. Studying historical sediment records during past natural climate changes can help us to understand the response of permafrost to current climate warming. In this study, two sediment cores collected from the East Siberian Sea were used to study terrestrial organic carbon sources, composition and degradation during the past ˜ 9500 cal yrs BP. CuO-derived lignin and cutin products (i.e., compounds solely biosynthesised in terrestrial plants) combined with δ13C suggest that there was a higher input of terrestrial organic carbon to the East Siberian Sea between ˜ 9500 and 8200 cal yrs BP than in all later periods. This high input was likely caused by marine transgression and permafrost destabilisation in the early Holocene climatic optimum. Based on source apportionment modelling using dual-carbon isotope (Δ14C, δ13C) data, coastal erosion releasing old Pleistocene permafrost carbon was identified as a significant source of organic matter translocated to the East Siberian Sea during the Holocene.

Biomass Burning Emissions of Black Carbon from African Sources

Science.gov (United States)

Aiken, A. C.; Leone, O.; Nitschke, K. L.; Dubey, M. K.; Carrico, C.; Springston, S. R.; Sedlacek, A. J., III; Watson, T. B.; Kuang, C.; Uin, J.; McMeeking, G. R.; DeMott, P. J.; Kreidenweis, S. M.; Robinson, A. L.; Yokelson, R. J.; Zuidema, P.

2016-12-01

Biomass burning (BB) emissions are a large source of carbon to the atmosphere via particles and gas phase species. Carbonaceous aerosols are emitted along with gas-phase carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) that can be used to determine particulate emission ratios and modified combustion efficiencies. Black carbon (BC) aerosols are potentially underestimated in global models and are considered to be one of the most important global warming factors behind CO2. Half or more BC in the atmosphere is from BB, estimated at 6-9 Tg/yr (IPCC, 5AR) and contributing up to 0.6 W/m2 atmospheric warming (Bond et al., 2013). With a potential rise in drought and extreme events in the future due to climate change, these numbers are expected to increase. For this reason, we focus on BC and organic carbon aerosol species that are emitted from forest fires and compare their emission ratios, physical and optical properties to those from controlled laboratory studies of single-source BB fuels to understand BB carbonaceous aerosols in the atmosphere. We investigate BC in concentrated BB plumes as sampled from the new U.S. DOE ARM Program campaign, Layered Atlantic Smoke Interactions with Clouds (LASIC). The ARM Aerosol Mobile Facility 1 (AMF1) and Mobile Aerosol Observing System (MAOS) are currently located on Ascension Island in the South Atlantic Ocean, located midway between Angola and Brazil. The location was chosen for sampling maximum aerosol outflow from Africa. The far-field aged BC from LASIC is compared to BC from indoor generation from single-source fuels, e.g. African grass, sampled during Fire Lab At Missoula Experiments IV (FLAME-IV). BC is measured with a single-particle soot photometer (SP2) alongside numerous supporting instrumentation, e.g. particle counters, CO and CO2 detectors, aerosol scattering and absorption measurements, etc. FLAME-IV includes both direct emissions and well-mixed aerosol samples that have undergone dilution, cooling, and condensation. BC

Resolving Carbonate Platform Geometries on the Island of Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands through Semi-Automatic GPR Facies Classification

Science.gov (United States)

Bowling, R. D.; Laya, J. C.; Everett, M. E.

2018-05-01

The study of exposed carbonate platforms provides observational constraints on regional tectonics and sea-level history. In this work Miocene-aged carbonate platform units of the Seroe Domi Formation are investigated, on the island of Bonaire, located in the Southern Caribbean. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) was used to probe near-surface structural geometries associated with these lithologies. The single cross-island transect described herein allowed for continuous mapping of geologic structures on kilometer length scales. Numerical analysis was applied to the data in the form of k-means clustering of structure-parallel vectors derived from image structure tensors. This methodology enables radar facies along the survey transect to be semi-automatically mapped. The results provide subsurface evidence to support previous surficial and outcrop observations, and reveal complex stratigraphy within the platform. From the GPR data analysis, progradational clinoform geometries were observed on the northeast side of the island which supports the tectonics and depositional trends of the region. Furthermore, several leeward-side radar facies are identified which correlate to environments of deposition conducive to dolomitization via reflux mechanisms.

A Carbon Nanotube Electron Source Based Ionization Vacuum Gauge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Changkun Dong; Ganapati Myneni

2003-10-01

The results of fabrication and performance of an ionization vacuum gauge using a carbon nanotube (CNT) electron source are presented. The electron source was constructed with multi-wall nanotubes (MWNT), which were grown using thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. The electron emission of the source was stable in vacuum pressure up to 10-7 Torr, which is better than the metal field emitters. The measurement linearity of the gauge was better than {+-}10% from 10-6 to 10-10 Torr. The gauge sensitivity of 4 Torr-1 was achieved under 50 {micro}A electron emission in nitrogen. The gauge is expected to find applications in vacuum measurements from 10-7 Torr to below 10-11 Torr.

Contribution of deep sourced carbon from hydrocarbon seeps to sedimentary organic carbon: Evidence from Δ14C and δ13C isotopes

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, D.; Peckmann, J.; Peng, Y.; Liang, Q.; Roberts, H. H.; Chen, D.

2017-12-01

Sulfate-driven anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) limits the release of methane from marine sediments and promotes the formation of carbonates close to the seafloor along continental margins. It has been established that hydrocarbon seeps are a source of dissolved inorganic and organic carbon to marine environments. However, questions remain about the contribution of deep sourced carbon from hydrocarbon seeps to the sedimentary organic carbon pool. For a number of hydrocarbon seeps from the South China Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, the portion of modern carbon was determined based on natural radiocarbon abundances (Δ14C) and stable carbon isotope (δ13Corganic carbon) compositions of the non-carbonate fractions extracted from authigenic carbonates. Samples from both areas show a mixing trend between ideal planktonic organic carbon (δ13C = -22‰ VPDB and 90% modern carbon) and the ambient methane. The δ13Corganic carbon values of non-carbonate fractions from three ancient seep deposits (northern Italy, Miocene; western Washington State, USA, Eocene to Oligocene) confirm that the proxy can be used to constrain the record of sulfate-driven AOM through most of Earth history by measuring the δ13C values of organic carbon. This study reveals the potential of using δ13C values of organic carbon to discern seep and non-seep environments. This new approach is particularly promising when authigenic carbonate is not present in ancient sedimentary environments. Acknowledgments: The authors thank BOEM and NOAA for their years' support of the deep-sea dives. Funding was provided by the NSF of China (Grants: 41422602 and 41373085).

Development of AN Open-Source Automatic Deformation Monitoring System for Geodetical and Geotechnical Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Engel, P.; Schweimler, B.

2016-04-01

The deformation monitoring of structures and buildings is an important task field of modern engineering surveying, ensuring the standing and reliability of supervised objects over a long period. Several commercial hardware and software solutions for the realization of such monitoring measurements are available on the market. In addition to them, a research team at the Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences (NUAS) is actively developing a software package for monitoring purposes in geodesy and geotechnics, which is distributed under an open source licence and free of charge. The task of managing an open source project is well-known in computer science, but it is fairly new in a geodetic context. This paper contributes to that issue by detailing applications, frameworks, and interfaces for the design and implementation of open hardware and software solutions for sensor control, sensor networks, and data management in automatic deformation monitoring. It will be discussed how the development effort of networked applications can be reduced by using free programming tools, cloud computing technologies, and rapid prototyping methods.

Tracing organic matter sources of estuarine tidal flat nematodes with stable carbon isotopes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moens, T.; Luyten, C.; Middelburg, J.J.; Herman, P.M.J.; Vincx, M.

2002-01-01

The present study explores the use of stable carbon isotopes to trace organic matter sources of intertidal nematodes in the Schelde estuary (SW Netherlands). Stable carbon isotope signatures of nematodes from a saltmarsh and 4 tidal flat stations were determined in spring and winter situations, and

[Effects of carbon and nitrogen sources on 5-keto-gluconic acid production].

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Zhilei; Wang, Hongcui; Wei, Yuqiao; Li, Yanyan; Zhong, Cheng; Jia, Shiru

2014-01-01

Gluconobacter oxydans is known to oxidize glucose to gluconic acid (GA), and subsequently, to 2-keto-gluconic acid (2KGA) and 5-keto-gluconic acid (5KGA), while 5KGA can be converted to L-(+)-tartaric acid. In order to increase the production of 5KGA, Gluconobacter oxydans HGI-1 that converts GA to 5KGA exclusively was chosen in this study, and effects of carbon sources (lactose, maltose, sucrose, amylum and glucose) and nitrogen sources (yeast extract, fish meal, corn steep liquor, soybean meal and cotton-seed meal) on 5KGA production were investigated. Results of experiment in 500 mL shake-flask show that the highest yield of 5KGA (98.20 g/L) was obtained using 100 g/L glucose as carbon source. 5KGA reached 100.20 g/L, 109.10 g/L, 99.83 g/L with yeast extract, fish meal and corn steep liquor as nitrogen source respectively, among which the optimal nitrogen source was fish meal. The yield of 5KGA by corn steep liquor is slightly lower than that by yeast extract. For the economic reason, corn steep liquor was selected as nitrogen source and scaled up to 5 L stirred-tank fermentor, and the final concentration of 5KGA reached 93.80 g/L, with its maximum volumetric productivity of 3.48 g/(L x h) and average volumetric productivity of 1.56 g/(L x h). The result obtained in this study showed that carbon and nitrogen sourses for large-scale production of 5KGA by Gluconobacter oxydans HGI-1 were glucose and corn steep liquor, respectively, and the available glucose almost completely (85.93%) into 5KGA.

Tropical forests are a net carbon source based on aboveground measurements of gain and loss

Science.gov (United States)

Baccini, A.; Walker, W.; Carvalho, L.; Farina, M.; Sulla-Menashe, D.; Houghton, R. A.

2017-10-01

The carbon balance of tropical ecosystems remains uncertain, with top-down atmospheric studies suggesting an overall sink and bottom-up ecological approaches indicating a modest net source. Here we use 12 years (2003 to 2014) of MODIS pantropical satellite data to quantify net annual changes in the aboveground carbon density of tropical woody live vegetation, providing direct, measurement-based evidence that the world’s tropical forests are a net carbon source of 425.2 ± 92.0 teragrams of carbon per year (Tg C year-1). This net release of carbon consists of losses of 861.7 ± 80.2 Tg C year-1 and gains of 436.5 ± 31.0 Tg C year-1. Gains result from forest growth; losses result from deforestation and from reductions in carbon density within standing forests (degradation or disturbance), with the latter accounting for 68.9% of overall losses.

Assessment of carbon sources on in vitro shoot regeneration in tomato

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, S.H.; Jan, S.A.

2014-01-01

An innovative approach for in vitro shoot regeneration by both direct and indirect means was developed in three tomato genotypes culturing hypocotyls and leaf discs explants on MS and N6 basal media fortified with various concentrations of carbon sources (sucrose and sorbitol) individually, accumulatively and also in amalgamation with various plant growth regulators. No response of in vitro shoot regeneration was recorded in all the genotypes by the individual application of carbon sources in both MS and N6 basal media. On the other hand, their accumulative effect rapidly enhanced the in vitro shoot regeneration frequency in all the genotypes. The highest shoot organogenesis frequency (100, 99.00 and 97.69%) was recorded in Rio Grande, Roma and Moneymaker, respectively on MS medium fortified with carbon sources (30: 30 g/l) culturing hypocotyls. Supplementation of sucrose: sorbitol (30: 30 g/l) in N6 medium along with different PGRs (0.1 mg/l IAA, 1.0 mg/l ZEA and 2.0 mg/l BAP) produced the highest shoot regeneration frequency (96.33, 92.69 and 88.74%) in Roma, Rio Grande and Moneymaker culturing leaf discs. Our findings suggest an alternative approach as hormone-free protocol for in vitro shoot regeneration in tomato that would save the resources with regard to hormonal costs and time. (author)

Carbon source/sink function of a subtropical, eutrophic lake determined from an overall mass balance and a gas exchange and carbon burial balance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Hong; Xing Yangping; Xie Ping; Ni Leyi; Rong Kewen

2008-01-01

Although studies on carbon burial in lake sediments have shown that lakes are disproportionately important carbon sinks, many studies on gaseous carbon exchange across the water-air interface have demonstrated that lakes are supersaturated with CO 2 and CH 4 causing a net release of CO 2 and CH 4 to the atmosphere. In order to more accurately estimate the net carbon source/sink function of lake ecosystems, a more comprehensive carbon budget is needed, especially for gaseous carbon exchange across the water-air interface. Using two methods, overall mass balance and gas exchange and carbon burial balance, we assessed the carbon source/sink function of Lake Donghu, a subtropical, eutrophic lake, from April 2003 to March 2004. With the overall mass balance calculations, total carbon input was 14 905 t, total carbon output was 4950 t, and net carbon budget was +9955 t, suggesting that Lake Donghu was a great carbon sink. For the gas exchange and carbon burial balance, gaseous carbon (CO 2 and CH 4 ) emission across the water-air interface totaled 752 t while carbon burial in the lake sediment was 9477 t. The ratio of carbon emission into the atmosphere to carbon burial into the sediment was only 0.08. This low ratio indicates that Lake Donghu is a great carbon sink. Results showed good agreement between the two methods with both showing Lake Donghu to be a great carbon sink. This results from the high primary production of Lake Donghu, substantive allochthonous carbon inputs and intensive anthropogenic activity. Gaseous carbon emission accounted for about 15% of the total carbon output, indicating that the total output would be underestimated without including gaseous carbon exchange. - Due to high primary production, substantive allochthonous carbon inputs and intensive anthropogenic acitivity, subtropical, eutrophic Lake Donghu is a great carbon sink

Experimental Evidence that Abrasion of Carbonate Sand is a Significant Source of Carbonate Mud

Science.gov (United States)

Trower, L.; Kivrak, L.; Lamb, M. P.; Fischer, W. W.

2017-12-01

aragonite needles 1-3 µm in length identical to those described in carbonate mud from a range of modern environments. Our results suggest that abrasion during bed load and suspended load transport of carbonate sand, even over small areas, is likely a significant potential source of carbonate mud in both modern and ancient carbonate environments.

The Effects of Different External Carbon Sources on Nitrous Oxide Emissions during Denitrification in Biological Nutrient Removal Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Xiang; Zhang, Jing; Hou, Hongxun

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of two different external carbon sources (acetate and ethanol) on the nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions during denitrification in biological nutrient removal processes. Results showed that external carbon source significantly influenced N2O emissions during the denitrification process. When acetate served as the external carbon source, 0.49 mg N/L and 0.85 mg N/L of N2O was produced during the denitrificaiton processes in anoxic and anaerobic/anoxic experiments, giving a ratio of N2O-N production to TN removal of 2.37% and 4.96%, respectively. Compared with acetate, the amount of N2O production is negligible when ethanol used as external carbon addition. This suggested that ethanol is a potential alternative external carbon source for acetate from the point of view of N2O emissions.

Automatic vs. manual curation of a multi-source chemical dictionary: the impact on text mining

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

Background Previously, we developed a combined dictionary dubbed Chemlist for the identification of small molecules and drugs in text based on a number of publicly available databases and tested it on an annotated corpus. To achieve an acceptable recall and precision we used a number of automatic and semi-automatic processing steps together with disambiguation rules. However, it remained to be investigated which impact an extensive manual curation of a multi-source chemical dictionary would have on chemical term identification in text. ChemSpider is a chemical database that has undergone extensive manual curation aimed at establishing valid chemical name-to-structure relationships. Results We acquired the component of ChemSpider containing only manually curated names and synonyms. Rule-based term filtering, semi-automatic manual curation, and disambiguation rules were applied. We tested the dictionary from ChemSpider on an annotated corpus and compared the results with those for the Chemlist dictionary. The ChemSpider dictionary of ca. 80 k names was only a 1/3 to a 1/4 the size of Chemlist at around 300 k. The ChemSpider dictionary had a precision of 0.43 and a recall of 0.19 before the application of filtering and disambiguation and a precision of 0.87 and a recall of 0.19 after filtering and disambiguation. The Chemlist dictionary had a precision of 0.20 and a recall of 0.47 before the application of filtering and disambiguation and a precision of 0.67 and a recall of 0.40 after filtering and disambiguation. Conclusions We conclude the following: (1) The ChemSpider dictionary achieved the best precision but the Chemlist dictionary had a higher recall and the best F-score; (2) Rule-based filtering and disambiguation is necessary to achieve a high precision for both the automatically generated and the manually curated dictionary. ChemSpider is available as a web service at http://www.chemspider.com/ and the Chemlist dictionary is freely available as an XML file in

Effects of carbon and nitrogen sources on the induction and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Effects of carbon and nitrogen sources on the induction and repression of chitinase enzyme from Beauveria bassiana isolates. Priyanka Dhar, Gurvinder Kaur. Abstract. Beauveria bassiana a natural soil borne insect pathogen is being used effectively these days in integrated pest management system. Foliar application of ...

In silico carbon molecular beam epitaxial growth of graphene on the h-BN substrate: carbon source effect on van der Waals epitaxy

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jonghoon; Varshney, Vikas; Park, Jeongho; Farmer, Barry L.; Roy, Ajit K.

2016-05-01

Against the presumption that hexagonal boron-nitride (h-BN) should provide an ideal substrate for van der Waals (vdW) epitaxy to grow high quality graphene films, carbon molecular beam epitaxy (CMBE) techniques using solid carbon sublimation have reported relatively poor quality of the graphene. In this article, the CMBE growth of graphene on the h-BN substrate is numerically studied in order to identify the effect of the carbon source on the quality of the graphene film. The carbon molecular beam generated by the sublimation of solid carbon source materials such as graphite and glassy carbon is mostly composed of atomic carbon, carbon dimers and carbon trimers. Therefore, the graphene film growth becomes a complex process involving various deposition characteristics of a multitude of carbon entities. Based on the study of surface adsorption and film growth characteristics of these three major carbon entities comprising graphite vapour, we report that carbon trimers convey strong traits of vdW epitaxy prone to high quality graphene growth, while atomic carbon deposition is a surface-reaction limited process accompanied by strong chemisorption. The vdW epitaxial behaviour of carbon trimers is found to be substantial enough to nucleate and develop into graphene like planar films within a nanosecond of high flux growth simulation, while reactive atomic carbons tend to impair the structural integrity of the crystalline h-BN substrate upon deposition to form an amorphous interface between the substrate and the growing carbon film. The content of reactive atomic carbons in the molecular beam is suspected to be the primary cause of low quality graphene reported in the literature. A possible optimization of the molecular beam composition towards the synthesis of better quality graphene films is suggested.Against the presumption that hexagonal boron-nitride (h-BN) should provide an ideal substrate for van der Waals (vdW) epitaxy to grow high quality graphene films, carbon

A proposed metamodel for the implementation of object oriented software through the automatic generation of source code

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CARVALHO, J. S. C.

2008-12-01

Full Text Available During the development of software one of the most visible risks and perhaps the biggest implementation obstacle relates to the time management. All delivery deadlines software versions must be followed, but it is not always possible, sometimes due to delay in coding. This paper presents a metamodel for software implementation, which will rise to a development tool for automatic generation of source code, in order to make any development pattern transparent to the programmer, significantly reducing the time spent in coding artifacts that make up the software.

Improved Electrochemical Performance of LiFePO4@N-Doped Carbon Nanocomposites Using Polybenzoxazine as Nitrogen and Carbon Sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ping; Zhang, Geng; Li, Zhichen; Sheng, Wangjian; Zhang, Yichi; Gu, Jiangjiang; Zheng, Xinsheng; Cao, Feifei

2016-10-03

Polybenzoxazine is used as a novel carbon and nitrogen source for coating LiFePO 4 to obtain LiFePO 4 @nitrogen-doped carbon (LFP@NC) nanocomposites. The nitrogen-doped graphene-like carbon that is in situ coated on nanometer-sized LiFePO 4 particles can effectively enhance the electrical conductivity and provide fast Li + transport paths. When used as a cathode material for lithium-ion batteries, the LFP@NC nanocomposite (88.4 wt % of LiFePO 4 ) exhibits a favorable rate performance and stable cycling performance.

Analysis of carbon monoxide production in multihundred-watt heat sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peterson, D.E.; Mulford, R.N.R.

1976-05-01

The production of carbon monoxide observed within Multihundred Watt heat sources placed under storage conditions was analyzed. Results of compositional and isotopic analyses of gas taps performed on eight heat sources are summarized and interpreted. Several proposed CO generation mechanisms are examined theoretically and assessed by applying thermodynamic principles. Outgassing of the heat source graphite followed by oxygen isotopic exchange through the vent assemblies appears to explain the CO production at storage temperatures. Reduction of the plutonia fuel sphere by the CO is examined as a function of temperature and stoichiometry. Experiments that could be performed to investigate possible CO generation mechanisms are discussed

Air-source heat pump carbon footprints: HFC impacts and comparison to other heat sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, Eric P.

2011-01-01

European governments see that heat pumps could reduce carbon emissions in space- and hot-water heating. EU's Renewable Energy Directive designates heat pumps as renewable - eligible for various subsidies - if their carbon footprints are below an implied, average threshold. This threshold omits carbon generated by manufacture and emission of a heat-pump's fluorocarbon refrigerant. It also omits the footprint of the heat pump's hardware. To see if these omissions are significant, this study calculated carbon footprints of representative, residential heat pumps in the UK. Three findings emerged. First, in relation to power generation, which accounts for most of a heat-pump's greenhouse-gas emissions, fluorocarbons add another 20% to the footprint. Second, at UK efficiencies a heat-pump footprint (in kg CO 2 e emitted per kWh delivered) is comparable or higher than footprints of gaseous fuels used in heating. It is lower than the footprint of heating oil and far lower than the footprints of solid fuels. Third, production and disposal of a heat pump's hardware is relatively insignificant, accounting for only 2-3% of the overall heat-pump footprint. Sensitivities to the results were assessed: key factors are footprint of electricity generation, F-gas composition and leak rates and type of wall construction. - Research highlights: → Refrigerant emissions add 20% to a UK air-source heat pump's carbon footprint. → This contribution is so far ignored by regulations. → UK heat pump footprints are comparable to those of gaseous fuels.

EFFECT OF THE TYPE OF HEAT SOURCES ON CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sławomir Rabczak

2016-11-01

Full Text Available A lot of attention is nowadays devoted to the problem of generally defined ecology. It is absolutely essential in case of systems and sources generating heat due to their direct influence on the environment through emitting post-process products to the atmosphere which are, most frequently a result of combustion. Therefore, constant searchers are made to optimize the operation of heat sources and to acquire energy from sources for which the general balance of carbon dioxide emission is zero or close to zero. This work compares the emissions of equivalent CO2 from selected systems with the following heat sources: coal, gas furnace, heat pump, and refers results of the analysis to aspects connected with regulations concerning environmental protection. The systems generating thermal energy in the gas furnaces, coal, biomass, as well as the compression heat pumps with the lower heat source as ambient air or ground were taken under consideration, as well as centralized systems for the production of heat based on the combustion of coal, gas, oil, and biomass. the Emission of carbon dioxide for the installation of cogeneration and absorption heat pump were also calculated. Similarly obtained amount of extra emission necessary for the proper operation maintenance of heating devices via the supplied electricity from external source, the mostly fuel-fired power plants for fuels as previously mentioned. The results of the calculations were presented in tables and graphs.

Annual review in automatic programming

CERN Document Server

Goodman, Richard

2014-01-01

Annual Review in Automatic Programming focuses on the techniques of automatic programming used with digital computers. Topics covered range from the design of machine-independent programming languages to the use of recursive procedures in ALGOL 60. A multi-pass translation scheme for ALGOL 60 is described, along with some commercial source languages. The structure and use of the syntax-directed compiler is also considered.Comprised of 12 chapters, this volume begins with a discussion on the basic ideas involved in the description of a computing process as a program for a computer, expressed in

Sources and delivery of carbon dioxide for enhanced oil recovery. Final report, October 1977--December 1978

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hare, M.; Perlich, H.; Robinson, R.; Shah, M.; Zimmerman, F.

1978-12-01

Results are presented from a comprehensive study by Pullman Kellogg, with assistance from Gulf Universities Research Consortium (GURC) and National Cryo-Chemics Incorporated (NCI), of the carbon dioxide supply situation for miscible flooding operations to enhance oil recovery. A survey of carbon dioxide sources within the geographic areas of potential EOR are shown on four regional maps with the tabular data for each region to describe the sources in terms of quantity and quality. Evaluation of all the costs, such as purchase, production, processing, and transportation, associated with delivering the carbon dioxide from its source to its destination are presented. Specific cases to illustrate the use of the maps and cost charts generated in this study have been examined.

Glyphosate Utilization as the Source of Carbon: Isolation and Identification of new Bacteria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Mohsen Nourouzi

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Mixed bacteria from oil palm plantation soil (OPS were isolated to investigate their ability to utilize glyphosate as carbon source. Results showed that approximately all of the glyphosate was converted to aminomethyl-phosphonic acid (AMPA (99.5%. It is worthy to note that mixed bacteria were able to degrade only 2% of AMPA to further metabolites. Two bacterial strains i.e. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Providencia alcalifaciens were obtained from enrichment culture. Bacterial isolates were cultured individually on glyphosate as a sole carbon source. It was observed that both isolates were able to convert glyphosate to AMPA.

The effect of toxic carbon source on the reaction of activated sludge in the batch reactor.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Changyong; Zhou, Yuexi; Zhang, Siyu; Xu, Min; Song, Jiamei

2018-03-01

The toxic carbon source can cause higher residual effluent dissolved organic carbon than easily biodegraded carbon source in activated sludge process. In this study, an integrated activated sludge model is developed as the tool to understand the mechanism of toxic carbon source (phenol) on the reaction, regarding the carbon flows during the aeration period in the batch reactor. To estimate the toxic function of phenol, the microbial cells death rate (k death ) is introduced into the model. The integrated model was calibrated and validated by the experimental data and it was found the model simulations matched the all experimental measurements. In the steady state, the toxicity of phenol can result in higher microbial cells death rate (0.1637 h -1 vs 0.0028 h -1 ) and decay rate coefficient of biomass (0.0115 h -1 vs 0.0107 h -1 ) than acetate. In addition, the utilization-associated products (UAP) and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) formation coefficients of phenol are higher than that of acetate, indicating that more carbon flows into the extracellular components, such as soluble microbial products (SMP), when degrading toxic organics. In the non-steady state of feeding phenol, the yield coefficient for growth and maximum specific growth rate are very low in the first few days (1-10 d), while the decay rate coefficient of biomass and microbial cells death rate are relatively high. The model provides insights into the difference of the dynamic reaction with different carbon sources in the batch reactor. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Low Carbon EU Energy System and Unconventional Sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gracceva, F.; Kanudia, A.; Tosato, GC.

2013-01-01

The paper investigates the potential role of unconventional fossil fuels in a global low carbon energy system. Making use of a systemic approach, the paper presents an original application of a global partial equilibrium energy system model (TIAM-JET). In order to give a worldwide perspective with higher detail on European energy systems, the model links a set of extra-European macro-regions to the 30 European countries. First, a review of the most recent estimates of the available stocks of unconventional hydrocarbon resources is used to build the set of assumption for the scenario analysis. Secondly, a set of scenarios assuming different availability and cost of unconventional fuels are added to both a Current Trend scenario and a Carbon Constrained (CC) scenario, to explore the perspectives of unconventional gas and oil in a scenario halving CO 2 emissions by 2050, which is consistent with a 2 degree temperature increase. The results show if/how unconventional sources can contribute to the robustness of the European energy system with respect to the stress of a strong carbon constraint. We define this robustness as the capacity of the energy system to adapt its evolution to long-term constraints and keep delivering energy services to end users. In our approach robustness represents the long-term dimension of energy security. Assessing this ''system property'' requires analysing the wide range of factors that can exercise a stabilizing influence on the energy services delivery system, together with their relations, actual interactions and synergies. The energy system approach used for the analysis seeks to take into account as much of this complexity as possible. We assess the robustness of the EU system to the carbon constraint by looking at how the CC scenario affects energy system costs and energy prices under scenarios with different deployment of unconventional sources. This provides insights on the synergies and/or trade-offs between energy security and

Selective enhancement and verification of woody biomass digestibility as a denitrification carbon source.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Rongting; Zheng, Xilai; Xin, Jia; Sun, Zhaoyue; Zheng, Tianyuan

2017-11-01

The denitrification efficiency of woody biomass as carbon source is low because of its poor carbon availability. In this study, representative poplar sawdust was pretreated with lime and peracetic acid to enhance the biomass digestibility to different degrees; sawdust was then mixed with soil to investigate its denitrification efficiency. Under controllable conditions (25-95°C, 12-24h, varying dosages), sawdust digestibility (characterized by reducing sugar yield) was selectively enhanced 1.0-21.8 times over that of the raw sawdust (28.8mgeq.glucoseg -1 dry biomass). This increase was mainly attributed to the removal of lignin from the biomass. As a carbon source, the sawdust (digestibility enhanced by 5.4 times) increased the nitrate removal rate by 4.7 times, without N 2 O emission. However, the sawdust with high digestibility (12.6 or 18.0 times), despite releasing more dissolved organic carbon (DOC), did not exhibit further increase in denitrification efficiency, and emitted N 2 O. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of carbon source on the morphology and electrochemical performances of LiFePO4/C nanocomposites.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Shuxin; Wang, Haibin; Yin, Hengbo; Wang, Hong; He, Jichuan

2014-03-01

The carbon coated LiFePO4 (LiFePO4/C) nanocomposites materials were successfully synthesized by sol-gel method. The microstructure and morphology of LiFePO4/C nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the carbon layers decomposed by different dispersant and carbon source had different graphitization degree, and the sugar could decompose to form more graphite-like structure carbon. The carbon source and heat-treatment temperature had some effect on the particle size and morphology, the sample LFP-S700 synthesized by adding sugar as carbon source at 700 degrees C had smaller particle size, uniform size distribution and spherical shape. The electrochemical behavior of LiFePO4/C nanocomposites was analyzed using galvanostatic measurements and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The results showed that the sample LFP-S700 had higher discharge specific capacities, higher apparent lithium ion diffusion coefficient and lower charge transfer resistance. The excellent electrochemical performance of sample LFP-S700 could be attributed to its high graphitization degree of carbon, smaller particle size and uniform size distribution.

An automatic evaluation system for NTA film neutron dosimeters

CERN Document Server

Müller, R

1999-01-01

At CERN, neutron personal monitoring for over 4000 collaborators is performed with Kodak NTA films, which have been shown to be the most suitable neutron dosimeter in the radiation environment around high-energy accelerators. To overcome the lengthy and strenuous manual scanning process with an optical microscope, an automatic analysis system has been developed. We report on the successful automatic scanning of NTA films irradiated with sup 2 sup 3 sup 8 Pu-Be source neutrons, which results in densely ionised recoil tracks, as well as on the extension of the method to higher energy neutrons causing sparse and fragmentary tracks. The application of the method in routine personal monitoring is discussed. $9 overcome the lengthy and strenuous manual scanning process with an optical microscope, an automatic analysis system has been developed. We report on the successful automatic scanning of NTA films irradiated with /sup 238/Pu-Be source $9 discussed. (10 refs).

Primary Nutritional Content of Bio-Flocs Cultured with Different Organic Carbon Sources and Salinity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

JULIE EKASARI

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Application of bio-flocs technology (BFT in aquaculture offers a solution to avoid environmental impact of high nutrient discharges and to reduce the use of artificial feed. In BFT, excess of nutrients in aquaculture systems are converted into microbial biomass, which can be consumed by the cultured animals as a food source. In this experiment, upconcentrated pond water obtained from the drum filter of a freshwater tilapia farm was used for bio-flocs reactors. Two carbon sources, sugar and glycerol, were used as the first variable, and two different levels of salinity, 0 and 30 ppt, were used as the second variable. Bio-flocs with glycerol as a carbon source had higher total n-6 PUFAs (19.1 ± 2.1 and 22.3 ± 8.6 mg/g DW at 0 and 30 ppt, respectively than that of glucose (4.0 ± 0.1 and 12.6 ± 2.5 mg/g DW at 0 and 30 ppt. However, there was no effect of carbon source or salinity on crude protein, lipid, and total n-3 PUFAs contents of the bio-flocs.

Tropical forests are a net carbon source based on aboveground measurements of gain and loss.

Science.gov (United States)

Baccini, A; Walker, W; Carvalho, L; Farina, M; Sulla-Menashe, D; Houghton, R A

2017-10-13

The carbon balance of tropical ecosystems remains uncertain, with top-down atmospheric studies suggesting an overall sink and bottom-up ecological approaches indicating a modest net source. Here we use 12 years (2003 to 2014) of MODIS pantropical satellite data to quantify net annual changes in the aboveground carbon density of tropical woody live vegetation, providing direct, measurement-based evidence that the world's tropical forests are a net carbon source of 425.2 ± 92.0 teragrams of carbon per year (Tg C year -1 ). This net release of carbon consists of losses of 861.7 ± 80.2 Tg C year -1 and gains of 436.5 ± 31.0 Tg C year -1 Gains result from forest growth; losses result from deforestation and from reductions in carbon density within standing forests (degradation or disturbance), with the latter accounting for 68.9% of overall losses. Copyright © 2017 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

INCOME AND ENERGY SOURCES AMONG AGRARIAN HOUSEHOLDS IN NIGERIA: IMPLICATIONS FOR LOW CARBON ENERGY DEVELOPMENT IN LESS DEVELOPED COUNTRIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Mkpado

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Low-carbon power comes from sources that produce fewer greenhouse gases than do traditional means of power generation. It includes zero carbon power generation sources, such as wind power, solar power, geothermal power and (except for fuel preparation nuclear power, as well as sources with lower-level emissions such as natural and petroleum gas, and also technologies that prevent carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere, such as carbon capture and storage. This article correlated value of income from different sources to energy sources used by agrarian households in Nigeria and drew implications for low carbon development in Africa. It analysis included use of wind power for irrigation purposes, harnessing solar energy for lightening and possible cost implications. Secondary data were collected from Community Based Monitoring System Nigeria Project. Descriptive statistics, correlation and qualitative analysis were employed. The average annual income of agrarian households from different sources such as crop farming, livestock farming, petty trading, forest exploitation, remittance and labour per day was below the poverty line of $1 per day. The source of energy that had the highest number of significant correlation was electrical energy (low carbon electrical energy. It showed the possibility of pooling resources as farmers group to attract grants or equity financing to build wind mills for irrigation. The study recommended use of energy efficient bulbs to reduce CO2 emissions. This requires creating awareness among rural dwellers of the need to make such change.

The influence of carbon source and calcium on the production of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

use

2011-12-10

Dec 10, 2011 ... The influence of carbon source and calcium on the production of ... Furthermore, since the middle lamella contains high levels of calcium, it was thought that it may play an important ..... Processing of the pectate lyase PelI by ...

Rapid Automatic Lighting Control of a Mixed Light Source for Image Acquisition using Derivative Optimum Search Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kim HyungTae

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Automatic lighting (auto-lighting is a function that maximizes the image quality of a vision inspection system by adjusting the light intensity and color.In most inspection systems, a single color light source is used, and an equal step search is employed to determine the maximum image quality. However, when a mixed light source is used, the number of iterations becomes large, and therefore, a rapid search method must be applied to reduce their number. Derivative optimum search methods follow the tangential direction of a function and are usually faster than other methods. In this study, multi-dimensional forms of derivative optimum search methods are applied to obtain the maximum image quality considering a mixed-light source. The auto-lighting algorithms were derived from the steepest descent and conjugate gradient methods, which have N-size inputs of driving voltage and one output of image quality. Experiments in which the proposed algorithm was applied to semiconductor patterns showed that a reduced number of iterations is required to determine the locally maximized image quality.

Source brightness and useful beam current of carbon nanotubes and other very small emitters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruit, P.; Bezuijen, M.; Barth, J.E.

2006-01-01

The potential application of carbon nanotubes as electron sources in electron microscopes is analyzed. The resolution and probe current that can be obtained from a carbon nanotube emitter in a low-voltage scanning electron microscope are calculated and compared to the state of the art using Schottky electron sources. Many analytical equations for probe-size versus probe-current relations in different parameter regimes are obtained. It is shown that for most carbon nanotube emitters, the gun lens aberrations are larger than the emitters' virtual source size and thus restrict the microscope's performance. The result is that the advantages of the higher brightness of nanotube emitters are limited unless the angular emission current is increased over present day values or the gun lens aberrations are decreased. For some nanotubes with a closed cap, it is known that the emitted electron beam is coherent over the full emission cone. We argue that for such emitters the parameter ''brightness'' becomes meaningless. The influence of phase variations in the electron wave front emitted from such a nanotube emitter on the focusing of the electron beam is analyzed

Design, fabrication, installation and shielding integrity testing of source storage container for automatic source movement system used in TLD calibration facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Subramanian, V.; Baskar, S.; Annalakshmi, O.; Jose, M.T.; Jayshree, C.P.; Choudry, Shreelatha

2012-01-01

A state-of-art TLD laboratory has been commissioned in January 2000 at Radiological Safety Division of Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR). The laboratory provides personnel monitoring service to 2000 occupational workers from Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre facilities. The laboratory has been accredited by the Radiation Safety Systems Division (RSSD), Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) since year 2002. The laboratory has exclusive facility for the calibration of the TLD cards. As apart of accreditation procedure and taking into account of geometry effect, the dose rate at the card position is determined by the accreditation authorities by using graphite chamber (secondary or national standard instrument) and often re estimated by a condenser R meter (M/s Victoreen, Germany) by our laboratory. As per the regulatory requirement, the exposure protocols should be automated. Towards this an automatic source movement system has been augmented in the calibration facility. By using the system, the source will be brought to the irradiation position by pneumatically and exposures will be terminated by counter, timer and triggering system. To accomplish this task a lead container has been designed, fabricated and mounted at the beneath of the calibration table for the storage of source. As per the automation process, a lead container for the source storage has been designed and installed beneath to the Calibration Table. The container was designed to hold a 3Ci 137 Cs source, but present activity of the source is 1.2Ci. Hence, the shielding integrity was tested with higher active source (1.7Ci 60 Co). The dose rate measured outside on the circumference of the container at the middle of the source is found to be the same as calculated using QAD CGGP calculations. The top plug is so designed to avoid inadvertent upward movement of the source. Though, the shielding was not adequate on top of the top plug, however it does

Synthetic fuel production via carbon neutral cycles with high temperature nuclear reactors as a power source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Konarek, E.; Coulas, B.; Sarvinis, J. [Hatch Ltd., Mississauga, Ontario (Canada)

2016-06-15

This paper analyzes a number of carbon neutral cycles, which could be used to produce synthetic hydrocarbon fuels. Synthetic hydrocarbons are produced via the synthesis of Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen. The . cycles considered will either utilize Gasification processes, or carbon capture as a source of feed material. In addition the cycles will be coupled to a small modular Nuclear Reactor (SMR) as a power and heat source. The goal of this analysis is to reduce or eliminate the need to transport diesel and other fossil fuels to remote regions and to provide a carbon neutral, locally produced hydrocarbon fuel for remote communities. The technical advantages as well as the economic case are discussed for each of the cycles presented. (author)

Synthetic fuel production via carbon neutral cycles with high temperature nuclear reactors as a power source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Konarek, E.; Coulas, B.; Sarvinis, J.

2016-01-01

This paper analyzes a number of carbon neutral cycles, which could be used to produce synthetic hydrocarbon fuels. Synthetic hydrocarbons are produced via the synthesis of Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen. The . cycles considered will either utilize Gasification processes, or carbon capture as a source of feed material. In addition the cycles will be coupled to a small modular Nuclear Reactor (SMR) as a power and heat source. The goal of this analysis is to reduce or eliminate the need to transport diesel and other fossil fuels to remote regions and to provide a carbon neutral, locally produced hydrocarbon fuel for remote communities. The technical advantages as well as the economic case are discussed for each of the cycles presented. (author)

The potential of carbon and nitrogen isotopes to conservatively discriminate between subsoil sediment sources

Science.gov (United States)

Laceby, J. Patrick; Olley, Jon

2013-04-01

Moreton Bay, in South East Queensland, Australia, is a Ramsar wetland of international significance. A decline of the bay's ecosystem health has been primarily attributed to sediments and nutrients from catchment sources. Sediment budgets for three catchments indicated gully erosion dominates the supply of sediment in Knapp Creek and the Upper Bremer River whereas erosion from cultivated soils is the primary sediment source in Blackfellow Creek. Sediment tracing with fallout-radionuclides confirmed subsoil erosion processes dominate the supply of sediment in Knapp Creek and the Upper Bremer River whereas in Blackfellow Creek cultivated and subsoil sources contribute >90% of sediments. Other sediment properties are required to determine the relative sediment contributions of channel bank, gully and cultivated sources in these catchments. The potential of total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), and carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes (δ13C, δ15N) to conservatively discriminate between subsoil sediment sources is presented. The conservativeness of these sediment properties was examined through evaluating particle size variations in depth core soil samples and investigating whether they remain constant in source soils over two sampling occasions. Varying conservative behavior and source discrimination was observed. TN in the

Automatically Preparing Safe SQL Queries

Science.gov (United States)

Bisht, Prithvi; Sistla, A. Prasad; Venkatakrishnan, V. N.

We present the first sound program source transformation approach for automatically transforming the code of a legacy web application to employ PREPARE statements in place of unsafe SQL queries. Our approach therefore opens the way for eradicating the SQL injection threat vector from legacy web applications.

