WorldWideScience

Sample records for background phase offset

  1. Blind Estimation of the Phase and Carrier Frequency Offsets for LDPC-Coded Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Houcke Sebastien

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract We consider in this paper the problem of phase offset and Carrier Frequency Offset (CFO estimation for Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC coded systems. We propose new blind estimation techniques based on the calculation and minimization of functions of the Log-Likelihood Ratios (LLR of the syndrome elements obtained according to the parity check matrix of the error-correcting code. In the first part of this paper, we consider phase offset estimation for a Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK modulation and propose a novel estimation technique. Simulation results show that the proposed method is very effective and outperforms many existing algorithms. Then, we modify the estimation criterion so that it can work for higher-order modulations. One interesting feature of the proposed algorithm when applied to high-order modulations is that the phase offset of the channel can be blindly estimated without any ambiguity. In the second part of the paper, we consider the problem of CFO estimation and propose estimation techniques that are based on the same concept as the ones presented for the phase offset estimation. The Mean Squared Error (MSE and Bit Error Rate (BER curves show the efficiency of the proposed estimation techniques.

  2. Phase Offsets and the Energy Budgets of Hot Jupiters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwartz, Joel C.; Kashner, Zane; Jovmir, Diana; Cowan, Nicolas B.

    2017-12-01

    Thermal phase curves of short-period planets on circular orbits provide joint constraints on the fraction of incoming energy that is reflected (Bond albedo) and the fraction of absorbed energy radiated by the night hemisphere (heat recirculation efficiency). Many empirical studies of hot Jupiters have implicitly assumed that the dayside is the hottest hemisphere and the nightside is the coldest hemisphere. For a given eclipse depth and phase amplitude, an orbital lag between a planet’s peak brightness and its eclipse—a phase offset—implies that planet’s nightside emits greater flux. To quantify how phase offsets impact the energy budgets of short-period planets, we compile all infrared observations of the nine planets with multi-band eclipse depths and phase curves. Accounting for phase offsets shifts planets to lower Bond albedo and greater day-night heat transport, usually by ≲1σ. For WASP-12b, the published phase variations have been analyzed in two different ways, and the inferred energy budget depends sensitively on which analysis one adopts. Our fiducial scenario supports a Bond albedo of {0.27}-0.13+0.12, significantly higher than the published optical geometric albedo, and a recirculation efficiency of {0.03}-0.02+0.07, following the trend of larger day-night temperature contrast with greater stellar irradiation. If instead we adopt the alternative analysis, then WASP-12b has a Bond albedo consistent with zero and a much higher recirculation efficiency. To definitively determine the energy budget of WASP-12b, new observational analyses will be necessary.

  3. Phase ambiguity resolution for offset QPSK modulation systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Tien M. (Inventor)

    1991-01-01

    A demodulator for Offset Quaternary Phase Shift Keyed (OQPSK) signals modulated with two words resolves eight possible combinations of phase ambiguity which may produce data error by first processing received I(sub R) and Q(sub R) data in an integrated carrier loop/symbol synchronizer using a digital Costas loop with matched filters for correcting four of eight possible phase lock errors, and then the remaining four using a phase ambiguity resolver which detects the words to not only reverse the received I(sub R) and Q(sub R) data channels, but to also invert (complement) the I(sub R) and/or Q(sub R) data, or to at least complement the I(sub R) and Q(sub R) data for systems using nontransparent codes that do not have rotation direction ambiguity.

  4. An improved in situ measurement of offset phase shift towards quantitative damping-measurement with AFM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Minary-Jolandan, Majid; Yu Minfeng

    2008-01-01

    An improved approach is introduced in damping measurement with atomic force microscope (AFM) for the in situ measurement of the offset phase shift needed for determining the intrinsic mechanical damping in nanoscale materials. The offset phase shift is defined and measured at a point of zero contact force according to the deflection part of the AFM force plot. It is shown that such defined offset phase shift is independent of the type of sample material, varied from hard to relatively soft materials in this study. This improved approach allows the self-calibrated and quantitative damping measurement with AFM. The ability of dynamic mechanical analysis for the measurement of damping in isolated one-dimensional nanostructures, e.g. individual multiwalled carbon nanotubes, was demonstrated