Total organic carbon, an important tool in an holistic approach to hydrocarbon source fingerprinting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boehm, P.D.; Burns, W.A.; Page, D.S.; Bence, A.E.; Mankiewicz, P.J.; Brown, J.S.; Douglas, G.S. [Battelle Member Inst., Waltham, MA (United States)

2002-07-01

The identification and allocation of multiple hydrocarbon sources in marine sediments is best achieved using an holistic approach. Total organic carbon (TOC) is one important tool that can constrain the contributions of specific sources and rule out incorrect source allocations in cases where inputs are dominated by fossil organic carbon. In a study of the benthic sediments from Prince William Sound (PWS) and the Gulf of Alaska (GOA), we find excellent agreement between measured TOC and TOC calculated from hydrocarbon fingerprint matches of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and chemical biomarkers. Confirmation by two such independent source indicators (TOC and fingerprint matches) provides evidence that source allocations determined by the fingerprint matches are robust and that the major TOC sources have been correctly identified. Fingerprint matches quantify the hydrocarbon contributions of various sources to the benthic sediments and the degree of hydrocarbon winnowing by waves and currents. TOC contents are then calculated using source allocation results from fingerprint matches and the TOCs of contributing sources. Comparisons of the actual sediment TOC values and those calculated from source allocation support our earlier published findings that the natural petrogenic hydrocarbon background in sediments in this area comes from eroding Tertiary shales and associated oil seeps along the northern GOA coast and exclude thermally mature area coals from being important contributors to the PWS background due to their high TOC content.

Effects of nitrogen and carbon sources on the production of inulinase from strain Bacillus sp. SG113

Science.gov (United States)

Gavrailov, Simeon; Ivanova, Viara

2016-03-01

The effects of the carbon and nitrogen substrates on the growth of Bacillus sp. SG113 strain were studied. The use of organic nitrogen sources (peptone, beef extract, yeast extract, casein) leads to rapid cellular growth and the best results for the Bacillus strain were obtained with casein hydrolysate. From the inorganic nitrogen sources studied, the (NH4) 2SO4 proved to be the best nitrogen source. Casein hydrolysate and (NH4) 2SO4 stimulated the invertase synthesis. In the presence of Jerusalem artichoke, onion and garlic extracts as carbon sources the strain synthesized from 6 to 10 times more inulinase.

Modeling Aerobic Carbon Source Degradation Processes using Titrimetric Data and Combined Respirometric-Titrimetric Data: Experimental Data and Model Structure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gernaey, Krist; Petersen, B.; Nopens, I.

2002-01-01

Experimental data are presented that resulted from aerobic batch degradation experiments in activated sludge with simple carbon sources (acetate and dextrose) as substrates. Data collection was done using combined respirometric-titrimetric measurements. The respirometer consists of an open aerated....... For acetate, protons were consumed during aerobic degradation, whereas for dextrose protons were produced. For both carbon sources, a linear relationship was found between the amount of carbon source added and the amount of protons consumed (in case of acetate: 0.38 meq/mmol) or produced (in case of dextrose...

Selection of Suitable Carbon, Nitrogen and Sulphate Source for the Production of Alkaline Protease by Bacillus licheniformis NCIM-2042

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Biswanath BHUNIA

2010-06-01

Full Text Available In this study, selection of suitable carbon, nitrogen and sulphate sources were carried out by one-variable-at-time approach for the production of alkaline protease enzyme by Bacillus licheniformis NCIM-2042. Maximum levels of alkaline protease were found in culture media supplemented with magnesium sulphate, starch and soybean meal as a good sulphate, carbon and nitrogen sources which influenced the maximum yield of this enzyme (137.694.57, 135.231.73 and 134.741.77, respectively in comparison with the other sulphate, carbon and nitrogen sources.

Friction and wear performance of diamond-like carbon films grown in various source gas plasmas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Erdemir, A.; Nilufer, I.B.; Eryilmaz, O.L.; Beschliesser, M.; Fenske, G.R. [Argonne National Lab., IL (United States). Energy Technology Div.

1999-11-01

In this study, we investigated the effects of various source gases (methane, ethane, ethylene, and acetylene) on the friction and wear performance of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films prepared in a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system. Films were deposited on AISI H13 steel substrates and tested in a pin-on-disk machine against DLC-coated M50 balls in dry nitrogen. We found a close correlation between friction coefficient and source gas composition. Specifically, films grown in source gases with higher hydrogen-to-carbon ratios exhibited lower friction coefficients and a higher wear resistance than films grown in source gases with lower hydrogen-to-carbon (H/C) ratios. The lowest friction coefficient (0.014) was achieved with a film derived from methane with an H/C ratio of 4, whereas the coefficient of films derived from acetylene (H/C=1) was 0.15. Similar correlations were observed for wear rates. Specifically, films derived from gases with lower H/C values were worn out, and the substrate material was exposed, whereas films from methane and ethane remained intact and wore at rates that were almost two orders of magnitude lower than films obtained from acetylene. (orig.)

The environmental convergence hypothesis: Carbon dioxide emissions according to the source of energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herrerias, M.J.

2013-01-01

The aim of this paper is to investigate the environmental convergence hypothesis in carbon dioxide emissions for a large group of developed and developing countries from 1980 to 2009. The novel aspect of this work is that we distinguish among carbon dioxide emissions according to the source of energy (coal, natural gas and petroleum) instead of considering the aggregate measure of per capita carbon dioxide emissions, where notable interest is given to the regional dimension due to the application of new club convergence tests. This allows us to determine the convergence behaviour of emissions in a more precise way and to detect it according to the source of energy used, thereby helping to address the environmental targets. More specifically, the convergence hypothesis is examined with a pair-wise test and another one is used to test for the existence of club convergence. Our results from using the pair-wise test indicate that carbon dioxide emissions for each type of energy diverge. However, club convergence is found for a large group of countries, although some still display divergence. These findings point to the need to apply specific environmental policies to each club detected, since specific countries converge to different clubs. - Highlights: • The environmental convergence hypothesis is investigated across countries. • We perform a pair-wise test and a club convergence test. • Results from the first of these two tests suggest that carbon dioxide emissions are diverging. • However, we find that carbon dioxide emissions are converging within groups of countries. • Active environmental policies are required

SU-F-BRB-16: A Spreadsheet Based Automatic Trajectory GEnerator (SAGE): An Open Source Tool for Automatic Creation of TrueBeam Developer Mode Robotic Trajectories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Etmektzoglou, A; Mishra, P; Svatos, M

2015-01-01

Purpose: To automate creation and delivery of robotic linac trajectories with TrueBeam Developer Mode, an open source spreadsheet-based trajectory generation tool has been developed, tested and made freely available. The computing power inherent in a spreadsheet environment plus additional functions programmed into the tool insulate users from the underlying schema tedium and allow easy calculation, parameterization, graphical visualization, validation and finally automatic generation of Developer Mode XML scripts which are directly loadable on a TrueBeam linac. Methods: The robotic control system platform that allows total coordination of potentially all linac moving axes with beam (continuous, step-and-shoot, or combination thereof) becomes available in TrueBeam Developer Mode. Many complex trajectories are either geometric or can be described in analytical form, making the computational power, graphing and programmability available in a spreadsheet environment an easy and ideal vehicle for automatic trajectory generation. The spreadsheet environment allows also for parameterization of trajectories thus enabling the creation of entire families of trajectories using only a few variables. Standard spreadsheet functionality has been extended for powerful movie-like dynamic graphic visualization of the gantry, table, MLC, room, lasers, 3D observer placement and beam centerline all as a function of MU or time, for analysis of the motions before requiring actual linac time. Results: We used the tool to generate and deliver extended SAD “virtual isocenter” trajectories of various shapes such as parameterized circles and ellipses. We also demonstrated use of the tool in generating linac couch motions that simulate respiratory motion using analytical parameterized functions. Conclusion: The SAGE tool is a valuable resource to experiment with families of complex geometric trajectories for a TrueBeam Linac. It makes Developer Mode more accessible as a vehicle to quickly

SU-F-BRB-16: A Spreadsheet Based Automatic Trajectory GEnerator (SAGE): An Open Source Tool for Automatic Creation of TrueBeam Developer Mode Robotic Trajectories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Etmektzoglou, A; Mishra, P; Svatos, M [Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA (United States)

2015-06-15

Purpose: To automate creation and delivery of robotic linac trajectories with TrueBeam Developer Mode, an open source spreadsheet-based trajectory generation tool has been developed, tested and made freely available. The computing power inherent in a spreadsheet environment plus additional functions programmed into the tool insulate users from the underlying schema tedium and allow easy calculation, parameterization, graphical visualization, validation and finally automatic generation of Developer Mode XML scripts which are directly loadable on a TrueBeam linac. Methods: The robotic control system platform that allows total coordination of potentially all linac moving axes with beam (continuous, step-and-shoot, or combination thereof) becomes available in TrueBeam Developer Mode. Many complex trajectories are either geometric or can be described in analytical form, making the computational power, graphing and programmability available in a spreadsheet environment an easy and ideal vehicle for automatic trajectory generation. The spreadsheet environment allows also for parameterization of trajectories thus enabling the creation of entire families of trajectories using only a few variables. Standard spreadsheet functionality has been extended for powerful movie-like dynamic graphic visualization of the gantry, table, MLC, room, lasers, 3D observer placement and beam centerline all as a function of MU or time, for analysis of the motions before requiring actual linac time. Results: We used the tool to generate and deliver extended SAD “virtual isocenter” trajectories of various shapes such as parameterized circles and ellipses. We also demonstrated use of the tool in generating linac couch motions that simulate respiratory motion using analytical parameterized functions. Conclusion: The SAGE tool is a valuable resource to experiment with families of complex geometric trajectories for a TrueBeam Linac. It makes Developer Mode more accessible as a vehicle to quickly

Controlling single and few-layer graphene crystals growth in a solid carbon source based chemical vapor deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Papon, Remi; Sharma, Subash; Shinde, Sachin M.; Vishwakarma, Riteshkumar; Tanemura, Masaki; Kalita, Golap

2014-01-01

Here, we reveal the growth process of single and few-layer graphene crystals in the solid carbon source based chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique. Nucleation and growth of graphene crystals on a polycrystalline Cu foil are significantly affected by the injection of carbon atoms with pyrolysis rate of the carbon source. We observe micron length ribbons like growth front as well as saturated growth edges of graphene crystals depending on growth conditions. Controlling the pyrolysis rate of carbon source, monolayer and few-layer crystals and corresponding continuous films are obtained. In a controlled process, we observed growth of large monolayer graphene crystals, which interconnect and merge together to form a continuous film. On the other hand, adlayer growth is observed with an increased pyrolysis rate, resulting few-layer graphene crystal structure and merged continuous film. The understanding of monolayer and few-layer crystals growth in the developed CVD process can be significant to grow graphene with controlled layer numbers.

Denitrification on internal carbon sources in RAS is limited by fibers in fecal waste of rainbow trout

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meriac, A.; Eding, E.H.; Kamstra, A.; Busscher, J.P.; Schrama, J.W.; Verreth, J.A.J.

2014-01-01

Denitrification on internal carbon sources offers the advantage to control nitrate levels in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) by using the fecal carbon produced within the husbandry system. However, it is not clear to which extent fecal carbon can be utilized by the microbial community within

A new automatic fixed peak technology of microcontroller

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Liguo; Wang Dequan; Zhang Damin; Li Jun; Liu Yuwen; Guo Qingxue; Wang Guifeng

1999-01-01

The microcontroller automatic fixed peak technology which differs from fashion half channel fixed peak is described. It bases on the principles of selecting double single channel and readjusting the voltage of power source. This technology is suitable to the industrial isotope instruments with various radioactive sources

Automatic Knowledge Extraction and Knowledge Structuring for a National Term Bank

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lassen, Tine; Madsen, Bodil Nistrup; Erdman Thomsen, Hanne

2011-01-01

This paper gives an introduction to the plans and ongoing work in a project, the aim of which is to develop methods for automatic knowledge extraction and automatic construction and updating of ontologies. The project also aims at developing methods for automatic merging of terminological data fr...... various existing sources, as well as methods for target group oriented knowledge dissemination. In this paper, we mainly focus on the plans for automatic knowledge extraction and knowledge structuring that will result in ontologies for a national term bank.......This paper gives an introduction to the plans and ongoing work in a project, the aim of which is to develop methods for automatic knowledge extraction and automatic construction and updating of ontologies. The project also aims at developing methods for automatic merging of terminological data from...

Production and characterization of cellulolytic enzymes from Trichoderma reesei grown on various carbon sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Warzywoda, Michel; Labre, Elisabeth; Pourquie, Jacques [Institut Francais du Petrole (IFP), 92 - Rueil-Malmaison (France)

1992-01-01

Ethanol production from lignocellulosics is considered, using a process in which biomass is first pretreated by steam explosion, yielding freely water-extractible pentoses and a cellulose-rich residue which can be further hydrolyzed by cellulases into glucose to be fermented into ethanol. Results that are reported show that both the pentose extracts and the glucose-rich hydrolyzates can be used as carbon sources for cellulase production by Trichoderma reesei. When compared with lactose as the main carbon source, pentose extracts support lower but satisfactory protein productions which are characterized by an increase in hemicellulolytic activities, which significantly improves the saccharifying potential of these enzyme preparations. (author).

Assessment of Contribution of Contemporary Carbon Sources to Size-Fractionated Particulate Matter and Time-Resolved Bulk Particulate Matter Using the Measurement of Radiocarbon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hwang, H M; Young, T M; Buchholz, B A

2009-04-16

This study was motivated by a desire to improve understanding of the sources contributing to the carbon that is an important component of airborne particulate matter (PM). The ultimate goal of this project was to lay a ground work for future tools that might be easily implemented with archived or routinely collected samples. A key feature of this study was application of radiocarbon measurement that can be interpreted to indicate the relative contributions from fossil and non-fossil carbon sources of atmospheric PM. Size-resolved PM and time-resolved PM{sub 10} collected from a site in Sacramento, CA in November 2007 (Phase I) and March 2008 (Phase II) were analyzed for radiocarbon and source markers such as levoglucosan, cholesterol, and elemental carbon. Radiocarbon data indicates that the contributions of non-fossil carbon sources were much greater than that from fossil carbon sources in all samples. Radiocarbon and source marker measurements confirm that a greater contribution of non-fossil carbon sources in Phase I samples was highly likely due to residential wood combustion. The present study proves that measurement of radiocarbon and source markers can be readily applied to archived or routinely collected samples for better characterization of PM sources. More accurate source apportionment will support ARB in developing more efficient control strategies.

Alluvial Mountain Meadow Source-Sink Dynamics: Land-Cover Effects on Water and Fluvial Carbon Export

Science.gov (United States)

Weiss, T.; Covino, T. P.; Wohl, E.; Rhoades, C.; Fegel, T.; Clow, D. W.

2017-12-01

Fluvial networks of historically glaciated mountain landscapes alternate between confined and unconfined valley segments. In low-gradient unconfined reaches, river-connected wet meadows commonly establish, and have been recognized as important locations of long-term water, carbon, and nutrient storage. Among connected meadow floodplains, sink-source behavior shifts as a function of flow state; storing water at high flows (snowmelt) and contributing toward higher late-season baseflows. Despite these benefits, historical and contemporary land-use practices often result in the simplification of wet meadow systems, leading to reduced river-floodplain connectivity, lower water-tables and reductions in hydrologic buffering capacity. In this study, we are exploring hydrologic-carbon relationships across a gradient of valley confinement and river-floodplain connectivity (connected, n=3; disconnected, n=4) within the Colorado Rockies. Our approach includes hydrologic analysis, fluorometric assays, water chemistry, instream metabolic measures, and land-cover assessment to examine patterns between land-form, carbon quantity and quality, and stream ecosystem productivity. Between different meadow types, preliminary results suggest differences between instream productivity, carbon qualities, and hydrologic-carbon sink-source dynamics across the season. These data and analyses will provide insight into water, carbon and nutrient flux dynamics as a function of land-cover in mountain headwaters.

Molasses as an efficient low-cost carbon source for biological Cr(VI) removal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Michailides, Michail K. [Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Patras, 2 G. Seferi Str., GR-30100 Agrinio (Greece); Tekerlekopoulou, Athanasia G., E-mail: atekerle@upatras.gr [Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Patras, 2 G. Seferi Str., GR-30100 Agrinio (Greece); Akratos, Christos S.; Coles, Sandra [Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Patras, 2 G. Seferi Str., GR-30100 Agrinio (Greece); Pavlou, Stavros [Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences (FORTH/ICE-HT), Stadiou Str., Platani, P.O. Box 1414, GR-26504 Patras (Greece); Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras, GR-26504 Patras (Greece); Vayenas, Dimitrios V. [Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Patras, 2 G. Seferi Str., GR-30100 Agrinio (Greece); Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences (FORTH/ICE-HT), Stadiou Str., Platani, P.O. Box 1414, GR-26504 Patras (Greece)

2015-01-08

Highlights: • Suspended and attached growth reactors were examined for Cr(VI) bio-reduction. • Molasses was proved an efficient and very low cost carbon source. • Molasses was more efficient than sugar in enhancing Cr(VI) reduction. • SBR with recirculation was the most proper operating mode. - Abstract: In the present study, indigenous microorganisms from industrial sludge were used to reduce the activity of Cr(VI). Molasses, a by-product of sugar processing, was selected as the carbon source (instead of sugar used in a previous work) as it is a low-cost energy source for bioprocesses. Initially, experiments were carried out in suspended growth batch reactors for Cr(VI) concentrations of 1.5–110 mg/L. The time required for complete Cr(VI) reduction increased with initial Cr(VI) concentration. Initial molasses concentration was also found to influence the Cr(VI) reduction rate. The optimal concentration for all initial Cr(VI) concentrations tested was 0.8 gC/L. Experiments were also carried out in packed-bed reactors. Three different operating modes were used to investigate the optimal performance and efficiency of the filter, i.e. batch, continuous and SBR with recirculation. The latter mode with a recirculation rate of 0.5 L/min lead to significantly high Cr(VI) reduction rates (up to 135 g/m{sup 2} d). The results of this work were compared with those of a similar work using sugar as the carbon source and indicate that molasses could prove a feasible technological solution to a serious environmental problem.

Selection of Suitable Carbon, Nitrogen and Sulphate Source for the Production of Alkaline Protease by Bacillus licheniformis NCIM-2042

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Biswanath BHUNIA

2010-06-01

Full Text Available In this study, selection of suitable carbon, nitrogen and sulphate sources were carried out by one-variable-at-time approach for the production of alkaline protease enzyme by Bacillus licheniformis NCIM-2042. Maximum levels of alkaline protease were found in culture media supplemented with magnesium sulphate, starch and soybean meal as a good sulphate, carbon and nitrogen sources which influenced the maximum yield of this enzyme (137.69�4.57, 135.23�1.73 and 134.74�1.77, respectively in comparison with the other sulphate, carbon and nitrogen sources.

Automatic trend estimation

CERN Document Server

Vamos¸, C˘alin

2013-01-01

Our book introduces a method to evaluate the accuracy of trend estimation algorithms under conditions similar to those encountered in real time series processing. This method is based on Monte Carlo experiments with artificial time series numerically generated by an original algorithm. The second part of the book contains several automatic algorithms for trend estimation and time series partitioning. The source codes of the computer programs implementing these original automatic algorithms are given in the appendix and will be freely available on the web. The book contains clear statement of the conditions and the approximations under which the algorithms work, as well as the proper interpretation of their results. We illustrate the functioning of the analyzed algorithms by processing time series from astrophysics, finance, biophysics, and paleoclimatology. The numerical experiment method extensively used in our book is already in common use in computational and statistical physics.

Morphogenesis and Production of Enzymes by Penicillium echinulatum in Response to Different Carbon Sources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Willian Daniel Hahn Schneider

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The effect of different carbon sources on morphology and cellulase and xylanase production of Penicillium echinulatum was evaluated in this work. Among the six carbon sources studied, cellulose and sugar cane bagasse were the most suitable for the production of filter paper activity, endoglucanases, xylanases, and β-glucosidases. However, sucrose and glucose showed β-glucosidase activities similar to those obtained with the insoluble sources. The polyacrylamide gels proved the enzymatic activity, since different standards bands were detected in the media mentioned above. Regarding morphology, it was observed that the mycelium in a dispersed form provided the greatest enzymatic activity, possibly due to greater interaction between the substrate and hyphae. These data are important in understanding the physiology of fungi and could contribute to obtaining enzyme with potential application in the technology of second generation ethanol.

Isolation and characterization of a bacterium which utilizes polyester polyurethane as a sole carbon and nitrogen source.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakajima-Kambe, T; Onuma, F; Kimpara, N; Nakahara, T

1995-06-01

Various soil samples were screened for the presence of microorganisms which have the ability to degrade polyurethane compounds. Two strains with good polyurethane degrading activity were isolated. The more active strain was tentatively identified as Comamonas acidovorans. This strain could utilize polyester-type polyurethanes but not the polyether-type polyurethanes as sole carbon and nitrogen sources. Adipic acid and diethylene glycol were probably the main degradation products when polyurethane was supplied as a sole carbon and nitrogen source. When ammonium nitrate was used as nitrogen source, only diethylene glycol was detected after growth on polyurethane.

Automatic landslide detection from LiDAR DTM derivatives by geographic-object-based image analysis based on open-source software

Science.gov (United States)

Knevels, Raphael; Leopold, Philip; Petschko, Helene

2017-04-01

With high-resolution airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data more commonly available, many studies have been performed to facilitate the detailed information on the earth surface and to analyse its limitation. Specifically in the field of natural hazards, digital terrain models (DTM) have been used to map hazardous processes such as landslides mainly by visual interpretation of LiDAR DTM derivatives. However, new approaches are striving towards automatic detection of landslides to speed up the process of generating landslide inventories. These studies usually use a combination of optical imagery and terrain data, and are designed in commercial software packages such as ESRI ArcGIS, Definiens eCognition, or MathWorks MATLAB. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of open-source software for automatic landslide detection based only on high-resolution LiDAR DTM derivatives in a study area within the federal state of Burgenland, Austria. The study area is very prone to landslides which have been mapped with different methodologies in recent years. The free development environment R was used to integrate open-source geographic information system (GIS) software, such as SAGA (System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses), GRASS (Geographic Resources Analysis Support System), or TauDEM (Terrain Analysis Using Digital Elevation Models). The implemented geographic-object-based image analysis (GEOBIA) consisted of (1) derivation of land surface parameters, such as slope, surface roughness, curvature, or flow direction, (2) finding optimal scale parameter by the use of an objective function, (3) multi-scale segmentation, (4) classification of landslide parts (main scarp, body, flanks) by k-mean thresholding, (5) assessment of the classification performance using a pre-existing landslide inventory, and (6) post-processing analysis for the further use in landslide inventories. The results of the developed open-source approach demonstrated good

Automatically identifying gene/protein terms in MEDLINE abstracts.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Hong; Hatzivassiloglou, Vasileios; Rzhetsky, Andrey; Wilbur, W John

2002-01-01

Natural language processing (NLP) techniques are used to extract information automatically from computer-readable literature. In biology, the identification of terms corresponding to biological substances (e.g., genes and proteins) is a necessary step that precedes the application of other NLP systems that extract biological information (e.g., protein-protein interactions, gene regulation events, and biochemical pathways). We have developed GPmarkup (for "gene/protein-full name mark up"), a software system that automatically identifies gene/protein terms (i.e., symbols or full names) in MEDLINE abstracts. As a part of marking up process, we also generated automatically a knowledge source of paired gene/protein symbols and full names (e.g., LARD for lymphocyte associated receptor of death) from MEDLINE. We found that many of the pairs in our knowledge source do not appear in the current GenBank database. Therefore our methods may also be used for automatic lexicon generation. GPmarkup has 73% recall and 93% precision in identifying and marking up gene/protein terms in MEDLINE abstracts. A random sample of gene/protein symbols and full names and a sample set of marked up abstracts can be viewed at http://www.cpmc.columbia.edu/homepages/yuh9001/GPmarkup/. Contact. hy52@columbia.edu. Voice: 212-939-7028; fax: 212-666-0140.

Automatic presentation generation for scholarly hypermedia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

S. Bocconi

2003-01-01

textabstractAutomatic hypermedia presentation generation uses an information source semantic network first to select the content and then to compose it in the presentation so that the semantic relations between the information items are conveyed to the user. A hypermedia presentation can be

Influence of carbon and lipid sources on variation of mercury and other trace elements in polar bears (Ursus maritimus).

Science.gov (United States)

Routti, Heli; Letcher, Robert J; Born, Erik W; Branigan, Marsha; Dietz, Rune; Evans, Thomas J; McKinney, Melissa A; Peacock, Elizabeth; Sonne, Christian

2012-12-01

In the present study, the authors investigated the influence of carbon and lipid sources on regional differences in liver trace element (As, Cd, Cu, total Hg, Mn, Pb, Rb, Se, and Zn) concentrations measured in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) (n = 121) from 10 Alaskan, Canadian Arctic, and East Greenland subpopulations. Carbon and lipid sources were assessed using δ(13) C in muscle tissue and fatty acid (FA) profiles in subcutaneous adipose tissue as chemical tracers. A negative relationship between total Hg and δ(13) C suggested that polar bears feeding in areas with higher riverine inputs of terrestrial carbon accumulate more Hg than bears feeding in areas with lower freshwater input. Mercury concentrations were also positively related to the FA 20:1n-9, which is biosynthesized in large amounts in Calanus copepods. This result raises the hypothesis that Calanus glacialis are an important link in the uptake of Hg in the marine food web and ultimately in polar bears. Unadjusted total Hg, Se, and As concentrations showed greater geographical variation among polar bear subpopulations compared with concentrations adjusted for carbon and lipid sources. The Hg concentrations adjusted for carbon and lipid sources in Bering-Chukchi Sea polar bear liver tissue remained the lowest among subpopulations. Based on these findings, the authors suggest that carbon and lipid sources for polar bears should be taken into account when one is assessing spatial and temporal trends of long-range transported trace elements. Copyright © 2012 SETAC.

Towards radiocarbon dating of single foraminifera with a gas ion source

Science.gov (United States)

Wacker, L.; Lippold, J.; Molnár, M.; Schulz, H.

2013-01-01

Carbonate shells from foraminifera are often analysed for radiocarbon to determine the age of deep-sea sediments or to assess radiocarbon reservoir ages. However, a single foraminiferal test typically contains only a few micrograms of carbon, while most laboratories require more than 100 μg for radiocarbon dating with an accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) system. The collection of the required amount of foraminifera for a single analyses is therefore time consuming and not always possible. Here, we present a convenient method to measure the radiocarbon content of foraminifera using an AMS system fitted with a gas ion source. CO2 is liberated from 150 to 1150 μg of carbonate in septum sealed vials by acid decomposition of the carbonate. The CO2 is collected on a zeolite trap and subsequently transferred to a syringe from where it is delivered to the ion source. A sample of 400 μg (50 μg C) typically gives a 12C- ion source current of 10-15 μA over 20 min, yielding a measurement precision of less than 7 per mil for a modern sample. Using this method, we were able to date a single 560 μg Cibicides pseudoungerianus test at 14,030 ± 160 radiocarbon years. Only a minor modification to our existing gas handling system was required and the system is fully automatable to further reduce the effort involved for sample preparation.

Towards radiocarbon dating of single foraminifera with a gas ion source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wacker, L.; Lippold, J.; Molnár, M.; Schulz, H.

2013-01-01

Carbonate shells from foraminifera are often analysed for radiocarbon to determine the age of deep-sea sediments or to assess radiocarbon reservoir ages. However, a single foraminiferal test typically contains only a few micrograms of carbon, while most laboratories require more than 100 μg for radiocarbon dating with an accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) system. The collection of the required amount of foraminifera for a single analyses is therefore time consuming and not always possible. Here, we present a convenient method to measure the radiocarbon content of foraminifera using an AMS system fitted with a gas ion source. CO 2 is liberated from 150 to 1150 μg of carbonate in septum sealed vials by acid decomposition of the carbonate. The CO 2 is collected on a zeolite trap and subsequently transferred to a syringe from where it is delivered to the ion source. A sample of 400 μg (50 μg C) typically gives a 12 C − ion source current of 10–15 μA over 20 min, yielding a measurement precision of less than 7 per mil for a modern sample. Using this method, we were able to date a single 560 μg Cibicides pseudoungerianus test at 14,030 ± 160 radiocarbon years. Only a minor modification to our existing gas handling system was required and the system is fully automatable to further reduce the effort involved for sample preparation.

Towards radiocarbon dating of single foraminifera with a gas ion source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wacker, L., E-mail: wacker@phys.ethz.ch [Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich (Switzerland); Lippold, J. [Heidelberg Academy of Sciences, 69120 Heidelberg (Germany); Molnar, M. [Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich (Switzerland); Institute of Nuclear Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 4026 Debrecen (Hungary); Schulz, H. [Institute for Geosciencies, University of Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen (Germany)

2013-01-15

Carbonate shells from foraminifera are often analysed for radiocarbon to determine the age of deep-sea sediments or to assess radiocarbon reservoir ages. However, a single foraminiferal test typically contains only a few micrograms of carbon, while most laboratories require more than 100 {mu}g for radiocarbon dating with an accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) system. The collection of the required amount of foraminifera for a single analyses is therefore time consuming and not always possible. Here, we present a convenient method to measure the radiocarbon content of foraminifera using an AMS system fitted with a gas ion source. CO{sub 2} is liberated from 150 to 1150 {mu}g of carbonate in septum sealed vials by acid decomposition of the carbonate. The CO{sub 2} is collected on a zeolite trap and subsequently transferred to a syringe from where it is delivered to the ion source. A sample of 400 {mu}g (50 {mu}g C) typically gives a {sup 12}C{sup -} ion source current of 10-15 {mu}A over 20 min, yielding a measurement precision of less than 7 per mil for a modern sample. Using this method, we were able to date a single 560 {mu}g Cibicides pseudoungerianus test at 14,030 {+-} 160 radiocarbon years. Only a minor modification to our existing gas handling system was required and the system is fully automatable to further reduce the effort involved for sample preparation.

Tracing carbon sources through aquatic and terrestrial food webs using amino acid stable isotope fingerprinting.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas Larsen

Full Text Available Tracing the origin of nutrients is a fundamental goal of food web research but methodological issues associated with current research techniques such as using stable isotope ratios of bulk tissue can lead to confounding results. We investigated whether naturally occurring δ(13C patterns among amino acids (δ(13CAA could distinguish between multiple aquatic and terrestrial primary production sources. We found that δ(13CAA patterns in contrast to bulk δ(13C values distinguished between carbon derived from algae, seagrass, terrestrial plants, bacteria and fungi. Furthermore, we showed for two aquatic producers that their δ(13CAA patterns were largely unaffected by different environmental conditions despite substantial shifts in bulk δ(13C values. The potential of assessing the major carbon sources at the base of the food web was demonstrated for freshwater, pelagic, and estuarine consumers; consumer δ(13C patterns of essential amino acids largely matched those of the dominant primary producers in each system. Since amino acids make up about half of organismal carbon, source diagnostic isotope fingerprints can be used as a new complementary approach to overcome some of the limitations of variable source bulk isotope values commonly encountered in estuarine areas and other complex environments with mixed aquatic and terrestrial inputs.

Tracing carbon sources through aquatic and terrestrial food webs using amino acid stable isotope fingerprinting.

Science.gov (United States)

Larsen, Thomas; Ventura, Marc; Andersen, Nils; O'Brien, Diane M; Piatkowski, Uwe; McCarthy, Matthew D

2013-01-01

Tracing the origin of nutrients is a fundamental goal of food web research but methodological issues associated with current research techniques such as using stable isotope ratios of bulk tissue can lead to confounding results. We investigated whether naturally occurring δ(13)C patterns among amino acids (δ(13)CAA) could distinguish between multiple aquatic and terrestrial primary production sources. We found that δ(13)CAA patterns in contrast to bulk δ(13)C values distinguished between carbon derived from algae, seagrass, terrestrial plants, bacteria and fungi. Furthermore, we showed for two aquatic producers that their δ(13)CAA patterns were largely unaffected by different environmental conditions despite substantial shifts in bulk δ(13)C values. The potential of assessing the major carbon sources at the base of the food web was demonstrated for freshwater, pelagic, and estuarine consumers; consumer δ(13)C patterns of essential amino acids largely matched those of the dominant primary producers in each system. Since amino acids make up about half of organismal carbon, source diagnostic isotope fingerprints can be used as a new complementary approach to overcome some of the limitations of variable source bulk isotope values commonly encountered in estuarine areas and other complex environments with mixed aquatic and terrestrial inputs.

Elucidating the Role of Carbon Sources on Abiotic and Biotic Release of Arsenic into Cambodian Aquifers

Science.gov (United States)

Koeneke, M.

2017-12-01

Arsenic (As) is a naturally occurring contaminant in Cambodia that has been contaminating well-water sources of millions of people. Commonly, studies look into the biotic factors that cause the arsenic to be released from aquifer sediments to groundwater. However, abiotic release of As from sediments, though little studied, may also play key roles in As contamination of well water. The goal of this research is to quantitatively compare organic-carbon mediated abiotic and biotic release of arsenic from sediments to groundwater. Batch anaerobic incubation experiments under abiotic (sodium azide used to immobilize microbes) and biotic conditions were conducted using Cambodian aquifer sediments, four different organic carbon sources (sodium lactate, sodium citrate, sodium oxalate, and humic acid), and six different carbon concentrations (0, 1, 2.5, 5, 10, 25mg C/L). Dissolved arsenic, iron(Fe), and manganese(Mn) concentrations in the treatments were measured 112 days . In addition, sediment and solution carbon solution was measured . Collectively, these show how different carbon sources, different carbon concentrations, and how abiotic and biotic factors impact the release of arsenic from Cambodian sediments into aquifers. Overall, an introduction of organic carbon to the soil increases the amount of As released from the sediment. The biotic + abiotic and abiotic conditions seemed to play a minimal role in the amount of As released. Dissolved species analysis showed us that 100% of the As was As(V), Our ICP-MS results vary due to the heterogeneity of samples, but when high levels are Fe are seen in solution, we also see high levels of As. We also see higher As concentrations when there is a smaller amount of Mn in solution.

Effects of different fruit juices used as carbon source on cucumber ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Jane

2011-07-25

Jul 25, 2011 ... In this study, the effect of various commercial fruit juices (used as plant carbon source) was assessed on cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) cv. Liza at seedling stage under aseptic conditions. Seeds were germinated on ½MS medium (within 2-days) under dark conditions. They were sub-cultured on MS0 (MS.

Carbon Transformations and Source - Sink Dynamics along a River, Marsh, Estuary, Ocean Continuum

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, I. C.; Crosswell, J.; Czapla, K.; Van Dam, B.

2017-12-01

Estuaries, the transition zone between land and the coastal ocean, are highly dynamic systems in which carbon sourced from watersheds, marshes, atmosphere, and ocean may be transformed, sequestered, or exported. The net fate of carbon in estuaries, governed by the interactions of biotic and physical drivers varying on spatial and temporal scales, is currently uncertain because of limited observational data. In this study, conducted in a temperate, microtidal, and shallow North Carolina USA estuary, carbon exchanges via river, tributary, and fringing salt marsh, air-water fluxes, sediment C accumulation, and metabolism were monitored over two-years, with sharply different amounts of rainfall. Air-water CO2 fluxes and metabolic variables were simultaneously measured in channel and shoal by conducting high-resolution surveys at dawn, dusk and the following dawn. Marsh CO2 exchanges, sediment C inputs, and lateral exports of DIC and DOC were also measured. Carbon flows between estuary regions and export to the coastal ocean were calculated by quantifying residual transport of DIC and TOC down-estuary as flows were modified by sources, sinks and internal transformations. Variation in metabolic rates, CO2, TOC and DIC exchanges were large when determined for short time and limited spatial scales. However, when scaled to annual and whole estuarine scales, variation tended to decrease because of counteracting metabolic rates and fluxes between channel and shoal or between seasons. Although overall salt marshes accumulated OC, they were a negligible source of DIC and DOC to the estuary, and net inputs of C to the marsh were mainly derived from sediment OC. These results, as observed in other observational studies of estuaries, show that riverine input, light, temperature and metabolism are major controls on carbon cycling. Comparison of our results with other types of estuaries varying in depth, latitude, and nutrification demonstrates large discrepancies underscoring the

Carbon Storages in Plantation Ecosystems in Sand Source Areas of North Beijing, China

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiuping; Zhang, Wanjun; Cao, Jiansheng; Shen, Huitao; Zeng, Xinhua; Yu, Zhiqiang; Zhao, Xin

2013-01-01

Afforestation is a mitigation option to reduce the increased atmospheric carbon dioxide levels as well as the predicted high possibility of climate change. In this paper, vegetation survey data, statistical database, National Forest Resource Inventory database, and allometric equations were used to estimate carbon density (carbon mass per hectare) and carbon storage, and identify the size and spatial distribution of forest carbon sinks in plantation ecosystems in sand source areas of north Beijing, China. From 2001 to the end of 2010, the forest areas increased more than 2.3 million ha, and total carbon storage in forest ecosystems was 173.02 Tg C, of which 82.80 percent was contained in soil in the top 0–100 cm layer. Younger forests have a large potential for enhancing carbon sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems than older ones. Regarding future afforestation efforts, it will be more effective to increase forest area and vegetation carbon density through selection of appropriate tree species and stand structure according to local climate and soil conditions, and application of proper forest management including land-shaping, artificial tending and fencing plantations. It would be also important to protect the organic carbon in surface soils during forest management. PMID:24349223

Soft-to-hard templating to well-dispersed N-doped mesoporous carbon nanospheres via one-pot carbon/silica source copolymerization

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Qinglu Kong; Lingxia Zhang; Min Wang; Mengli Li; Heliang Yao; Jianlin Shi

2016-01-01

Here we report a new approach referred as "softto-hard templating" strategy via the copolymerization of carbon source (dopamine) and silica source (tetraethyl orthosilicate) for the synthesis of well dispersed N-doped mesoporous carbon nanospheres (MCNs),which exhibit high performance for electrochemical supercapacitor.This method overcomes the shortcoming of uncontrolled dispersity and complicated procedures of soft-or hard-tem-plating methods,respectively.Moreover,the synthesized MCNs feature enriched heteroatom N-doping and easy functionalization by noble-metal nanoparticles during the one-pot synthesis.All the above characters make the asprepared MCNs a promising platform in a variety of applications.To demonstrate the applicability of the synthesized nitrogen-doped MCNs,this material has been employed as an electrode for high-performance electrochemical supercapacitor,which shows a capacitance of 223 and 140 F/g at current densities of 0.5 and 10 A/g in 1 mol/L KOH electrolyte,respectively.

The effect of carbon and nitrogen sources on the fatty acids profile of Mortierella vinacea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mina Mohammadi Nasr

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Microbial lipids attract attention of many researchers due to their therapeutic effects. The goal of this study is the production and optimization of lipids and fatty acids in Mortierella vinaceaby applying different media to achieve invaluable fatty acids in pharmaceutical and food industry. Materials and methods: Mortierella vinacea was cultured on potato dextrose agar. Then the spores were inoculated to the production medium. After 72 hours, the lipids were extracted and they were analyzedby gas chromatography. To optimize lipid and important fatty acids production in medium, various carbon and nitrogen sources were substituted with glucose and yeast extract respectively. Results: The effect of some carbon and nitrogen sources on biomass, lipid and fatty acids production were assayed. The highest level of lipid production was in a medium which contains lactose and yeast extract (26.66%. Linoleic acid was only produced in presence of lactose and yeast extract (25.7%. While, M. vinacea yielded the highest level of linoleic acid (52.76% in a medium containing peptone, linolenic acid was achieved only in presence of lactose and triptone. Discussion and conclusion: In this study, lactose as a carbon source was the most effective one in the production of lipids. In addition, linoleic acid was produced in presence of lactose, so lactose was selected as the best carbon source. Peptone and triptone as a nitrogen source were chosen for the production of linoleic acid and linolenic acid in M. vinacea respectively. All of these findings reveal that Mortierella strain is a potential candidate for enhancement of linoleic acid and linolenic acid production. Furthermore, this simple media can be used in production of linoleic acid and linolenic acid for industrial goals in large scales.

Effects of carbon sources, oxygenation and ethanol on the production of inulinase by Kluyveromyces marxianus YX01

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

JIAOQI GAO

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Inulinase is one of the most important factors in consolidated bioprocessing, which combines enzyme production, inulin saccharification, and ethanol fermentation into a single process. In our study, inulinase production and cell growth of Kluyveromyces marxianus YX01 under different conditions were studied. Carbon source was shown to be significant on the production of inulinase, because the activity of inulinase was higher using inulin as a carbon source compared with glucose or fructose. The concentration of the carbon source had a repressive effect on the activity of inulinase. When the concentration was increased to 60 g/L, inulinase activity was only 50% compared with carbon source concentration of 20 g/L. Enzyme activity was also strongly influenced by aeration rate. It has been shown that the activity of inulinase and cell growth under anaerobic conditions were maintained at low levels, but aeration at 1.0 vvm (air volume/broth volume minute led to higher activity. Inulinase activity per unit biomass was not significantly different under different aeration rates. Ethanol had a repressive effect on the cell growth. Cells ceased growing when the level of ethanol was greater than 9% (v/v, but ethanol did not affect the activity of secreted inulinase and the enzyme was stable at ethanol concentration up to 15%.

Factors influencing buyers' willingness to offer price premiums for carbon credits sourced from urban forests

Science.gov (United States)

N.C. Poudyal; J.M. Bowker; J.P. Siry

2015-01-01

Marketing carbon offset credits generated by urban forest projects could help cities and local governments achieve their financial self-sufficiency and environmental sustainability goals. Understanding the value of carbon credits sourced from urban forests, and the factors that determine buyers’ willingness to pay a premium for such credits could benefit cities in...