  5. Phase-ramp reduction in interseismic interferograms from pixel-offsets

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Teng; Jonsson, Sigurjon

    2014-01-01

    Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) is increasingly used to measure interseismic deformation. Inaccurate satellite-orbit information, expressed as phase ramps across interseismic interferograms, is believed to be one of the main sources of error in such measurements. However, many interferograms exhibit higher phase gradients than expected from the reported orbital accuracy, suggesting that there are other error sources. Here, we show that interferogram phase ramps are in part caused by uncorrected satellite timing-parameter errors. We propose a two-step approach to reduce the phase ramps using pixel-offsets estimated between SAR amplitude images. The first step involves using a digital elevation model (DEM) to estimate absolute timing-parameter errors for the reference image of the SAR dataset and the second step updates the timing parameters of the master image for each interferogram. We demonstrate a clear ramp reduction on interseismic interferograms covering the North Anatolian Fault in eastern Turkey. The resulting interferograms show clear signs of interseismic deformation even before stacking. © 2014 IEEE.

  6. Phase-ramp reduction in interseismic interferograms from pixel-offsets

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Teng

    2014-05-01

    Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) is increasingly used to measure interseismic deformation. Inaccurate satellite-orbit information, expressed as phase ramps across interseismic interferograms, is believed to be one of the main sources of error in such measurements. However, many interferograms exhibit higher phase gradients than expected from the reported orbital accuracy, suggesting that there are other error sources. Here, we show that interferogram phase ramps are in part caused by uncorrected satellite timing-parameter errors. We propose a two-step approach to reduce the phase ramps using pixel-offsets estimated between SAR amplitude images. The first step involves using a digital elevation model (DEM) to estimate absolute timing-parameter errors for the reference image of the SAR dataset and the second step updates the timing parameters of the master image for each interferogram. We demonstrate a clear ramp reduction on interseismic interferograms covering the North Anatolian Fault in eastern Turkey. The resulting interferograms show clear signs of interseismic deformation even before stacking. © 2014 IEEE.

  7. Phase-ambiguity resolution for QPSK modulation systems. Part 2: A method to resolve offset QPSK

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Tien Manh

    1989-01-01

    Part 2 presents a new method to resolve the phase-ambiguity for Offset QPSK modulation systems. When an Offset Quaternary Phase-Shift-Keyed (OQPSK) communications link is utilized, the phase ambiguity of the reference carrier must be resolved. At the transmitter, two different unique words are separately modulated onto the quadrature carriers. At the receiver, the recovered carrier may have one of four possible phases, 0, 90, 180, or 270 degrees, referenced to the nominally correct phase. The IF portion of the channel may cause a phase-sense reversal, i.e., a reversal in the direction of phase rotation for a specified bit pattern. Hence, eight possible phase relationships (the so-called eight ambiguous phase conditions) between input and output of the demodulator must be resolved. Using the In-phase (I)/Quadrature (Q) channel reversal correcting property of an OQPSK Costas loop with integrated symbol synchronization, four ambiguous phase conditions are eliminated. Thus, only four possible ambiguous phase conditions remain. The errors caused by the remaining ambiguous phase conditions can be corrected by monitoring and detecting the polarity of the two unique words. The correction of the unique word polarities results in the complete phase-ambiguity resolution for the OQPSK system.

  8. Vertical blind phase search for low-complexity carrier phase recovery of offset-QAM Nyquist WDM transmission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Jianing; Fu, Songnian; Tang, Haoyuan; Xiang, Meng; Tang, Ming; Liu, Deming

    2017-01-01

    Low complexity carrier phase recovery (CPR) scheme based on vertical blind phase search (V-BPS) for M-ary offset quadrature amplitude modulation (OQAM) is proposed and numerically verified. After investigating the constellations of both even and odd samples with respect to the phase noise, we identify that the CPR can be realized by measuring the verticality of constellation with respect to different test phase angles. Then measurement without multiplication in the complex plane is found with low complexity. Furthermore, a two-stage configuration is put forward to further reduce the computational complexity (CC). Compared with our recently proposed modified blind phase search (M-BPS) algorithm, the proposed algorithm shows comparable tolerance of phase noise, but reduces the CC by a factor of 3.81 (or 3.05) in the form of multipliers (or adders), taking the CPR of 16-OQAM into account.

  9. The Thermal Phase Curve Offset on Tidally and Nontidally Locked Exoplanets: A Shallow Water Model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Penn, James; Vallis, Geoffrey K, E-mail: jp492@exeter.ac.uk, E-mail: g.vallis@exeter.ac.uk [University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon (United Kingdom)

    2017-06-20

    Using a shallow water model with time-dependent forcing, we show that the peak of an exoplanet thermal phase curve is, in general, offset from the secondary eclipse when the planet is rotating. That is, the planetary hot spot is offset from the point of maximal heating (the substellar point) and may lead or lag the forcing; the extent and sign of the offset are functions of both the rotation rate and orbital period of the planet. We also find that the system reaches a steady state in the reference frame of the moving forcing. The model is an extension of the well-studied Matsuno–Gill model into a full spherical geometry and with a planetary-scale translating forcing representing the insolation received on an exoplanet from a host star. The speed of the gravity waves in the model is shown to be a key metric in evaluating the phase curve offset. If the velocity of the substellar point (relative to the planet’s surface) exceeds that of the gravity waves, then the hot spot will lag the substellar point, as might be expected by consideration of forced gravity wave dynamics. However, when the substellar point is moving slower than the internal wave speed of the system, the hottest point may lead the passage of the forcing. We provide an interpretation of this result by consideration of the Rossby and Kelvin wave dynamics, as well as, in the very slowly rotating case, a one-dimensional model that yields an analytic solution. Finally, we consider the inverse problem of constraining planetary rotation rate from an observed phase curve.

  10. Analysis of an automated background correction method for cardiovascular MR phase contrast imaging in children and young adults

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rigsby, Cynthia K.; Hilpipre, Nicholas; Boylan, Emma E.; Popescu, Andrada R.; Deng, Jie [Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children' s Hospital of Chicago, Department of Medical Imaging, Chicago, IL (United States); McNeal, Gary R. [Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc., Customer Solutions Group, Cardiovascular MR R and D, Chicago, IL (United States); Zhang, Gang [Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children' s Hospital of Chicago Research Center, Biostatistics Research Core, Chicago, IL (United States); Choi, Grace [Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children' s Hospital of Chicago, Department of Pediatrics, Chicago, IL (United States); Greiser, Andreas [Siemens AG Healthcare Sector, Erlangen (Germany)

    2014-03-15

    Phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a powerful tool for evaluating vessel blood flow. Inherent errors in acquisition, such as phase offset, eddy currents and gradient field effects, can cause significant inaccuracies in flow parameters. These errors can be rectified with the use of background correction software. To evaluate the performance of an automated phase contrast MRI background phase correction method in children and young adults undergoing cardiac MR imaging. We conducted a retrospective review of patients undergoing routine clinical cardiac MRI including phase contrast MRI for flow quantification in the aorta (Ao) and main pulmonary artery (MPA). When phase contrast MRI of the right and left pulmonary arteries was also performed, these data were included. We excluded patients with known shunts and metallic implants causing visible MRI artifact and those with more than mild to moderate aortic or pulmonary stenosis. Phase contrast MRI of the Ao, mid MPA, proximal right pulmonary artery (RPA) and left pulmonary artery (LPA) using 2-D gradient echo Fast Low Angle SHot (FLASH) imaging was acquired during normal respiration with retrospective cardiac gating. Standard phase image reconstruction and the automatic spatially dependent background-phase-corrected reconstruction were performed on each phase contrast MRI dataset. Non-background-corrected and background-phase-corrected net flow, forward flow, regurgitant volume, regurgitant fraction, and vessel cardiac output were recorded for each vessel. We compared standard non-background-corrected and background-phase-corrected mean flow values for the Ao and MPA. The ratio of pulmonary to systemic blood flow (Qp:Qs) was calculated for the standard non-background and background-phase-corrected data and these values were compared to each other and for proximity to 1. In a subset of patients who also underwent phase contrast MRI of the MPA, RPA, and LPA a comparison was made between standard non-background

  11. Alternative method for determining the constant offset in lidar signal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vladimir A. Kovalev; Cyle Wold; Alexander Petkov; Wei Min Hao

    2009-01-01

    We present an alternative method for determining the total offset in lidar signal created by a daytime background-illumination component and electrical or digital offset. Unlike existing techniques, here the signal square-range-correction procedure is initially performed using the total signal recorded by lidar, without subtraction of the offset component. While...