Thermal hydrolysis of sludge and the use of hydrolysate as carbon source for denitrification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barlindhaug, J

1995-10-01

As a consequence of the North Sea- and the Baltic Sea Treaties as well as the Wastewater Directive of the EU, several large wastewater treatment plants discharging to sensitive receiving waters have to include phosphorus as well as nitrogen removal. This thesis evaluates the so called NTH-process for nutrient removal. In this process pre-precipitation is used in front of a biological nitrogen removal step that is based on a combination of pre- and post-denitrification in moving bed biofilm reactors. The biological step is followed by a final separation step, possibly after coagulant addition. Carbon source for the post denitrification step is made available by hydrolysis of the sludge produced. The idea is that the particulate organic matter, which in a traditional pre-denitrification step would have to be enzymatically hydrolyzed, can be more efficiently hydrolyzed in a concentrated sidestream and used in a post-denitrification step. In the thesis hydrolyzed sludge is used as a carbon source for denitrification. The objective is to investigate the influence of varying hydrolysis conditions on the composition and amount of the thermal hydrolysate produced, as well as the quality of the hydrolysate as a carbon source for denitrification. 201 refs., 78 refs., 53 tabs.

Production of bacterial cellulose using different carbon sources and culture media.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammadkazemi, Faranak; Azin, Mehrdad; Ashori, Alireza

2015-03-06

In this work, the effects of carbon sources and culture media on the production and structural properties of bacterial cellulose (BC) have been studied. BC nanofibers were synthesized using Gluconacetobacter xylinus strain PTCC 1734. Media used were Hestrin-Schramm (H), Yamanaka (Y), and Zhou (Z). Five different carbon sources, namely date syrup, glucose, mannitol, sucrose, and food-grade sucrose were used in these media. All the produced BC pellicles were characterized in terms of dry weight production, biomass yield, thermal stability, crystallinity and morphology by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The obtained results showed that mannitol lead to the highest yield, followed by sucrose. The highest production efficiency of mannitol might be due to the nitrogen source, which plays an important role. The maximum improvement on the thermal stability of the composites was achieved when mannitol was used in H medium. In addition, the crystallinity was higher in BC formed in H medium compared to other media. FE-SEM micrographs illustrated that the BC pellicles, synthesized in the culture media H and Z, were stable, unlike those in medium Y that were unstable. The micrographs of BC produced in media containing mannitol and sucrose provided evidence of the strong interfacial adhesion between the BC fibers without noticeable aggregates. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Elevated carboxyhemoglobin: sources of carbon monoxide exposure.

Science.gov (United States)

Buchelli Ramirez, Herminia; Fernández Alvarez, Ramón; Rubinos Cuadrado, Gemma; Martinez Gonzalez, Cristina; Rodriguez Jerez, Francisco; Casan Clara, Pere

2014-11-01

Inhalation of carbon monoxide (CO) can result in poisoning, with symptoms ranging from mild and nonspecific to severe, or even death. CO poisoning is often underdiagnosed because exposure to low concentrations goes unnoticed, and threshold values for normal carboxyhemoglobin vary according to different authors. The aim of our study was to analyze carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels in an unselected population and detect sources of CO exposure In a cross-sectional descriptive study, we analyzed consecutive arterial blood gas levels processed in our laboratory. We selected those with COHb≥2.5% in nonsmokers and ≥5% in smokers. In these cases a structured telephone interview was conducted. Elevated levels of COHb were found in 64 (20%) of 306 initial determinations. Of these, data from 51 subjects aged 65±12 years, 31 (60%) of which were men, were obtained. Mean COHb was 4.0%. Forty patients (78%) were non-smokers with mean COHb of 3.2%, and 11 were smokers with COHb of 6.7%. In 45 patients (88.2%) we detected exposure to at least one source of ambient CO other than cigarette smoke. A significant proportion of individuals from an unselected sample had elevated levels of COHb. The main sources of CO exposure were probably the home, so this possibility should be explored. The population should be warned about the risks and encouraged to take preventive measures. Copyright © 2013 SEPAR. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

The fabrication of carbon nanotube field-effect transistors with semiconductors as the source and drain contact materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Z; Camino, F E

2009-04-01

Sb(2)Te(3) and Bi(2)Te(2)Se semiconductor materials were used as the source and drain contact materials in the fabrication of carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (CNTFETs). Ultra-purified single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were ultrasonically dispersed in N-methyl pyrrolidone solvent. Dielectrophoresis was used to deposit and align SWCNTs for fabrication of CNTFETs. The Sb(2)Te(3)- and Bi(2)Te(2)Se-based CNTFETs demonstrate p-type metal-oxide-silicon-like I-V curves with high on/off drain-source current ratio at large drain-source voltages and good saturation of drain-source current with increasing drain-source voltage. The fabrication process developed is novel and has general meaning, and could be used for the fabrication of SWCNT-based integrated devices and systems with semiconductor contact materials.

Dry season limnological conditions and basin geology exhibit complex relationships with δ13C and δ15N of carbon sources in four Neotropical floodplains.

Science.gov (United States)

Zaia Alves, Gustavo H; Hoeinghaus, David J; Manetta, Gislaine I; Benedito, Evanilde

2017-01-01

Studies in freshwater ecosystems are seeking to improve understanding of carbon flow in food webs and stable isotopes have been influential in this work. However, variation in isotopic values of basal production sources could either be an asset or a hindrance depending on study objectives. We assessed the potential for basin geology and local limnological conditions to predict stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values of six carbon sources at multiple locations in four Neotropical floodplain ecosystems (Paraná, Pantanal, Araguaia, and Amazon). Limnological conditions exhibited greater variation within than among systems. δ15N differed among basins for most carbon sources, but δ13C did not (though high within-basin variability for periphyton, phytoplankton and particulate organic carbon was observed). Although δ13C and δ15N values exhibited significant correlations with some limnological factors within and among basins, those relationships differed among carbon sources. Regression trees for both carbon and nitrogen isotopes for all sources depicted complex and in some cases nested relationships, and only very limited similarity was observed among trees for different carbon sources. Although limnological conditions predicted variation in isotope values of carbon sources, we suggest the resulting models were too complex to enable mathematical corrections of source isotope values among sites based on these parameters. The importance of local conditions in determining variation in source isotope values suggest that isotopes may be useful for examining habitat use, dispersal and patch dynamics within heterogeneous floodplain ecosystems, but spatial variability in isotope values needs to be explicitly considered when testing ecosystem models of carbon flow in these systems.

Stationary scanning x-ray source based on carbon nanotube field emitters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, J.; Yang, G.; Cheng, Y.; Gao, B.; Qiu, Q.; Lee, Y.Z.; Lu, J.P.; Zhou, O.

2005-01-01

We report a field emission x-ray source that can generate a scanning x-ray beam to image an object from multiple projection angles without mechanical motion. The key component of the device is a gated carbon nanotube field emission cathode with an array of electron emitting pixels that are individually addressable via a metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor-based electronic circuit. The characteristics of this x-ray source are measured and its imaging capability is demonstrated. The device can potentially lead to a fast data acquisition rate for laminography and tomosynthesis with a simplified experimental setup

Effects of carbon source and carbon content on electrochemical performances of Li{sub 4}Ti{sub 5}O{sub 12}/C prepared by one-step solid-state reaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu Xuebu [College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610066 (China); Chengdu Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041 (China); Lin Ziji [China National Quality Supervision and Inspection Center for Alcoholic Beverage Products and Processed Food, Luzhou, Sichuan 646100 (China); Yang Kerun [Chengdu Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041 (China); Hua, Yongjian [China Aviation Lithium Battery Co. Ltd., Luoyang, Henan 471009 (China); Deng Zhenghua, E-mail: zhdeng@cioc.ac.cn [Chengdu Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041 (China)

2011-05-30

Highlights: > A simple route to prepare the Li{sub 4}Ti{sub 5}O{sub 12}/C by one-step solid-state reaction. > Carbon source and carbon content are two important factors on the electrochemical performances of Li{sub 4}Ti{sub 5}O{sub 12}/C. > As-prepared Li{sub 4}Ti{sub 5}O{sub 12}/C under optimized conditions shows excellent electrochemical performances. - Abstract: Li{sub 4}Ti{sub 5}O{sub 12}/C composites were synthesized by one-step solid-state reaction method using four commonly used organic compounds or organic polymers as carbon source, i.e., polyacrylate acid (PAA), citric acid (CA), maleic acid (MA) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The physical characteristics of Li{sub 4}Ti{sub 5}O{sub 12}/C composites were investigated by X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, particle size distribution and thermogravimetry-derivative thermogravimetry techniques. Their electrochemical properties were characterized by cyclic voltammograms, electrochemical impedance spectra, constant current charge-discharge and rate charge-discharge. These analyses indicated that the carbon source and carbon content have a great effect on the physical and electrochemical performances of Li{sub 4}Ti{sub 5}O{sub 12}/C composites. An ideal carbon source and appropriate carbon content effectively improved the electrical contact between the Li{sub 4}Ti{sub 5}O{sub 12} particles, which enhanced the discharge capacity and rate capability of Li{sub 4}Ti{sub 5}O{sub 12}/C composites. PAA was the best carbon source for the synthesis of Li{sub 4}Ti{sub 5}O{sub 12}/C composites. When the carbon content was 3.49 wt.% (LiOH.H{sub 2}O/PAA molar ratio of 1), as-prepared Li{sub 4}Ti{sub 5}O{sub 12}/C showed the maximum discharge capacity. At 0.2 C, initial capacity of the optimized sample was 168.6 mAh g{sup -1} with capacity loss of 2.8% after 50 cycles. At 8 and 10 C, it showed discharge capacities of 143.5 and 132.7 mAh g{sup -1}, with capacity loss of 8.7 and 9.9% after 50 cycles

Dynamics of carbon sources supporting burial in seagrass sediments under increasing anthropogenic pressure

KAUST Repository

Mazarrasa, Inés

2017-03-15

Seagrass meadows are strong coastal carbon sinks of autochthonous and allochthonous carbon. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of coastal anthropogenic pressure on the variability of carbon sources in seagrass carbon sinks during the last 150 yr. We did so by examining the composition of the sediment organic carbon (Corg) stocks by measuring the δ13Corg signature and C : N ratio in 210Pb dated sediments of 11 Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows around the Balearic Islands (Spain, Western Mediterranean) under different levels of human pressure. On average, the top meter sediment carbon deposits were mainly (59% ± 12%) composed by P. oceanica derived carbon whereas seston contribution was generally lower (41% ± 8%). The contribution of P. oceanica to the total sediment carbon stock was the highest (∼ 80%) in the most pristine sites whereas the sestonic contribution was the highest (∼ 40–80%) in the meadows located in areas under moderate to very high human pressure. Furthermore, an increase in the contribution of sestonic carbon and a decrease in that of seagrass derived carbon toward present was observed in most of the meadows examined, coincident with the onset of the tourism industry development and coastal urbanization in the region. Our results demonstrate a general increase of total carbon accumulation rate in P. oceanica sediments during the last century, mainly driven by the increase in sestonic Corg carbon burial, which may have important implications in the long-term carbon sink capacity of the seagrass meadows in the region examined.

Metabolic engineering of Corynebacterium glutamicum aimed at alternative carbon sources and new products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Volker Fritz Wendisch

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Corynebacterium glutamicum is well known as the amino acid-producing workhorse of fermentation industry, being used for multi-million-ton scale production of glutamate and lysine for more than 60 years. However, it is only recently that extensive research has focused on engineering it beyond the scope of amino acids. Meanwhile, a variety of corynebacterial strains allows access to alternative carbon sources and/or allows production of a wide range of industrially relevant compounds. Some of these efforts set new standards in terms of titers and productivities achieved whereas others represent a proof-of-principle. These achievements manifest the position of C. glutamicum as an important industrial microorganism with capabilities far beyond the traditional amino acid production. In this review we focus on the state of the art of metabolic engineering of C. glutamicum for utilization of alternative carbon sources, (e.g. coming from wastes and unprocessed sources, and construction of C. glutamicum strains for production of new products such as diamines, organic acids and alcohols.

Investigating the effect of carbon source on rabies virus glycoprotein production in Pichia pastoris by a transcriptomic approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Ben Azoun, Safa; Kallel, Héla

2017-08-01

Several factors affect protein expression in Pichia pastoris, one among them is the carbon source. In this work, we studied the effect of this factor on the expression level of rabies virus glycoprotein (RABV-G) in two recombinant clones harboring seven copies of the gene of interest. The expression was driven either by the constitutive glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAP) promoter or the inducible alcohol oxidase1 (AOX1) promoter. Clones were compared in terms of cell physiology and carbon source metabolism. The transcription levels of 16 key genes involved in the central metabolic pathway, the methanol catabolism, and the oxidative stress were investigated in both clones. Cell size, as a parameter reflecting cell physiological changes, was also monitored. Our results showed that when glucose was used as the sole carbon source, large cells were obtained. Transcript levels of the genes of the central metabolic pathway were also upregulated, whereas antioxidative gene transcript levels were low. By contrast, the use of methanol as a carbon source generated small cells and a shift in carbon metabolism toward the dissimilatory pathway by the upregulation of formaldehyde dehydrogenase gene and the downregulation of those of the central metabolic. These observations are in favor of the use of glucose to enhance the expression of RABV-G in P. pastoris. © 2017 The Authors. MicrobiologyOpen published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Carbon dioxide capture and separation techniques for advanced power generation point sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pennline, H.W.; Luebke, D.R.; Morsi, B.I.; Heintz, Y.J.; Jones, K.L.; Ilconich, J.B.

2006-09-01

The capture/separation step for carbon dioxide (CO2) from large-point sources is a critical one with respect to the technical feasibility and cost of the overall carbon sequestration scenario. For large-point sources, such as those found in power generation, the carbon dioxide capture techniques being investigated by the in-house research area of the National Energy Technology Laboratory possess the potential for improved efficiency and costs as compared to more conventional technologies. The investigated techniques can have wide applications, but the research has focused on capture/separation of carbon dioxide from flue gas (postcombustion from fossil fuel-fired combustors) and from fuel gas (precombustion, such as integrated gasification combined cycle – IGCC). With respect to fuel gas applications, novel concepts are being developed in wet scrubbing with physical absorption; chemical absorption with solid sorbents; and separation by membranes. In one concept, a wet scrubbing technique is being investigated that uses a physical solvent process to remove CO2 from fuel gas of an IGCC system at elevated temperature and pressure. The need to define an ideal solvent has led to the study of the solubility and mass transfer properties of various solvents. Fabrication techniques and mechanistic studies for hybrid membranes separating CO2 from the fuel gas produced by coal gasification are also being performed. Membranes that consist of CO2-philic silanes incorporated into an alumina support or ionic liquids encapsulated into a polymeric substrate have been investigated for permeability and selectivity. An overview of two novel techniques is presented along with a research progress status of each technology.

Sources and sinks of carbon dioxide in the Arctic regions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gosink, T. A.; Kelley, J. J.

1982-01-01

The data base required to adequately ascertain seasonal source and sink strengths in the arctic regions is difficult to obtain. However, there are now a reasonable quantity of data for this polar region to estimate sources and sinks within the Arctic which may contribute significantly to the annual tropospheric CO/sub 2/ concentration fluctuation. The sea-ice-air and the sea-air interfaces account for most of the contribution to the sources and sinks for carbon dioxide. Although the arctic and subarctic region is small in extent, it certainly is not impervious and ice sealed. Our estimate, based on historical data and current research, indicates that the Arctic, which is about 4% of the earth's surface, is an annual net sink for approx. 10/sup 15/ g CO/sub 2/ accounting for an equivalent of approx. 3% of the annual anthropogenic contribution of CO/sub 2/ to the troposphere.

Liquid scintillation counting system with automatic gain correction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frank, R.B.

1976-01-01

An automatic liquid scintillation counting apparatus is described including a scintillating medium in the elevator ram of the sample changing apparatus. An appropriate source of radiation, which may be the external source for standardizing samples, produces reference scintillations in the scintillating medium which may be used for correction of the gain of the counting system

Immobilized Tannin from Sanseviera trifasciata on Carbon as Adsorbent For Iron(II in Polluted Water Source

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irfan Hanafi Arif

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The organic-agricultural waste resulted from local farmer or community gardening recently paid public attention. The presence and easily grown of “Lidah Mertua” or Sanseviera trifasciata being focused on potency investigation for its prospecting application. It was reported contain some phenolic and also tannin extracted from aqueous solvents. This paper revealed recent investigation applying of its isolated tannin from leave part to modifying of activated carbon. The previous report published that carbon were able to adsorb some toxic heavy metals. However, it has some limitation including lower capacity adsorption. Impregnated or immobilized the tannin-isolated from S. trifasciata leaves was able to modify the carbon functionality, physical appearance, pores size, and it adsorption capacity. Both Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption mechanism model also disclosed the developed adsorbent mechanism of iron(II adsorption on the adsorbent tannin-immobolized on carbon. The real test using community well drilling water source also gave important finding on the concentration of iron(II contained on water source.

BioSimplify: an open source sentence simplification engine to improve recall in automatic biomedical information extraction.

Science.gov (United States)

Jonnalagadda, Siddhartha; Gonzalez, Graciela

2010-11-13

BioSimplify is an open source tool written in Java that introduces and facilitates the use of a novel model for sentence simplification tuned for automatic discourse analysis and information extraction (as opposed to sentence simplification for improving human readability). The model is based on a "shot-gun" approach that produces many different (simpler) versions of the original sentence by combining variants of its constituent elements. This tool is optimized for processing biomedical scientific literature such as the abstracts indexed in PubMed. We tested our tool on its impact to the task of PPI extraction and it improved the f-score of the PPI tool by around 7%, with an improvement in recall of around 20%. The BioSimplify tool and test corpus can be downloaded from https://biosimplify.sourceforge.net.

Application of central composite design to optimize the amount of carbon source and prebiotics for Bifidobacterium bifidum BB01

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shu Guowei

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The objective of the present study was to obtain the optimum proportion of the carbon source and prebiotics for Bifidobacterium bifidum BB01 by the central composite design (CCD. The effect of carbon source (lactose and two prebiotics (inulin and fructooligosaccharides on the BB01 were observed by measuring the OD600 value, pH value and the viable counts at 18h. The final optimized concentrations of carbon source and prebiotics were: lactose 1.6%, inulin 0.26%, and fructooligosaccharides 0.22%. The result indicates that the growth of B. bifidum BB01 shows an significant increase in the optimized culture medium (p < 0.05, the OD600 value reached 1.434 at 18h, which increased 6.58% compared to the control. And the viable counts of B. bifidum BB01 increased 24.36% and reached (2.17±0.06 ×109cfu/mL. The results show that the optimization of the carbon source and prebiotics using CCD in this study is workable and necessary.

Direct Synthesis of Co-doped Graphene on Dielectric Substrates Using Solid Carbon Sources

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Qi Wang; Pingping Zhang; Qiqi Zhuo; Xiaoxin Lv; Jiwei Wang; Xuhui Sun

2015-01-01

Direct synthesis of high-quality doped graphene on dielectric substrates without transfer is highly desired for simplified device processing in electronic applications.However,graphene synthesis directly on substrates suitable for device applications,though highly demanded,remains unattainable and challenging.Here,a simple and transfer-free synthesis of high-quality doped graphene on the dielectric substrate has been developed using a thin Cu layer as the top catalyst and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as both carbon precursors and doping sources.N-doped and N,F-co-doped graphene have been achieved using TPB and F16Cu Pc as solid carbon sources,respectively.The growth conditions were systematically optimized and the as-grown doped graphene were well characterized.The growth strategy provides a controllable transfer-free route for high-quality doped graphene synthesis,which will facilitate the practical applications of graphene.

Assessing carbon source-dependent phenotypic variability in Pseudomonas putida

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nikel, Pablo Ivan; de Lorenzo, Victor

2018-01-01

capacity of single bacteria by means of fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry, in combination with the analysis of the temporal takeoff of growth in single-cell cultures, is a simple and easy-to-implement approach. It can help to understand the link between macroscopic phenotypes (e.g., microbial......The soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida is rapidly becoming a platform of choice for applications that require a microbial host highly resistant to different types of stresses and elevated rates of reducing power regeneration. P. putida is capable of growing in a wide variety of carbon sources...

Influence of natural and novel organic carbon sources on denitrification in forest, degraded urban, and restored streams

Science.gov (United States)

Organic carbon is important in regulating ecosystem function, and its source and abundance may be altered by urbanization. We investigated shifts in organic carbon quantity and quality associated with urbanization and ecosystem restoration, and its potential effects on denitrific...

Barrow Black Carbon Source and Impact Study Final Campaign Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barrett, Tate

2014-07-01

The goal of the Barrow Black Carbon Source and Impact campaign was to characterize the concentration and isotopic composition of carbonaceous atmospheric particulate matter (PM) at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility site in Barrow, Alaska. The carbonaceous component was characterized by measuring the organic and black carbon (OC and BC) components of the total PM. To facilitate complete characterization of the PM, filter-based collections were used, including a medium volume PM_2.5 sampler and a high volume PM₁₀ sampler. Thirty-eight fine PM fractions (PM_2.5) and 49 coarse (PM₁₀) PM fractions were collected at weekly and bi-monthly intervals. The PM_2.5 sampler operated with minimal maintenance during the 12 month campaign. The PM₁₀ sampler used for the Barrow Black Carbon Source and Impact (BBCSI) study used standard Tisch “hi-vol” motors that have a known lifetime of approximately 1 month under constant use; this necessitated monthly maintenance, and it is suggested that, for future deployment in the Arctic, the motors be upgraded to industrial blowers. The BBCSI sampling campaign successfully collected and archived 87 ambient atmospheric PM samples from Barrow, Alaska, from July 2012 to June 2013. Preliminary analysis of the OC and BC concentrations has been completed. This campaign confirmed known trends of high BC lasting from the winter through to spring haze periods and low BC concentrations in the summer. However, the annual OC concentrations had a very different seasonal pattern with the highest concentrations during the summer, lowest concentrations during the fall, and increased concentrations during the winter and spring (Figure 1).

The forest as a historic source and sink for carbon dioxide; Skogen som historisk kaella respektive saenka foer koldioxid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kander, A [Lund Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Economic History

1996-06-01

The aim of the present project is to quantify the changes in the growing stock of timber between 1800 and 1985 in order to find out under which periods and to what extent the forest has served as a source resp. sink for carbon dioxide. These data are compared to the carbon dioxide emissions from combustion of fossil fuels under the same period. Another goal of the project is to find the order of magnitude of the effect of other potential sinks and sources for carbon dioxide. 32 refs, 9 figs, 1 tab

Automatic extraction of legal concepts and definitions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Winkels, R.; Hoekstra, R.

2012-01-01

In this paper we present the results of an experiment in automatic concept and definition extraction from written sources of law using relatively simple natural language and standard semantic web technology. The software was tested on six laws from the tax domain.

Paleofacies of Eocene Lower Ngimbang Source Rocks in Cepu Area, East Java Basin based on Biomarkers and Carbon-13 Isotopes

Science.gov (United States)

Devi, Elok A.; Rachman, Faisal; Satyana, Awang H.; Fahrudin; Setyawan, Reddy

2018-02-01

The Eocene Lower Ngimbang carbonaceous shales are geochemically proven hydrocarbon source rocks in the East Java Basin. Sedimentary facies of source rock is important for the source evaluation that can be examined by using biomarkers and carbon-13 isotopes data. Furthermore, paleogeography of the source sedimentation can be reconstructed. The case study was conducted on rock samples of Lower Ngimbang from two exploration wells drilled in Cepu area, East Java Basin, Kujung-1 and Ngimbang-1 wells. The biomarker data include GC and GC-MS data of normal alkanes, isoprenoids, triterpanes, and steranes. Carbon-13 isotope data include saturate and aromatic fractions. Various crossplots of biomarker and carbon-13 isotope data of the Lower Ngimbang source samples from the two wells show that the source facies of Lower Ngimbang shales changed from transitional/deltaic setting at Kujung-1 well location to marginal marine setting at Ngimbang-1 well location. This reveals that the Eocene paleogeography of the Cepu area was composed of land area in the north and marine setting to the south. Biomarkers and carbon-13 isotopes are powerful data for reconstructing paleogeography and paleofacies. In the absence of fossils in some sedimentary facies, these geochemical data are good alternatives.

Influence of relative trophic position and carbon source on selenium bioaccumulation in turtles from a coal fly-ash spill site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Dyke, James U.; Hopkins, William A.; Jackson, Brian P.

2013-01-01

Selenium (Se) is a bioaccumulative constituent of coal fly-ash that can disrupt reproduction of oviparous wildlife. In food webs, the greatest enrichment of Se occurs at the lowest trophic levels, making it readily bioavailable to higher consumers. However, subsequent enrichment at higher trophic levels is less pronounced, leading to mixed tendencies for Se to biomagnify. We used stable isotopes ( 15 N and 13 C) in claws to infer relative trophic positions and relative carbon sources, respectively, of seven turtle species near the site of a recently-remediated coal fly-ash spill. We then tested whether Se concentrations differed with relative trophic position or relative carbon source. We did not observe a strong relationship between δ 15 N and Se concentration. Instead, selenium concentrations decreased with increasing δ 13 C among species. Therefore, in an assemblage of closely-related aquatic vertebrates, relative carbon source was a better predictor of Se bioaccumulation than was relative trophic position. -- Highlights: •Stable isotope results showed trophic separation among turtle species. •Selenium concentrations did not biomagnify with relative trophic position. •Selenium concentrations decreased with increasing δ 13 C among species. •Carbon source influenced Se bioaccumulation in an assemblage of related vertebrates. -- Stable isotope differences indicate that claw selenium concentrations differ among relative carbon sources, and not among relative trophic positions, in an assemblage of aquatic turtles

Sources and turnover of organic carbon and methane in fjord and shelf sediments off northern Norway

Science.gov (United States)

Sauer, Simone; Hong, Wei-Li; Knies, Jochen; Lepland, Aivo; Forwick, Matthias; Klug, Martin; Eichinger, Florian; Baranwal, Soma; Crémière, Antoine; Chand, Shyam; Schubert, Carsten J.

2016-10-01

To better understand the present and past carbon cycling and transformation processes in methane-influenced fjord and shelf areas of northern Norway, we compared two sediment cores from the Hola trough and from Ullsfjorden. We investigated (1) the organic matter composition and sedimentological characteristics to study the sources of organic carbon (Corg) and the factors influencing Corg burial, (2) pore water geochemistry to determine the contribution of organoclastic sulfate reduction and methanogenesis to total organic carbon turnover, and (3) the carbon isotopic signature of hydrocarbons to identify the carbon transformation processes and gas sources. High sedimentation and Corg accumulation rates in Ullsfjorden support the notion that fjords are important Corg sinks. The depth of the sulfate-methane-transition (SMT) in the fjord is controlled by the supply of predominantly marine organic matter to the sediment. Organoclastic sulfate reduction accounts for 60% of the total depth-integrated sulfate reduction in the fjord. In spite of the presence of ethane, propane, and butane, we suggest a purely microbial origin of light hydrocarbons in the sediments based on their low δ13C values. In the Hola trough, sedimentation and Corg accumulation rates changed during the deglacial-to-post-glacial transition from approximately 80 cm ka-1 to erosion at present. Thus, Corg burial in this part of the shelf is presently absent. Low organic matter content in the sediment and low rates of organoclastic sulfate reduction (only 3% of total depth-integrated sulfate reduction) entail that the shallow depth of the SMT is controlled mostly by ascending thermogenic methane from deeper sources.

Design and development of semi-automatic radiation test and calibration facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yadav, Ashok Kumar; Chouhan, V.K.; Narayan, Pradeep

2008-01-01

Semi-automatic gamma radiation test and calibration facility have been designed, developed and commissioned at Defence Laboratory Jodhpur (DLJ). The facility comprises of medium and high dose rate range setup using 30 Ci Cobalt-60 source, in a portable remotely operated Techops camera and a 15000 Ci 60 Co source in a Tele-therapy machine. The radiation instruments can be positioned at any desired position using a computer controlled positioner having three translational and one rotational motion. User friendly software helps in positioning the Device Under Test (DUT) at any desired dose rate or distance and acquire the data automatically. The servo and stepper motor controlled positioner helps in achieving the required precision and accuracy for the radiation calibration of the instruments. This paper describes the semi-automatic radiation test and calibration facility commissioned at DLJ. (author)

Role of carbon source in the shift from oxidative to hydrolytic wood decomposition by Postia placenta.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jiwei; Schilling, Jonathan S

2017-09-01

Brown rot fungi initiate wood decay using oxidative pretreatments to improve access for cellulolytic enzymes. These pretreatments are incompatible with enzymes, and we recently showed that Postia placenta overcomes this issue by delaying glycoside hydrolase (GH) gene upregulation briefly (wood wafers and spatially mapped expression (via quantitative PCR) of twelve ORs and GHs targeted using functional genomics analyses. By layering expression patterns over solubilized sugar data (via HPLC) from wood, we observed solubilization of wood glucose, cellobiose, mannose, and xylose coincident with the OR-GH transition. We then tested effects of these soluble sugars, plus polymeric carbon sources (spruce powder, cellulose), on P. placenta gene expression in liquid cultures. Expression of ORs was strictly (aox1, cro5) or progressively repressed over time (qrd1, lcc1) by all soluble sugars, including cellobiose, but not by polymeric sources. Simple sugars repressed hemicellulase gene expression over time, but these sugars did not repress cellulases. Cellulase genes were upregulated, however, along with hemicellulases in the presence of soluble cellobiose and in the presence of polymeric carbon sources, relative to starvation (carbon-free). This verifies an inducible cellulase system in P. placenta that lacks carbon catabolite repression (CCR), and it suggests that brown rot fungi use soluble sugars, particularly cellobiose, to cue a critical oxidative-hydrolytic transition. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Investments in Renewable Energy Sources: Do Low Carbon Economies Better Invest in Green Technologies?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio Angelo Romano

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to analyse the driving of investment in renewable energy sources in low carbon and high carbon economies. To address these issues, a dynamic panel analysis of the renewable investment in a sample of 29 countries was proposed. Results demonstrate that the dynamic of investments in renewable sources is similar in the two panels, and depends by nuclear power generation, GDP and technological efficiency. Results show that countries try to reduce their environmental footprint, decreasing the CO2 intensity. Based on the estimation results, we think that energy sustainability passes through the use of renewable resources that can complement the nuclear technology on condition that both exceed their limits.

Assembling x-ray sources by carbon nanotubes

Science.gov (United States)

Sessa, V.; Lucci, M.; Toschi, F.; Orlanducci, S.; Tamburri, E.; Terranova, M. L.; Ciorba, A.; Rossi, M.; Hampai, D.; Cappuccio, G.

2007-05-01

By the use of a chemical vapour deposition technique a series of metal wires (W, Ta, Steel ) with differently shaped tips have been coated by arrays of single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT). The field emission properties of the SWNT deposits have been measured by a home made apparatus working in medium vacuum (10 -6- 10 -7 mbar) and the SWNT-coated wires have been used to fabricate tiny electron sources for X-ray tubes. To check the efficiency of the nanotube coated wires for X-ray generation has, a prototype X-ray tube has been designed and fabricated. The X-ray tube works at pressures about 10 -6 mbar. The target ( Al film) is disposed on a hole in the stainless steel sheath: this configuration makes unnecessary the usual Be window and moreover allows us to use low accelerating potentials (< 6 kV).

Automatic selection of optimal systolic and diastolic reconstruction windows for dual-source CT coronary angiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seifarth, H.; Puesken, M.; Wienbeck, S.; Maintz, D.; Heindel, W.; Juergens, K.U.; Fischbach, R.

2009-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess the performance of a motion-map algorithm that automatically determines optimal reconstruction windows for dual-source coronary CT angiography. In datasets from 50 consecutive patients, optimal systolic and diastolic reconstruction windows were determined using the motion-map algorithm. For manual determination of the optimal reconstruction window, datasets were reconstructed in 5% steps throughout the RR interval. Motion artifacts were rated for each major coronary vessel using a five-point scale. Mean motion scores using the motion-map algorithm were 2.4 ± 0.8 for systolic reconstructions and 1.9 ± 0.8 for diastolic reconstructions. Using the manual approach, overall motion scores were significantly better (1.9 ± 0.5 and 1.7 ± 0.6, p 90% of cases using either approach. Using the automated approach, there was a negative correlation between heart rate and motion scores for systolic reconstructions (ρ = -0.26, p 80 bpm (systolic reconstruction). (orig.)

Evaluating automatically annotated treebanks for linguistic research

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bloem, J.; Bański, P.; Kupietz, M.; Lüngen, H.; Witt, A.; Barbaresi, A.; Biber, H.; Breiteneder, E.; Clematide, S.

2016-01-01

This study discusses evaluation methods for linguists to use when employing an automatically annotated treebank as a source of linguistic evidence. While treebanks are usually evaluated with a general measure over all the data, linguistic studies often focus on a particular construction or a group

An Efficient Metric of Automatic Weight Generation for Properties in Instance Matching Technique

OpenAIRE

Seddiqui, Md. Hanif; Nath, Rudra Pratap Deb; Aono, Masaki

2015-01-01

The proliferation of heterogeneous data sources of semantic knowledge base intensifies the need of an automatic instance matching technique. However, the efficiency of instance matching is often influenced by the weight of a property associated to instances. Automatic weight generation is a non-trivial, however an important task in instance matching technique. Therefore, identifying an appropriate metric for generating weight for a property automatically is nevertheless a formidab...

New CO and HCN sources associated with IRAS carbon stars

Science.gov (United States)

NGUYEN-Q-RIEU; Epchtein, N.; TRUONG-BACH; Cohen, M.

1987-01-01

Emission of CO and HCN was detected in 22 out of a sample of 53 IRAS sources classified as unidentified carbon-rich objects. The sample was selected according to the presence of the silicon carbide feature as revealed by low-resolution spectra. The molecular line widths indicate that the CO and HCN emission arises from the circumstellar envelopes of very highly evolved stars undergoing mass loss. The visible stars tend to be deficient in CO as compared with unidentified sources. Most the detected CO and HCN IRAS stars are distinct and thick-shelled objects, but their infrared and CO luminosities are similar to those of IRC + 102156 AFGL and IRC-CO evolved stars. The 12 micron flux seems to be a good indicator of the distance, hence a guide for molecular searches.

Polyol synthesis in Aspergillus niger : influence of oxygen availability, carbon and nitrogen sources on the metabolism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Diano, Audrey; Bekker-Jensen, S; Dynesen, Jens Østergaard

2006-01-01

Polyol production has been studied in Aspergillus niger under different conditions. Fermentations have been run using high concentration of glucose or xylose as carbon source and ammonium or nitrate as nitrogen source. The growth of biomass, as freely dispersed hyphae, led to an increase of medium...

An open source automatic quality assurance (OSAQA) tool for the ACR MRI phantom.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Jidi; Barnes, Michael; Dowling, Jason; Menk, Fred; Stanwell, Peter; Greer, Peter B

2015-03-01

Routine quality assurance (QA) is necessary and essential to ensure MR scanner performance. This includes geometric distortion, slice positioning and thickness accuracy, high contrast spatial resolution, intensity uniformity, ghosting artefact and low contrast object detectability. However, this manual process can be very time consuming. This paper describes the development and validation of an open source tool to automate the MR QA process, which aims to increase physicist efficiency, and improve the consistency of QA results by reducing human error. The OSAQA software was developed in Matlab and the source code is available for download from http://jidisun.wix.com/osaqa-project/. During program execution QA results are logged for immediate review and are also exported to a spreadsheet for long-term machine performance reporting. For the automatic contrast QA test, a user specific contrast evaluation was designed to improve accuracy for individuals on different display monitors. American College of Radiology QA images were acquired over a period of 2 months to compare manual QA and the results from the proposed OSAQA software. OSAQA was found to significantly reduce the QA time from approximately 45 to 2 min. Both the manual and OSAQA results were found to agree with regard to the recommended criteria and the differences were insignificant compared to the criteria. The intensity homogeneity filter is necessary to obtain an image with acceptable quality and at the same time keeps the high contrast spatial resolution within the recommended criterion. The OSAQA tool has been validated on scanners with different field strengths and manufacturers. A number of suggestions have been made to improve both the phantom design and QA protocol in the future.

Total organic carbon, an important tool in a holistic approach to hydrocarbon source fingerprinting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boehm, P.D.; Burns, W.A.; Page, D.S.; Bence, A.E.; Mankiewicz, P.J.; Brown, J.S.; Douglas, G.S.

2002-01-01

Total organic carbon (TOC) was used to verify the consistency of source allocation results for the natural petrogenic hydrocarbon background of the northern Gulf of Alaska and Prince William Sound where the Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in 1998. The samples used in the study were either pre-spill sediments or from the seafloor outside the spill path. It is assumed that the natural petrogenic hydrocarbon background in the area comes from either seep oil residues and shale erosion including erosion from petroleum source rock shales, or from coals including those of the Bering River coalfields. The objective of this study was to use the TOC calculations to discriminate between the two very different sources. TOC can constrain the contributions of specific sources and rule out incorrect source allocations, particularly when inputs are dominated by fossil organic carbon. The benthic sediments used in this study showed excellent agreement between measured TOC and calculated TOC from hydrocarbon fingerprint matches of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and chemical biomarkers. TOC and fingerprint matches confirmed that TOC sources were properly identified. The matches quantify the hydrocarbon contributions of different sources to the benthic sediments and the degree of hydrocarbon winnowing by waves and currents. It was concluded that the natural petrogenic hydrocarbon background in the sediments in the area comes from eroding Tertiary shales and oil seeps along the northern Gulf of Alaska coast. Thermally mature area coals are excluded from being important contributors to the background at Prince William Sound because of their high TOC content. 26 refs., 4 figs

Total organic carbon, an important tool in a holistic approach to hydrocarbon source fingerprinting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boehm, P.D. [Battelle, Waltham, MA (United States); Burns, W.A. [W.A. Burns Consulting Services, Houston, TX (United States); Page, D.S. [Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME (United States); Bence, A.E.; Mankiewicz, P.J. [ExxonMobil Upstream Research Co., Houston, TX (United States); Brown, J.S.; Douglas, G.S. [Battelle, Duxbury, MA (United States)

2002-07-01

Total organic carbon (TOC) was used to verify the consistency of source allocation results for the natural petrogenic hydrocarbon background of the northern Gulf of Alaska and Prince William Sound where the Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in 1998. The samples used in the study were either pre-spill sediments or from the seafloor outside the spill path. It is assumed that the natural petrogenic hydrocarbon background in the area comes from either seep oil residues and shale erosion including erosion from petroleum source rock shales, or from coals including those of the Bering River coalfields. The objective of this study was to use the TOC calculations to discriminate between the two very different sources. TOC can constrain the contributions of specific sources and rule out incorrect source allocations, particularly when inputs are dominated by fossil organic carbon. The benthic sediments used in this study showed excellent agreement between measured TOC and calculated TOC from hydrocarbon fingerprint matches of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and chemical biomarkers. TOC and fingerprint matches confirmed that TOC sources were properly identified. The matches quantify the hydrocarbon contributions of different sources to the benthic sediments and the degree of hydrocarbon winnowing by waves and currents. It was concluded that the natural petrogenic hydrocarbon background in the sediments in the area comes from eroding Tertiary shales and oil seeps along the northern Gulf of Alaska coast. Thermally mature area coals are excluded from being important contributors to the background at Prince William Sound because of their high TOC content. 26 refs., 4 figs.

Sources and mobility of carbonate melts beneath cratons, with implications for deep carbon cycling, metasomatism and rift initiation

Science.gov (United States)

Tappe, Sebastian; Romer, Rolf L.; Stracke, Andreas; Steenfelt, Agnete; Smart, Katie A.; Muehlenbachs, Karlis; Torsvik, Trond H.

2017-05-01

Kimberlite and carbonatite magmas that intrude cratonic lithosphere are among the deepest probes of the terrestrial carbon cycle. Their co-existence on thick continental shields is commonly attributed to continuous partial melting sequences of carbonated peridotite at >150 km depths, possibly as deep as the mantle transition zone. At Tikiusaaq on the North Atlantic craton in West Greenland, approximately 160 Ma old ultrafresh kimberlite dykes and carbonatite sheets provide a rare opportunity to study the origin and evolution of carbonate-rich melts beneath cratons. Although their Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb-Li isotopic compositions suggest a common convecting upper mantle source that includes depleted and recycled oceanic crust components (e.g., negative ΔεHf coupled with > + 5 ‰ δ7Li), incompatible trace element modelling identifies only the kimberlites as near-primary low-degree partial melts (0.05-3%) of carbonated peridotite. In contrast, the trace element systematics of the carbonatites are difficult to reproduce by partial melting of carbonated peridotite, and the heavy carbon isotopic signatures (-3.6 to - 2.4 ‰ δ13C for carbonatites versus -5.7 to - 3.6 ‰ δ13C for kimberlites) require open-system fractionation at magmatic temperatures. Given that the oxidation state of Earth's mantle at >150 km depth is too reduced to enable larger volumes of 'pure' carbonate melt to migrate, it is reasonable to speculate that percolating near-solidus melts of carbonated peridotite must be silicate-dominated with only dilute carbonate contents, similar to the Tikiusaaq kimberlite compositions (e.g., 16-33 wt.% SiO2). This concept is supported by our findings from the North Atlantic craton where kimberlite and other deeply derived carbonated silicate melts, such as aillikites, exsolve their carbonate components within the shallow lithosphere en route to the Earth's surface, thereby producing carbonatite magmas. The relative abundances of trace elements of such highly

Effect of Different Carbon Sources on Bacterial Nanocellulose Production and Structure Using the Low pH Resistant Strain Komagataeibacter Medellinensis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Molina-Ramírez

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Bacterial cellulose (BC is a polymer obtained by fermentation with microorganism of different genera. Recently, new producer species have been discovered, which require identification of the most important variables affecting cellulose production. In this work, the influence of different carbon sources in BC production by a novel low pH-resistant strain Komagataeibacter medellinensis was established. The Hestrin-Schramm culture medium was used as a reference and was compared to other media comprising glucose, fructose, and sucrose, used as carbon sources at three concentrations (1, 2, and 3% w/v. The BC yield and dynamics of carbon consumption were determined at given fermentation times during cellulose production. While the carbon source did not influence the BC structural characteristics, different production levels were determined: glucose > sucrose > fructose. These results highlight considerations to improve BC industrial production and to establish the BC property space for applications in different fields.

Mesoscale inversion of carbon sources and sinks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lauvaux, T.

2008-01-01

Inverse methods at large scales are used to infer the spatial variability of carbon sources and sinks over the continents but their uncertainties remain large. Atmospheric concentrations integrate the surface flux variability but atmospheric transport models at low resolution are not able to simulate properly the local atmospheric dynamics at the measurement sites. However, the inverse estimates are more representative of the large spatial heterogeneity of the ecosystems compared to direct flux measurements. Top-down and bottom-up methods that aim at quantifying the carbon exchanges between the surface and the atmosphere correspond to different scales and are not easily comparable. During this phD, a mesoscale inverse system was developed to correct carbon fluxes at 8 km resolution. The high resolution transport model MesoNH was used to simulate accurately the variability of the atmospheric concentrations, which allowed us to reduce the uncertainty of the retrieved fluxes. All the measurements used here were observed during the intensive regional campaign CERES of May and June 2005, during which several instrumented towers measured CO 2 concentrations and fluxes in the South West of France. Airborne measurements allowed us to observe concentrations at high altitude but also CO 2 surface fluxes over large parts of the domain. First, the capacity of the inverse system to correct the CO 2 fluxes was estimated using pseudo-data experiments. The largest fraction of the concentration variability was attributed to regional surface fluxes over an area of about 300 km around the site locations depending on the meteorological conditions. Second, an ensemble of simulations allowed us to define the spatial and temporal structures of the transport errors. Finally, the inverse fluxes at 8 km resolution were compared to direct flux measurements. The inverse system has been validated in space and time and showed an improvement of the first guess fluxes from a vegetation model

Advanced Electron Beam Ion Sources (EBIS) for 2-nd generation carbon radiotherapy facilities

CERN Document Server

Shornikov, A.

2016-01-01

In this work we analyze how advanced Electron Beam Ion Sources (EBIS) can facilitate the progress of carbon therapy facilities. We will demonstrate that advanced ion sources enable operation of 2-nd generation ion beam therapy (IBT) accelerators. These new accelerator concepts with designs dedicated to IBT provide beams better suited for therapy and, are more cost efficient than contemporary IBT facilities. We will give a sort overview of the existing new IBT concepts and focus on those where ion source technology is the limiting factor. We will analyse whether this limitation can be overcome in the near future thanks to ongoing EBIS development.

Tracing the source of soil organic matter eroded from temperate forest catchments using carbon and nitrogen isotopes

Science.gov (United States)

Emma P. McCorkle; Asmeret Asefaw Berhe; Carolyn T. Hunsaker; Dale W. Johnson; Karis J. McFarlane; Marilyn L. Fogel; Stephen C. Hart

2016-01-01

Soil erosion continuously redistributes soil and associated soil organic matter (SOM) on the Earth's surface, with important implications for biogeochemical cycling of essential elements and terrestrial carbon sequestration. Despite the importance of soil erosion, surprisingly few studies have evaluated the sources of eroded carbon (C). We used natural abundance...

Measurement of carbon capture efficiency and stored carbon leakage

Science.gov (United States)

Keeling, Ralph F.; Dubey, Manvendra K.

2013-01-29

Data representative of a measured carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) concentration and of a measured oxygen (O.sub.2) concentration at a measurement location can be used to determine whether the measured carbon dioxide concentration at the measurement location is elevated relative to a baseline carbon dioxide concentration due to escape of carbon dioxide from a source associated with a carbon capture and storage process. Optionally, the data can be used to quantify a carbon dioxide concentration increase at the first location that is attributable to escape of carbon dioxide from the source and to calculate a rate of escape of carbon dioxide from the source by executing a model of gas-phase transport using at least the first carbon dioxide concentration increase. Related systems, methods, and articles of manufacture are also described.

Carbon Source-Dependent Inducible Metabolism of Veratryl Alcohol and Ferulic Acid in Pseudomonas putida CSV86

Science.gov (United States)

Mohan, Karishma

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas putida CSV86 degrades lignin-derived metabolic intermediates, viz., veratryl alcohol, ferulic acid, vanillin, and vanillic acid, as the sole sources of carbon and energy. Strain CSV86 also degraded lignin sulfonate. Cell respiration, enzyme activity, biotransformation, and high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses suggest that veratryl alcohol and ferulic acid are metabolized to vanillic acid by two distinct carbon source-dependent inducible pathways. Vanillic acid was further metabolized to protocatechuic acid and entered the central carbon pathway via the β-ketoadipate route after ortho ring cleavage. Genes encoding putative enzymes involved in the degradation were found to be present at fer, ver, and van loci. The transcriptional analysis suggests a carbon source-dependent cotranscription of these loci, substantiating the metabolic studies. Biochemical and quantitative real-time (qRT)-PCR studies revealed the presence of two distinct O-demethylases, viz., VerAB and VanAB, involved in the oxidative demethylation of veratric acid and vanillic acid, respectively. This report describes the various steps involved in metabolizing lignin-derived aromatic compounds at the biochemical level and identifies the genes involved in degrading veratric acid and the arrangement of phenylpropanoid metabolic genes as three distinct inducible transcription units/operons. This study provides insight into the bacterial degradation of lignin-derived aromatics and the potential of P. putida CSV86 as a suitable candidate for producing valuable products. IMPORTANCE Pseudomonas putida CSV86 metabolizes lignin and its metabolic intermediates as a carbon source. Strain CSV86 displays a unique property of preferential utilization of aromatics, including for phenylpropanoids over glucose. This report unravels veratryl alcohol metabolism and genes encoding veratric acid O-demethylase, hitherto unknown in pseudomonads, thereby providing new insight into the

Sourcing methane and carbon dioxide emissions from a small city: Influence of natural gas leakage and combustion.

Science.gov (United States)

Chamberlain, Samuel D; Ingraffea, Anthony R; Sparks, Jed P

2016-11-01

Natural gas leakage and combustion are major sources of methane (CH 4 ) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), respectively; however, our understanding of emissions from cities is limited. We mapped distribution pipeline leakage using a mobile CH 4 detection system, and continuously monitored atmospheric CO 2 and CH 4 concentrations and carbon isotopes (δ 13 C-CO 2 and δ 13 C-CH 4 ) for one-year above Ithaca, New York. Pipeline leakage rates were low (emission source in that wind sector. Our results demonstrate pipeline leakage rates are low in cities with a low extent of leak prone pipe, and natural gas power facilities may be an important source of urban and suburban emissions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Opto-mechanical devices for the Antares automatic beam alignment system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swann, T.; Combs, C.; Witt, J.

1981-01-01

Antares is a 24-beam CO 2 laser system for controlled fusion research, under construction at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Rapid automatic alignment of this system is required prior to each experimental shot. Unique opto-mechanical alignment devices, which have been developed specifically for this automatic alignment system, are discussed. A variable focus alignment telescope views point light sources. A beam expander/spatial filter processes both a visible Krypton Ion and a 10.6 μm CO 2 alignment laser. The periscope/carousel device provides the means by which the alignment telescope can sequentially view each of twelve optical trains in each power amplifier. The polyhedron alignment device projects a point-light source for both centering and pointing alignment at the polyhedron mirror. The rotating wedge alignment device provides a sequencing point-light source and also compensates for dispersion between visible and 10.6 μm radiation. The back reflector flip in remotely positions point-light sources at the back reflector mirrors. A light source box illuminates optic fibers with high intensity white light which is distributed to the various point-light sources in the system

an automatic safety control for immersion water heater

African Journals Online (AJOL)

NIJOTECH

An important source of concern with this appliance is the frequent possibility of outbreak of fire due to ... The safety condition is achieved by incorporating a device, which automatically .... The relay-driving network is indicated in the circuit of ...

Colored dissolved organic matter in shallow estuaries: relationships between carbon sources and light attenuation

Science.gov (United States)

Oestreich, W. K.; Ganju, N. K.; Pohlman, J. W.; Suttles, S. E.

2016-02-01

Light availability is of primary importance to the ecological function of shallow estuaries. For example, benthic primary production by submerged aquatic vegetation is contingent upon light penetration to the seabed. A major component that attenuates light in estuaries is colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM). CDOM is often measured via a proxy, fluorescing dissolved organic matter (fDOM), due to the ease of in situ fDOM sensor measurements. Fluorescence must be converted to CDOM absorbance for use in light attenuation calculations. However, this CDOM-fDOM relationship varies among and within estuaries. We quantified the variability in this relationship within three estuaries along the mid-Atlantic margin of the eastern United States: West Falmouth Harbor (MA), Barnegat Bay (NJ), and Chincoteague Bay (MD/VA). Land use surrounding these estuaries ranges from urban to developed, with varying sources of nutrients and organic matter. Measurements of fDOM (excitation and emission wavelengths of 365 nm (±5 nm) and 460 nm (±40 nm), respectively) and CDOM absorbance were taken along a terrestrial-to-marine gradient in all three estuaries. The ratio of the absorption coefficient at 340 nm (m-1) to fDOM (QSU) was higher in West Falmouth Harbor (1.22) than in Barnegat Bay (0.22) and Chincoteague Bay (0.17). The CDOM : fDOM absorption ratio was variable between sites within West Falmouth Harbor and Barnegat Bay, but consistent between sites within Chincoteague Bay. Stable carbon isotope analysis for constraining the source of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in West Falmouth Harbor and Barnegat Bay yielded δ13C values ranging from -19.7 to -26.1 ‰ and -20.8 to -26.7 ‰, respectively. Concentration and stable carbon isotope mixing models of DOC (dissolved organic carbon) indicate a contribution of 13C-enriched DOC in the estuaries. The most likely source of 13C-enriched DOC for the systems we investigated is Spartina cordgrass. Comparison of DOC source to CDOM : f

Burial fluxes and source apportionment of carbon in culture areas of Sanggou Bay over the past 200 years

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

LIU Sai; HUANG Jiansheng; YANG Qian; YANG Shu; YANG Guipeng; SUN Yao

2015-01-01

In this study, we assessed the burial fluxes and source appointment of different forms of carbon in core sediments collected from culture areas in the Sanggou Bay, and preliminarily analyzed the reasons for the greater proportion of inorganic carbon burial fluxes (BFTIC). The average content of total carbon (TC) in the Sanggou Bay was 2.14%. Total organic carbon (TOC) accounted for a small proportion in TC, more than 65% of which derived from terrigenous organic carbon (Ct), and while the proportion of marine-derived organic carbon (Ca) increased significantly since the beginning of large-scale aquaculture. Total inorganic carbon (TIC) accounted for 60%–75%of TC, an average of which was 60%, with a maximum up to 90% during flourishing periods (1880–1948) of small natural shellfish derived from seashells inorganic carbon (Shell-IC). The TC burial fluxes ranged from 31 g/(m2·a) to 895 g/(m2·a) with an average of 227 g/(m2·a), which was dominated by TIC (about 70%). Shell-IC was the main source of TIC and even TC. As the main food of natural shellfish, biogenic silica (BSi) negatively correlated with BFTIC through affecting shellfish breeding. BFTIC of Sta. S1, influenced greatly by the Yellow Sea Coastal Current, had a certain response to Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) in some specific periods.

Growth of Hexagonal Columnar Nanograin Structured SiC Thin Films on Silicon Substrates with Graphene–Graphitic Carbon Nanoflakes Templates from Solid Carbon Sources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wanshun Zhao

2013-04-01

Full Text Available We report a new method for growing hexagonal columnar nanograin structured silicon carbide (SiC thin films on silicon substrates by using graphene–graphitic carbon nanoflakes (GGNs templates from solid carbon sources. The growth was carried out in a conventional low pressure chemical vapor deposition system (LPCVD. The GGNs are small plates with lateral sizes of around 100 nm and overlap each other, and are made up of nanosized multilayer graphene and graphitic carbon matrix (GCM. Long and straight SiC nanograins with hexagonal shapes, and with lateral sizes of around 200–400 nm are synthesized on the GGNs, which form compact SiC thin films.

Sourcing of Steam and Electricity for Carbon Capture Retrofits.

Science.gov (United States)

Supekar, Sarang D; Skerlos, Steven J

2017-11-07

This paper compares different steam and electricity sources for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) retrofits of pulverized coal (PC) and natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plants. Analytical expressions for the thermal efficiency of these power plants are derived under 16 different CCS retrofit scenarios for the purpose of illustrating their environmental and economic characteristics. The scenarios emerge from combinations of steam and electricity sources, fuel used in each source, steam generation equipment and process details, and the extent of CO 2 capture. Comparing these scenarios reveals distinct trade-offs between thermal efficiency, net power output, levelized cost, profit, and net CO 2 reduction. Despite causing the highest loss in useful power output, bleeding steam and extracting electric power from the main power plant to meet the CCS plant's electricity and steam demand maximizes plant efficiency and profit while minimizing emissions and levelized cost when wholesale electricity prices are below 4.5 and 5.2 US¢/kWh for PC-CCS and NGCC-CCS plants, respectively. At prices higher than these higher profits for operating CCS retrofits can be obtained by meeting 100% of the CCS plant's electric power demand using an auxiliary natural gas turbine-based combined heat and power plant.

Plutonium oxides and uranium and plutonium mixed oxides. Carbon determination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

Determination of carbon in plutonium oxides and uranium plutonium mixed oxides, suitable for a carbon content between 20 to 3000 ppm. The sample is roasted in oxygen at 1200 0 C, the carbon dioxide produced by combustion is neutralized by barium hydroxide generated automatically by coulometry [fr

Automatic Imitation

Science.gov (United States)

Heyes, Cecilia

2011-01-01

"Automatic imitation" is a type of stimulus-response compatibility effect in which the topographical features of task-irrelevant action stimuli facilitate similar, and interfere with dissimilar, responses. This article reviews behavioral, neurophysiological, and neuroimaging research on automatic imitation, asking in what sense it is "automatic"…

Automatic opening system for radioactive source in teaching laboratory; Sistema automatico de abertura de fonte radiativa em laboratorio de ensino

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seren, Maria Emilia Gibin, E-mail: mseren@ifi.unicamp.br [Universidade Estadual de Campinas (LEB/IFGW/UNICAMP), SP (Brazil). Inst. de Fisica Gleb Wataghin. Lab. de Ensino em Fisica Medica; Gaal, Vladimir, E-mail: vladimir@ifi.unicamp.br [Universidade Estadual de Campinas (LEB/IFGW/UNICAMP), SP (Brazil). Inst. de Fisica Gleb Wataghin. Lab. de Eletronica e Eletricidade; Rodrigues, Varlei, E-mail: varlei@ifi.unicamp.br [Universidade Estadual de Campinas (DFA/IFGW/UNICAMP), SP (Brazil). Inst. de Fisica Gleb Wataghin. Dept. de Fisica Aplicada; Morais, Sergio Luiz de, E-mail: ceelinho@ifi.unicamp.br [Universidade Estadual de Campinas (CST-Mec/IFGW/UNICAMP), SP (Brazil). Inst. de Fisica Gleb Wataghin. Oficina Mecanica

2013-07-01

Compton scattering phenomenon is experimentally studied during the medical physics laboratory course at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP). The Teaching Laboratory of Medical Physics from IFGW/UNICAMP has a structure for its development: a fixed {sup 137}Cs sealed source with activity 610.5MBq, whose emitted radiation collides on a target, and a scintillation detector that turns around the target and detects scattered photons spectrum. {sup 137}Cs source is stored in a lead shield with a collimating window for the gamma radiation emitted with energy of 0.662MeV. This source is exposed only when attenuation barrier protecting the collimating window is opened. The process of opening and closing the attenuation barrier may deliver radiation dose to users when done manually. Taking into account the stochastic harmful effects of ionizing radiation, the objective of this project was to develop an automatic exposure system of the radioactive source in order to reduce the dose during the Compton scattering experiment. The developed system is micro controlled and performs standard operating routines and responds to emergencies. Electromagnetic lock enables quick closing barrier by gravity in case of interruption of electrical current circuit. Besides reducing the total dose of lab users, the system adds more security in the routine since it limits access to the source and prevents accidental exposure. (author)

Long-term trends in California mobile source emissions and ambient concentrations of black carbon and organic aerosol.

Science.gov (United States)

McDonald, Brian C; Goldstein, Allen H; Harley, Robert A

2015-04-21

A fuel-based approach is used to assess long-term trends (1970-2010) in mobile source emissions of black carbon (BC) and organic aerosol (OA, including both primary emissions and secondary formation). The main focus of this analysis is the Los Angeles Basin, where a long record of measurements is available to infer trends in ambient concentrations of BC and organic carbon (OC), with OC used here as a proxy for OA. Mobile source emissions and ambient concentrations have decreased similarly, reflecting the importance of on- and off-road engines as sources of BC and OA in urban areas. In 1970, the on-road sector accounted for ∼90% of total mobile source emissions of BC and OA (primary + secondary). Over time, as on-road engine emissions have been controlled, the relative importance of off-road sources has grown. By 2010, off-road engines were estimated to account for 37 ± 20% and 45 ± 16% of total mobile source contributions to BC and OA, respectively, in the Los Angeles area. This study highlights both the success of efforts to control on-road emission sources, and the importance of considering off-road engine and other VOC source contributions when assessing long-term emission and ambient air quality trends.

A safe and cost-effective PMMA carbon source for MgB{sub 2}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ranot, Mahipal; Shinde, K. P.; Oh, Y. S.; Kang, S. H.; Chung, K. C. [Korea Institute of Materials Science, Changwon (Korea, Republic of); Jang, S. H. [Kiswire Advanced Technology Ltd, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Sinha, B. B. [National Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, University of Mumbai, Mumbai (India); Bhardwaj, A. [Dept. of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon (Korea, Republic of)

2017-03-15

Carbon is proven to be very effective in pinning the magnetic vortices and improving the superconducting performance of MgB2 at high fields. In this work, we have used polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) polymer as a safe and cost effective carbon source. The effects of molecular weight of PMMA on crystal structure, microstructure as well as on superconducting properties of MgB2 were studied. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that there is a noticeable shift in (100) and (110) Bragg reflections towards higher angles, while no shift was observed in (002) reflections for MgB2 doped with different molecular weights of PMMA. This indicates that carbon could be substituted in the boron honeycomb layers without affecting the interlayer interactions. As compared to undoped MgB2, substantial enhancement in Jc(H) properties was obtained for PMMA-doped MgB2 samples both at 5 K and 20 K. The enhancement could be attributed to the effective carbon substitution for boron and the refinement of crystallite size by PMMA doping.

Trends in the sources and sinks of carbon dioxide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Le Quere, Corrine [University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom; Raupach, Mike [GCP, Canberra, Australia; Canadell, J.G. [CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research; Marland, Gregg [ORNL; Bopp, Laurent [National Center for Scientific Research, Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Ciais, Philippe [Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l' Environement, France; Friedlingstein, Pierre [National Center for Scientific Research, Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Viovy, Nicolas [National Center for Scientific Research, Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Conway, T.J. [NOAA, Boulder, CO; Doney, Scott C. [Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; Feely, R. A. [NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory; Foster, Pru [University of Bristol, UK; House, Joanna I [University of Bristol, UK; Prentice, Colin I. [University of Bristol, UK; Gurney, Kevin [Purdue University; Houghton, R.A. [Woods Hole Research Center, Woods Hole, MA; Huntingford, Chris [Center for Ecology and Hydrology, Oxon, England; Levy, Peter E. [Center for Ecology and Hydrology, Midlothian, Scotland; Lomas, M. R. [University of Sheffield; Woodward, F. I. [University of Sheffield; Majkut, Joseph [Princeton University; Sarmiento, Jorge L. [Princeton University; Metzl, Nicolas [University of Paris; Ometto, Jean P [ORNL; Randerson, James T. [University of California, Irvine; Peters, Glen P [Center for International Climate and Energy Research (CICERO), Oslo, Norway; Running, Steven [University of Montana, Missoula; Sitch, Stephen [University of Leeds, UK; Takahashi, Taro [Columbia University; Van der Werf, Guido [Universitate Amsterdam

2009-12-01

Efforts to control climate change require the stabilization of atmospheric CO2 concentrations. This can only be achieved through a drastic reduction of global CO2 emissions. Yet fossil fuel emissions increased by 29% between 2000 and 2008, in conjunction with increased contributions from emerging economies, from the production and international trade of goods and services, and from the use of coal as a fuel source. In contrast, emissions from land-use changes were nearly constant. Between 1959 and 2008, 43% of each year's CO2 emissions remained in the atmosphere on average; the rest was absorbed by carbon sinks on land and in the oceans. In the past 50 years, the fraction of CO2 emissions that remains in the atmosphere each year has likely increased, from about 40% to 45%, and models suggest that this trend was caused by a decrease in the uptake of CO2 by the carbon sinks in response to climate change and variability. Changes in the CO2 sinks are highly uncertain, but they could have a significant influence on future atmospheric CO2 levels. It is therefore crucial to reduce the uncertainties.

Antares automatic beam alignment system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Appert, Q.; Swann, T.; Sweatt, W.; Saxman, A.

1980-01-01

Antares is a 24-beam-line CO 2 laser system for controlled fusion research, under construction at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL). Rapid automatic alignment of this system is required prior to each experiment shot. The alignment requirements, operational constraints, and a developed prototype system are discussed. A visible-wavelength alignment technique is employed that uses a telescope/TV system to view point light sources appropriately located down the beamline. Auto-alignment is accomplished by means of a video centroid tracker, which determines the off-axis error of the point sources. The error is nulled by computer-driven, movable mirrors in a closed-loop system. The light sources are fiber-optic terminations located at key points in the optics path, primarily at the center of large copper mirrors, and remotely illuminated to reduce heating effects

Nanostructured current sources based on carbon nanotubes excited by β radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saurov, A. N.; Bulyarskiy, S. V.; Risovaniy, V. D.; Pavlov, A. A.; Abanin, I. E.; Kitsyuk, E. P.; Shamanaev, A. A.; Lebedev, E. A.

2016-01-01

An analysis of available and promising developments is carried out in the field of power elements based on β decay. The possible fabrication technologies are described, and the efficiency of the power sources manufactured with them is calculated. The possibility of designing a self-charging supercapacitor based on carbon nanotubes is considered with the use of "6"3Ni and "1"4C isotopes, and theoretical calculation confirms the promising nature of this line of research.

Nanostructured current sources based on carbon nanotubes excited by β radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saurov, A. N. [SMC Technological Center (Russian Federation); Bulyarskiy, S. V. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Microelectronics Nanotechnology Institute, INME (Russian Federation); Risovaniy, V. D. [CJSC Science and Innovation (Russian Federation); Pavlov, A. A. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Microelectronics Nanotechnology Institute, INME (Russian Federation); Abanin, I. E.; Kitsyuk, E. P.; Shamanaev, A. A. [SMC Technological Center (Russian Federation); Lebedev, E. A., E-mail: dr.beefheart@gmail.com [National Research University Moscow Institute of Electronic Technology (MIET) (Russian Federation)

2016-12-15

An analysis of available and promising developments is carried out in the field of power elements based on β decay. The possible fabrication technologies are described, and the efficiency of the power sources manufactured with them is calculated. The possibility of designing a self-charging supercapacitor based on carbon nanotubes is considered with the use of {sup 63}Ni and {sup 14}C isotopes, and theoretical calculation confirms the promising nature of this line of research.

Quantifying Sources and Fluxes of Aquatic Carbon in U.S. Streams and Reservoirs Using Spatially Referenced Regression Models

Science.gov (United States)

Boyer, E. W.; Smith, R. A.; Alexander, R. B.; Schwarz, G. E.

2004-12-01

Organic carbon (OC) is a critical water quality characteristic in riverine systems that is an important component of the aquatic carbon cycle and energy balance. Examples of processes controlled by OC interactions are complexation of trace metals; enhancement of the solubility of hydrophobic organic contaminants; formation of trihalomethanes in drinking water; and absorption of visible and UV radiation. Organic carbon also can have indirect effects on water quality by influencing internal processes of aquatic ecosystems (e.g. photosynthesis and autotrophic and heterotrophic activity). The importance of organic matter dynamics on water quality has been recognized, but challenges remain in quantitatively addressing OC processes over broad spatial scales in a hydrological context. In this study, we apply spatially referenced watershed models (SPARROW) to statistically estimate long-term mean-annual rates of dissolved- and total- organic carbon export in streams and reservoirs across the conterminous United States. We make use of a GIS framework for the analysis, describing sources, transport, and transformations of organic matter from spatial databases providing characterizations of climate, land use, primary productivity, topography, soils, and geology. This approach is useful because it illustrates spatial patterns of organic carbon fluxes in streamflow, highlighting hot spots (e.g., organic-rich environments in the southeastern coastal plain). Further, our simulations provide estimates of the relative contributions to streams from allochthonous and autochthonous sources. We quantify surface water fluxes of OC with estimates of uncertainty in relation to the overall US carbon budget; our simulations highlight that aquatic sources and sinks of OC may be a more significant component of regional carbon cycling than was previously thought. Further, we are using our simulations to explore the potential role of climate and other changes in the terrestrial environment on

Molasses as a source of carbon dioxide for attracting the malaria mosquitoes Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles funestus

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mweresa, C.K.; Omusula, P.; Otieno, B.; Loon, van J.J.A.; Takken, W.; Mukabana, W.R.

2014-01-01

Background. Most odour baits for haematophagous arthropods contain carbon dioxide (CO2). The CO2 is sourced artificially from the fermentation of refined sugar (sucrose), dry ice, pressurized gas cylinders or propane. These sources of CO2 are neither cost-effective nor sustainable for use in remote

Barrow Black Carbon Source and Impact Study Final Campaign Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barrett, Tate [Baylor Univ., Waco, TX (United States)

2014-07-01

The goal of the Barrow Black Carbon Source and Impact (BBCSI) Study was to characterize the concentration and isotopic composition of carbonaceous atmospheric particulate matter (PM) at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement site in Barrow, AK. The carbonaceous component was characterized via measurement of the organic and black carbon (OC and BC) components of the total PM. To facilitate complete characterization of the particulate matter, filter-based collections were used, including a medium volume PM2.5 sampler and a high volume PM10 sampler. Thirty-eight fine (PM2.5) and 49 coarse (PM10) particulate matter fractions were collected at weekly and bi-monthly intervals. The PM2.5 sampler operated with minimal maintenance during the 12 month campaign. The PM10 sampler used for the BBCSI used standard Tisch hi-vol motors which have a known lifetime of ~1 month under constant use; this necessitated monthly maintenance and it is suggested that the motors be upgraded to industrial blowers for future deployment in the Arctic. The BBCSI sampling campaign successfully collected and archived 87 ambient atmospheric particulate matter samples from Barrow, AK from July 2012 to June 2013. Preliminary analysis of the organic and black carbon concentrations has been completed. This campaign confirmed known trends of high BC lasting from the winter through to spring haze periods and low BC concentrations in the summer.

Preliminary study on preparation of BCNO phosphor particles using citric acid as carbon source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nuryadin, Bebeh W.; Pratiwi, Tripuspita; Faryuni, Irfana D.; Iskandar, Ferry, E-mail: ferry@fi.itb.ac.id; Abdullah, Mikrajuddin; Khairurrijal [Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Ganesha 10 Bandung, Indonesia 40132 (Indonesia); Ogi, Takashi; Okuyama, Kikuo [Department of Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi Hiroshima, Japan 739-8527 (Japan)

2015-04-16

A citric acid was used as a carbon source in the preparation of boron carbon oxy-nitride (BCNO) phosphor particles by a facile process. The preparation process was conducted at relatively low temperature 750 °C and at ambient pressure. The prepared BCNO phosphors showed a high photoluminescence (PL) performance at peak emission wavelength of 470 nm under excitation by a UV light 365 nm. The effects of carbon/boron and nitrogen/boron molar ratios on the PL properties were also investigated. The result showed that the emission spectra with a wavelength peak ranging from 444 nm to 496 nm can be obtained by varying carbon/boron ratios from 0.1 to 0.9. In addition, the observations showed that the BCNO phosphor material has two excitation peaks located at the 365 nm (UV) and 420 nm (blue). Based on these observations, we believe that the citric acid derived BCNO phosphor particles can be a promising inexpensive material for phosphor conversion-based white LED.

BLACK Carbon Emissions from Diesel Sources in the Largest Arctic City: Case Study of Murmansk

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, M.; Kholod, N.; Malyshev, V.; Tretyakova, S.; Gusev, E.; Yu, S.; Barinov, A.

2014-12-01

Russia has very little data on its black carbon (BC) emissions. Because Russia makes up such a large share of the Arctic, understanding Russian emissions will improve our understanding of overall BC levels, BC in the Arctic and the link between BC and climate change. This paper provides a detailed, bottom-up inventory of BC emissions from diesel sources in Murmansk, Russia, along with uncertainty estimates associated with these emissions. The research team developed a detailed data collection methodology. The methodology involves assessing the vehicle fleet and activity in Murmansk using traffic, parking lot and driver surveys combined with an existing database from a vehicle inspection station and statistical data. The team also assessed the most appropriate emission factors, drawing from both Russian and international inventory methodologies. The researchers also compared fuel consumption using statistical data and bottom-up fuel calculations. They then calculated emissions for on-road transportation, off-road transportation (including mines), diesel generators, fishing and other sources. The article also provides a preliminary assessment of Russia-wide emissions of black carbon from diesel sources.

Tracing the sources of organic carbon in freshwater systems

Science.gov (United States)

Glendell, Miriam; Meersmans, Jeroen; Barclay, Rachel; Yvon-Durocher, Gabriel; Barker, Sam; Jones, Richard; Hartley, Iain; Dungait, Jennifer; Quine, Timothy

2016-04-01

both terrestrial and aquatic sources as recorded in lake sediments to the measured rates of soil erosion and terrestrial & aquatic CO2 respiration rates, this study has paved a way towards a novel and cross-disciplinary approach to investigate and further improve current status of knowledge as regards C-cycling across the entire terrestrial-aquatic continuum. 137Cs was found to be useful to understand the dynamics and spatial pattern of lateral fluxes of sediment & C at the catchment scale, while tracing chemical composition of C using n-alkanes and stable isotopes (δ13C, δ15N) allowed distinguishing between the terrestrial vs. aquatic origin of C and determining main sources of particulate organic carbon in the aquatic environment within the two study catchments.

The OPEnSampler: A Low-Cost, Low-Weight, Customizable and Modular Open Source 24-Unit Automatic Water Sampler

Science.gov (United States)

Nelke, M.; Selker, J. S.; Udell, C.

2017-12-01

Reliable automatic water samplers allow repetitive sampling of various water sources over long periods of time without requiring a researcher on site, reducing human error as well as the monetary and time costs of traveling to the field, particularly when the scale of the sample period is hours or days. The high fixed cost of buying a commercial sampler with little customizability can be a barrier to research requiring repetitive samples, such as the analysis of septic water pre- and post-treatment. DIY automatic samplers proposed in the past sacrifice maximum volume, customizability, or scope of applications, among other features, in exchange for a lower net cost. The purpose of this project was to develop a low-cost, highly customizable, robust water sampler that is capable of sampling many sources of water for various analytes. A lightweight aluminum-extrusion frame was designed and assembled, chosen for its mounting system, strength, and low cost. Water is drawn from two peristaltic pumps through silicone tubing and directed into 24 foil-lined 250mL bags using solenoid valves. A programmable Arduino Uno microcontroller connected to a circuit board communicates with a battery operated real-time clock, initiating sampling stages. Period and volume settings are programmable in-field by the user via serial commands. The OPEnSampler is an open design, allowing the user to decide what components to use and the modular theme of the frame allows fast mounting of new manufactured or 3D printed components. The 24-bag system weighs less than 10kg and the material cost is under $450. Up to 6L of sample water can be drawn at a rate of 100mL/minute in either direction. Faster flowrates are achieved by using more powerful peristaltic pumps. Future design changes could allow a greater maximum volume by filling the unused space with more containers and adding GSM communications to send real time status information.

Colored dissolved organic matter in shallow estuaries: relationships between carbon sources and light attenuation

Science.gov (United States)

Oestreich, W.K.; Ganju, Neil K.; Pohlman, John; Suttles, Steven E.

2016-01-01

Light availability is of primary importance to the ecological function of shallow estuaries. For example, benthic primary production by submerged aquatic vegetation is contingent upon light penetration to the seabed. A major component that attenuates light in estuaries is colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM). CDOM is often measured via a proxy, fluorescing dissolved organic matter (fDOM), due to the ease of in situ fDOM sensor measurements. Fluorescence must be converted to CDOM absorbance for use in light attenuation calculations. However, this CDOM–fDOM relationship varies among and within estuaries. We quantified the variability in this relationship within three estuaries along the mid-Atlantic margin of the eastern United States: West Falmouth Harbor (MA), Barnegat Bay (NJ), and Chincoteague Bay (MD/VA). Land use surrounding these estuaries ranges from urban to developed, with varying sources of nutrients and organic matter. Measurements of fDOM (excitation and emission wavelengths of 365 nm (±5 nm) and 460 nm (±40 nm), respectively) and CDOM absorbance were taken along a terrestrial-to-marine gradient in all three estuaries. The ratio of the absorption coefficient at 340 nm (m−1) to fDOM (QSU) was higher in West Falmouth Harbor (1.22) than in Barnegat Bay (0.22) and Chincoteague Bay (0.17). The CDOM : fDOM absorption ratio was variable between sites within West Falmouth Harbor and Barnegat Bay, but consistent between sites within Chincoteague Bay. Stable carbon isotope analysis for constraining the source of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in West Falmouth Harbor and Barnegat Bay yielded δ13C values ranging from −19.7 to −26.1 ‰ and −20.8 to −26.7 ‰, respectively. Concentration and stable carbon isotope mixing models of DOC (dissolved organic carbon) indicate a contribution of 13C-enriched DOC in the estuaries. The most likely source of 13C-enriched DOC for the systems we investigated is Spartina cordgrass. Comparison of

Garage carbon monoxide levels from sources commonly used in intentional poisoning.

Science.gov (United States)

Hampson, Neil B; Holm, James R; Courtney, Todd G

2017-01-01

The incidence of intentional carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is believed to have declined due to strict federal CO emissions standards for motor vehicles and the uniform application of catalytic converters (CC). We sought to compare ambient CO levels produced by automobiles with and without catalytic converters in a residential garage, as well as from other CO sources commonly used for intentional poisoning. CO levels were measured inside a freestanding 73 m3 one-car garage. CO sources included a 1971 automobile without CC, 2003 automobile with CC, charcoal grill, electrical generator, lawn mower and leaf blower. After 20 minutes of operation, the CO level in the garage was 253 PPM for the car without a catalytic converter and 30 PPM for the car equipped withone. CO levels after operating or burning the other sources were: charcoal 200 PPM; generator >999 PPM; lawn mower 198 PPM; and leaf blower 580 PPM. While emissions controls on automobiles have reduced intentional CO poisonings, alternate sources may produce CO at levels of the same magnitude as vehicles manufactured prior to the use of catalytic converters. Those involved in the care of potentially suicidal individuals should be aware of this.

Antimicrobial Activity of Carbon Nanoparticles Isolated from Natural Sources against Pathogenic Gram-Negative and Gram-Positive Bacteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varghese, S.; Jose, S.; Varghese, S.; Kuriakose, S.; Jose, S.

2013-01-01

This paper describes the isolation of carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) from kitchen soot, characterization of the CNPs by UV/visible spectroscopy, SEM and XRD, and their antimicrobial action. The antibacterial activity of the isolated carbon nanoparticles was tested against various pathogenic bacterial strains such as Gram-negative Proteus refrigere and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus haemolyticus. The inhibition zones were measured, and it was found that the carbon nanoparticles isolated from natural sources are active against these Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains

Sources of greenhouse gases and carbon monoxide in central London (UK)

Science.gov (United States)

Helfter, Carole; Tremper, Anja; Zazzeri, Giulia; Barlow, Janet F.; Nemitz, Eiko

2015-04-01

Biosphere-atmosphere exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2) has been on the scientific agenda for several decades and new technology now also allows for high-precision, continuous monitoring of fluxes of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Compared to the natural environment, flux measurements in the urban environment, which is home to over 50% of the population globally, are still rare despite high densities of anthropogenic sources of pollutants. We report on over three years of measurements atop a 192 m tower in central London (UK), Europe's largest city, which started in October 2011. Fluxes of methane, carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide are measured by eddy-covariance (EC) at the British Telecom tower (51° 31' 17.4' N 0° 8' 20.04' W). In addition to the long-term measurements, EC fluxes of nitrous oxide (N2O) were measured in February 2014. All four trace gases exhibit diurnal trends consistent with anthropogenic activities with minimum emissions at night and early afternoon maxima. Segregating emissions by wind direction reveals heterogeneous source distributions with temporal patterns and source strengths that differ between compounds. The lowest emissions for CO, CO2 and CH4 were recorded for NW winds. The highest emissions of methane were in the SE sector, in the NE for CO2 and in the W for CO. Fluxes of all 3 gases exhibited marked seasonal trends characterised by a decrease in emissions in summer (63% reduction for CO, 36% for CO2 and 22% for CH4). Monthly fluxes of CO and CO2 were linearly correlated to air temperature (R2 = 0.7 and 0.59 respectively); a weaker dependence upon temperature was also observed for CH4 (R2 = 0.31). Diurnal and seasonal emissions of CO and CO2 are mainly controlled by local fossil fuel combustion and vehicle cold starts are thought to account for 20-30% of additional emissions of CO during the winter. Fugitive emissions of CH4 from the natural gas distribution network are thought to be substantial, which is consistent

Antibacterial Activity of Culture Extracts of Penicillium chrysogenum PCL501: Effects of Carbon Sources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Blessing M. Onyegeme-Okerenta

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Penicillium chrysogenum PCL501 produced β-lactam antibiotics when fermented with different agro-wastes: cassava shavings, corncob, sawdust and sugarcane pulp. In vitro antibacterial activity of the culture extracts was tested against four clinical bacterial isolates, namely, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. All the culture extracts and standard drug (commercial Benzyl Penicillin inhibited the growth B. subtilis and E. coli; the potency varied with carbon source. Antibacterial activity of extracts from cultures containing cassava shavings and sugarcane pulp was comparable with that of the standard drug. The MIC against the susceptible organisms was 0.20mg/ml for the standard drug and ranged from 0.40 to 1.50mg/ml for the culture extracts. Neither the culture extracts nor the standard drug inhibited K. pneumoniae and P. aeruginosa; the bacterial strains produced β-lactamase enzymes. Cassava shavings and sugarcane pulp are indicated as suitable cheap carbon sources for the production of antibiotics by Penicillium chrysogenum PCL501.

A shift of thermokarst lakes from carbon sources to sinks during the Holocene epoch

Science.gov (United States)

Walter Anthony, K. M.; Zimov, S. A.; Grosse, G.; Jones, Miriam C.; Anthony, P.; Chapin, F. S.; Finlay, J. C.; Mack, M. C.; Davydov, S.; Frenzel, P.F.; Frolking, S.

2014-01-01

Thermokarst lakes formed across vast regions of Siberia and Alaska during the last deglaciation and are thought to be a net source of atmospheric methane and carbon dioxide during the Holocene epoch1,2,3,4. However, the same thermokarst lakes can also sequester carbon5, and it remains uncertain whether carbon uptake by thermokarst lakes can offset their greenhouse gas emissions. Here we use field observations of Siberian permafrost exposures, radiocarbon dating and spatial analyses to quantify Holocene carbon stocks and fluxes in lake sediments overlying thawed Pleistocene-aged permafrost. We find that carbon accumulation in deep thermokarst-lake sediments since the last deglaciation is about 1.6 times larger than the mass of Pleistocene-aged permafrost carbon released as greenhouse gases when the lakes first formed. Although methane and carbon dioxide emissions following thaw lead to immediate radiative warming, carbon uptake in peat-rich sediments occurs over millennial timescales. We assess thermokarst-lake carbon feedbacks to climate with an atmospheric perturbation model and find that thermokarst basins switched from a net radiative warming to a net cooling climate effect about 5,000 years ago. High rates of Holocene carbon accumulation in 20 lake sediments (47±10 grams of carbon per square metre per year; mean±standard error) were driven by thermokarst erosion and deposition of terrestrial organic matter, by nutrient release from thawing permafrost that stimulated lake productivity and by slow decomposition in cold, anoxic lake bottoms. When lakes eventually drained, permafrost formation rapidly sequestered sediment carbon. Our estimate of about 160petagrams of Holocene organic carbon in deep lake basins of Siberia and Alaska increases the circumpolar peat carbon pool estimate for permafrost regions by over 50 per cent (ref. 6). The carbon in perennially frozen drained lake sediments may become vulnerable to mineralization as permafrost disappears7

Cassava stillage and its anaerobic fermentation liquid as external carbon sources in biological nutrient removal.