  12. Simulating Solid-Solid Phase Transition in Shape-Memory Alloy Microstructure by Face-Offsetting Method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bellur Ramaswamy, Ravi S.; Tortorelli, Daniel A.; Fried, Eliot; Jiao Xiangmin

    2008-01-01

    Advances in the understanding of martensitic transformations (diffusionless, solid-solid phase transformations) have been instrumental to the recent discovery of new low hysteresis alloys. However, some key fundamental issues must be better understood to design still better alloys. Restricting attention to antiplane shear, we use finite element analysis to model the shape-memory alloy microstructure within the Abeyaratne-Knowles continuum thermomechanical framework and use an interface kinetic relation of the kind proposed by Rosakis and Tsai. Geometric singularities and topological changes associated with microstructural evolution pose significant numerical challenges. We address such challenges with a recently developed front-tracking scheme called the face-offsetting method (FOM) to explicitly model phase interfaces. Initial results demonstrate the effectiveness of FOM in resolving needle-like twinned microstructures

  13. Scanning moiré and spatial-offset phase-stepping for surface inspection of structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoneyama, S.; Morimoto, Y.; Fujigaki, M.; Ikeda, Y.

    2005-06-01

    In order to develop a high-speed and accurate surface inspection system of structures such as tunnels, a new surface profile measurement method using linear array sensors is studied. The sinusoidal grating is projected on a structure surface. Then, the deformed grating is scanned by linear array sensors that move together with the grating projector. The phase of the grating is analyzed by a spatial offset phase-stepping method to perform accurate measurement. The surface profile measurements of the wall with bricks and the concrete surface of a structure are demonstrated using the proposed method. The change of geometry or fabric of structures and the defects on structure surfaces can be detected by the proposed method. It is expected that the surface profile inspection system of tunnels measuring from a running train can be constructed based on the proposed method.

  14. Policy development for biodiversity offsets: a review of offset frameworks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKenney, Bruce A; Kiesecker, Joseph M

    2010-01-01

    Biodiversity offsets seek to compensate for residual environmental impacts of planned developments after appropriate steps have been taken to avoid, minimize or restore impacts on site. Offsets are emerging as an increasingly employed mechanism for achieving net environmental benefits, with offset policies being advanced in a wide range of countries (i.e., United States, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, and South Africa). To support policy development for biodiversity offsets, we review a set of major offset policy frameworks-US wetlands mitigation, US conservation banking, EU Natura 2000, Australian offset policies in New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia, and Brazilian industrial and forest offsets. We compare how the frameworks define offset policy goals, approach the mitigation process, and address six key issues for implementing offsets: (1) equivalence of project impacts with offset gains; (2) location of the offset relative to the impact site; (3) "additionality" (a new contribution to conservation) and acceptable types of offsets; (4) timing of project impacts versus offset benefits; (5) offset duration and compliance; and (6) "currency" and mitigation replacement ratios. We find substantial policy commonalities that may serve as a sound basis for future development of biodiversity offsets policy. We also identify issues requiring further policy guidance, including how best to: (1) ensure conformance with the mitigation hierarchy; (2) identify the most environmentally preferable offsets within a landscape context; and (3) determine appropriate mitigation replacement ratios.

  15. Background suppression in Gerda Phase II and its study in the LArGe low background set-up

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Budjas, Dusan [Physik-Department E15, Technische Universitaet Muenchen (Germany); Collaboration: GERDA-Collaboration

    2013-07-01

    In Phase II of the Gerda experiment additional ∝20 kg of BEGe-type germanium detectors, enriched in {sup 76}Ge, will be deployed in liquid argon (LAr) to further increase the sensitivity for the half-life of neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay of {sup 76}Ge to > 2 . 10{sup 26} yr. To reduce background by a factor of 10 to the required level of < 10{sup -3} cts/(keV.kg.yr), it is necessary to employ active background-suppression techniques, including anti-Compton veto using scintillation light detection from LAr and pulse shape discrimination exploiting the characteristic electrical field distribution inside BEGe detectors. The latter technique can identify single-site events (typical for 0νββ) and efficiently reject multi-site events (mainly from γ-rays), as well as different types of background events from detector surfaces. The combined power of these techniques was studied for {sup 42}K and other background sources at the low background facility LArGe. Together with extensive simulations, the information from tracking of the Phase II detector material exposure to cosmic rays and based on the background contributions observed in Phase I, the expected background level in Phase II in the region of interest at 2039 keV, the Q{sub ββ} energy of {sup 76}Ge, is estimated. The preliminary analysis shows that contributions from all expected background components after all cuts are in line with the goal of Gerda Phase II.