Science.gov (United States)

Bu, Fan; Hu, Xiang; Xie, Li; Zhou, Qi

2015-04-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of one kind of food industry effluent, cassava stillage and its anaerobic fermentation liquid, on biological nutrient removal (BNR) from municipal wastewater in anaerobic-anoxic-aerobic sequencing batch reactors (SBRs). Experiments were carried out with cassava stillage supernatant and its anaerobic fermentation liquid, and one pure compound (sodium acetate) served as an external carbon source. Cyclic studies indicated that the cassava by-products not only affected the transformation of nitrogen, phosphorus, poly-β-hydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), and glycogen in the BNR process, but also resulted in higher removal efficiencies for phosphorus and nitrogen compared with sodium acetate. Furthermore, assays for phosphorus accumulating organisms (PAOs) and denitrifying phosphorus accumulating organisms (DPAOs) demonstrated that the proportion of DPAOs to PAOs reached 62.6% (Day 86) and 61.8% (Day 65) when using cassava stillage and its anaerobic fermentation liquid, respectively, as the external carbon source. In addition, the nitrate utilization rates (NURs) of the cassava by-products were in the range of 5.49-5.99 g N/(kg MLVSS⋅h) (MLVSS is mixed liquor volatile suspended solids) and 6.63-6.81 g N/(kg MLVSS⋅h), respectively. The improvement in BNR performance and the reduction in the amount of cassava stillage to be treated in-situ make cassava stillage and its anaerobic fermentation liquid attractive alternatives to sodium acetate as external carbon sources for BNR processes.

Cassava stillage and its anaerobic fermentation liquid as external carbon sources in biological nutrient removal*

Science.gov (United States)

Bu, Fan; Hu, Xiang; Xie, Li; Zhou, Qi

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of one kind of food industry effluent, cassava stillage and its anaerobic fermentation liquid, on biological nutrient removal (BNR) from municipal wastewater in anaerobic-anoxic-aerobic sequencing batch reactors (SBRs). Experiments were carried out with cassava stillage supernatant and its anaerobic fermentation liquid, and one pure compound (sodium acetate) served as an external carbon source. Cyclic studies indicated that the cassava by-products not only affected the transformation of nitrogen, phosphorus, poly-β-hydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), and glycogen in the BNR process, but also resulted in higher removal efficiencies for phosphorus and nitrogen compared with sodium acetate. Furthermore, assays for phosphorus accumulating organisms (PAOs) and denitrifying phosphorus accumulating organisms (DPAOs) demonstrated that the proportion of DPAOs to PAOs reached 62.6% (Day 86) and 61.8% (Day 65) when using cassava stillage and its anaerobic fermentation liquid, respectively, as the external carbon source. In addition, the nitrate utilization rates (NURs) of the cassava by-products were in the range of 5.49–5.99 g N/(kg MLVSS∙h) (MLVSS is mixed liquor volatile suspended solids) and 6.63–6.81 g N/(kg MLVSS∙h), respectively. The improvement in BNR performance and the reduction in the amount of cassava stillage to be treated in-situ make cassava stillage and its anaerobic fermentation liquid attractive alternatives to sodium acetate as external carbon sources for BNR processes. PMID:25845364

Carbon and Nitrogen Sources for Shrimp Postlarvae Fed Natural Diets from a Tropical Mangrove System

Science.gov (United States)

Dittel, A. I.; Epifanio, C. E.; Cifuentes, L. A.; Kirchman, D. L.

1997-11-01

Postlarvae ofPenaeus vannameiwere fed various diets in order to examine the importance of detritus and other possible prey items in supporting postlarval growth. Stable isotopes (C and N) were used to determine the carbon and nitrogen source of the prey in the various diets. The zooplankton diet contained mostly copepods. The subtidal detritus treatment consisted mostly of plant material whereas the diets from both intertidal sites contained a mixture of plant detritus and associated meiofauna. Postlarvae reared on zooplankton and detritus plus meiofauna diets more than tripled their weight during a 6-day period. In contrast, postlarvae fed the detritus diet barely doubled their weight. Based on isotopic composition, postlarvae appear to obtain their carbon and nitrogen from various food sources. Postlarvae were enriched by 0·4‰ in13C and 2·7‰ in15N relative to the zooplankton diet, which is consistent with isotopic fractionation between successive trophic levels. In turn, the isotopic signal of the zooplankton was consistent with phytoplankton being the initial source of organic matter. In contrast, mean δ13C values of the shrimp fed detritus plus meiofauna were significantly different from their respective diets. Isotopic ratios of the postlarvae fed the mixed diet from Chomes were two trophic levels above benthic algae suggesting that the shrimp preyed on organisms that derived their carbon and nitrogen from benthic algae and/or phytoplankton.

Culture medium pH influence on Gluconacetobacter physiology: Cellulose production rate and yield enhancement in presence of multiple carbon sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Yassine, Fatima; Bassil, Nathalie; Flouty, Roula; Chokr, Ali; Samrani, Antoine El; Boiteux, Gisèle; Tahchi, Mario El

2016-08-01

Gluconacetobacter genera are valued for bacterial cellulose (BC) and acetic acid production. BC is produced at optimal yields in classical microbiological media that are expensive for a large scale of production. In addition, BC usage for industrial purposes is limited due to low conversion rate into cellulose and to long incubation duration. In this paper, Gluconacetobacter isolated from apple vinegar was kinetically studied to evaluate cellulose production in presence of different carbon sources. Acetic and citric acid effect on Gluconacetobacter metabolism is clarified. It was shown that Gluconacetobacter uses glucose as a primary carbon source for cells growth and products formation. Acetic acid employment as a co-carbon source in Hestrin Schramm medium showed an increase of 17% in BC yield with a moderate decrease in the crystallite size of the resulting polymer. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Building Automatic Grading Tools for Basic of Programming Lab in an Academic Institution

Science.gov (United States)

Harimurti, Rina; Iwan Nurhidayat, Andi; Asmunin

2018-04-01

The skills of computer programming is a core competency that must be mastered by students majoring in computer sciences. The best way to improve this skill is through the practice of writing many programs to solve various problems from simple to complex. It takes hard work and a long time to check and evaluate the results of student labs one by one, especially if the number of students a lot. Based on these constrain, web proposes Automatic Grading Tools (AGT), the application that can evaluate and deeply check the source code in C, C++. The application architecture consists of students, web-based applications, compilers, and operating systems. Automatic Grading Tools (AGT) is implemented MVC Architecture and using open source software, such as laravel framework version 5.4, PostgreSQL 9.6, Bootstrap 3.3.7, and jquery library. Automatic Grading Tools has also been tested for real problems by submitting source code in C/C++ language and then compiling. The test results show that the AGT application has been running well.

Microcosm studies on iron and arsenic mobilization from aquifer sediments under different conditions of microbial activity and carbon source

Science.gov (United States)

Duan, Mengyu; Xie, Zuoming; Wang, Yanxin; Xie, Xianjun

2009-05-01

Microcosm experiments were conducted to understand the mechanism of microbially mediated mobilization of Fe and As from high arsenic aquifer sediments. Arsenic-resistant strains isolated from aquifer sediments of a borehole specifically drilled for this study at Datong basin were used as inoculated strains, and glucose and sodium acetate as carbon sources for the experiments. In abiotic control experiments, the maximum concentrations of Fe and As were only 0.47 mg/L and 0.9 μg/L, respectively. By contrast, the maximum contents of Fe and As in anaerobic microcosm experiments were much higher (up to 1.82 mg/L and 12.91 μg/L, respectively), indicating the crucial roles of microbial activities in Fe and As mobilization. The observed difference in Fe and As release with different carbon sources may be related to the difference in growth pattern and composition of microbial communities that develop in response to the type of carbon sources.

DEPLETION OF CCS IN A CANDIDATE WARM-CARBON-CHAIN-CHEMISTRY SOURCE L483

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirota, Tomoya; Sakai, Nami; Yamamoto, Satoshi

2010-01-01

We have carried out an observation of the CCS (J N = 2 1 -1 0 ) line with the Very Large Array in its D-configuration toward a protostellar core L483 (IRAS 18140-0440). This is a candidate source of the newly found carbon-chain-rich environment called 'Warm-Carbon-Chain-Chemistry (WCCC)', according to the previous observations of carbon-chain molecules. The CCS distribution in L483 is found to consist of two clumps aligned in the northwest-southeast direction, well tracing the CCS ridge observed with the single-dish radio telescope. The most remarkable feature is that CCS is depleted at the core center. Such a CCS distribution with the central hole is consistent with those of previously observed prestellar and protostellar cores, but it is rather unexpected for L483. This is because the distribution of CS, which is usually similar to that of CCS, is centrally peaked. Our results imply that the CCS (J N = 2 1 -1 0 ) line would selectively trace the outer cold envelope in the chemically less evolved phase that is seriously resolved out with the interferometric observation. Thus, it is most likely that the high abundance of CCS in L483 relative to the other WCCC sources is not due to the activity of the protostar, although it would be related to its younger chemical evolutionary stage, or a short timescale of the prestellar phase.

Carbon Dioxide Capture and Separation Techniques for Gasification-based Power Generation Point Sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pennline, H.W.; Luebke, D.R.; Jones, K.L.; Morsi, B.I. (Univ. of Pittsburgh, PA); Heintz, Y.J. (Univ. of Pittsburgh, PA); Ilconich, J.B. (Parsons)

2007-06-01

The capture/separation step for carbon dioxide (CO2) from large-point sources is a critical one with respect to the technical feasibility and cost of the overall carbon sequestration scenario. For large-point sources, such as those found in power generation, the carbon dioxide capture techniques being investigated by the in-house research area of the National Energy Technology Laboratory possess the potential for improved efficiency and reduced costs as compared to more conventional technologies. The investigated techniques can have wide applications, but the research has focused on capture/separation of carbon dioxide from flue gas (post-combustion from fossil fuel-fired combustors) and from fuel gas (precombustion, such as integrated gasification combined cycle or IGCC). With respect to fuel gas applications, novel concepts are being developed in wet scrubbing with physical absorption; chemical absorption with solid sorbents; and separation by membranes. In one concept, a wet scrubbing technique is being investigated that uses a physical solvent process to remove CO2 from fuel gas of an IGCC system at elevated temperature and pressure. The need to define an ideal solvent has led to the study of the solubility and mass transfer properties of various solvents. Pertaining to another separation technology, fabrication techniques and mechanistic studies for membranes separating CO2 from the fuel gas produced by coal gasification are also being performed. Membranes that consist of CO2-philic ionic liquids encapsulated into a polymeric substrate have been investigated for permeability and selectivity. Finally, dry, regenerable processes based on sorbents are additional techniques for CO2 capture from fuel gas. An overview of these novel techniques is presented along with a research progress status of technologies related to membranes and physical solvents.

Carbon Sources for Yeast Growth as a Precondition of Hydrogen Peroxide Induced Hormetic Phenotype

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruslana Vasylkovska

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Hormesis is a phenomenon of particular interest in biology, medicine, pharmacology, and toxicology. In this study, we investigated the relationship between H2O2-induced hormetic response in S. cerevisiae and carbon sources in yeast growth medium. In general, our data indicate that (i hydrogen peroxide induces hormesis in a concentration-dependent manner; (ii the effect of hydrogen peroxide on yeast reproductive ability depends on the type of carbon substrate in growth medium; and (iii metabolic and growth rates as well as catalase activity play an important role in H2O2-induced hormetic response in yeast.

Automatic exposure system for radioactive source at teaching laboratory; Sistema automatico de abertura de fonte radioativa em laboratorio de ensino

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seren, Maria Emilia G.; Gaal, Vladmir; Morais, Sergio Luiz de; Rodrigues, Varlei, E-mail: mseren@ifi.unicamp.br [Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP (Brazil). Instituto de Fisica Gleb Wataghin

2013-12-15

The development of Compton Scattering experiment, studied by undergraduate students of the Medical Physics course at the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), takes place in the Medical Physics Teaching Laboratory, belonging to the Gleb Wataghin Physics Institute (IFGW/UNICAMP). The experiment consists of a fixed {sup 137}Cs radioactive source, with current activity of 610.5 MBq and a scintillation detector that turns around the center of the system whose function is to detect the scattered photons spectrum by a scatter object (target). The {sup 137}Cs source is stored in a lead shield with a collimating window for the gamma radiation emitted with energy of 0.662 MeV. This source is exposed only when an attenuation barrier protecting the collimating window is opened. The process of opening and closing the attenuation barrier may deliver a radiation dose to users when done manually. Considering the stochastic harmful effects of ionizing radiation, the goal of this project was to develop an automatic exposure system of the radioactive source, in order to reduce the radiation dose received during the Compton Scattering experiment. The developed system is micro controlled and performs standard operating routines, responding to emergencies. Furthermore, an electromagnetic lock enables quick closing of the barrier by gravity, in case of interruption of the electrical current circuit. Besides reducing the total dose to lab users, the system adds more security to the routine, since it limits the access to the radioactive source and prevents accidental exposure. (author)

Current sources of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in our atmosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Sherry, David; McCulloch, Archie; Liang, Qing; Reimann, Stefan; Newman, Paul A.

2018-02-01

Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4 or CTC) is an ozone-depleting substance whose emissive uses are controlled and practically banned by the Montreal Protocol (MP). Nevertheless, previous work estimated ongoing emissions of 35 Gg year-1 of CCl4 into the atmosphere from observation-based methods, in stark contrast to emissions estimates of 3 (0-8) Gg year-1 from reported numbers to UNEP under the MP. Here we combine information on sources from industrial production processes and legacy emissions from contaminated sites to provide an updated bottom-up estimate on current CTC global emissions of 15-25 Gg year-1. We now propose 13 Gg year-1 of global emissions from unreported non-feedstock emissions from chloromethane and perchloroethylene plants as the most significant CCl4 source. Additionally, 2 Gg year-1 are estimated as fugitive emissions from the usage of CTC as feedstock and possibly up to 10 Gg year-1 from legacy emissions and chlor-alkali plants.

Automatic Detection of Fake News

OpenAIRE

Pérez-Rosas, Verónica; Kleinberg, Bennett; Lefevre, Alexandra; Mihalcea, Rada

2017-01-01

The proliferation of misleading information in everyday access media outlets such as social media feeds, news blogs, and online newspapers have made it challenging to identify trustworthy news sources, thus increasing the need for computational tools able to provide insights into the reliability of online content. In this paper, we focus on the automatic identification of fake content in online news. Our contribution is twofold. First, we introduce two novel datasets for the task of fake news...

From sink to source: Regional variation in U.S. forest carbon futures.

Science.gov (United States)

Wear, David N; Coulston, John W

2015-11-12

The sequestration of atmospheric carbon (C) in forests has partially offset C emissions in the United States (US) and might reduce overall costs of achieving emission targets, especially while transportation and energy sectors are transitioning to lower-carbon technologies. Using detailed forest inventory data for the conterminous US, we estimate forests' current net sequestration of atmospheric C to be 173 Tg yr(-1), offsetting 9.7% of C emissions from transportation and energy sources. Accounting for multiple driving variables, we project a gradual decline in the forest C emission sink over the next 25 years (to 112 Tg yr(-1)) with regional differences. Sequestration in eastern regions declines gradually while sequestration in the Rocky Mountain region declines rapidly and could become a source of atmospheric C due to disturbances such as fire and insect epidemics. C sequestration in the Pacific Coast region stabilizes as forests harvested in previous decades regrow. Scenarios simulating climate-induced productivity enhancement and afforestation policies increase sequestration rates, but would not fully offset declines from aging and forest disturbances. Separating C transfers associated with land use changes from sequestration clarifies forests' role in reducing net emissions and demonstrates that retention of forest land is crucial for protecting or enhancing sink strength.

Carbon source recovery from excess sludge by mechanical disintegration for biological denitrification.

Science.gov (United States)

Zubrowska-Sudol, M

2018-04-01

The goal of the study was to evaluate the possibility of carbon source recovery from excess sludge by mechanical disintegration for biological denitrification. The total efficiency of denitrification, unit demand for organic compounds for denitrification, unit volume of disintegrated sludge and unit cost of nitrogen removal as a function of energy density used for excess sludge disintegration (70, 140 and 210 kJ/L) were analyzed. In the study a full-scale disc disintegrator was used (motor power: 30 kWh, motor speed: 2,950 rpm). It was shown that the amounts of organic compounds released from the activated sludge flocs at all tested levels of energy density are high enough to be used to intensify the removal of nitrogen compounds from wastewater. It was also documented that the energy density provided during process of disintegration was an important factor determining the characteristics of organic compounds obtained under the disintegration for their use in order to intensify the process of denitrification. The highest value of total efficiency of denitrification (50.5 ± 3.1 mg N/L) was obtained for carbon source recovery from excess sludge at 70 kJ/L, but the lowest unit cost of nitrogen removal occurred for 140 kJ/L (0.0019 ± 0.0011 EUR/g N).

Biodegradation and utilization of 4-n-nonylphenol by Aspergillus versicolor as a sole carbon and energy source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krupiński, Mariusz; Janicki, Tomasz; Pałecz, Bartłomiej; Długoński, Jerzy

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A. versicolor is able to degrade 4-n-NP as the sole source of carbon and energy. • 4-n-NP removal by A. versicolor was accompanied by the formation of metabolites. • Radioactive experiments show complete 4-n-NP mineralization by A. versicolor. • 4-n-NP initiates heat production in the A. versicolor spores. - Abstract: 4-n-Nonylphenol (4-n-NP) is an environmental pollutant with endocrine-disrupting activities that is formed during the degradation of nonylphenol polyethoxylates, which are widely used as surfactants. Utilization of 4-n-NP by the filamentous fungus Aspergillus versicolor as the sole carbon and energy source was investigated. By means of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, we showed that in the absence of any carbon source other than 4-n-NP in the medium, A. versicolor completely removed the xenobiotic (100 mg L −1 ) after 3 d of cultivation. Moreover, mass spectrometric analysis of intracellular extracts led to the identification of eight intermediates. The mineralization of the xenobiotic in cultures supplemented with 4-n-NP [ring- 14 C(U)] as a growth substrate was also assessed. After 3 d of incubation, approximately 50% of the initially applied radioactivity was recovered in the form of 14 CO 2 , proving that this xenobiotic was completely metabolized and utilized by A. versicolor as a carbon source. Based on microscopic analysis, A. versicolor is capable of germinating spores under such conditions. To confirm these observations, a microcalorimetric method was used. The results show that even the highest amount of 4-n-NP initiates heat production in the fungal samples, proving that metabolic processes were affected by the use of 4-n-NP as an energetic substrate

Biodegradation and utilization of 4-n-nonylphenol by Aspergillus versicolor as a sole carbon and energy source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krupiński, Mariusz; Janicki, Tomasz [Department of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Lodz, Banacha 12/16, 90-237 Łódź (Poland); Pałecz, Bartłomiej [Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Lodz, Pomorska 165, 90-236 Łódź (Poland); Długoński, Jerzy, E-mail: jdlugo@biol.uni.lodz.pl [Department of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Lodz, Banacha 12/16, 90-237 Łódź (Poland)

2014-09-15

Highlights: • A. versicolor is able to degrade 4-n-NP as the sole source of carbon and energy. • 4-n-NP removal by A. versicolor was accompanied by the formation of metabolites. • Radioactive experiments show complete 4-n-NP mineralization by A. versicolor. • 4-n-NP initiates heat production in the A. versicolor spores. - Abstract: 4-n-Nonylphenol (4-n-NP) is an environmental pollutant with endocrine-disrupting activities that is formed during the degradation of nonylphenol polyethoxylates, which are widely used as surfactants. Utilization of 4-n-NP by the filamentous fungus Aspergillus versicolor as the sole carbon and energy source was investigated. By means of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, we showed that in the absence of any carbon source other than 4-n-NP in the medium, A. versicolor completely removed the xenobiotic (100 mg L{sup −1}) after 3 d of cultivation. Moreover, mass spectrometric analysis of intracellular extracts led to the identification of eight intermediates. The mineralization of the xenobiotic in cultures supplemented with 4-n-NP [ring-{sup 14}C(U)] as a growth substrate was also assessed. After 3 d of incubation, approximately 50% of the initially applied radioactivity was recovered in the form of {sup 14}CO{sub 2}, proving that this xenobiotic was completely metabolized and utilized by A. versicolor as a carbon source. Based on microscopic analysis, A. versicolor is capable of germinating spores under such conditions. To confirm these observations, a microcalorimetric method was used. The results show that even the highest amount of 4-n-NP initiates heat production in the fungal samples, proving that metabolic processes were affected by the use of 4-n-NP as an energetic substrate.

Process for carbonizing, distilling, and vaporizing of coal from any source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Limberg, T

1916-10-15

A process is described for carbonizing, distilling, and vaporizing coal from any source, especially of humid and bituminous coals as well as bituminous shale and peat for recovering an especially light tar with a large aliphatic hydrocarbon content that is characterized in that it is exposed to internal heating under vacuum at a temperature below dull-red heat. The distillation products of the material are washed away by the heating gases for the whole length of the furnace and are removed immediately and carried into separate condensers.

Fossil and non-fossil sources of organic carbon (OC and elemental carbon (EC in Göteborg, Sweden

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Szidat

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Particulate matter was collected at an urban site in Göteborg (Sweden in February/March 2005 and in June/July 2006. Additional samples were collected at a rural site for the winter period. Total carbon (TC concentrations were 2.1–3.6 μg m⁻³, 1.8–1.9 μg m⁻³, and 2.2–3.0 μg m⁻³ for urban/winter, rural/winter, and urban/summer conditions, respectively. Elemental carbon (EC, organic carbon (OC, water-insoluble OC (WINSOC, and water-soluble OC (WSOC were analyzed for ¹⁴C in order to distinguish fossil from non-fossil emissions. As wood burning is the single major source of non-fossil EC, its contribution can be quantified directly. For non-fossil OC, the wood-burning fraction was determined independently by levoglucosan and ¹⁴C analysis and combined using Latin-hypercube sampling (LHS. For the winter period, the relative contribution of EC from wood burning to the total EC was >3 times higher at the rural site compared to the urban site, whereas the absolute concentrations of EC from wood burning were elevated only moderately at the rural compared to the urban site. Thus, the urban site is substantially more influenced by fossil EC emissions. For summer, biogenic emissions dominated OC concentrations most likely due to secondary organic aerosol (SOA formation. During both seasons, a more pronounced fossil signal was observed for Göteborg than has previously been reported for Zurich, Switzerland. Analysis of air mass origin using back trajectories suggests that the fossil impact was larger when local sources dominated, whereas long-range transport caused an enhanced non-fossil signal. In comparison to other European locations, concentrations of levoglucosan and other monosaccharide anhydrides were low for the urban and the rural site in the area of Göteborg during winter.

A SIMULATION ENVIRONMENT FOR AUTOMATIC NIGHT DRIVING AND VISUAL CONTROL

OpenAIRE

Arroyo Rubio, Fernando

2012-01-01

This project consists on developing an automatic night driving system in a simulation environment. The simulator I have used is TORCS. TORCS is an Open Source car racing simulator written in C++. It is used as an ordinary car racing game, as a IA racing game and as a research platform. The goal of this thesis is to implement an automatic driving system to control the car under night conditions using computer vision. A camera is implemented inside the vehicle and it will detect the reflective ...

Evaluation of Glycerol and Waste Alcohol as Supplemental Carbon Sources for Denitrification

OpenAIRE

Uprety, Kshitiz

2013-01-01

Supplemental carbon has been successfully added and implemented at biological nutrient removal treatment plants all around the world in order to reach low nitrogen discharge limits. Although, methanol has been the most prevalent external electron donor used due to its low cost and effectiveness, many utilities are moving away from it due to cost volatility, safety issues, and hindered performance in cold weather conditions. Many sustainable and alternative sources are being researched, such a...

Development of Automatic Remote Exposure Controller for Gamma Radiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joo, Gwang Tae; Shin, Jin Seong; Kim, Dong Eun; Song, Jung Ho; Choo, Seung Hwan; Chang, Hong Keun

2002-01-01

Recently, gamma radiographic equipment have been used about 1,000 sets manually and operated by about 2,500 persons in Korea. In order for a radiography to work effectively with avoiding any hazard of the high level radiation from the source, many field workers have expected developing a wireless automatic remote exposure controller. The KlTCO research team has developed an automatic remote exposure controller that can regulate the speed of 0.4∼1.2m/s by BLDC motor of 24V 200W which has output of 54 kgf·, suitable torque and safety factor for the work. And the developed automatic remote exposure controller can control rpm of motor, pigtail position by photo-sensor and exposure time by timer to RF sensor. Thus, the developed equipment is expected that the unit can be used in many practical applications with benefits in economical advantage to combine the use of both automatic and manual type because attachment is possible existent manual remote exposure controller, AC and DC combined use

Synthesis of highly aligned carbon nanotubes by one-step liquid-phase process: Effects of carbon sources on morphology of carbon nanotubes

Science.gov (United States)

Yamagiwa, Kiyofumi; Kuwano, Jun

2017-06-01

This paper describes a unique and innovative synthesis technique for carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by a one-step liquid-phase process under ambient pressure. Vertically aligned multi-walled CNT arrays with a maximum height of 100 µm are prepared on stainless steel substrates, which are submerged and electrically heated in straight-chain primary alcohols with n C = 1-4 (n C: number of C atoms in the molecule) containing an appropriate amount of cobalt-based organometallic complex as a catalyst precursor. Structural isomers of butanol were also used for the synthesis to examine the effects of structural factors on the morphology of the deposited products. Notably, 2-methyl-2-propanol, which is a tertiary alcohol, produced only a small amount of low-crystallinity carbonaceous deposits, whereas vertically aligned CNTs were grown from the other isomers of butanol. These results suggest that the presence or absence of β-hydrogen in the molecular structure is a key factor for understanding the dissociation behavior of the carbon source molecules on the catalyst.

Dietary carbon sources of mussels and tubeworms from Galapagos hydrothermal vents determined from tissue adC activity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Williams, P M; Smith, K L; Druffel, E M; Linick, T W

1981-07-30

The large quantities of reduced carbon that are required to support the filter-feeding mytilid mussels (Mytilus sp.), vesicomyid clams (Clayptogena sp.) and various other animals in the Galapagos hydrothermal vent systems are thought to be derived from either the in situ synthesis of particulate organic matter by chemoautotrophic, sulfide-oxidizing bacteria or by the advection of sedimentary organic carbon into the vent environment from surrounding areas. In contrast, the dense populations of vestimentiferan tubeworms (Riftia pachyptila), which lack mouth organs and digestive tracts, apparently utilize organic carbon synthesized by symbiotic chemoautotrophs. We present evidence here, based on adC activities and acC/abC ratios, that the principal source of dietary carbon for mussels and tubeworms is derived from the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIOC) in the vent effluent waters.

From carbon sink to carbon source: extensive peat oxidation in insular Southeast Asia since 1990

Science.gov (United States)

Miettinen, Jukka; Hooijer, Aljosja; Vernimmen, Ronald; Liew, Soo Chin; Page, Susan E.

2017-02-01

Tropical peatlands of the western part of insular Southeast Asia have experienced extensive land cover changes since 1990. Typically involving drainage, these land cover changes have resulted in increased peat oxidation in the upper peat profile. In this paper we provide current (2015) and cumulative carbon emissions estimates since 1990 from peat oxidation in Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo, utilizing newly published peatland land cover information and the recently agreed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) peat oxidation emission values for tropical peatland areas. Our results highlight the change of one of the Earth’s most efficient long-term carbon sinks to a short-term emission source, with cumulative carbon emissions since 1990 estimated to have been in the order of 2.5 Gt C. Current (2015) levels of emissions are estimated at around 146 Mt C yr-1, with a range of 132-159 Mt C yr-1 depending on the selection of emissions factors for different land cover types. 44% (or 64 Mt C yr-1) of the emissions come from industrial plantations (mainly oil palm and Acacia pulpwood), followed by 34% (49 Mt C yr-1) of emissions from small-holder areas. Thus, altogether 78% of current peat oxidation emissions come from managed land cover types. Although based on the latest information, these estimates may still include considerable, yet currently unquantifiable, uncertainties (e.g. due to uncertainties in the extent of peatlands and drainage networks) which need to be focused on in future research. In comparison, fire induced carbon dioxide emissions over the past ten years for the entire equatorial Southeast Asia region have been estimated to average 122 Mt C yr-1 (www.globalfiredata.org/_index.html). The results emphasise that whilst reducing emissions from peat fires is important, urgent efforts are also needed to mitigate the constantly high level of emissions arising from peat drainage, regardless of fire occurrence.

J-type Carbon Stars: A Dominant Source of {sup 14}N-rich Presolar SiC Grains of Type AB

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Nan; Nittler, Larry R.; Alexander, Conel M. O’D.; Wang, Jianhua [Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC 20015 (United States); Stephan, Thomas; Boehnke, Patrick; Davis, Andrew M.; Trappitsch, Reto; Pellin, Michael J., E-mail: nliu@carnegiescience.edu [Department of the Geophysical Sciences, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637 (United States)

2017-07-20

We report Mo isotopic data of 27 new presolar SiC grains, including 12 {sup 14}N-rich AB ({sup 14}N/{sup 15}N > 440, AB2) and 15 mainstream (MS) grains, and their correlated Sr and Ba isotope ratios when available. Direct comparison of the data for the MS grains, which came from low-mass asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars with large s -process isotope enhancements, with the AB2 grain data demonstrates that AB2 grains show near-solar isotopic compositions and lack s -process enhancements. The near-normal Sr, Mo, and Ba isotopic compositions of AB2 grains clearly exclude born-again AGB stars, where the intermediate neutron-capture process ( i -process) takes place, as their stellar source. On the other hand, low-mass CO novae and early R- and J-type carbon stars show {sup 13}C and {sup 14}N excesses but no s -process enhancements and are thus potential stellar sources of AB2 grains. Because both early R-type carbon stars and CO novae are rare objects, the abundant J-type carbon stars (10%–15% of all carbon stars) are thus likely to be a dominant source of AB2 grains.

Development of C6+ laser ion source and RFQ linac for carbon ion radiotherapy

Science.gov (United States)

Sako, T.; Yamaguchi, A.; Sato, K.; Goto, A.; Iwai, T.; Nayuki, T.; Nemoto, K.; Kayama, T.; Takeuchi, T.

2016-02-01

A prototype C6+ injector using a laser ion source has been developed for a compact synchrotron dedicated to carbon ion radiotherapy. The injector consists of a laser ion source and a 4-vane radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ) linac. Ion beams are extracted from plasma and directly injected into the RFQ. A solenoid guides the low-energy beams into the RFQ. The RFQ is designed to accelerate high-intensity pulsed beams. A structure of monolithic vanes and cavities is adopted to reduce its power consumption. In beam acceleration tests, a solenoidal magnetic field set between the laser ion source and the RFQ helped increase both the peak currents before and after the RFQ by a factor of 4.

Development of C6+ laser ion source and RFQ linac for carbon ion radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sako, T.; Yamaguchi, A.; Sato, K.; Goto, A.; Iwai, T.; Nayuki, T.; Nemoto, K.; Kayama, T.; Takeuchi, T.

2016-01-01

A prototype C 6+ injector using a laser ion source has been developed for a compact synchrotron dedicated to carbon ion radiotherapy. The injector consists of a laser ion source and a 4-vane radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ) linac. Ion beams are extracted from plasma and directly injected into the RFQ. A solenoid guides the low-energy beams into the RFQ. The RFQ is designed to accelerate high-intensity pulsed beams. A structure of monolithic vanes and cavities is adopted to reduce its power consumption. In beam acceleration tests, a solenoidal magnetic field set between the laser ion source and the RFQ helped increase both the peak currents before and after the RFQ by a factor of 4

Synthesis and characterization of carbon-coated Li3V2(PO4)3 cathode materials with different carbon sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rui, X.H.; Li, C.; Chen, C.H.

2009-01-01

The carbon-coated monoclinic Li 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 (LVP) cathode materials were synthesized by a solid-state reaction process under the same conditions using citric acid, glucose, PVDF and starch, respectively, as both reduction agents and carbon coating sources. The carbon coating can enhance the conductivity of the composite materials and hinder the growth of Li 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 particles. Their structures and physicochemical properties were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric (TG), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical methods. In the voltage region of 3.0-4.3 V, the electrochemical cycling of these LVP/C electrodes all presents good rate capability and excellent cycle stability. It is found that the citric acid-derived LVP owns the largest reversible capacity of 118 mAh g -1 with no capacity fading during 100 cycles at the rate of 0.2C, and the PVDF-derived LVP possesses a capacity of 95 mAh g -1 even at the rate of 5C. While in the voltage region of 3.0-4.8 V, all samples exhibit a slightly poorer cycle performance with the capacity retention of about 86% after 50 cycles at the rate of 0.2C. The reasons for electrochemical performance of the carbon coated Li 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 composites are also discussed. The solid-state reaction is feasible for the preparation of the carbon coated Li 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 composites which can offer favorable properties for commercial applications

Investigation of black and brown carbon multiple-wavelength-dependent light absorption from biomass and fossil fuel combustion source emissions

Science.gov (United States)

Michael R. Olson; Mercedes Victoria Garcia; Michael A. Robinson; Paul Van Rooy; Mark A. Dietenberger; Michael Bergin; James Jay Schauer

2015-01-01

Quantification of the black carbon (BC) and brown carbon (BrC) components of source emissions is critical to understanding the impact combustion aerosols have on atmospheric light absorption. Multiple-wavelength absorption was measured from fuels including wood, agricultural biomass, coals, plant matter, and petroleum distillates in controlled combustion settings....

Source limitation of carbon gas emissions in high-elevation mountain streams and lakes

Science.gov (United States)

Crawford, John T.; Dornblaser, Mark M.; Stanley, Emily H.; Clow, David W.; Striegl, Robert G.

2015-01-01

Inland waters are an important component of the global carbon cycle through transport, storage, and direct emissions of CO2 and CH4 to the atmosphere. Despite predictions of high physical gas exchange rates due to turbulent flows and ubiquitous supersaturation of CO2—and perhaps also CH4—patterns of gas emissions are essentially undocumented for high mountain ecosystems. Much like other headwater networks around the globe, we found that high-elevation streams in Rocky Mountain National Park, USA, were supersaturated with CO2 during the growing season and were net sources to the atmosphere. CO2concentrations in lakes, on the other hand, tended to be less than atmospheric equilibrium during the open water season. CO2 and CH4 emissions from the aquatic conduit were relatively small compared to many parts of the globe. Irrespective of the physical template for high gas exchange (high k), we found evidence of CO2 source limitation to mountain streams during the growing season, which limits overall CO2emissions. Our results suggest a reduced importance of aquatic ecosystems for carbon cycling in high-elevation landscapes having limited soil development and high CO2 consumption via mineral weathering.

J-type Carbon Stars: A Dominant Source of ¹⁴ N-rich Presolar SiC Grains of Type AB

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Nan; Stephan, Thomas; Boehnke, Patrick; Nittler, Larry R.; Alexander, Conel M. O’D.; Wang, Jianhua; Davis, Andrew M.; Trappitsch, Reto; Pellin, Michael J.

2017-07-20

We report Mo isotopic data of 27 new presolar SiC grains, including 12 N-14-rich AB (N-14/N-15 > 440, AB2) and 15 mainstream (MS) grains, and their correlated Sr and Ba isotope ratios when available. Direct comparison of the data for the MS grains, which came from low-mass asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars with large s-process isotope enhancements, with the AB2 grain data demonstrates that AB2 grains show near-solar isotopic compositions and lack s-process enhancements. The near-normal Sr, Mo, and Ba isotopic compositions of AB2 grains clearly exclude born-again AGB stars, where the intermediate neutron-capture process (i-process) takes place, as their stellar source. On the other hand, low-mass CO novae and early R-and J-type carbon stars show C-13 and N-14 excesses but no s-process enhancements and are thus potential stellar sources of AB2 grains. Because both early R-type carbon stars and CO novae are rare objects, the abundant J-type carbon stars (10%-15% of all carbon stars) are thus likely to be a dominant source of AB2 grains.

Influence of carbon source and inoculum type on anaerobic biomass adhesion on polyurethane foam in reactors fed with acid mine drainage.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez, Renata P; Zaiat, Marcelo

2011-04-01

This paper analyzes the influence of carbon source and inoculum origin on the dynamics of biomass adhesion to an inert support in anaerobic reactors fed with acid mine drainage. Formic acid, lactic acid and ethanol were used as carbon sources. Two different inocula were evaluated: one taken from an UASB reactor and other from the sediment of a uranium mine. The values of average colonization rates and the maximum biomass concentration (C(max)) were inversely proportional to the number of carbon atoms in each substrate. The highest C(max) value (0.35 g TVS g(-1) foam) was observed with formic acid and anaerobic sludge as inoculum. Maximum colonization rates (v(max)) were strongly influenced by the type of inoculum when ethanol and lactic acid were used. For both carbon sources, the use of mine sediment as inoculum resulted in a v(max) of 0.013 g TVS g(-1) foam day(-1), whereas 0.024 g TVS g(-1) foam day(-1) was achieved with anaerobic sludge. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tracking development paths: Monitoring driving forces and the impact of carbon-free energy sources in Spain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O’ Mahony, Tadhg; Dufour, Javier

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The development path of Spain is analysed using an extended Kaya identity. • Effect of carbon free energy sources separated. • Nuclear energy acted to increase emissions as it declined in share. • Renewable energy penetration recently began to reduce carbon emissions. • Future policy must address wider factors of sustainable development. - Abstract: The evolution of the national development path has gravity in determining the future emissions outcomes of all nations. Deep reductions in emissions require a focus not just on energy and mitigation policy but on factors underlying this development. The Kaya identity has been recommended to track national progress with respect to sustainability and carbon emissions in the development path. This study applies an extended Kaya identity to the energy-related carbon emissions of Spain. Implemented through a divisia index decomposition annually from 1990 to 2011, it highlights the impact of factors such as affluence and energy intensity. A marked departure from previous studies is the separation of the effects of the carbon-free energy sources; both renewables and nuclear as fundamental mitigation measures. The results show that affluence and population have acted to increase emissions and energy intensity was increasing until recent years. Fuel substitution has acted to decrease emissions but while renewable energy has reduced emissions with the increasing importance of biomass, wind and solar, the decline in share of nuclear has acted to increase emissions. Implications for the development path and policy are discussed and lessons are relevant both for industrialised and industrialising nations

Alginate Production from Alternative Carbon Sources and Use of Polymer Based Adsorbent in Heavy Metal Removal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Çiğdem Kıvılcımdan Moral

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Alginate is a biopolymer composed of mannuronic and guluronic acids. It is harvested from marine brown algae; however, alginate can also be synthesized by some bacterial species, namely, Azotobacter and Pseudomonas. Use of pure carbohydrate sources for bacterial alginate production increases its cost and limits the chance of the polymer in the industrial market. In order to reduce the cost of bacterial alginate production, molasses, maltose, and starch were utilized as alternative low cost carbon sources in this study. Results were promising in the case of molasses with the maximum 4.67 g/L of alginate production. Alginates were rich in mannuronic acid during early fermentation independent of the carbon sources while the highest guluronic acid content was obtained as 68% in the case of maltose. The polymer was then combined with clinoptilolite, which is a natural zeolite, to remove copper from a synthetic wastewater. Alginate-clinoptilolite beads were efficiently adsorbed copper up to 131.6 mg Cu2+/g adsorbent at pH 4.5 according to the Langmuir isotherm model.

Microwave assisted synthesis of cyclic carbonates from olefins with sodium bicarbonates as the C1 source.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xiaoqing; Wu, Jie; Mao, Xianwen; Jamison, Timothy F; Hatton, T Alan

2014-03-25

An effective transformation of alkenes into cyclic carbonates has been achieved using NaHCO3 as the C1 source in acetone-water under microwave heating, with selectivities and yields significantly surpassing those obtained using conventional heating.

Effect of dissolved oxygen on biological denitrification using biodegradable plastic as the carbon source

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xucai; Zhang, Jianmei

2018-02-01

Biological denitrification is currently a common approach to remove nitrate from wastewater. This study was conducted to evaluate the influence of dissolved oxygen on denitrification in wastewater treatment using biodegradable plastic as carbon source by designing the aerated, anoxic, and low-oxygen experimental treatment groups. The results showed that the removal rates of nitrate in anoxic and low-oxygen groups were 30.6 g NO3 --Nm-3 d-1 and 30.8 g NO3 --N m-3 d-1 at 83 h, respectively, both of which were higher than that of the aerated group. There was no significant difference between the anoxic and low-oxygen treatment groups for the nitrate removal. Additional, the nitrite accumulated during the experiments, and the nitrite concentrations in anoxic and aerated groups were lower than those in low-oxygen group. No nitrite was detected in all groups at the end of the experiments. These findings indicated that dissolved oxygen has important influence on denitrification, and anoxic and low-oxygen conditions can support completely denitrification when using BP as carbon source in nitrate-polluted wastewater treatment.

A completely automatic operation type super-safe fast reactor, RAPID. Its application to dispersion source on lunar and earth surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanbe, Mitsuru; Tsunoda, Hirokazu; Mishima, Kaichiro; Kawasaki, Akira; Iwamura, Takamichi

2002-01-01

At a viewpoint of flexible measures to future electric power demands, expectation onto a small-scale reactor for dispersion source is increasing gradually. This is thought to increase its importance not only for a source at proximity of its market in advanced nations but also for the one in developing nations. A study on development of the completely automatic operation type super-safe fast reactor, RAPID (refueling by all pins integrated design) has been carried out as a part of the nuclear energy basic research promoting system under three years project since 1999 by a trust of the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute to a group of the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI) and so on. As the reactor is a lithium cooled fast reactor with 200 Kw of electric output supposing to use at lunar surface, it can be applied to a super-small scale nuclear reactor on the earth, and has feasibility to become a new option of future nuclear power generation. On the other hand, CRIEPI has investigated on various types of fast reactors (RAPID series) for fast reactor for dispersion source on the earth. Here was introduced on such super-safe fast reactors at a center of RAPID-L. (G.K.)

Thermodynamic Data Rescue and Informatics for Deep Carbon Science

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, H.; Ma, X.; Prabhu, A.; Eleish, A.; Pan, F.; Parsons, M. A.; Ghiorso, M. S.; West, P.; Zednik, S.; Erickson, J. S.; Chen, Y.; Wang, H.; Fox, P. A.

2017-12-01

A large number of legacy datasets are contained in geoscience literature published between 1930 and 1980 and not expressed external to the publication text in digitized formats. Extracting, organizing, and reusing these "dark" datasets is highly valuable for many within the Earth and planetary science community. As a part of the Deep Carbon Observatory (DCO) data legacy missions, the DCO Data Science Team and Extreme Physics and Chemistry community identified thermodynamic datasets related to carbon, or more specifically datasets about the enthalpy and entropy of chemicals, as a proof of principle analysis. The data science team endeavored to develop a semi-automatic workflow, which includes identifying relevant publications, extracting contained datasets using OCR methods, collaborative reviewing, and registering the datasets via the DCO Data Portal where the 'Linked Data' feature of the data portal provides a mechanism for connecting rescued datasets beyond their individual data sources, to research domains, DCO Communities, and more, making data discovery and retrieval more effective.To date, the team has successfully rescued, deposited and registered additional datasets from publications with thermodynamic sources. These datasets contain 3 main types of data: (1) heat content or enthalpy data determined for a given compound as a function of temperature using high-temperature calorimetry, (2) heat content or enthalpy data determined for a given compound as a function of temperature using adiabatic calorimetry, and (3) direct determination of heat capacity of a compound as a function of temperature using differential scanning calorimetry. The data science team integrated these datasets and delivered a spectrum of data analytics including visualizations, which will lead to a comprehensive characterization of the thermodynamics of carbon and carbon-related materials.

Automatic location of disruption times in JET

Science.gov (United States)

Moreno, R.; Vega, J.; Murari, A.

2014-11-01

The loss of stability and confinement in tokamak plasmas can induce critical events known as disruptions. Disruptions produce strong electromagnetic forces and thermal loads which can damage fundamental components of the devices. Determining the disruption time is extremely important for various disruption studies: theoretical models, physics-driven models, or disruption predictors. In JET, during the experimental campaigns with the JET-C (Carbon Fiber Composite) wall, a common criterion to determine the disruption time consisted of locating the time of the thermal quench. However, with the metallic ITER-like wall (JET-ILW), this criterion is usually not valid. Several thermal quenches may occur previous to the current quench but the temperature recovers. Therefore, a new criterion has to be defined. A possibility is to use the start of the current quench as disruption time. This work describes the implementation of an automatic data processing method to estimate the disruption time according to this new definition. This automatic determination allows both reducing human efforts to locate the disruption times and standardizing the estimates (with the benefit of being less vulnerable to human errors).

Automatic location of disruption times in JET.

Science.gov (United States)

Moreno, R; Vega, J; Murari, A

2014-11-01

The loss of stability and confinement in tokamak plasmas can induce critical events known as disruptions. Disruptions produce strong electromagnetic forces and thermal loads which can damage fundamental components of the devices. Determining the disruption time is extremely important for various disruption studies: theoretical models, physics-driven models, or disruption predictors. In JET, during the experimental campaigns with the JET-C (Carbon Fiber Composite) wall, a common criterion to determine the disruption time consisted of locating the time of the thermal quench. However, with the metallic ITER-like wall (JET-ILW), this criterion is usually not valid. Several thermal quenches may occur previous to the current quench but the temperature recovers. Therefore, a new criterion has to be defined. A possibility is to use the start of the current quench as disruption time. This work describes the implementation of an automatic data processing method to estimate the disruption time according to this new definition. This automatic determination allows both reducing human efforts to locate the disruption times and standardizing the estimates (with the benefit of being less vulnerable to human errors).

External Carbon Source Addition as a Means to Control an Activated Sludge Nutrient Removal Process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Isaacs, Steven Howard; Henze, Mogens; Søeberg, Henrik

1994-01-01

In alternating type activated sludge nutrient removal processes, the denitrification rate can be limited by the availability of readily-degradable carbon substrate. A control strategy is proposed by which an easily metabolizable COD source is added directly to that point in the process at which d...

Methods of analysis for complex organic aerosol mixtures from urban emission sources of particulate carbon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mazurek, M.A.; Hildemann, L.M.; Simoneit, B.R.T.

1990-10-01

Organic aerosols comprise approximately 30% by mass of the total fine particulate matter present in urban atmospheres. The chemical composition of such aerosols is complex and reflects input from multiple sources of primary emissions to the atmosphere, as well as from secondary production of carbonaceous aerosol species via photochemical reactions. To identify discrete sources of fine carbonaceous particles in urban atmospheres, analytical methods must reconcile both bulk chemical and molecular properties of the total carbonaceous aerosol fraction. This paper presents an overview of the analytical protocol developed and used in a study of the major sources of fine carbon particles emitted to an urban atmosphere. 23 refs., 1 fig., 2 tabs

Direct growth and patterning of multilayer graphene onto a targeted substrate without an external carbon source.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Dongseok; Kim, Won-Jun; Lim, Jung Ah; Song, Yong-Won

2012-07-25

Using only a simple tube furnace, we demonstrate the synthesis of patterned graphene directly on a designed substrate without the need for an external carbon source. Carbon atoms are absorbed onto Ni evaporator sources as impurities, and incorporated into catalyst layers during the deposition. Heat treatment conditions were optimized so that the atoms diffused out along the grain boundaries to form nanocrystals at the catalyst-substrate interfaces. Graphene patterns were obtained under patterned catalysts, which restricted graphene formation to within patterned areas. The resultant multilayer graphene was characterized by Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy to verify the high crystallinity and two-dimensional nanomorphology. Finally, a metal-semiconductor diode with a catalyst-graphene contact structure were fabricated and characterized to assess the semiconducting properties of the graphene sheets with respect to the display of asymmetric current-voltage behavior.

Automatic differentiation bibliography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Corliss, G.F. [comp.

1992-07-01

This is a bibliography of work related to automatic differentiation. Automatic differentiation is a technique for the fast, accurate propagation of derivative values using the chain rule. It is neither symbolic nor numeric. Automatic differentiation is a fundamental tool for scientific computation, with applications in optimization, nonlinear equations, nonlinear least squares approximation, stiff ordinary differential equation, partial differential equations, continuation methods, and sensitivity analysis. This report is an updated version of the bibliography which originally appeared in Automatic Differentiation of Algorithms: Theory, Implementation, and Application.

Automatic Loop Parallelization via Compiler Guided Refactoring

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Per; Ladelsky, Razya; Lidman, Jacob

For many parallel applications, performance relies not on instruction-level parallelism, but on loop-level parallelism. Unfortunately, many modern applications are written in ways that obstruct automatic loop parallelization. Since we cannot identify sufficient parallelization opportunities...... for these codes in a static, off-line compiler, we developed an interactive compilation feedback system that guides the programmer in iteratively modifying application source, thereby improving the compiler’s ability to generate loop-parallel code. We use this compilation system to modify two sequential...... benchmarks, finding that the code parallelized in this way runs up to 8.3 times faster on an octo-core Intel Xeon 5570 system and up to 12.5 times faster on a quad-core IBM POWER6 system. Benchmark performance varies significantly between the systems. This suggests that semi-automatic parallelization should...

Advanced imaging technology using carbon nanotube x ray source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Hae Young; Seol, Seung Kown; Kim, Jaehoon; Yoo, Seung Hoon; Kim, Jong Uk

2008-01-01

Recently, X ray imaging technology is a useful and leading medical diagnostic tool for healthcare professionals to diagnose disease in human body. CNTs(i.e. carbon nanotubes)are used in many applications like FED, Micro wave amplifier, X ray source, etc. because of its suitable electrical, chemical and physical properties. Specially, CNTs are well used electron emitters for x ray source. Conventionally, thermionic type of tungsten filament x ray tube is widely employed in the field of bio medical and industrial application fields. However, intrinsic problems such as, poor emission efficiency and low imaging resolution cause the limitation of use of the x ray tube. To fulfill the current market requirement specifically for medical diagnostic field, we have developed rather a portable and compact CNT based x ray source in which high imaging resolution is provided. Electron sources used in X ray tubes should be well focused to the anode target for generation of high quality x ray. In this study, Pierce type x ray generation module was tested based its simulation results using by OPERA 3D code. Pierce type module is composed of cone type electrical lens with its number of them and inner angles of them that shows different results with these parameters. And some preliminary images obtained using the CNT x ray source were obtained. The represented images are the finger bone and teeth in human body. It is clear that the trabeculation shape is observed in finger bone. To obtain the finger bone image, tube currents of 250A at 42kV tube voltage was applied. The human tooth image, however, is somewhat unclear because the supplied voltage to the tube was limited to max. 50kV in the system developed. It should be noted that normally 60∼70kV of tube voltage is supplied in dental imaging. Considering these it should be emphasized that if the tube voltage is over 60kV then clearer image is possible. In this paper, we are discussed comparing between these experiment results and

GPU-accelerated automatic identification of robust beam setups for proton and carbon-ion radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ammazzalorso, F; Jelen, U; Bednarz, T

2014-01-01

We demonstrate acceleration on graphic processing units (GPU) of automatic identification of robust particle therapy beam setups, minimizing negative dosimetric effects of Bragg peak displacement caused by treatment-time patient positioning errors. Our particle therapy research toolkit, RobuR, was extended with OpenCL support and used to implement calculation on GPU of the Port Homogeneity Index, a metric scoring irradiation port robustness through analysis of tissue density patterns prior to dose optimization and computation. Results were benchmarked against an independent native CPU implementation. Numerical results were in agreement between the GPU implementation and native CPU implementation. For 10 skull base cases, the GPU-accelerated implementation was employed to select beam setups for proton and carbon ion treatment plans, which proved to be dosimetrically robust, when recomputed in presence of various simulated positioning errors. From the point of view of performance, average running time on the GPU decreased by at least one order of magnitude compared to the CPU, rendering the GPU-accelerated analysis a feasible step in a clinical treatment planning interactive session. In conclusion, selection of robust particle therapy beam setups can be effectively accelerated on a GPU and become an unintrusive part of the particle therapy treatment planning workflow. Additionally, the speed gain opens new usage scenarios, like interactive analysis manipulation (e.g. constraining of some setup) and re-execution. Finally, through OpenCL portable parallelism, the new implementation is suitable also for CPU-only use, taking advantage of multiple cores, and can potentially exploit types of accelerators other than GPUs.

GPU-accelerated automatic identification of robust beam setups for proton and carbon-ion radiotherapy

Science.gov (United States)

Ammazzalorso, F.; Bednarz, T.; Jelen, U.

2014-03-01

We demonstrate acceleration on graphic processing units (GPU) of automatic identification of robust particle therapy beam setups, minimizing negative dosimetric effects of Bragg peak displacement caused by treatment-time patient positioning errors. Our particle therapy research toolkit, RobuR, was extended with OpenCL support and used to implement calculation on GPU of the Port Homogeneity Index, a metric scoring irradiation port robustness through analysis of tissue density patterns prior to dose optimization and computation. Results were benchmarked against an independent native CPU implementation. Numerical results were in agreement between the GPU implementation and native CPU implementation. For 10 skull base cases, the GPU-accelerated implementation was employed to select beam setups for proton and carbon ion treatment plans, which proved to be dosimetrically robust, when recomputed in presence of various simulated positioning errors. From the point of view of performance, average running time on the GPU decreased by at least one order of magnitude compared to the CPU, rendering the GPU-accelerated analysis a feasible step in a clinical treatment planning interactive session. In conclusion, selection of robust particle therapy beam setups can be effectively accelerated on a GPU and become an unintrusive part of the particle therapy treatment planning workflow. Additionally, the speed gain opens new usage scenarios, like interactive analysis manipulation (e.g. constraining of some setup) and re-execution. Finally, through OpenCL portable parallelism, the new implementation is suitable also for CPU-only use, taking advantage of multiple cores, and can potentially exploit types of accelerators other than GPUs.

An audit of the global carbon budget: identifying and reducing sources of uncertainty

Science.gov (United States)

Ballantyne, A. P.; Tans, P. P.; Marland, G.; Stocker, B. D.

2012-12-01

Uncertainties in our carbon accounting practices may limit our ability to objectively verify emission reductions on regional scales. Furthermore uncertainties in the global C budget must be reduced to benchmark Earth System Models that incorporate carbon-climate interactions. Here we present an audit of the global C budget where we try to identify sources of uncertainty for major terms in the global C budget. The atmospheric growth rate of CO2 has increased significantly over the last 50 years, while the uncertainty in calculating the global atmospheric growth rate has been reduced from 0.4 ppm/yr to 0.2 ppm/yr (95% confidence). Although we have greatly reduced global CO2 growth rate uncertainties, there remain regions, such as the Southern Hemisphere, Tropics and Arctic, where changes in regional sources/sinks will remain difficult to detect without additional observations. Increases in fossil fuel (FF) emissions are the primary factor driving the increase in global CO2 growth rate; however, our confidence in FF emission estimates has actually gone down. Based on a comparison of multiple estimates, FF emissions have increased from 2.45 ± 0.12 PgC/yr in 1959 to 9.40 ± 0.66 PgC/yr in 2010. Major sources of increasing FF emission uncertainty are increased emissions from emerging economies, such as China and India, as well as subtle differences in accounting practices. Lastly, we evaluate emission estimates from Land Use Change (LUC). Although relative errors in emission estimates from LUC are quite high (2 sigma ~ 50%), LUC emissions have remained fairly constant in recent decades. We evaluate the three commonly used approaches to estimating LUC emissions- Bookkeeping, Satellite Imagery, and Model Simulations- to identify their main sources of error and their ability to detect net emissions from LUC.; Uncertainties in Fossil Fuel Emissions over the last 50 years.

High-performance Li3V2(PO4)3/C cathode materials prepared via a sol–gel route with double carbon sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Lulu; Li Ying; Peng Gang; Wang Zhaohui; Ma Jun; Zhang Wuxing; Hu Xianluo; Huang Yunhui

2012-01-01

Graphical abstract: Double carbon sources were employed to prepare core–shell Li 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 /C composites, giving rise to uniform carbon coating and high conducting network. The as-obtained composites showed remarkably enhanced capacity and rate capability. Highlights: ► Double carbon sources were used to prepare core–shell Li 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 /C composites. ► An improved oxalic acid-based sol–gel method was developed. ► Uniform carbon coating and high conducting network were attained for Li 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 . ► Remarkably enhanced capacity and rate capability were obtained. - Abstract: Li 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 /C (LVP/C) composites have been successfully synthesized via an oxalic acid-based sol–gel process assisted by glucose, in which oxalic acid and glucose serve as double carbon sources. X-ray diffraction patterns show that all samples are well crystallized. Transmission electron microscopy images reveal that the LVP/C sample prepared with 15 wt% glucose is uniformly coated by carbon layer with an appropriate thickness of 8–10 nm, resulting in a high electrical conductivity and a fast kinetics. The Li + -ion diffusion coefficient in the LVP/C sample prepared with glucose is ∼10 −10 cm 2 s −1 , which is larger than that of the LVP/C sample prepared without glucose. The LVP/C sample prepared with 15 wt% glucose exhibits the best electrochemical performance with discharge capacity as high as 171 mAh g −1 at 0.1 C and 119 mAh g −1 at 10 C. The present work provides a valuable route for preparing lithium metal phosphates with double carbon sources to improve the conductivity and hence the electrochemical performance.

Sources of carbon and sulfur nutrition for consumers in three meromictic lakes of New York State

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fry, B.

1986-01-01

The trophic importance of bacterioplankton as a source of carbon and sulfur nutrition for consumers in meromictic lakes was tested using stable carbon (delta 13 C) and sulfur (delta 34 S) isotopic measurements. Studies in three lakes near Syracuse, New York, showed that most consumers ultimately derive their C and S nutrition from a mixture of terrestrial detritus, phytoplankton, and littoral vegetation, rather than from bacterioplankton. Food webs in these meromictic lakes are thus similar to those in other lakes that lack dense populations of bacterioplankton

Long Carbon Chains in the Warm Carbon-chain-chemistry Source L1527: First Detection of C7H in Molecular Clouds

Science.gov (United States)

Araki, Mitsunori; Takano, Shuro; Sakai, Nami; Yamamoto, Satoshi; Oyama, Takahiro; Kuze, Nobuhiko; Tsukiyama, Koichi

2017-09-01

Long carbon-chain molecules were searched for toward the low-mass star-forming region L1527, which is a prototypical source of warm carbon-chain chemistry (WCCC), using the 100 m Green Bank Telescope. Long carbon-chain molecules, C7H (2Π1/2), C6H (2Π3/2 and 2Π1/2), CH3C4H, and C6H2 (cumulene carbene, CCCCCCH2), and cyclic species of C3H and C3H2O were detected. In particular, C7H was detected for the first time in molecular clouds. The column density of C7H is determined to be 6 × 1010 cm-2. The column densities of the carbon-chain molecules including CH3C4H and C6H in L1527 relative to those in the starless dark cloud Taurus Molecular Cloud-1 Cyanopolyyne Peak (TMC-1 CP) tend to be systematically lower for long carbon-chain lengths. However, the column densities of C7H and C6H2 do not follow this trend and are found to be relatively abundant in L1527. This result implies that these long carbon-chain molecules are remnants of the cold starless phase. The results—that both the remnants and WCCC products are observed toward L1527—are consistent with the suggestion that the protostar can also be born in the parent core at a relatively early stage in the chemical evolution.

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios analysis of food sources for Chironomus acerbiphilus larvae (Diptera Chironomidae) in strongly acidic lake Katanuma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doi, Hideyuki; Kikuchi, Eisuke; Shikano, Shuichi

2001-01-01

The food sources for Chironomus acerbiphilus larvae (Diptera Chironomidae) were analyzed using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios in Lake Katanuma. Lake Katanuma is a volcanic and strongly acidic lake (average pH 2.2). In Lake Katanuma, potential sources of diets for the chironomid larvae are limited including a benthic diatom (Pinnularia braunii), a phytoplankton (Chlamydomonas acidophila), sulfate oxidizing bacteria, and vascular plants supplied from vegetation surrounding the lake. Based on the average carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios among these potential sources and sediment, benthic diatoms were considered to be most probable food source of the chironomid larvae. δ 13 C values of the chironomid were significantly different among seasons and habitat depths, suggesting that diet of C. acerbiphilus changed seasonally and with habitat depth. (author)

Carbon Dissolution Using Waste Biomass—A Sustainable Approach for Iron-Carbon Alloy Production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irshad Mansuri

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This paper details the characterisation of char obtained by high-temperature pyrolysis of waste macadamia shell biomass and its application as carbon source in iron-carbon alloy production. The obtained char was characterised by ultimate and proximate analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR, X-ray photon spectroscopy (XPS, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET surface area via N2 isothermal adsorption and scanning electron microscopy (SEM. The results indicated that obtained char is less porous, low in ash content, and high in carbon content. Investigation of iron-carbon alloy formation through carbon dissolution at 1550 °C was carried out using sessile drop method by using obtained char as a carbon source. Rapid carbon pickup by iron was observed during first two minutes of contact and reached a saturation value of ~5.18 wt % of carbon after 30 min. The carbon dissolution rate using macadamia char as a source of carbon was comparatively higher using than other carbonaceous materials such as metallurgical coke, coal chars, and waste compact discs, due to its high percentage of carbon and low ash content. This research shows that macadamia shell waste, which has a low content of ash, is a valuable supplementary carbon source for iron-carbon alloy industries.

Using Novel Laboratory Incubations and Field Experiments to Identify the Source and Fate of Reactive Organic Carbon in an Arsenic-contaminated Aquifer System

Science.gov (United States)

Stahl, M.; Tarek, M. H.; Badruzzaman, B.; Harvey, C. F.

2017-12-01

Characterizing the sources and fate of organic matter (OM) within aquifer systems is key to our understanding of both the broader global carbon cycle as well as the quality of our groundwater resources. The linkage between the subsurface carbon cycle and groundwater quality is perhaps nowhere more apparent than in the aquifer systems of South and Southeast Asia, where the contamination of groundwater with geogenic arsenic (As) is widespread and threatens the health of millions of individuals. OM fuels the biogeochemical processes driving As mobilization within these aquifers, however the source (i.e., modern surface-derived or aged sedimentary OM) of the reactive OM is widely debated. To characterize the sources of OM driving aquifer redox processes we tracked DIC and DOC concentrations and isotopes (stable and radiocarbon) along groundwater flow-paths and beneath an instrumented study pond at a field site in Bangladesh. We also conducted a set of novel groundwater incubation experiments, where we carbon-dated the DOC at the start and end of a experiment in order to determine the age of the OM that was mineralized. Our carbon/isotope balance reveals that aquifer recharge introduces a large quantity of young (i.e. near modern) OM that is efficiently mineralized within the upper few meters of the aquifer, effectively limiting this pool of reactive surface-sourced OM from being transported deeper into the aquifer where significant As mobilization takes place. The OM mineralized past the upper few meters is an aged, sedimentary source. Consistent with our field data, our incubation experiments show that past the upper few meters of the aquifer the reactive DOC is significantly older than the bulk DOC and has an age consistent with sedimentary OM. Combining our novel set of incubation experiments and a carbon/isotope balance along groundwater flow-paths and beneath our study pond we have identified the sources of reactive OM across different aquifer depths in a

Automatic Web-Based, Radio-Network System To Monitor And Control Equipment For Investigating Gas Flux At Water - Air Interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Duc, N. T.; Silverstein, S.; Wik, M.; Beckman, P.; Crill, P. M.; Bastviken, D.; Varner, R. K.

2015-12-01

Aquatic ecosystems are major sources of greenhouse gases (GHG). Robust measurements of natural GHG emissions are vital for evaluating regional to global carbon budgets and for assessing climate feedbacks on natural emissions to improve climate models. Diffusive and ebullitive (bubble) transport are two major pathways of gas release from surface waters. To capture the high temporal variability of these fluxes in a well-defined footprint, we designed and built an inexpensive automatic device that includes an easily mobile diffusive flux chamber and a bubble counter, all in one. Besides a function of automatically collecting gas samples for subsequent various analyses in the laboratory, this device utilizes low cost CO2 sensor (SenseAir, Sweden) and CH4 sensor (Figaro, Japan) to measure GHG fluxes. To measure the spatial variability of emissions, each of the devices is equipped with an XBee module to enable a local radio communication DigiMesh network for time synchronization and data readout at a server-controller station on the lakeshore. Software of this server-controller is operated on a low cost Raspberry Pi computer which has a 3G connection for remote monitoring - controlling functions from anywhere in the world. From field studies in Abisko, Sweden in summer 2014 and 2015, the system has resulted in measurements of GHG fluxes comparable to manual methods. In addition, the deployments have shown the advantage of a low cost automatic network system to study GHG fluxes on lakes in remote locations.

A comparison of conscious and automatic memory processes for picture and word stimuli: a process dissociation analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

McBride, Dawn M; Anne Dosher, Barbara

2002-09-01

Four experiments were conducted to evaluate explanations of picture superiority effects previously found for several tasks. In a process dissociation procedure (Jacoby, 1991) with word stem completion, picture fragment completion, and category production tasks, conscious and automatic memory processes were compared for studied pictures and words with an independent retrieval model and a generate-source model. The predictions of a transfer appropriate processing account of picture superiority were tested and validated in "process pure" latent measures of conscious and unconscious, or automatic and source, memory processes. Results from both model fits verified that pictures had a conceptual (conscious/source) processing advantage over words for all tasks. The effects of perceptual (automatic/word generation) compatibility depended on task type, with pictorial tasks favoring pictures and linguistic tasks favoring words. Results show support for an explanation of the picture superiority effect that involves an interaction of encoding and retrieval processes.

The use of automatic programming techniques for fault tolerant computing systems

Science.gov (United States)

Wild, C.

1985-01-01

It is conjectured that the production of software for ultra-reliable computing systems such as required by Space Station, aircraft, nuclear power plants and the like will require a high degree of automation as well as fault tolerance. In this paper, the relationship between automatic programming techniques and fault tolerant computing systems is explored. Initial efforts in the automatic synthesis of code from assertions to be used for error detection as well as the automatic generation of assertions and test cases from abstract data type specifications is outlined. Speculation on the ability to generate truly diverse designs capable of recovery from errors by exploring alternate paths in the program synthesis tree is discussed. Some initial thoughts on the use of knowledge based systems for the global detection of abnormal behavior using expectations and the goal-directed reconfiguration of resources to meet critical mission objectives are given. One of the sources of information for these systems would be the knowledge captured during the automatic programming process.

Contribution of various carbon sources toward isoprene biosynthesis in poplar leaves mediated by altered atmospheric CO2 concentrations.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amy M Trowbridge

Full Text Available Biogenically released isoprene plays important roles in both tropospheric photochemistry and plant metabolism. We performed a (13CO(2-labeling study using proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS to examine the kinetics of recently assimilated photosynthate into isoprene emitted from poplar (Populus × canescens trees grown and measured at different atmospheric CO(2 concentrations. This is the first study to explicitly consider the effects of altered atmospheric CO(2 concentration on carbon partitioning to isoprene biosynthesis. We studied changes in the proportion of labeled carbon as a function of time in two mass fragments, M41(+, which represents, in part, substrate derived from pyruvate, and M69(+, which represents the whole unlabeled isoprene molecule. We observed a trend of slower (13C incorporation into isoprene carbon derived from pyruvate, consistent with the previously hypothesized origin of chloroplastic pyruvate from cytosolic phosphenolpyruvate (PEP. Trees grown under sub-ambient CO(2 (190 ppmv had rates of isoprene emission and rates of labeling of M41(+ and M69(+ that were nearly twice those observed in trees grown under elevated CO(2 (590 ppmv. However, they also demonstrated the lowest proportion of completely labeled isoprene molecules. These results suggest that under reduced atmospheric CO(2 availability, more carbon from stored/older carbon sources is involved in isoprene biosynthesis, and this carbon most likely enters the isoprene biosynthesis pathway through the pyruvate substrate. We offer direct evidence that extra-chloroplastic rather than chloroplastic carbon sources are mobilized to increase the availability of pyruvate required to up-regulate the isoprene biosynthesis pathway when trees are grown under sub-ambient CO(2.

Diagnostic Evaluation of Carbon Sources in CMAQ

Science.gov (United States)

Traditional monitoring networks measure only total elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC) routinely. Diagnosing model biases with such limited information is difficult. Measurements of organic tracer compounds have recently become available and allow for more detailed di...

Automatic Control of ITER-like Structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bosia, G.; Bremond, S.

2005-01-01

In ITER Ion Cyclotron System requires a power transfer efficiency in excess of 90% from power source to plasma in quasi continuous operation. This implies the availability of a control system capable of optimizing the array radiation spectrum, automatically acquiring impedance match between the power source and the plasma loaded array at the beginning of the power pulse and maintaining it against load variations due to plasma position and plasma edge parameters fluctuations, rapidly detecting voltage breakdowns in the array and/or in the transmission system and reliably discriminating them from fast load variations. In this paper a proposal for a practical ITER control system, including power, phase, frequency and impedance matching is described. (authors)

Replacement of soybean meal in compound feed by European protein sources : effects on carbon footprint

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boer, de H.C.; Krimpen, van M.M.; Blonk, H.; Tyszler, M.

2014-01-01

The overall aim was to investigate if soybean products from South American can be replaced by protein sources produced in Europe in a sustainable way. Based on data from literature, and based on the systematics of the FeedPrint programme, the nutritional value and the carbon footprint (CFP) of these

Sources and burial fluxes of soot black carbon in sediments on the Mackenzie, Chukchi, and Bering Shelves

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Weifeng; Guo, Laodong

2018-03-01

Black carbon (BC) has been recognized as a climate forcing and a major component in the global carbon budget. However, studies on BC in the Arctic Ocean remain scarce. We report here variations in the abundance, sources and burial fluxes of sedimentary soot black carbon (soot-BC) in the western Arctic Ocean. The soot-BC contents averaged 1.6 ± 0.3, 0.46 ± 0.04 and 0.56 ± 0.10 mg-C g-1 on the Mackenzie, Chukchi and Bering Shelves, respectively, accounting for 16.6%, 10.2% and 10.4% of the total organic carbon in surface sediment. Temporally, contents of soot-BC remained fairly stable before 1910, but increased rapidly after the 1970s on the Mackenzie Shelf, indicating enhanced source input related to warming. Comparable δ13C signatures of soot-BC (- 24.95‰ to - 24.57‰) to C3 plants pointed to a major biomass source of soot-BC to the Beaufort Sea. Soot-BC showed similar temporal patterns with large fluctuations in the Chukchi/Bering shelf regions, implying the same source terms for soot-BC in these areas. Two events with elevated soot-BC corresponded to a simultaneous increase in biomass combustion and fossil fuel (coal and oil) consumption in Asia. The similar temporal variability in sedimentary soot-BC between the Arctic shelves and Asian lakes and the comparable δ13C values manifested that anthropogenic emission from East Asia was an important source of soot-BC in the western Arctic and subarctic regions. The burial fluxes of soot-BC, estimated from both 137Cs- and 210Pb-derived sedimentation rates, were 2.43 ± 0.42 g-C m-2 yr-1 on the Mackenzie Shelf, representing an efficient soot-BC sink. Soot-BC showed an increase in buried fluxes from 0.56 ± 0.02 g-C m-2 yr-1 during 1963-1986 to 0.88 ± 0.05 g-C m-2 yr-1 after 1986 on the Chukchi Shelf, and from 1.00 ± 0.18 g-C m-2 yr-1 to 2.58 ± 1.70 g-C m-2 yr-1 on the Bering Shelf, which were consistent with recent anthropogenically enhanced BC input observed especially in Asia. Overall, the three Arctic

Effectiveness and Discussion of Ventilation Design with Automatic Revolving Window

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chang Jing Yi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to improve and discuss the effectiveness of automatic revolving window ventilation on human comfort, where the temperature sensor mounted indoors gives the signal to start the stepping motor of the revolving window. There is a controller for automatic regulation according to the difference between the preset temperature and indoor temperature, where the air flow of ventilating fan imports outside air to take excess heat away from the room, in order to reduce the indoor temperature. The revolving window opening angle is simulated and analyzed, and the impact of different air rates on the indoor temperature is analyzed. This system can regulate the indoor temperature to effectively reach the optimal human comfort temperature, and can reduce the frequency of using air conditioning, in order to attain the goals of energy saving, carbon reduction, and environmental protection.

A direct carbon budgeting approach to infer carbon sources and sinks. Design and synthetic application to complement the NACP observation network

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Crevoisier, Cyril; Gloor, Manuel; Gloaguen, Erwan; Sarmiento, Jorge L. [Princeton Univ., NJ (United States). Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences; Horowitz, Larry W. [Princeton Univ., NJ (United States). Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory; Sweeney, Colm; Tans, Pieter P. [NOAA/ESRL Global Monitoring Division, Boulder, CO (United States)

2006-11-15

In order to exploit the upcoming regular measurements of vertical carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) profiles over North America implemented in the framework of the North American Carbon Program (NACP), we design a direct carbon budgeting approach to infer carbon sources and sinks over the continent using model simulations. Direct budgeting puts a control volume on top of North America, balances air mass in- and outflows into the volume and solves for the surface fluxes. The flows are derived from the observations through a geostatistical interpolation technique called Kriging combined with transport fields from weather analysis. The use of CO{sub 2} vertical profiles simulated by the atmospheric transport model MOZART-2 at the planned 19 stations of the NACP network has given an estimation of the error of 0.39 GtC/yr within the model world. Reducing this error may be achieved through a better estimation of mass fluxes associated with convective processes affecting North America. Complementary stations in the north-west and the north-east are also needed to resolve the variability of CO{sub 2} in these regions. For instance, the addition of a single station near 52 deg N; 110 deg W is shown to decrease the estimation error to 0.34 GtC/yr.

A direct carbon budgeting approach to infer carbon sources and sinks. Design and synthetic application to complement the NACP observation network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crevoisier, Cyril; Gloor, Manuel; Gloaguen, Erwan; Sarmiento, Jorge L.

2006-01-01

In order to exploit the upcoming regular measurements of vertical carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) profiles over North America implemented in the framework of the North American Carbon Program (NACP), we design a direct carbon budgeting approach to infer carbon sources and sinks over the continent using model simulations. Direct budgeting puts a control volume on top of North America, balances air mass in- and outflows into the volume and solves for the surface fluxes. The flows are derived from the observations through a geostatistical interpolation technique called Kriging combined with transport fields from weather analysis. The use of CO 2 vertical profiles simulated by the atmospheric transport model MOZART-2 at the planned 19 stations of the NACP network has given an estimation of the error of 0.39 GtC/yr within the model world. Reducing this error may be achieved through a better estimation of mass fluxes associated with convective processes affecting North America. Complementary stations in the north-west and the north-east are also needed to resolve the variability of CO 2 in these regions. For instance, the addition of a single station near 52 deg N; 110 deg W is shown to decrease the estimation error to 0.34 GtC/yr

Utilization of Glyphosate as Phosphate Source: Biochemistry and Genetics of Bacterial Carbon-Phosphorus Lyase

Science.gov (United States)

Zechel, David L.; Jochimsen, Bjarne

2014-01-01

SUMMARY After several decades of use of glyphosate, the active ingredient in weed killers such as Roundup, in fields, forests, and gardens, the biochemical pathway of transformation of glyphosate phosphorus to a useful phosphorus source for microorganisms has been disclosed. Glyphosate is a member of a large group of chemicals, phosphonic acids or phosphonates, which are characterized by a carbon-phosphorus bond. This is in contrast to the general phosphorus compounds utilized and metabolized by microorganisms. Here phosphorus is found as phosphoric acid or phosphate ion, phosphoric acid esters, or phosphoric acid anhydrides. The latter compounds contain phosphorus that is bound only to oxygen. Hydrolytic, oxidative, and radical-based mechanisms for carbon-phosphorus bond cleavage have been described. This review deals with the radical-based mechanism employed by the carbon-phosphorus lyase of the carbon-phosphorus lyase pathway, which involves reactions for activation of phosphonate, carbon-phosphorus bond cleavage, and further chemical transformation before a useful phosphate ion is generated in a series of seven or eight enzyme-catalyzed reactions. The phn genes, encoding the enzymes for this pathway, are widespread among bacterial species. The processes are described with emphasis on glyphosate as a substrate. Additionally, the catabolism of glyphosate is intimately connected with that of aminomethylphosphonate, which is also treated in this review. Results of physiological and genetic analyses are combined with those of bioinformatics analyses. PMID:24600043

Cr(Vi) reduction capacity of activated sludge as affected by nitrogen and carbon sources, microbial acclimation and cell multiplication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferro Orozco, A.M.; Contreras, E.M.; Zaritzky, N.E.

2010-01-01

The objectives of the present work were: (i) to analyze the capacity of activated sludge to reduce hexavalent chromium using different carbon sources as electron donors in batch reactors, (ii) to determine the relationship between biomass growth and the amount of Cr(VI) reduced considering the effect of the nitrogen to carbon source ratio, and (iii) to determine the effect of the Cr(VI) acclimation stage on the performance of the biological chromium reduction assessing the stability of the Cr(VI) reduction capacity of the activated sludge. The highest specific Cr(VI) removal rate (q Cr ) was attained with cheese whey or lactose as electron donors decreasing in the following order: cheese whey ∼ lactose > glucose > citrate > acetate. Batch assays with different nitrogen to carbon source ratio demonstrated that biological Cr(VI) reduction is associated to the cell multiplication phase; as a result, maximum Cr(VI) removal rates occur when there is no substrate limitation. The biomass can be acclimated to the presence of Cr(VI) and generate new cells that maintain the ability to reduce chromate. Therefore, the activated sludge process could be applied to a continuous Cr(VI) removal process.

Diamondlike carbon deposition on plastic films by plasma source ion implantation

CERN Document Server

Tanaka, T; Shinohara, M; Takagi, T

2002-01-01

Application of pulsed high negative voltage (approx 10 mu s pulse width, 300-900 pulses per second) to a substrate is found to induce discharge, thereby increasing ion current with an inductively coupled plasma source. This plasma source ion beam implantation (PSII) technique is investigated for the pretreatment and deposition of diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin layer on polyethylene terepthalate (PET) film. Pretreatment of PET with N sub 2 and Ar plasma is expected to provide added barrier effects when coupled with DLC deposition, with possible application to fabrication of PET beverage bottles. PSII treatment using N sub 2 and Ar in separate stages is found to change the color of the PET film, effectively increasing near-ultraviolet absorption. The effects of this pretreatment on the chemical bonding of C, H, and O are examined by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). DLC thin film was successfully deposited on the PET film. The surface of the DLC thin layer is observed to be smooth by scanning electron mic...

Solid source growth of Si oxide nanowires promoted by carbon nanotubes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, Congxiang [CINTRA CNRS/NTU/THALES, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637553 (Singapore); Novitas, Nanoelectronics Centre of Excellence, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798 (Singapore); Liu, Wen-wen; Wang, Xingli [Novitas, Nanoelectronics Centre of Excellence, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798 (Singapore); Li, Xiaocheng [Laboratory of clean energy chemistry and materials, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 18 Tianshui Middle Road, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Tan, Chong Wei [CINTRA CNRS/NTU/THALES, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637553 (Singapore); Novitas, Nanoelectronics Centre of Excellence, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798 (Singapore); Tay, Beng Kang, E-mail: ebktay@ntu.edu.sg [CINTRA CNRS/NTU/THALES, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637553 (Singapore); Novitas, Nanoelectronics Centre of Excellence, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798 (Singapore); Coquet, Philippe [CINTRA CNRS/NTU/THALES, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637553 (Singapore)

2014-09-30

Highlights: • An array of well aligned and uniform CNTs is successfully fabricated by PECVD. • SiONW growth utilizes Si substrate as the source, ruling out the usage of silane. • With CNT array on the substrate, SiONW growth is improved significantly. • CNTs help dispersion of the catalysts and diffusion of the Si atoms. - Abstract: We report a method to promote solid source growth of Si oxide nanowires (SiONWs) by using an array of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs). It starts with the fabrication of CNT array by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) on Si wafers, followed by growth of SiONWs. Herein, CNTs serve as a scaffold, which helps the dispersion of catalysts for SiONWs and also provides space for hydrogen which boosts the diffusion of Si atoms and hence formation of SiONWs. As the result, a three dimensional (3D) hybrid network of densely packed SiONWs and CNTs can be produced rapidly.

Annual review in automatic programming

CERN Document Server

Goodman, Richard

2014-01-01

Annual Review in Automatic Programming, Volume 2 is a collection of papers that discusses the controversy about the suitability of COBOL as a common business oriented language, and the development of different common languages for scientific computation. A couple of papers describes the use of the Genie system in numerical calculation and analyzes Mercury autocode in terms of a phrase structure language, such as in the source language, target language, the order structure of ATLAS, and the meta-syntactical language of the assembly program. Other papers explain interference or an ""intermediate

Development of C{sup 6+} laser ion source and RFQ linac for carbon ion radiotherapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sako, T., E-mail: takayuki1.sako@toshiba.co.jp; Yamaguchi, A.; Sato, K. [Toshiba Corporation, Yokohama 235-8522 (Japan); Goto, A.; Iwai, T.; Nayuki, T.; Nemoto, K.; Kayama, T. [Cancer Research Center, Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata 990-9585 (Japan); Takeuchi, T. [Accelerator Engineering Corporation, Chiba 263-0043 (Japan)

2016-02-15

A prototype C{sup 6+} injector using a laser ion source has been developed for a compact synchrotron dedicated to carbon ion radiotherapy. The injector consists of a laser ion source and a 4-vane radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ) linac. Ion beams are extracted from plasma and directly injected into the RFQ. A solenoid guides the low-energy beams into the RFQ. The RFQ is designed to accelerate high-intensity pulsed beams. A structure of monolithic vanes and cavities is adopted to reduce its power consumption. In beam acceleration tests, a solenoidal magnetic field set between the laser ion source and the RFQ helped increase both the peak currents before and after the RFQ by a factor of 4.

Development of C⁶⁺ laser ion source and RFQ linac for carbon ion radiotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Sako, T; Yamaguchi, A; Sato, K; Goto, A; Iwai, T; Nayuki, T; Nemoto, K; Kayama, T; Takeuchi, T

2016-02-01

A prototype C(6+) injector using a laser ion source has been developed for a compact synchrotron dedicated to carbon ion radiotherapy. The injector consists of a laser ion source and a 4-vane radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ) linac. Ion beams are extracted from plasma and directly injected into the RFQ. A solenoid guides the low-energy beams into the RFQ. The RFQ is designed to accelerate high-intensity pulsed beams. A structure of monolithic vanes and cavities is adopted to reduce its power consumption. In beam acceleration tests, a solenoidal magnetic field set between the laser ion source and the RFQ helped increase both the peak currents before and after the RFQ by a factor of 4.

Automatic frequency control system for driving a linear accelerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Helgesson, A.L.

1976-01-01

An automatic frequency control system is described for maintaining the drive frequency applied to a linear accelerator to produce maximum particle output from the accelerator. The particle output amplitude is measured and the frequency of the radio frequency source powering the linear accelerator is adjusted to maximize particle output amplitude

ANA, automatic natural learning of a semantic network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enguehard, Chantal

1992-01-01

The objective of this research thesis is the automatic extraction of terminology and the study of its automatic structuring in order to produce a semantic network. Such an operation is applied to text corpus representing knowledge on a specific field in order to select the relevant technical vocabulary regarding this field. Thus, the author developed a method and a software for the automatic acquisition of terminology items. The author first gives an overview of systems and methods of document indexing and of thesaurus elaboration, and a brief presentation of the state-of-the-art of learning. Then, he discusses some drawbacks of computer systems of natural language processing which are using large knowledge sources such as grammars and dictionaries. After a presentation of the adopted approach and of some hypotheses, the author defines objects and operators which are necessary for an easier data handling, presents the knowledge acquisition process, and finally precisely describes the system computerization. Some results are assessed and discussed, and limitations and perspectives are commented [fr

Using suggestion to model different types of automatic writing.