  16. Study of the GERDA Phase II background spectrum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agostini, M.; Allardt, M.; Bakalyarov, A. M.; Balata, M.; Barabanov, I.; Baudis, L.; Bauer, C.; Bellotti, E.; Belogurov, S.; Belyaev, S. T.; Benato, G.; Bettini, A.; Bezrukov, L.; Bode, T.; Borowicz, D.; Brudanin, V.; Brugnera, R.; Caldwell, A.; Cattadori, C.; Chernogorov, A.; D'Andrea, V.; Demidova, E. V.; Di Marco, N.; Domula, A.; Doroshkevich, E.; Egorov, V.; Falkenstein, R.; Frodyma, N.; Gangapshev, A.; Garfagnini, A.; Gooch, C.; Grabmayr, P.; Gurentsov, V.; Gusev, K.; Hakenmüller, J.; Hegai, A.; Heisel, M.; Hemmer, S.; Hofmann, W.; Hult, M.; Inzhechik, L. V.; Janicskó Csáthy, J.; Jochum, J.; Junker, M.; Kazalov, V.; Kihm, T.; Kirpichnikov, I. V.; Kirsch, A.; Kish, A.; Klimenko, A.; Kneißl, R.; Knöpfle, K. T.; Kochetov, O.; Kornoukhov, V. N.; Kuzminov, V. V.; Laubenstein, M.; Lazzaro, A.; Lebedev, V. I.; Lehnert, B.; Liao, H. Y.; Lindner, M.; Lippi, I.; Lubashevskiy, A.; Lubsandorzhiev, B.; Lutter, G.; Macolino, C.; Majorovits, B.; Maneschg, W.; Medinaceli, E.; Miloradovic, M.; Mingazheva, R.; Misiaszek, M.; Moseev, P.; Nemchenok, I.; Palioselitis, D.; Panas, K.; Pandola, L.; Pelczar, K.; Pullia, A.; Riboldi, S.; Rumyantseva, N.; Sada, C.; Salamida, F.; Salathe, M.; Schmitt, C.; Schneider, B.; Schönert, S.; Schreiner, J.; Schulz, O.; Schütz, A.-K.; Schwingenheuer, B.; Selivanenko, O.; Shevzik, E.; Shirchenko, M.; Simgen, H.; Smolnikov, A.; Stanco, L.; Vanhoefer, L.; Vasenko, A. A.; Veresnikova, A.; von Sturm, K.; Wagner, V.; Wegmann, A.; Wester, T.; Wiesinger, C.; Wojcik, M.; Yanovich, E.; Zhitnikov, I.; Zhukov, S. V.; Zinatulina, D.; Zuber, K.; Zuzel, G.

    2017-09-01

    The Gerda experiment, located at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) of INFN in Italy, searches for the neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay of 76Ge. Gerda Phase II is aiming to reach a sensitivity for the 0νββ half life of 1026 yr in ˜ 3 years of physics data taking with 100 kg·yr of exposure and a background index of ˜ 10-3 cts/(keV·kg·yr). After 6 months of acquisition a first data release with 10.8 kg·yr of exposure is performed, showing that the design background is achieved. In this work a study of the Phase II background spectrum, the main spectral structures and the background sources will be presented and discussed.

  17. Attention capture by contour onsets and offsets: no special role for onsets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watson, D G; Humphreys, G W

    1995-07-01

    In five experiments, we investigated the power of targets defined by the onset or offset of one of an object's parts (contour onsets and offsets) either to guide or to capture visual attention. In Experiment 1, search for a single contour onset target was compared with search for a single contour offset target against a static background of distractors; no difference was found between the efficiency with which each could be detected. In Experiment 2, onsets and offsets were compared for automatic attention capture, when both occurred simultaneously. Unlike in previous studies, the effects of overall luminance change, new-object creation, and number of onset and offset items were controlled. It was found that contour onset and offset items captured attention equally well. However, display size effects on both target types were also apparent. Such effects may have been due to competition for selection between multiple onset and offset stimuli. In Experiments 3 and 4, single onset and offset stimuli were presented simultaneously and pitted directly against one another among a background of static distractors. In Experiment 3, we examined "guided search," for a target that was formed either from an onset or from an offset among static items. In Experiment 4, the onsets and offsets were uncorrelated with the target location. Similar results occurred in both experiments: target onsets and offsets were detected more efficiently than static stimuli which needed serial search; there remained effects of display size on performance; but there was still no advantage for onsets. In Experiment 5, we examined automatic attention capture by single onset and offset stimuli presented individually among static distractors. Again, there was no advantage for onset over offset targets and a display size effect was also present. These results suggest that, both in isolation and in competition, onsets that do not form new objects neither guide nor gain automatic attention more efficiently