Science.gov (United States)

Walsh, E; Mehta, M A; Oakley, D A; Guilmette, D N; Gabay, A; Halligan, P W; Deeley, Q

2014-05-01

Our sense of self includes awareness of our thoughts and movements, and our control over them. This feeling can be altered or lost in neuropsychiatric disorders as well as in phenomena such as "automatic writing" whereby writing is attributed to an external source. Here, we employed suggestion in highly hypnotically suggestible participants to model various experiences of automatic writing during a sentence completion task. Results showed that the induction of hypnosis, without additional suggestion, was associated with a small but significant reduction of control, ownership, and awareness for writing. Targeted suggestions produced a double dissociation between thought and movement components of writing, for both feelings of control and ownership, and additionally, reduced awareness of writing. Overall, suggestion produced selective alterations in the control, ownership, and awareness of thought and motor components of writing, thus enabling key aspects of automatic writing, observed across different clinical and cultural settings, to be modelled. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios analysis of food sources for Chironomus acerbiphilus larvae (Diptera Chironomidae) in strongly acidic lake Katanuma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Doi, Hideyuki [Tohoku Univ., Sendai (Japan). Graduate School of Science; Kikuchi, Eisuke; Shikano, Shuichi

2001-12-01

The food sources for Chironomus acerbiphilus larvae (Diptera Chironomidae) were analyzed using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios in Lake Katanuma. Lake Katanuma is a volcanic and strongly acidic lake (average pH 2.2). In Lake Katanuma, potential sources of diets for the chironomid larvae are limited including a benthic diatom (Pinnularia braunii), a phytoplankton (Chlamydomonas acidophila), sulfate oxidizing bacteria, and vascular plants supplied from vegetation surrounding the lake. Based on the average carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios among these potential sources and sediment, benthic diatoms were considered to be most probable food source of the chironomid larvae. {delta}{sup 13}C values of the chironomid were significantly different among seasons and habitat depths, suggesting that diet of C. acerbiphilus changed seasonally and with habitat depth. (author)

Mars - robust automatic backbone assignment of proteins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, Young-Sang; Zweckstetter, Markus

2004-01-01

MARS a program for robust automatic backbone assignment of 13 C/ 15 N labeled proteins is presented. MARS does not require tight thresholds for establishing sequential connectivity or detailed adjustment of these thresholds and it can work with a wide variety of NMR experiments. Using only 13 C α / 13 C β connectivity information, MARS allows automatic, error-free assignment of 96% of the 370-residue maltose-binding protein. MARS can successfully be used when data are missing for a substantial portion of residues or for proteins with very high chemical shift degeneracy such as partially or fully unfolded proteins. Other sources of information, such as residue specific information or known assignments from a homologues protein, can be included into the assignment process. MARS exports its result in SPARKY format. This allows visual validation and integration of automated and manual assignment

Biological caproate production by Clostridium kluyveri from ethanol and acetate as carbon sources

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yin, Yanan; Zhang, Yifeng; Karakashev, Dimitar Borisov

2017-01-01

Caproate is a valuable industrial product and chemical precursor. In this study, batch tests were conducted to investigate the fermentative caproate production through chain elongation from acetate and ethanol. The effect of acetate/ethanol ratio and initial ethanol concentration on caproate...... production was examined. When substrate concentration was controlled at 100 mM total carbon, hydrogen was used as an additional electron donor. The highest caproate concentration of 3.11 g/L was obtained at an ethanol/acetate ratio of 7:3. No additional electron donor was needed upon an ethanol/acetate ratio...... ≥7:3. Caproate production increased with the increase of carbon source until ethanol concentration over 700 mM, which inhibited the fermentation process. The highest caproate concentration of 8.42 g/L was achieved from high ethanol strength wastewater with an ethanol/acetate ratio of 10:1 (550 m...

Rapid biological oxidation of methanol in the tropical Atlantic: significance as a microbial carbon source

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. L. Dixon

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Methanol is the second most abundant organic gas in the atmosphere after methane, and is ubiquitous in the troposphere. It plays a significant role in atmospheric oxidant chemistry and is biogeochemically active. Large uncertainties exist about whether the oceans are a source or sink of methanol to the atmosphere. Even less is understood about what reactions in seawater determine its concentration, and hence flux across the sea surface interface. We report here concentrations of methanol between 151–296 nM in parts of the oligotrophic North Atlantic, with corresponding microbial uptake rates between 2–146 nM d⁻¹, suggesting turnover times as low as 1 day (1–25 days in surface waters of the oligotrophic tropical North East Atlantic. Methanol is mainly (≥97% used by microbes for obtaining energy in oligotrophic regions, which contrasts with shelf and coastal areas where between 20–50% can be used for cell growth. Comparisons of microbial methanol oxidation rates with parallel determinations of bacterial leucine uptake suggest that methanol contributes on average 13% to bacterial carbon demand in the central northern Atlantic gyre (maximum of 54%. In addition, the contribution that methanol makes to bacterial carbon demand varies as a power function of chlorophyll a concentrations; suggesting for concentrations <0.2 μg l⁻¹ that methanol can make a significant contribution to bacterial carbon demand. However, our low air to sea methanol flux estimates of 7.2–13 μmol m⁻² d⁻¹ suggest that the atmosphere is not a major methanol source. We conclude that there must be a major, as yet unidentified, in situ oceanic methanol source in these latitudes which we suggest is sunlight driven decomposition of organic matter.

Text Structuration Leading to an Automatic Summary System: RAFI.

Science.gov (United States)

Lehman, Abderrafih

1999-01-01

Describes the design and construction of Resume Automatique a Fragments Indicateurs (RAFI), a system of automatic text summary which sums up scientific and technical texts. The RAFI system transforms a long source text into several versions of more condensed texts, using discourse analysis, to make searching easier; it could be adapted to the…

Effects of Carbon and Nitrogen Sources on Lipase Production by Candida rugosa

OpenAIRE

ERKMEN, Sibel FADILOĞLU and Osman

2014-01-01

The production of lipase by Candida rugosa growing on media with various carbon and nitrogen sources was studied. While high yields of enzyme activity (5.58 U mL-1) were obtained with yeast extract and proteose-peptone in the medium with olive oil, the minimum lipase activity (2.81 U mL-1) was observed with tryptone and lactose. In the absence of olive oil, the media with proteose peptone and glucose gave the maximum enzyme activity (2.21 U mL-1). The best results in the production of lipa...

Projections of multi-gas emissions and carbon sinks, and marginal abatement cost functions modelling for land-use related sources

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Graveland C; Bouwman AF; Vries B de; Eickhout B; Strengers BJ; MNV

2003-01-01

This report presents estimates of the costs of abatement of greenhouse gas emissions associated with landfills as a source of methane (CH4), sewage as a source of methane and nitrous oxide (CH4 and N2O, respectively) and carbon (C) sequestration in forest plantations. This is done in the form of

Determination of food sources for benthic invertebrates in a salt marsh (Aiguillon Bay, France) by carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes: importance of locally produced sources

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Riera, P.; Stal, L.J.; Nieuwenhuize, J.; Richard, P.; Blanchard, G.F.; Gentil, F.

1999-01-01

delta(13)C and delta(15)N were measured in benthic invertebrates and food sources collected in the salt marsh of the Aiguillon Bay, France. The results showed that, although Spartina anglica was dominant, this marine phanerogame did not contribute significantly to the carbon and nitrogen

TU-AB-BRC-11: Moving a GPU-OpenCL-Based Monte Carlo (MC) Dose Engine Towards Routine Clinical Use: Automatic Beam Commissioning and Efficient Source Sampling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tian, Z; Folkerts, M; Jiang, S; Jia, X [UT Southwestern Medical Ctr, Dallas, TX (United States); Li, Y [Beihang University, Beijing (China)

2016-06-15

Purpose: We have previously developed a GPU-OpenCL-based MC dose engine named goMC with built-in analytical linac beam model. To move goMC towards routine clinical use, we have developed an automatic beam-commissioning method, and an efficient source sampling strategy to facilitate dose calculations for real treatment plans. Methods: Our commissioning method is to automatically adjust the relative weights among the sub-sources, through an optimization process minimizing the discrepancies between calculated dose and measurements. Six models built for Varian Truebeam linac photon beams (6MV, 10MV, 15MV, 18MV, 6MVFFF, 10MVFFF) were commissioned using measurement data acquired at our institution. To facilitate dose calculations for real treatment plans, we employed inverse sampling method to efficiently incorporate MLC leaf-sequencing into source sampling. Specifically, instead of sampling source particles control-point by control-point and rejecting the particles blocked by MLC, we assigned a control-point index to each sampled source particle, according to MLC leaf-open duration of each control-point at the pixel where the particle intersects the iso-center plane. Results: Our auto-commissioning method decreased distance-to-agreement (DTA) of depth dose at build-up regions by 36.2% averagely, making it within 1mm. Lateral profiles were better matched for all beams, with biggest improvement found at 15MV for which root-mean-square difference was reduced from 1.44% to 0.50%. Maximum differences of output factors were reduced to less than 0.7% for all beams, with largest decrease being from1.70% to 0.37% found at 10FFF. Our new sampling strategy was tested on a Head&Neck VMAT patient case. Achieving clinically acceptable accuracy, the new strategy could reduce the required history number by a factor of ∼2.8 given a statistical uncertainty level and hence achieve a similar speed-up factor. Conclusion: Our studies have demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of

Connection of automatic integral multichannel monitor of aerosol concentration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krejci, M.; Stulik, P.

1985-01-01

The instrument consists of the actual aerosol concentration monitor with two equivalent inputs, of an electropneumatic sampling selector, an aerosol pump, an electropneumatic valve, and of an exhaust device. For integral operating mode the instrument allows rapid checking and indication of exceedance of the permissible aerosol concentration limit at any sampling point. Upon exceedance of the permissible concentration limit, the device automatically switches into the multichannel cyclic measurement mode while the sampling point is identified where the aerosol concentration was increased. An emergency is displayed if the permissible limit has been exceeded. Following removal of the source of dangerous aerosol concentration, the control unit automatically switches the device into the integral measurement mode. (J.B.)

Effects of carbon sources and COD/N ratio on N2O emissions in subsurface flow constructed wetlands.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyu, Wanlin; Huang, Lei; Xiao, Guangquan; Chen, Yucheng

2017-12-01

A set of constructed wetlands under two different carbon sources, namely, glucose (CW) and sodium acetate (YW), was established at a laboratory scale with influent COD/N ratios of 20:1, 10:1, 7:1, 4:1, and 0 to analyze the influence of carbon supply on nitrous oxide emissions. Results showed that the glucose systems generated higher N 2 O emissions than those of the sodium acetate systems. The higher amount of N 2 O-releasing fluxes in the CWs than in the YWs was consistent with the higher NO 2 - -N accumulation in the former than in the latter. Moreover, electron competition was tighter in the CWs and contributed to the incomplete denitrification with poor N 2 O production performance. Illumina MiSeq sequencing demonstrated that some denitrifying bacteria, such as Denitratisoma, Bacillus, and Zoogloea, were higher in the YWs than in the CWs. This result indicated that the carbon source is important in controlling N 2 O emissions in microbial communities. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Technical Note: PLASTIMATCH MABS, an open source tool for automatic image segmentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zaffino, Paolo; Spadea, Maria Francesca; Raudaschl, Patrik; Fritscher, Karl; Sharp, Gregory C.

2016-01-01

Purpose: Multiatlas based segmentation is largely used in many clinical and research applications. Due to its good performances, it has recently been included in some commercial platforms for radiotherapy planning and surgery guidance. Anyway, to date, a software with no restrictions about the anatomical district and image modality is still missing. In this paper we introduce PLASTIMATCH MABS, an open source software that can be used with any image modality for automatic segmentation. Methods: PLASTIMATCH MABS workflow consists of two main parts: (1) an offline phase, where optimal registration and voting parameters are tuned and (2) an online phase, where a new patient is labeled from scratch by using the same parameters as identified in the former phase. Several registration strategies, as well as different voting criteria can be selected. A flexible atlas selection scheme is also available. To prove the effectiveness of the proposed software across anatomical districts and image modalities, it was tested on two very different scenarios: head and neck (H&N) CT segmentation for radiotherapy application, and magnetic resonance image brain labeling for neuroscience investigation. Results: For the neurological study, minimum dice was equal to 0.76 (investigated structures: left and right caudate, putamen, thalamus, and hippocampus). For head and neck case, minimum dice was 0.42 for the most challenging structures (optic nerves and submandibular glands) and 0.62 for the other ones (mandible, brainstem, and parotid glands). Time required to obtain the labels was compatible with a real clinical workflow (35 and 120 min). Conclusions: The proposed software fills a gap in the multiatlas based segmentation field, since all currently available tools (both for commercial and for research purposes) are restricted to a well specified application. Furthermore, it can be adopted as a platform for exploring MABS parameters and as a reference implementation for comparing against

Technical Note: PLASTIMATCH MABS, an open source tool for automatic image segmentation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zaffino, Paolo; Spadea, Maria Francesca [Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro 88100 (Italy); Raudaschl, Patrik; Fritscher, Karl [Institute for Biomedical Image Analysis, Private University of Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology, Hall in Tirol 6060 (Austria); Sharp, Gregory C. [Department for Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114 (United States)

2016-09-15

Purpose: Multiatlas based segmentation is largely used in many clinical and research applications. Due to its good performances, it has recently been included in some commercial platforms for radiotherapy planning and surgery guidance. Anyway, to date, a software with no restrictions about the anatomical district and image modality is still missing. In this paper we introduce PLASTIMATCH MABS, an open source software that can be used with any image modality for automatic segmentation. Methods: PLASTIMATCH MABS workflow consists of two main parts: (1) an offline phase, where optimal registration and voting parameters are tuned and (2) an online phase, where a new patient is labeled from scratch by using the same parameters as identified in the former phase. Several registration strategies, as well as different voting criteria can be selected. A flexible atlas selection scheme is also available. To prove the effectiveness of the proposed software across anatomical districts and image modalities, it was tested on two very different scenarios: head and neck (H&N) CT segmentation for radiotherapy application, and magnetic resonance image brain labeling for neuroscience investigation. Results: For the neurological study, minimum dice was equal to 0.76 (investigated structures: left and right caudate, putamen, thalamus, and hippocampus). For head and neck case, minimum dice was 0.42 for the most challenging structures (optic nerves and submandibular glands) and 0.62 for the other ones (mandible, brainstem, and parotid glands). Time required to obtain the labels was compatible with a real clinical workflow (35 and 120 min). Conclusions: The proposed software fills a gap in the multiatlas based segmentation field, since all currently available tools (both for commercial and for research purposes) are restricted to a well specified application. Furthermore, it can be adopted as a platform for exploring MABS parameters and as a reference implementation for comparing against

Automatic Fiscal Stabilizers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Narcis Eduard Mitu

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Policies or institutions (built into an economic system that automatically tend to dampen economic cycle fluctuations in income, employment, etc., without direct government intervention. For example, in boom times, progressive income tax automatically reduces money supply as incomes and spendings rise. Similarly, in recessionary times, payment of unemployment benefits injects more money in the system and stimulates demand. Also called automatic stabilizers or built-in stabilizers.

RDFBuilder: a tool to automatically build RDF-based interfaces for MAGE-OM microarray data sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Anguita, Alberto; Martin, Luis; Garcia-Remesal, Miguel; Maojo, Victor

2013-07-01

This paper presents RDFBuilder, a tool that enables RDF-based access to MAGE-ML-compliant microarray databases. We have developed a system that automatically transforms the MAGE-OM model and microarray data stored in the ArrayExpress database into RDF format. Additionally, the system automatically enables a SPARQL endpoint. This allows users to execute SPARQL queries for retrieving microarray data, either from specific experiments or from more than one experiment at a time. Our system optimizes response times by caching and reusing information from previous queries. In this paper, we describe our methods for achieving this transformation. We show that our approach is complementary to other existing initiatives, such as Bio2RDF, for accessing and retrieving data from the ArrayExpress database. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Molecular mechanisms behind the adjustment of phototrophic light-harvesting and mixotrophic utilization of cellulosic carbon sources in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

OpenAIRE

Blifernez-Klassen, Olga

2012-01-01

Plants, green algae and cyanobacteria perform photosynthetic conversion of sunlight into chemical energy in a permanently changing natural environment, where the efficient utilization of light and inorganic carbon represent the most critical factors. Photosynthetic organisms have developed different acclimation strategies to adapt changing light conditions and insufficient carbon source supply in order to survive and to assure optimal growth and protection. This thesis provides further insigh...

AUTOMATIC REGISTRATION OF MULTI-SOURCE DATA USING MUTUAL INFORMATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. G. Parmehr

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Automatic image registration is a basic step in multi-sensor data integration in remote sensing and photogrammetric applications such as data fusion. The effectiveness of Mutual Information (MI as a technique for automated multi-sensor image registration has previously been demonstrated for medical and remote sensing applications. In this paper, a new General Weighted MI (GWMI approach that improves the robustness of MI to local maxima, particularly in the case of registering optical imagery and 3D point clouds, is presented. Two different methods including a Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM and Kernel Density Estimation have been used to define the weight function of joint probability, regardless of the modality of the data being registered. The Expectation Maximizing method is then used to estimate parameters of GMM, and in order to reduce the cost of computation, a multi-resolution strategy has been used. The performance of the proposed GWMI method for the registration of aerial orthotoimagery and LiDAR range and intensity information has been experimentally evaluated and the results obtained are presented.

The development of an automatic scanning method for CR-39 neutron dosimeter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tawara, Hiroko; Miyajima, Mitsuhiro; Sasaki, Shin-ichi; Hozumi, Ken-ichi

1989-01-01

A method of measuring low level neutron dose has been developed with CR-39 track detectors using an automatic scanning system. It is composed of the optical microscope with a video camera, an image processor and a personal computer. The focus point of the microscope and the X-Y stage are controlled from the computer. The minimum detectable neutron dose is estimated at 4.6 mrem in the uniform field of neutron with equivalent energy spectrum to Am-Be source from the results of automatic measurements. (author)

A Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube-based Biosensor for Monitoring Microcystin-LR in Sources of Drinking Water Supplies

Science.gov (United States)

A multi-walled carbon nanotube-based electrochemical biosensor is developed for monitoring microcystin-LR (MC-LR), a toxic cyanobacterial toxin, in sources of drinking water supplies. The biosensor electrodes are fabricated using dense, mm-long multi-walled CNT (MWCNT) arrays gro...

Carbon dots: Synthesis from renewable sources via hydrothermal carbonization, characterization and evaluation of their interaction with biological systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moraes, Liz Specian de; Alves, Oswaldo Luiz

2016-01-01

Full text: Carbon dots (CDs) constitute a new class of carbon-based nanomaterials with interesting photoluminescent properties that enable their potential use in bioimaging, sensing and drug delivery applications. They consist of quasi spherical nanoparticles with size below 10 nm. As a consequence of their low toxicity and biocompatibility, CDs have been considered as a promising alternative to traditional semiconductor-based quantum dots. In addition, they can be synthesized from accessible renewable sources in an environmentally friendly perspective. In this work, we report the use of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and bovine plasma (BP) as precursors to synthesis of CDs applying hydrothermal carbonization method. The study also includes the physical chemical characterization and the evaluation of interaction between these nanomaterials and biosystems, using hemolytic assay. The morphology and size of the carbon nanoparticles were analyzed by Transmission Electronic Microscopy. CDs obtained from BSA (BSA-CDs) and BP (BP-CDs) had spherical shape with an average size of 5.6 and 3.7 nm, respectively. The fluorescence quantum yield was calculated using quinine sulfate as reference. BSA-CDs and BP-CDs exhibited quantum yields of 4.9% and 4.0%, when they were excited at wavelength of 315 and 300 nm, respectively. Furthermore, the red-shift phenomenon was observed in the emission spectra of both synthesized CDs, indicating the formation of particles with different sizes or the presence of surface energy traps distribution. The composition of CDs was determined by Elemental Analysis and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. Both nanomaterials contained C, N, O and S elements. The hemolytic assay demonstrated the synthesized CDs did not cause damage to red blood cell membrane at concentrations between 5 and 250 μg mL -1 . (author)

Carbon dots: Synthesis from renewable sources via hydrothermal carbonization, characterization and evaluation of their interaction with biological systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moraes, Liz Specian de; Alves, Oswaldo Luiz, E-mail: liz.specian@hotmail.com.br [Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), SP (Brazil)

2016-07-01

Full text: Carbon dots (CDs) constitute a new class of carbon-based nanomaterials with interesting photoluminescent properties that enable their potential use in bioimaging, sensing and drug delivery applications. They consist of quasi spherical nanoparticles with size below 10 nm. As a consequence of their low toxicity and biocompatibility, CDs have been considered as a promising alternative to traditional semiconductor-based quantum dots. In addition, they can be synthesized from accessible renewable sources in an environmentally friendly perspective. In this work, we report the use of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and bovine plasma (BP) as precursors to synthesis of CDs applying hydrothermal carbonization method. The study also includes the physical chemical characterization and the evaluation of interaction between these nanomaterials and biosystems, using hemolytic assay. The morphology and size of the carbon nanoparticles were analyzed by Transmission Electronic Microscopy. CDs obtained from BSA (BSA-CDs) and BP (BP-CDs) had spherical shape with an average size of 5.6 and 3.7 nm, respectively. The fluorescence quantum yield was calculated using quinine sulfate as reference. BSA-CDs and BP-CDs exhibited quantum yields of 4.9% and 4.0%, when they were excited at wavelength of 315 and 300 nm, respectively. Furthermore, the red-shift phenomenon was observed in the emission spectra of both synthesized CDs, indicating the formation of particles with different sizes or the presence of surface energy traps distribution. The composition of CDs was determined by Elemental Analysis and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. Both nanomaterials contained C, N, O and S elements. The hemolytic assay demonstrated the synthesized CDs did not cause damage to red blood cell membrane at concentrations between 5 and 250 μg mL{sup -1}. (author)

Enhanced biological phosphorus removal in a sequencing batch reactor using propionate as the sole carbon source.

Science.gov (United States)

Pijuan, M; Saunders, A M; Guisasola, A; Baeza, J A; Casas, C; Blackall, L L

2004-01-05

An enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) system was developed in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) using propionate as the sole carbon source. The microbial community was followed using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) techniques and Candidatus 'Accumulibacter phosphatis' were quantified from the start up of the reactor until steady state. A series of SBR cycle studies was performed when 55% of the SBR biomass was Accumulibacter, a confirmed polyphosphate accumulating organism (PAO) and when Candidatus 'Competibacter phosphatis', a confirmed glycogen-accumulating organism (GAO), was essentially undetectable. These experiments evaluated two different carbon sources (propionate and acetate), and in every case, two different P-release rates were detected. The highest rate took place while there was volatile fatty acid (VFA) in the mixed liquor, and after the VFA was depleted a second P-release rate was observed. This second rate was very similar to the one detected in experiments performed without added VFA.A kinetic and stoichiometric model developed as a modification of Activated Sludge Model 2 (ASM2) including glycogen economy, was fitted to the experimental profiles. The validation and calibration of this model was carried out with the cycle study experiments performed using both VFAs. The effect of pH from 6.5 to 8.0 on anaerobic P-release and VFA-uptake and aerobic P-uptake was also studied using propionate. The optimal overall working pH was around 7.5. This is the first study of the microbial community involved in EBPR developed with propionate as a sole carbon source along with detailed process performance investigations of the propionate-utilizing PAOs. Copyright 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A bottom-up approach to automatically configured Tango control systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rubio-Manrique, S.; Beltran, D.; Costa, I.; Fernandez-Carreiras, D.; Gigante, J.V.; Klora, J.; Matilla, O.; Ranz, R.; Ribas, J.; Sanchez, O.

2012-01-01

Alba is the first synchrotron light source built in Spain. Most of Alba control system has been developed on top of Tango control system. An amount of 5531 devices are controlled in Alba accelerators (linac, booster and storage ring) using 150 Linux PCs. Alba maintains a central repository, so called 'Cabling and Controls database' (CCDB), which keeps the inventory of equipment, cables, connections and their configuration and technical specifications. The valuable information kept in this MySQL database enables some tools to automatically create and configure Tango devices and other software components of the control systems of Accelerators, beamlines and laboratories. This paper describes the process involved in this automatic setup

CT-based patient modeling for head and neck hyperthermia treatment planning: manual versus automatic normal-tissue-segmentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Verhaart, René F; Fortunati, Valerio; Verduijn, Gerda M; van Walsum, Theo; Veenland, Jifke F; Paulides, Margarethus M

2014-04-01

Clinical trials have shown that hyperthermia, as adjuvant to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy, improves treatment of patients with locally advanced or recurrent head and neck (H&N) carcinoma. Hyperthermia treatment planning (HTP) guided H&N hyperthermia is being investigated, which requires patient specific 3D patient models derived from Computed Tomography (CT)-images. To decide whether a recently developed automatic-segmentation algorithm can be introduced in the clinic, we compared the impact of manual- and automatic normal-tissue-segmentation variations on HTP quality. CT images of seven patients were segmented automatically and manually by four observers, to study inter-observer and intra-observer geometrical variation. To determine the impact of this variation on HTP quality, HTP was performed using the automatic and manual segmentation of each observer, for each patient. This impact was compared to other sources of patient model uncertainties, i.e. varying gridsizes and dielectric tissue properties. Despite geometrical variations, manual and automatic generated 3D patient models resulted in an equal, i.e. 1%, variation in HTP quality. This variation was minor with respect to the total of other sources of patient model uncertainties, i.e. 11.7%. Automatically generated 3D patient models can be introduced in the clinic for H&N HTP. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

CT-based patient modeling for head and neck hyperthermia treatment planning: Manual versus automatic normal-tissue-segmentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verhaart, René F.; Fortunati, Valerio; Verduijn, Gerda M.; Walsum, Theo van; Veenland, Jifke F.; Paulides, Margarethus M.

2014-01-01

Background and purpose: Clinical trials have shown that hyperthermia, as adjuvant to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy, improves treatment of patients with locally advanced or recurrent head and neck (H and N) carcinoma. Hyperthermia treatment planning (HTP) guided H and N hyperthermia is being investigated, which requires patient specific 3D patient models derived from Computed Tomography (CT)-images. To decide whether a recently developed automatic-segmentation algorithm can be introduced in the clinic, we compared the impact of manual- and automatic normal-tissue-segmentation variations on HTP quality. Material and methods: CT images of seven patients were segmented automatically and manually by four observers, to study inter-observer and intra-observer geometrical variation. To determine the impact of this variation on HTP quality, HTP was performed using the automatic and manual segmentation of each observer, for each patient. This impact was compared to other sources of patient model uncertainties, i.e. varying gridsizes and dielectric tissue properties. Results: Despite geometrical variations, manual and automatic generated 3D patient models resulted in an equal, i.e. 1%, variation in HTP quality. This variation was minor with respect to the total of other sources of patient model uncertainties, i.e. 11.7%. Conclusions: Automatically generated 3D patient models can be introduced in the clinic for H and N HTP

Effects of different external carbon sources and electron acceptors on interactions between denitrification and phosphorus removal in biological nutrient removal processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Xiang; Sobotka, Dominika; Czerwionka, Krzysztof; Zhou, Qi; Xie, Li; Makinia, Jacek

The effects of two different external carbon sources (acetate and ethanol) and electron acceptors (dissolved oxygen, nitrate, and nitrite) were investigated under aerobic and anoxic conditions with non-acclimated process biomass from a full-scale biological nutrient removal-activated sludge system. When acetate was added as an external carbon source, phosphate release was observed even in the presence of electron acceptors. The release rates were 1.7, 7.8, and 3.5 mg P/(g MLVSS·h) (MLVSS: mixed liquor volatile suspended solids), respectively, for dissolved oxygen, nitrate, and nitrite. In the case of ethanol, no phosphate release was observed in the presence of electron acceptors. Results of the experiments with nitrite showed that approximately 25 mg NO 2 -N/L of nitrite inhibited anoxic phosphorus uptake regardless of the concentration of the tested external carbon sources. Furthermore, higher denitrification rates were obtained with acetate (1.4 and 0.8 mg N/(g MLVSS·h)) compared to ethanol (1.1 and 0.7 mg N/ (g MLVSS·h)) for both anoxic electron acceptors (nitrate and nitrite).

Growth Kinetics of Diazotrophic Bacillus sphaericus UPMB10 Cultured Using Different Types and Concentrations of Carbon and Nitrogen Sources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ooi, T. C.

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Growth kinetics of newly isolated diazotrophic Bacillus sphaericus UPMB10 grown in various carbon (lactate, acetate, glycerol, malate, fructose, xylose and sucrose and nitrogen (glutamate, yeast extract, arginine, hystadine, glycine, polypeptone, tryptophan, lysine, NH4Cl and urea sources was investigated using 2 L stirred tank fermenter. The highest growth was obtained in a medium containing lactate as a carbon source, which gave the highest maximum cell concentration of 2.30 g/L, which is corresponding to maximum viable cell count of 4.60 x 10^9 cfu/mL. However, the highest cell yield (1.06 g cell/g carbon consumed was obtained in cultivation using glycerol though slightly lower maximum viable cell count was obtained (3.22 x 10^9 cfu/mL. In addition, cost for the production of live cell using glycerol was about 15 times lower than the cost using lactate. Growth performance of this bacterium when yeast extract was used as a nitrogen source was comparable to the use of pure amino acid. The medium containing 1.8 g/L glycerol and 2 g/L yeast extract was suggested as optimal for growth of this bacterium, which gave carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N of 10:1. The maximum viable cell count obtained in cultivation using optimised medium in 2 L stirred tank fermenter was 3.34 x 10^9 cfu/mL and the cells maintained its capacity for N2 fixation at 18 nmol C2H2/h.mL.

Automatic Prompt System in the Process of Mapping plWordNet on Princeton WordNet

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paweł Kędzia

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Automatic Prompt System in the Process of Mapping plWordNet on Princeton WordNet The paper offers a critical evaluation of the power and usefulness of an automatic prompt system based on the extended Relaxation Labelling algorithm in the process of (manual mapping plWordNet on Princeton WordNet. To this end the results of manual mapping – that is inter-lingual relations between plWN and PWN synsets – are juxtaposed with the automatic prompts that were generated for the source language synsets to be mapped. We check the number and type of inter-lingual relations introduced on the basis of automatic prompts and the distance of the respective prompt synsets from the actual target language synsets.

Development of Open source-based automatic shooting and processing UAV imagery for Orthoimage Using Smart Camera UAV

Science.gov (United States)

Park, J. W.; Jeong, H. H.; Kim, J. S.; Choi, C. U.

2016-06-01

Recently, aerial photography with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system uses UAV and remote controls through connections of ground control system using bandwidth of about 430 MHz radio Frequency (RF) modem. However, as mentioned earlier, existing method of using RF modem has limitations in long distance communication. The Smart Camera equipments's LTE (long-term evolution), Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi to implement UAV that uses developed UAV communication module system carried out the close aerial photogrammetry with the automatic shooting. Automatic shooting system is an image capturing device for the drones in the area's that needs image capturing and software for loading a smart camera and managing it. This system is composed of automatic shooting using the sensor of smart camera and shooting catalog management which manages filmed images and information. Processing UAV imagery module used Open Drone Map. This study examined the feasibility of using the Smart Camera as the payload for a photogrammetric UAV system. The open soure tools used for generating Android, OpenCV (Open Computer Vision), RTKLIB, Open Drone Map.

Development of Open source-based automatic shooting and processing UAV imagery for Orthoimage Using Smart Camera UAV

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. W. Park

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Recently, aerial photography with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV system uses UAV and remote controls through connections of ground control system using bandwidth of about 430 MHz radio Frequency (RF modem. However, as mentioned earlier, existing method of using RF modem has limitations in long distance communication. The Smart Camera equipments’s LTE (long-term evolution, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi to implement UAV that uses developed UAV communication module system carried out the close aerial photogrammetry with the automatic shooting. Automatic shooting system is an image capturing device for the drones in the area’s that needs image capturing and software for loading a smart camera and managing it. This system is composed of automatic shooting using the sensor of smart camera and shooting catalog management which manages filmed images and information. Processing UAV imagery module used Open Drone Map. This study examined the feasibility of using the Smart Camera as the payload for a photogrammetric UAV system. The open soure tools used for generating Android, OpenCV (Open Computer Vision, RTKLIB, Open Drone Map.

Historical sources of black carbon identified by PAHs and δ13C in Sanjiang Plain of Northeastern China

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Chuanyu; Liu, Hanxiang; Cong, Jinxin; Han, Dongxue; Zhao, Winston; Lin, Qianxin; Wang, Guoping

2018-05-01

Black carbon (BC), the byproduct of incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass can be stored in soil for a long time and potentially archive changes in natural and human activities. Increasing amounts of BC has been produced from human activities during the past 150 years and has influenced global climate change and carbon cycle. Identifying historical BC sources is important in knowing how historical human activities influenced BC and BC transportation processes in the atmosphere. In this study, PAH components and δ13C-BC in peatland in the Sanjiang Plain were used for identifying and verifying regional BC sources during the last 150 years. Results showed that environment-unfriendly industry developed at the end of the 1950s produced a great amount of BC and contributed the most BC in this period. In other periods, however, BC in the Sanjiang Plain was mainly produced from incomplete biomass burning before the 1990s; particularly, slash-and-burn of pastures and forests during regional reclamation periods between the 1960s and 1980s produced a huge amount of biomass burning BC, which then deposited into the surrounding ecosystems. With the regional reclamation decreasing and environment-friendly industry developing, the proportion of BC emitted and deposited from transportation sources increased and transportation source became an important BC source in the Sanjiang Plain after the 1990s.

Diamond carbon sources: a comparison of carbon isotope models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirkley, M.B.; Otter, M.L.; Gurney, J.J.; Hill, S.J.

1990-01-01

The carbon isotope compositions of approximately 500 inclusion-bearing diamonds have been determined in the past decade. 98 percent of these diamonds readily fall into two broad categories on the basis of their inclusion mineralogies and compositions. These categories are peridotitic diamonds and eclogitic diamonds. Most peridotitic diamonds have δ 13 C values between -10 and -1 permil, whereas eclogitic diamonds have δ 13 C values between -28 and +2 permil. Peridotitic diamonds may represent primordial carbon, however, it is proposed that initially inhomogeneous δ 13 C values were subsequently homogenized, e.g. during melting and convection that is postulated to have occurred during the first billion years of the earth's existence. If this is the case, then the wider range of δ 13 C values exhibited by eclogitic diamonds requires a different explanation. Both the fractionation model and the subduction model can account for the range of observed δ 13 C values in eclogitic diamonds. 16 refs., 2 figs

Determining contributions of biomass burning and other sources to fine particle contemporary carbon in the western United States

Science.gov (United States)

Holden, Amanda S.; Sullivan, Amy P.; Munchak, Leigh A.; Kreidenweis, Sonia M.; Schichtel, Bret A.; Malm, William C.; Collett, Jeffrey L., Jr.

2011-02-01

Six-day integrated fine particle samples were collected at urban and rural sampling sites using Hi-Volume samplers during winter and summer 2004-2005 as part of the IMPROVE (Interagency Monitoring of PROtected Visual Environments) Radiocarbon Study. Filter samples from six sites (Grand Canyon, Mount Rainier, Phoenix, Puget Sound, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Tonto National Monument) were analyzed for levoglucosan, a tracer for biomass combustion, and other species by High-Performance Anion-Exchange Chromatography with Pulsed Amperometric Detection (HPAEC-PAD). Contemporary carbon concentrations were available from previous carbon isotope measurements at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Primary contributions of biomass burning to measured fine particle contemporary carbon were estimated for residential wood burning (winter) and wild/prescribed fires (summer). Calculated contributions ranged from below detection limit to more than 100% and were typically higher at rural sites and during winter. Mannitol, a sugar alcohol emitted by fungal spores, was analyzed and used to determine contributions of fungal spores to fine particle contemporary carbon. Contributions reached up to 13% in summer samples, with higher contributions at rural sites. Concentrations of methyltetrols, oxidation products of isoprene, were also measured by HPAEC-PAD. Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from isoprene oxidation was estimated to contribute up to 22% of measured contemporary carbon. For each sampling site, a substantial portion of the contemporary carbon was unexplained by primary biomass combustion, fungal spores, or SOA from isoprene oxidation. This unexplained fraction likely contains contributions from other SOA sources, including oxidation products of primary smoke emissions and plant emissions other than isoprene, as well as other primary particle emissions from meat cooking, plant debris, other biological aerosol particles, bio-diesel combustion, and other sources. Loss

Effects of Different Carbon Sources on Growth, Membrane Permeability, β-Sitosterol Consumption, Androstadienedione and Androstenedione Production by Mycobacterium neoaurum.

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Yanli

2016-03-01

Effects of different carbon sources on growth, membrane permeability, β-sitosterol consumption, androstadienedione and androstenedione (AD(D)) production by Mycobacterium neoaurum were investigated. The results indicated that glucose was advantageous to the growth and resulted in the adverse effects on the phytosterols consumption and AD(D) production compared to the results of propanol and isopropanol as sole carbon source. The cell wall widths of 9.76 by propanol and 8.00 nm by isopropanol were 38.3 and 49.4 % thinner than that of 15.82 nm by glucose, respectively. The partition coefficient of the cell grown in propanol and isopropanol was 18.1 and 22.2, which were 7.23- and 9.09-fold higher than that of the cell grown in glucose.

Study of hard diamond-like carbon films deposited in an inductively coupled plasma source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Shiji; Ma Tengcai

2003-01-01

Chemical vapor deposition of the hard diamond-like carbon (DLC) films was achieved using an inductively coupled plasma source (ICPS). The microscopy, microhardness, deposition rate and structure characteristic of the DLC films were analyzed. It is shown that the ICPS is suitable for the hard DLC film deposition at relatively low substrate negative bias voltage, and the substrate negative bias voltage greatly affects chemical vapor deposition of the DLC film and its quality

Estimation of pollutant source contribution to the Pampanga River Basin using carbon and nitrogen isotopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castaneda, Solidad S.; Sta Maria, Efren J.; Ramirez, Jennyvi D.; Collado, Mario B.; Samar, Edna D.

2013-01-01

This study assessed and estimated the percentage contribution of potential pollution sources in Pampanga River Basin using carbon and nitrogen isotopes as environmental tracers. The δ 13 C and δ 15 N values were determined in particulate organic matter, surface sediment, and plant tissue samples from point and non-point sources from several land use areas, namely domestic, croplands, livestock, fishery and forestry. Investigations were conducted in the wet and dry seasons (2012 and 2013). Some N sources do not have unique δ 15 N and there is overlapping among different N- sources type. δ 13 C data from the N sources provided an additional dimension which distinguished animal manure, human waste (septic and sewage), leaf litter, and synthetic fertilizer. Characterization of the non-point N-sources based on the isotopic fingerprints obtained from the point sources revealed that domestic, cropland, livestock, and fishery, influenced the isotopic composition of the materials but domestic and cropland land use provided the most significant influence. Livestock also contributed to a lesser extent. Isotope mixing model revealed that cropland sources generally contributed the most to pollutant loading during the wet season, from 22% to 98%, while domestic waste contributed higher in the dry season, from 55% to 65%. (author)

The flexible feedstock concept in Industrial Biotechnology: Metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli, Corynebacterium glutamicum, Pseudomonas, Bacillus and yeast strains for access to alternative carbon sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Wendisch, Volker F; Brito, Luciana Fernandes; Gil Lopez, Marina; Hennig, Guido; Pfeifenschneider, Johannes; Sgobba, Elvira; Veldmann, Kareen H

2016-09-20

Most biotechnological processes are based on glucose that is either present in molasses or generated from starch by enzymatic hydrolysis. At the very high, million-ton scale production volumes, for instance for fermentative production of the biofuel ethanol or of commodity chemicals such as organic acids and amino acids, competing uses of carbon sources e.g. in human and animal nutrition have to be taken into account. Thus, the biotechnological production hosts E. coli, C. glutamicum, pseudomonads, bacilli and Baker's yeast used in these large scale processes have been engineered for efficient utilization of alternative carbon sources. This flexible feedstock concept is central to the use of non-glucose second and third generation feedstocks in the emerging bioeconomy. The metabolic engineering efforts to broaden the substrate scope of E. coli, C. glutamicum, pseudomonads, B. subtilis and yeasts to include non-native carbon sources will be reviewed. Strategies to enable simultaneous consumption of mixtures of native and non-native carbon sources present in biomass hydrolysates will be summarized and a perspective on how to further increase feedstock flexibility for the realization of biorefinery processes will be given. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Microbial production of poly(hydroxybutyrate) from C₁ carbon sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Khosravi-Darani, Kianoush; Mokhtari, Zahra-Beigom; Amai, Tomohito; Tanaka, Kenji

2013-02-01

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is an attractive substitute for petrochemical plastic due to its similar properties, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. The cost of scaled-up PHB production inhibits its widespread usage. Intensive researches are growing to reduce costs and improve thermomechanical, physical, and processing properties of this green biopolymer. Among cheap substrates which are used for reducing total cost of PHB production, some C₁ carbon sources, e.g., methane, methanol, and CO₂ have received a great deal of attention due to their serious role in greenhouse problem. This article reviews the fundamentals of strategies for reducing PHA production and moves on to the applications of several cheap substrates with a special emphasis on methane, methanol, and CO₂. Also, some explanation for involved microorganisms including the hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria and methanotrophs, their history, culture condition, and nutritional requirements are given. After description of some important strains among the hydrogen-oxidizing and methanotrophic producers of PHB, the article is focused on limitations, threats, and opportunities for application and their future trends.

Atmospheric chemistry, sources and sinks of carbon suboxide, C3O2

Science.gov (United States)

Keßel, Stephan; Cabrera-Perez, David; Horowitz, Abraham; Veres, Patrick R.; Sander, Rolf; Taraborrelli, Domenico; Tucceri, Maria; Crowley, John N.; Pozzer, Andrea; Stönner, Christof; Vereecken, Luc; Lelieveld, Jos; Williams, Jonathan

2017-07-01

Carbon suboxide, O = C = C = C = O, has been detected in ambient air samples and has the potential to be a noxious pollutant and oxidant precursor; however, its lifetime and fate in the atmosphere are largely unknown. In this work, we collect an extensive set of studies on the atmospheric chemistry of C3O2. Rate coefficients for the reactions of C3O2 with OH radicals and ozone were determined as kOH = (2.6 ± 0.5) × 10-12 cm3 molecule-1 s-1 at 295 K (independent of pressure between ˜ 25 and 1000 mbar) and kO3 chemistry-general circulation model. The results indicate sub-pptv levels at the Earth's surface, up to about 10 pptv in regions with relatively strong sources, e.g. influenced by biomass burning, and a mean lifetime of ˜ 3.2 days. These predictions carry considerable uncertainty, as more measurement data are needed to determine ambient concentrations and constrain the source strengths.

Relict thermokarst carbon source kept stable within gas hydrate stability zone of the South Kara Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Portnov, A.; Mienert, J.; Winsborrow, M.; Vadakkepuliyambatta, S.; Semenov, P.

2017-12-01

Substantial shallow sources of carbon can exist in the South Kara Sea shelf, extending offshore from the permafrost areas of Yamal Peninsula and the Polar Ural coast. Our study presents new evidence for >250 buried relict thermokarst units. These amalgamated thawing wedges formed in the uppermost permafrost of the past and are still recognizable in today's non-permafrost areas. Part of these potential carbon reservoirs are kept stable within the South Kara Sea gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ). We utilize an extensive 2D high-resolution seismic dataset, collected in the South Kara Sea in 2005-2006 by Marine Arctic Geological Expedition (MAGE), to map distinctive U-shaped units that are acoustically transparent. These units appear all over the study area in water depths 50-250 m. Created by thermal erosion into Cretaceous-Paleogene bedrock, they are buried under the younger glacio-marine deposits and reach hundreds of meters wide and up to 100 meters thick. They show the characteristics of relict thermokarst, generated during ancient episode(s) of sea level regression of the South Kara Sea. These thermokarst units are generally limited by the Upper Regional Unconformity, which is an erosional horizon created by several glaciation events during the Pleistocene. On land, permafrost is known to sequester large volumes of carbon, half of which is concentrated within thermokarst structures. Based on modern thermokarst analogues we demonstrate with our study that a significant amount of organic carbon can be stored under the Kara Sea. To assess the stability of these shallow carbon reservoirs we carried out GHSZ modeling, constrained by geochemical analyses, temperature measurements and precise bathymetry. This revealed a significant potential for a GHSZ in water depths >225 m. The relict thermokast carbon storage system is stable under today's extremely low bottom water temperatures ( -1.7 °C) that allows for buried GHSZ, located tens of meters below the seabed

Castor oil as secondary carbon source for production of sophorolipids using Starmerella bombicola NRRL Y-17069.

Science.gov (United States)

Bajaj, Vinit Kamalkishor; Annapure, Uday S

2015-01-01

Sophorolipids (SLs), a prominent member of the biosurfactants family are produced in acidic and/or lactonic form by yeast Starmerella bombicola NRRL Y-17069 when grown on hydrophilic or hydrophobic or both carbon sources. In current study, ricinoleic acid rich castor oil (10%) was used as hydrophobic and glycerol (10%) was used as hydrophilic carbon source. The yields of 24.5 ± 0.25 g/l sophorolipids were analyzed by anthrone and HPLC method which further increased upto 40.24 ± 0.76 g/l sophorolipids using fed batch process at 5L fermenter level. The structures of sophorolipids synthesized on castor oil were elucidated by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer (LC-MS), (13)C and (1)H NMR. The results indicated that the ricinoleic acid (RA) gets hydroxylated at ω-1 position but incorporated into sophorolipids through already available hydroxyl group at 12(th) position. It resulted in the production of a novel sophorolipids with hydroxyl fatty acid as side chain and has applications as surfactant for novel drug delivery, anti microbial agent, cosmetic ingredient and emulsifier.

Carbonate stable isotope constraints on sources of arsenic contamination in Neogene tufas and travertines of Attica, Greece

Science.gov (United States)

Kampouroglou, Evdokia E.; Tsikos, Harilaos; Economou-Eliopoulos, Maria

2017-11-01

We presented new C and O isotope data of rockforming calcite in terrestrial carbonate deposits from Neogene basins of Attica (Greece), coupled with standard mineralogical and bulk geochemical results. Whereas both isotope datasets [δ18O from -8.99 to -3.20‰(VPDB); δ13C from -8.17 to +1.40‰(VPDB)] could be interpreted in principle as indicative of a meteoric origin, the clear lack of a statistical correlation between them suggests diverse sources for the isotopic variation of the two elements. On the basis of broad correlations between lower carbon isotope data with increasing Fe and bulk organic carbon, we interpreted the light carbon isotope signatures and As enrichments as both derived mainly from a depositional process involving increased supply of metals and organic carbon to the original basins. Periodically augmented biological production and aerobic cycling of organic matter in the ambient lake waters, would have led to the precipitation of isotopically light calcite in concert with elevated fluxes of As-bearing iron oxy-hydroxide and organic matter to the initial terrestrial carbonate sediment. The terrestrial carbonate deposits of Attica therefore represented effective secondary storage reservoirs of elevated As from the adjacent mineralized hinterland; hence these and similar deposits in the region ought to be regarded as key geological candidates for anomalous supply of As to local soils, groundwater and related human activities.

Finding weak points automatically

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Archinger, P.; Wassenberg, M.

1999-01-01

Operators of nuclear power stations have to carry out material tests at selected components by regular intervalls. Therefore a full automaticated test, which achieves a clearly higher reproducibility, compared to part automaticated variations, would provide a solution. In addition the full automaticated test reduces the dose of radiation for the test person. (orig.) [de

Xylanase Production from Trichoderma harzianum 1073 D3 with Alternative Carbon and Nitrogen Sources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Isil Seyis

2005-01-01

Full Text Available The effect of some natural wastes (orange pomace, orange peel, lemon pomace, lemon peel, apple pomace, pear peel, banana peel, melon peel and hazelnut shell on the production of xylanase from Trichoderma harzianum 1073 D3 has been studied and maximum activity has been observed on melon peel (26.5 U/mg of protein followed by apple pomace and hazelnut shell. Also, molasses could be used as an additional carbon source as it decreased the production time approximately by 50 %. Finally, potential alternatives of organic nitrogen source (cotton leaf and soybean residue wastes were analyzed and it was concluded that peptone could be replaced with these residues especially when economics of the process is the major objective.

Carbon source for fermentation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1977-11-25

Molasses is hydrolyzed and treated with Ca/sup 2 +/ to produce fructose and a good C-source for glutamic acid and lysine fermentation. Thus, sugarcane molasses was diluted with H/sub 2/O, adjusted to pH 1.5, and kept at 60/sup 0/ for 4 hr. Three liters of this solution was cooled to 0/sup 0/ and 262 g Ca(OH)/sub 2/ in a 30% solution was added, along with seed crystals of Ca-fructose additional product. Crystal addition product was recovered and dissolved; the solution contained 6.4g glucose and 168 g fructose, a 50% yield of fructose. The mother liquor was neutralized with H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ to precipitate the Ca. The supernatant contained 284 g glucose and 159 g fructose and was used as the C source in a fermentation medium in which Coryne-bacterium lilum produced glutamic acid. Yield was 49.0 g/L compared to 48.3 g/L when molasses was used as the C source.

The automatic component of habit in health behavior: habit as cue-contingent automaticity.

Science.gov (United States)

Orbell, Sheina; Verplanken, Bas

2010-07-01

Habit might be usefully characterized as a form of automaticity that involves the association of a cue and a response. Three studies examined habitual automaticity in regard to different aspects of the cue-response relationship characteristic of unhealthy and healthy habits. In each study, habitual automaticity was assessed by the Self-Report Habit Index (SRHI). In Study 1 SRHI scores correlated with attentional bias to smoking cues in a Stroop task. Study 2 examined the ability of a habit cue to elicit an unwanted habit response. In a prospective field study, habitual automaticity in relation to smoking when drinking alcohol in a licensed public house (pub) predicted the likelihood of cigarette-related action slips 2 months later after smoking in pubs had become illegal. In Study 3 experimental group participants formed an implementation intention to floss in response to a specified situational cue. Habitual automaticity of dental flossing was rapidly enhanced compared to controls. The studies provided three different demonstrations of the importance of cues in the automatic operation of habits. Habitual automaticity assessed by the SRHI captured aspects of a habit that go beyond mere frequency or consistency of the behavior. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved.

Constraints on primary and secondary particulate carbon sources using chemical tracer and 14C methods during CalNex-Bakersfield

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — The present study investigates primary and secondary sources of organic carbon for Bakersfield, CA, USA as part of the 2010 CalNex study. The method used here...

Bacterial synergism in lignocellulose biomass degradation : Complementary roles of degraders as influenced by complexity of the carbon source

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cortes Tolalpa, Larisa; Falcao Salles, Joana; van Elsas, Jan

2017-01-01

Lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) is an attractive source of carbon for the production of sugars and other chemicals. Due to its inherent complexity and heterogeneity, efficient biodegradation requires the actions of different types of hydrolytic enzymes. In nature, complex microbial communities that

Source rock potential of the organic rich Turonian - Upper Campanian carbonates of northern Lebanon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Daher, S. Bou; Littke, R. [RWTH Aachen Univ. (Germany). Energy and Mineral Resources Group (EMR); Nader, F.H. [IFP Energies nouvelles, Paris (France). Dept. of Sedimentology-Stratigraphy

2013-08-01

Upper Cretaceous chalks, marls, and shales are arguably the most prolific petroleum source rocks in the eastern Mediterranean region. 209 core samples from the Turonian - Upper Campanian rock succession in north Lebanon were collected and analyzed for their organic matter (OM) content, quality, and maturity. The total organic carbon (TOC) measurements revealed a very good source rock potential for a 150 m interval within the Upper Santonian - Upper Campanian, with an average of 2% TOC. High HI values (average 707 mg/g TOC) characterize these source rocks as type I kerogen and reflect a very good preservation of the organic matter. T{sub max} values (average 421 C) match the other maturity parameters such as vitrinite reflectance (average 0.35%), and all point towards immature organic matter. The equivalent Upper Cretaceous in the offshore Levant basin has enough overburden to have reached maturity. However, the accurate extrapolation of the organic matter quality and quantity to the offshore is yet a challenge with the data at hand. (orig.)

Source apportionment of PM{sub 10} utilising Automatic Cartridge Collection Unit (ACCU) and TEOM systems in Neath Port Talbot

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hooper, M.J.; Hollingsworth, P. [Neath Port Talbot Borough Council, Neath Port Talbot (United Kingdom); Stone, I.M.; Merefield, J.R. [Exeter Univ., Earth Resources Centre, Exeter (United Kingdom)

1999-10-01

The background to this study is the review and assessment of air quality as required by Part IV of the Environment Act 1995. A detailed emissions inventory indicated that there might be a significant problem with PM{sub 10} in the Taibach/Margam area of Port Talbot. This was confirmed by continuous monitoring data from the Automatic Urban Network site in the area at Groeswen hospital. These data, when coupled with wind direction data, enabled the production of pollution roses that showed that the highest average PM{sub 10} levels occurred when the wind was blowing towards the residential area from a large significant local source in the west and south-west, i.e. a steel works. The Council is carrying out a stage 3 assessment of PM{sub 10} in this area with a high probability that an Air Quality Management Action Area (AQMA) will need to be declared. It has therefore become clear, that in order to be able to proceed sensibly to an action plan and attempt to meet Air Quality Objectives, identification of the contribution of PM{sub 10} from specific sources would be required. Initial fingerprinting studies were carried out in partnership with Exeter university and, at an early stage, an Air Quality Management Working Group was formed with the works and the Environment Agency to enable constructive dialogue to take place. (Author)

Temporal variability in terrestrially-derived sources of particulate organic carbon in the lower Mississippi River and its upper tributaries

Science.gov (United States)

Bianchi, Thomas S.; Wysocki, Laura A.; Stewart, Mike; Filley, Timothy R.; McKee, Brent A.

2007-09-01

In this study, we examined the temporal changes of terrestrially-derived particulate organic carbon (POC) in the lower Mississippi River (MR) and in a very limited account, the upper tributaries (Upper MR, Ohio River, and Missouri River). We used for the first time a combination of lignin-phenols, bulk stable carbon isotopes, and compound-specific isotope analyses (CSIA) to examine POC in the lower MR and upper tributaries. A lack of correlation between POC and lignin phenol abundances ( Λ8) was likely due to dilution effects from autochthonous production in the river, which has been shown to be considerably higher than previously expected. The range of δ 13C values for p-hydroxycinnamic and ferulic acids in POC in the lower river do support that POM in the lower river does have a significant component of C 4 in addition to C 3 source materials. A strong correlation between δ 13C values of p-hydroxycinnamic, ferulic, and vanillyl phenols suggests a consistent input of C 3 and C 4 carbon to POC lignin while a lack of correlation between these same phenols and POC bulk δ 13C further indicates the considerable role of autochthonous carbon in the lower MR POC budget. Our estimates indicate an annual flux of POC of 9.3 × 10 8 kg y -1 to the Gulf of Mexico. Total lignin fluxes, based on Λ8 values of POC, were estimated to be 1.2 × 10 5 kg y -1. If we include the total dissolved organic carbon (DOC) flux (3.1 × 10 9 kg y -1) reported by [Bianchi T. S., Filley T., Dria K. and Hatcher, P. (2004) Temporal variability in sources of dissolved organic carbon in the lower Mississippi River. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta68, 959-967.], we get a total organic carbon flux of 4.0 × 10 9 kg y -1. This represents 0.82% of the annual total organic carbon supplied to the oceans by rivers (4.9 × 10 11 kg).

The Molecular Level Characterization of Biodegradable Polymers Originated from Polyethylene Using Non-Oxygenated Polyethylene Wax as a Carbon Source for Polyhydroxyalkanoate Production.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnston, Brian; Jiang, Guozhan; Hill, David; Adamus, Grazyna; Kwiecień, Iwona; Zięba, Magdalena; Sikorska, Wanda; Green, Matthew; Kowalczuk, Marek; Radecka, Iza

2017-08-28

There is an increasing demand for bio-based polymers that are developed from recycled materials. The production of biodegradable polymers can include bio-technological (utilizing microorganisms or enzymes) or chemical synthesis procedures. This report demonstrates the corroboration of the molecular structure of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) obtained by the conversion of waste polyethylene (PE) via non-oxygenated PE wax (N-PEW) as an additional carbon source for a bacterial species. The N-PEW, obtained from a PE pyrolysis reaction, has been found to be a beneficial carbon source for PHA production with Cupriavidus necator H16. The production of the N-PEW is an alternative to oxidized polyethylene wax (O-PEW) (that has been used as a carbon source previously) as it is less time consuming to manufacture and offers fewer industrial applications. A range of molecular structural analytical techniques were performed on the PHAs obtained; which included nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). Our study showed that the PHA formed from N-PEW contained 3-hydroxybutyrate (HB) with 11 mol% of 3-hydroxyvalerate (HV) units.

Seasonal variations and sources of sedimentary organic carbon in Tokyo Bay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kubo, Atsushi; Kanda, Jota

2017-01-01

Total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN) contents, their stable C and N isotope ratio (δ 13 C and δ 15 N), and chlorophyll a ([Chl a] sed ) of surface sediments were investigated monthly to identify the seasonal variations and sources of organic matter in Tokyo Bay. The sedimentary TOC (TOC sed ) and TN (TN sed ) contents, and the sedimentary δ 13 C and δ 15 N (δ 13 C sed and δ 15 N sed ) values were higher in summer than other seasons. The seasonal variations were controlled by high primary production in the water column and hypoxic water in the bottom water during summer. The fraction of terrestrial and marine derived organic matter was estimated by Bayesian mixing model using stable isotope data and TOC/TN ratio. Surface sediments in Tokyo Bay are dominated by marine derived organic matter, which accounts for about 69 ± 5% of TOC sed . - Highlights: • High values of sedimentary organic carbon and nitrogen were observed in summer. • Surface sediments in Tokyo Bay were dominated by marine derived organic matter which was estimated by Bayesian mixing model. • The most amount of terrestrial POC was deposited and degraded in Tokyo Bay before being discharged to the open ocean.

Wide-Field Imaging Telescope-0 (WIT0) with automatic observing system

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, Tae-Geun; Byeon, Seoyeon; Lee, Hye-In; Park, Woojin; Lee, Sang-Yun; Hwang, Sungyong; Choi, Changsu; Gibson, Coyne Andrew; Kuehne, John W.; Prochaska, Travis; Marshall, Jennifer L.; Im, Myungshin; Pak, Soojong

2018-01-01

We introduce Wide-Field Imaging Telescope-0 (WIT0), with an automatic observing system. It is developed for monitoring the variabilities of many sources at a time, e.g. young stellar objects and active galactic nuclei. It can also find the locations of transient sources such as a supernova or gamma-ray bursts. In 2017 February, we installed the wide-field 10-inch telescope (Takahashi CCA-250) as a piggyback system on the 30-inch telescope at the McDonald Observatory in Texas, US. The 10-inch telescope has a 2.35 × 2.35 deg field-of-view with a 4k × 4k CCD Camera (FLI ML16803). To improve the observational efficiency of the system, we developed a new automatic observing software, KAOS30 (KHU Automatic Observing Software for McDonald 30-inch telescope), which was developed by Visual C++ on the basis of a windows operating system. The software consists of four control packages: the Telescope Control Package (TCP), the Data Acquisition Package (DAP), the Auto Focus Package (AFP), and the Script Mode Package (SMP). Since it also supports the instruments that are using the ASCOM driver, the additional hardware installations become quite simplified. We commissioned KAOS30 in 2017 August and are in the process of testing. Based on the WIT0 experiences, we will extend KAOS30 to control multiple telescopes in future projects.

Glycerol as a carbon source for xantan production by Xanthomonas campestris isolates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bajić Bojana Ž.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The success of xanthan biosynthesis depends on several factors, most importantly the genetic potential of the production microorganism and cultivation media composition. Cultivation media composition affects the yield and quality of the desired product as well as production costs. This is why many studies focus on finding cheap alternative raw materials, especially carbon sources, to replace commercially used glucose and sucrose. In addition to the Xanthomonas campestris ATCC 13951 which is the primary industrial production microorganism, other Xanthomonas strains can produce xanthan as well. Under the same conditions, different strains produce different amounts of the biopolymer of varying quality. The aim of this paper is to compare producibility of phytopathogenic X. campestris strains, isolated from the environment with the reference X. campestris ATCC 13951 strain and to estimate the possibility of xanthan production using alternative glycerol-based media than the synthetic glucose-based media. Submerged cultivation on the medium based on glucose or glycerol (2.0 %w/v was performed using the reference strain and eight isolated X. campestris strains. In order to assess the success of biosynthesis, xanthan yield and rheological properties were determined. Strains isolated from the environment produced yields between 2.98 g/L and 12.17 g/L on the glucose-based medium and 1.68 g/L and 6.31 g/L on the glycerol-based medium. Additionally, X. campestris ATCC 13951 provided the highest yield when using glucose (13.24 g/L, as well as glycerol-based medium (7.44 g/L. The obtained results indicate that in the applied experimental conditions and using all tested strains, glycerol is viable as a carbon source for the production of xanthan.

Seasonal variability of organic matter composition in an Alaskan glacier outflow: insights into glacier carbon sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spencer, Robert G M; Vermilyea, Andrew; Fellman, Jason; Hood, Eran; Raymond, Peter; Stubbins, Aron; Scott, Durelle

2014-01-01

Glacier ecosystems are a significant source of bioavailable, yet ancient dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Characterizing DOC in Mendenhall Glacier outflow (southeast Alaska) we document a seasonal persistence to the radiocarbon-depleted signature of DOC, highlighting ancient DOC as a ubiquitous feature of glacier outflow. We observed no systematic depletion in Δ 14 C-DOC with increasing discharge during the melt season that would suggest mobilization of an aged subglacial carbon store. However, DOC concentration, δ 13 C-DOC, Δ 14 C-DOC and fluorescence signatures appear to have been influenced by runoff from vegetated hillslopes above the glacier during onset and senescence of melt. In the peak glacier melt period, the Δ 14 C-DOC of stream samples at the outflow (−181.7 to −355.3‰) was comparable to the Δ 14 C-DOC for snow samples from the accumulation zone (−207.2 to −390.9‰), suggesting that ancient DOC from the glacier surface is exported in glacier runoff. The pre-aged DOC in glacier snow and runoff is consistent with contributions from fossil fuel combustion sources similar to those documented previously in ice cores and thus provides evidence for anthropogenic perturbation of the carbon cycle. Overall, our results emphasize the need to further characterize DOC inputs to glacier ecosystems, particularly in light of predicted changes in glacier mass and runoff in the coming century. (papers)

Electrical design of a 110-ft long muon pipe with automatic degaussing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Visser, A.T.

1985-11-01

This memo describes a magnetized cylindrical pipe made from tape wound grain oriented low carbon steel rolls. Grain oriented steel yields much higher magnetic fields at low ampereturns than cast iron or other steel pipes. This is especially important when only a few windings are allowed in the inner bore. The power supply and operating cost are also much lower. The pipe has a high (approx.9 kG) remnant field, but is automatically degaussed upon shutdown of the DC excitation power supply. A remnant field detector senses whether degaussing was successful. The pipe is used in the muon beam line. Its magnetic field deflects unwanted halo muons. Tests need to be conducted with and without pipe field. It is therefore desirable that the pipe field automatically returns to zero when the DC excitation is shut off. This can be rather easily accomplished

Automatic detection of adverse events to predict drug label changes using text and data mining techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Gurulingappa, Harsha; Toldo, Luca; Rajput, Abdul Mateen; Kors, Jan A; Taweel, Adel; Tayrouz, Yorki

2013-11-01

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of automatically detected adverse event signals from text and open-source data on the prediction of drug label changes. Open-source adverse effect data were collected from FAERS, Yellow Cards and SIDER databases. A shallow linguistic relation extraction system (JSRE) was applied for extraction of adverse effects from MEDLINE case reports. Statistical approach was applied on the extracted datasets for signal detection and subsequent prediction of label changes issued for 29 drugs by the UK Regulatory Authority in 2009. 76% of drug label changes were automatically predicted. Out of these, 6% of drug label changes were detected only by text mining. JSRE enabled precise identification of four adverse drug events from MEDLINE that were undetectable otherwise. Changes in drug labels can be predicted automatically using data and text mining techniques. Text mining technology is mature and well-placed to support the pharmacovigilance tasks. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Microprocessor controlled system for automatic and semi-automatic syntheses of radiopharmaceuticals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruth, T.J.; Adam, M.J.; Morris, D.; Jivan, S.

1986-01-01

A computer based system has been constructed to control the automatic synthesis of 2-deoxy-2-( 18 F)fluoro-D-glucose and is also being used in the development of an automatic synthesis of L-6-( 18 F)fluorodopa. (author)

Influence of the carbon source on production of cellulases, hemicellulases and pectinases by Trichoderma reesei Rut C-30

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsson, Lisbeth; Christensen, T.M.I.E.; Hansen, K.P.

2003-01-01

The growth and enzyme production by Trichoderma reesei Rut C-30 using different lignocellulosic materials as carbon source were investigated. Cellulose, sugar beet pulp and alkaline extracted sugar beet pulp (resulting in partial removal of hemicellulose, lignin and pectin) or mixtures thereof were...

Automatic Camera Control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Burelli, Paolo; Preuss, Mike

2014-01-01

Automatically generating computer animations is a challenging and complex problem with applications in games and film production. In this paper, we investigate howto translate a shot list for a virtual scene into a series of virtual camera configurations — i.e automatically controlling the virtual...

Thermo- and mesophilic aerobic batch biodegradation of high-strength distillery wastewater (potato stillage)--utilisation of main carbon sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Krzywonos, Małgorzata; Cibis, Edmund; Lasik, Małgorzata; Nowak, Jacek; Miśkiewicz, Tadeusz

2009-05-01

The aim of the study was to ascertain the extent to which temperature influences the utilisation of main carbon sources (reducing substances determined before and after hydrolysis, glycerol and organic acids) by a mixed culture of thermo- and mesophilic bacteria of the genus Bacillus in the course of aerobic batch biodegradation of potato stillage, a high-strength distillery effluent (COD=51.88 g O(2)/l). The experiments were performed at 20, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60 and 63 degrees C, at pH 7, in a 5l working volume stirred-tank bioreactor (Biostat B, B. Braun Biotech International) with a stirrer speed of 550 rpm and aeration at 1.6 vvm. Particular consideration was given to the following issues: (1) the sequence in which the main carbon sources in the stillage were assimilated and (2) the extent of their assimilation achieved under these conditions.

Continuous moisture measurement in metallurgical coke with automatic charge correction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watzke, H.; Mehlhose, D.

1981-01-01

A process control system has been developed for automatic batching of the coke amount necessary for metallurgical processes taking into account the moisture content. The measurement is performed with a neutron moisture gage consisting of an Am-Be neutron source and a BF 3 counter. The output information of the counter is used for computer-controlled batching

Data for iTRAQ secretomic analysis of Aspergillus fumigatus in response to different carbon sources

OpenAIRE

Sunil S. Adav; Anita Ravindran; Siu Kwan Sze

2015-01-01

Here, we provide data related to the research article entitled ?Quantitative proteomics study of Aspergillus fumigatus secretome revealed deamidation of secretory enzymes? by Adav et al. (J. Proteomics (2015) [1]). Aspergillus sp. plays an important role in lignocellulosic biomass recycling. To explore biomass hydrolyzing enzymes of A. fumigatus, we profiled secretome under different carbon sources such as glucose, cellulose, xylan and starch by high throughput quantitative proteomics using i...

Isotopic evidence for the influence of typhoons and submarine canyons on the sourcing and transport behavior of biospheric organic carbon to the deep sea

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Li-Wei; Ding, Xiaodong; Liu, James T.; Li, Dawei; Lee, Tsung-Yu; Zheng, Xufeng; Zheng, Zhenzhen; Xu, Min Nina; Dai, Minhan; Kao, Shuh-Ji

2017-05-01

Export of biospheric organic carbon from land masses to the ocean plays an important role in regulating the global carbon cycle. High-relief islands in the western Pacific are hotspots for such land-to-ocean carbon transport due to frequent floods and active tectonics. Submarine canyon systems serve as a major conduit to convey terrestrial organics into the deep sea, particularly during episodic floods, though the nature of ephemeral sediment transportation through such canyons remains unclear. In this study, we deployed a sediment trap in southwestern Taiwan's Gaoping submarine canyon during summer 2008, during which Typhoon Kalmaegi impacted the study area. We investigated sources of particulate organic carbon and quantified the content of fossil organic carbon (OCf) and biospheric non-fossil carbon (OCnf) during typhoon and non-typhoon periods, based on relations between total organic carbon (TOC), isotopic composition (δ13 C, 14C), and nitrogen to carbon ratios (N/C) of newly and previously reported source materials. During typhoons, flooding connected terrestrial rivers to the submarine canyon. Fresh plant debris was not found in the trap except in the hyperpycnal layer, suggesting that only hyperpycnal flow is capable of entraining plant debris, while segregation had occurred during non-hyperpycnal periods. The OCnf components in typhoon flood and trapped samples were likely sourced from aged organics buried in ancient landslides. During non-typhoon periods, the canyon is more connected to the shelf, where waves and tides cause reworking, thus allowing abiotic and biotic processes to generate isotopically uniform and similarly aged OCnf for transport into the canyon. Therefore, extreme events coupled with the submarine canyon system created an efficient method for deep-sea burial of freshly produced organic-rich material. Our results shed light on the ephemeral transport of organics within a submarine canyon system on an active tectonic margin.

Deposition of diamond-like carbon films by plasma source ion implantation with superposed pulse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baba, K.; Hatada, R.

2003-01-01

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were prepared on silicon wafer substrate by plasma source ion implantation with superposed negative pulse. Methane and acetylene gases were used as working gases for plasma. A negative DC voltage and a negative pulse voltage were superposed and applied to the substrate holder. The DC voltage was changed in the range from 0 to -4 kV and the pulse voltage was changed from 0 to -18 kV. The surface of DLC films was very smooth. The deposition rate of DLC films increased with increasing in superposed DC bias voltage. Carbon ion implantation was confirmed for the DLC film deposited from methane plasma with high pulse voltage. I D /I G ratios of Raman spectroscopy were around 1.5 independent on pulse voltage. The maximum hardness of 20.3 GPa was observed for the film prepared with high DC and high pulse voltage

Automatic rebuilding and optimization of crystallographic structures in the Protein Data Bank.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Joosten, R.P.; Joosten, K.; Cohen, S.X.; Vriend, G.; Perrakis, A.

2011-01-01

MOTIVATION: Macromolecular crystal structures in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) are a key source of structural insight into biological processes. These structures, some >30 years old, were constructed with methods of their era. With PDB_REDO, we aim to automatically optimize these structures to better

An Automatic Assembling System for Sealing Rings Based on Machine Vision

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mingyu Gao

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In order to grab and place the sealing rings of battery lid quickly and accurately, an automatic assembling system for sealing rings based on machine vision is developed in this paper. The whole system is composed of the light sources, cameras, industrial control units, and a 4-degree-of-freedom industrial robot. Specifically, the sealing rings are recognized and located automatically with the machine vision module. Then industrial robot is controlled for grabbing the sealing rings dynamically under the joint work of multiple control units and visual feedback. Furthermore, the coordinates of the fast-moving battery lid are tracked by the machine vision module. Finally the sealing rings are placed on the sealing ports of battery lid accurately and automatically. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed system can grab the sealing rings and place them on the sealing port of the fast-moving battery lid successfully. More importantly, the proposed system can improve the efficiency of the battery production line obviously.

Automatic differentiation tools in the dynamic simulation of chemical engineering processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Castro M.C.

2000-01-01

Full Text Available Automatic Differentiation is a relatively recent technique developed for the differentiation of functions applicable directly to the source code to compute the function written in standard programming languages. That technique permits the automatization of the differentiation step, crucial for dynamic simulation and optimization of processes. The values for the derivatives obtained with AD are exact (to roundoff. The theoretical exactness of the AD comes from the fact that it uses the same rules of differentiation as in differential calculus, but these rules are applied to an algorithmic specification of the function rather than to a formula. The main purpose of this contribution is to discuss the impact of Automatic Differentiation in the field of dynamic simulation of chemical engineering processes. The influence of the differentiation technique on the behavior of the integration code, the performance of the generated code and the incorporation of AD tools in consistent initialization tools are discussed from the viewpoint of dynamic simulation of typical models in chemical engineering.

An Automatic Matcher and Linker for Transportation Datasets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Masri

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Multimodality requires the integration of heterogeneous transportation data to construct a broad view of the transportation network. Many new transportation services are emerging while being isolated from previously-existing networks. This leads them to publish their data sources to the web, according to linked data principles, in order to gain visibility. Our interest is to use these data to construct an extended transportation network that links these new services to existing ones. The main problems we tackle in this article fall in the categories of automatic schema matching and data interlinking. We propose an approach that uses web services as mediators to help in automatically detecting geospatial properties and mapping them between two different schemas. On the other hand, we propose a new interlinking approach that enables the user to define rich semantic links between datasets in a flexible and customizable way.

Top-down estimate of a large source of atmospheric carbon monoxide associated with fuel combustion in Asia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kasibhatla, P.; Arellano, A.; Logan, J.A.; Palmer, P.I.; Novelli, P. [Duke University, Durham, NC (United States). Nicholas School of Environmental & Earth Science

2002-10-01

Deriving robust regional estimates of the sources of chemically and radiatively important gases and aerosols to the atmosphere is challenging. Using an inverse modeling methodology, it was found that the source of carbon monoxide from fossil-fuel and biofuel combustion in Asia during 1994 was 350-380 Tg yr{sup -1}, which is 110-140 Tg yr{sup -1} higher than bottom-up estimates derived using traditional inventory-based approaches. This discrepancy points to an important gap in our understanding of the human impact on atmospheric chemical composition.

Motor automaticity in Parkinson’s disease

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Tao; Hallett, Mark; Chan, Piu

2017-01-01

Bradykinesia is the most important feature contributing to motor difficulties in Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the pathophysiology underlying bradykinesia is not fully understood. One important aspect is that PD patients have difficulty in performing learned motor skills automatically, but this problem has been generally overlooked. Here we review motor automaticity associated motor deficits in PD, such as reduced arm swing, decreased stride length, freezing of gait, micrographia and reduced facial expression. Recent neuroimaging studies have revealed some neural mechanisms underlying impaired motor automaticity in PD, including less efficient neural coding of movement, failure to shift automated motor skills to the sensorimotor striatum, instability of the automatic mode within the striatum, and use of attentional control and/or compensatory efforts to execute movements usually performed automatically in healthy people. PD patients lose previously acquired automatic skills due to their impaired sensorimotor striatum, and have difficulty in acquiring new automatic skills or restoring lost motor skills. More investigations on the pathophysiology of motor automaticity, the effect of L-dopa or surgical treatments on automaticity, and the potential role of using measures of automaticity in early diagnosis of PD would be valuable. PMID:26102020

Starch as a source, starch as a sink: the bifunctional role of starch in carbon allocation.

Science.gov (United States)

MacNeill, Gregory J; Mehrpouyan, Sahar; Minow, Mark A A; Patterson, Jenelle A; Tetlow, Ian J; Emes, Michael J

2017-07-20

Starch commands a central role in the carbon budget of the majority of plants on earth, and its biological role changes during development and in response to the environment. Throughout the life of a plant, starch plays a dual role in carbon allocation, acting as both a source, releasing carbon reserves in leaves for growth and development, and as a sink, either as a dedicated starch store in its own right (in seeds and tubers), or as a temporary reserve of carbon contributing to sink strength, in organs such as flowers, fruits, and developing non-starchy seeds. The presence of starch in tissues and organs thus has a profound impact on the physiology of the growing plant as its synthesis and degradation governs the availability of free sugars, which in turn control various growth and developmental processes. This review attempts to summarize the large body of information currently available on starch metabolism and its relationship to wider aspects of carbon metabolism and plant nutrition. It highlights gaps in our knowledge and points to research areas that show promise for bioengineering and manipulation of starch metabolism in order to achieve more desirable phenotypes such as increased yield or plant biomass. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Effects of soil amendment with different carbon sources and other factors on the bioremediation of an aged PAH-contaminated soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Teng, Ying; Luo, Yongming; Ping, Lifeng; Zou, Dexun; Li, Zhengao; Christie, Peter

2010-04-01

Carbon supplementation, soil moisture and soil aeration are believed to enhance in situ bioremediation of PAH-contaminated soils by stimulating the growth of indigenous microorganisms. However, the effects of added carbon and nitrogen together with soil moisture and soil aeration on the dissipation of PAHs and on associated microbial counts have yet to be fully assessed. In this study the effects on bioremediation of carbon source, carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, soil moisture and aeration on an aged PAH-contaminated agricultural soil were studied in microcosms over a 90-day period. Additions of starch, glucose and sodium succinate increased soil bacterial and fungal counts and accelerated the dissipation of phenanthrene and benzo(a)pyrene in soil. Decreases in phenanthrene and benzo(a)pyrene concentrations were effective in soil supplemented with glucose and sodium succinate (both 0.2 g C kg(-1) dry soil) and starch (1.0 g C kg(-1) dry soil). The bioremediation effect at a C/N ratio of 10:1 was significantly higher (P Soil microbial counts and PAH dissipation were lower in the submerged soil but soil aeration increased bacterial and fungal counts, enhanced indigenous microbial metabolic activities, and accelerated the natural degradation of phenanthrene and benzo(a)pyrene. The results suggest that optimizing carbon source, C/N ratio, soil moisture and aeration conditions may be a feasible remediation strategy in certain PAH contaminated soils with large active microbial populations.

Selection and evaluation of reference genes for RT-qPCR expression studies on Burkholderia tropica strain Ppe8, a sugarcane-associated diazotrophic bacterium grown with different carbon sources or sugarcane juice.

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva, Paula Renata Alves; Vidal, Marcia Soares; de Paula Soares, Cleiton; Polese, Valéria; Simões-Araújo, Jean Luís; Baldani, José Ivo

2016-11-01

Among the members of the genus Burkholderia, Burkholderia tropica has the ability to fix nitrogen and promote sugarcane plant growth as well as act as a biological control agent. There is little information about how this bacterium metabolizes carbohydrates as well as those carbon sources found in the sugarcane juice that accumulates in stems during plant growth. Reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) can be used to evaluate changes in gene expression during bacterial growth on different carbon sources. Here we tested the expression of six reference genes, lpxC, gyrB, recA, rpoA, rpoB, and rpoD, when cells were grown with glucose, fructose, sucrose, mannitol, aconitic acid, and sugarcane juice as carbon sources. The lpxC, gyrB, and recA were selected as the most stable reference genes based on geNorm and NormFinder software analyses. Validation of these three reference genes during strain Ppe8 growth on the same carbon sources showed that genes involved in glycogen biosynthesis (glgA, glgB, glgC) and trehalose biosynthesis (treY and treZ) were highly expressed when Ppe8 was grown in aconitic acid relative to other carbon sources, while otsA expression (trehalose biosynthesis) was reduced with all carbon sources. In addition, the expression level of the ORF_6066 (gluconolactonase) gene was reduced on sugarcane juice. The results confirmed the stability of the three selected reference genes (lpxC, gyrB, and recA) during the RT-qPCR and also their robustness by evaluating the relative expression of genes involved in glycogen and trehalose biosynthesis when strain Ppe8 was grown on different carbon sources and sugarcane juice.

Phenology and carbon dioxide source/sink strength of a subalpine grassland in response to an exceptionally short snow season

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galvagno, M; Cremonese, E; Filippa, G; Morra di Cella, U; Wohlfahrt, G; Rossini, M; Colombo, R; Julitta, T; Manca, G; Siniscalco, C; Migliavacca, M

2013-01-01

Changes in snow cover depth and duration predicted by climate change scenarios are expected to strongly affect high-altitude ecosystem processes. This study investigates the effect of an exceptionally short snow season on the phenology and carbon dioxide source/sink strength of a subalpine grassland. An earlier snowmelt of more than one month caused a considerable advancement (40 days) of the beginning of the carbon uptake period (CUP) and, together with a delayed establishment of the snow season in autumn, contributed to a two-month longer CUP. The combined effect of the shorter snow season and the extended CUP led to an increase of about 100% in annual carbon net uptake. Nevertheless, the unusual environmental conditions imposed by the early snowmelt led to changes in canopy structure and functioning, with a reduction of the carbon sequestration rate during the snow-free period. (letter)

Badlands and the Carbon cycle: a significant source of petrogenic organic carbon in rivers and marine environments?

Science.gov (United States)

Copard, Yoann; Eyrolle-Boyer, Frederique; Radakovitch, Olivier; Poirel, Alain; Raimbault, Patrick; Lebouteiller, Caroline; Gairoard, Stéphanie; Di-Giovanni, Christian

2016-04-01

A key issue in the study of carbon biogeochemical cycle is to well constrain each carbon origin in term of fluxes between all C-reservoirs. From continental surfaces to oceans, rivers convey particulate organic carbon originate from the biomass (biospheric OC) and /or from the sedimentary rocks (petrogenic OC). Existence and importance of this petrogenic OC export to oceans was debated for several decades (see Copard et al., 2007 and ref.), but it is now assumed that 20% of the global carbon export to ocean has a geological origin (Galy et al., 2015). The main current challenge is to constrain the major contributors to this petrogenic OC flux. Amongst the expected sedimentary sources of petrogenic OC in rivers, sedimentary rocks forming badlands can be rightly considered as some viable candidates. Indeed these rocks show a strong erosion rate, may exceed 50 kt km-2 y-1 and in addition, shales, marls and argillaceous rocks, frequently forming badlands (see Nadal-Romero et al., 2011 for the Mediterranean area), contain a significant amount of petrogenic OC (frequently over 0.50 wt. %, Ronov and Yaroshevsky 1976). Our work illustrates the contribution of badlands, mainly distributed within the Durance catchment (a main tributary of the Rhône river), in the petrogenic OC export to the Mediterranean Sea. The approach is based on (i) the use of previous and new data on radiogenic carbon, (ii) bulk organic geochemistry (Rock-Eval pyrolysis), (iii) optical quantification of particulate OM (palynofacies), performed on suspended sediments from the Durance, the Rhône rivers and from small rivers draining the badlands. A mean erosion rate of badlands, previously calculated for instrumented catchments (SOERE Draix-Bléone, Graz et al., 2012) was also applied to the badlands disseminated within the Durance catchment. These different methodologies converge to a petrogenic contribution of the OC export to the Mediterranean Sea close to 30 %. Badlands from the Durance catchment

Carbon monoxide