  18. Removing Background Noise with Phased Array Signal Processing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Podboy, Gary; Stephens, David

    2015-01-01

    Preliminary results are presented from a test conducted to determine how well microphone phased array processing software could pull an acoustic signal out of background noise. The array consisted of 24 microphones in an aerodynamic fairing designed to be mounted in-flow. The processing was conducted using Functional Beam forming software developed by Optinav combined with cross spectral matrix subtraction. The test was conducted in the free-jet of the Nozzle Acoustic Test Rig at NASA GRC. The background noise was produced by the interaction of the free-jet flow with the solid surfaces in the flow. The acoustic signals were produced by acoustic drivers. The results show that the phased array processing was able to pull the acoustic signal out of the background noise provided the signal was no more than 20 dB below the background noise level measured using a conventional single microphone equipped with an aerodynamic forebody.

  19. Quadrupole to BPM offset determination in Indus-2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jena, Saroj; Ghodke, A.D.; Singh, G.

    2009-01-01

    A feasibility of finding the quadrupole to BPM offset using beam based alignment (BBA) technique in Indus-2 has been studied. The measurements of the offsets between BPM and quadrupoles could be performed by using quadratic fitting for the minima of the orbit response w. r. t. changes in the quadrupole strengths. These offsets will be integrated to the orbit data during closed orbit correction. There are 72 quadrupoles and 56 BPMs in Indus-2. However the assessment of Quad-BPM offsets is not feasible in some cases due to non-availability of BPM adjacent to quadrupole and also in some cases because of a large phase advance between quadrupole and nearby BPM. Here single corrector method is used to obtain these offsets and assumed the current of each quadrupole can be varied independently. A graphical user interface (GUI) is developed in MATLAB for the use of BBA in Indus-2. (author)

  20. In-Flight Calibration Methods for Temperature-Dependent Offsets in the MMS Fluxgate Magnetometers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bromund, K. R.; Plaschke, F.; Strangeway, R. J.; Anderson, B. J.; Huang, B. G.; Magnes, W.; Fischer, D.; Nakamura, R.; Leinweber, H. K.; Russell, C. T.; hide

    2016-01-01

    During the first dayside season of the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, the in-flight calibration process for the Fluxgate magnetometers (FGM) implemented an algorithm that selected a constant offset (zero-level) for each sensor on each orbit. This method was generally able to reduce the amplitude of residual spin tone to less than 0.2 nT within the region of interest. However, there are times when the offsets do show significant short-term variations. These variations are most prominent in the nighttime season (phase 1X), when eclipses are accompanied by offset changes as large as 1 nT. Eclipses are followed by a recovery period as long as 12 hours where the offsets continue to change as temperatures stabilize. Understanding and compensating for these changes will become critical during Phase 2 of the mission in 2017, when the nightside will become the focus of MMS science. Although there is no direct correlation between offset and temperature, the offsets are seen for the period of any given week to be well-characterized as function of instrument temperature. Using this property, a new calibration method has been developed that has proven effective in compensating for temperature-dependent offsets during phase 1X of the MMS mission and also promises to further refine calibration quality during the dayside season.

  1. In-Flight Calibration Methods for Temperature-Dependendent Offsets in the MMS Fluxgate Magnetometers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bromund, K. R.; Plaschke, F.; Strangeway, R. J.; Anderson, B. J.; Huang, B. G.; Magnes, W.; Fischer, D.; Nakamura, R.; Leinweber, H. K.; Russell, C. T.; Baumjohann, W.; Chutter, M.; Torbert, R. B.; Le, G.; Slavin, J. A.; Kepko, L.

    2016-12-01

    During the first dayside season of the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, the in-flight calibration process for the Fluxgate magnetometers (FGM) implemented an algorithm that selected a constant offset (zero-level) for each sensor on each orbit. This method was generally able to reduce the amplitude of residual spin tone to less than 0.2 nT within the region of interest. However, there are times when the offsets do show significant short-term variations. These variations are most prominent in the nighttime season (phase 1X), when eclipses are accompanied by offset changes as large as 1 nT. Eclipses are followed by a recovery period as long as 12 hours where the offsets continue to change as temperatures stabilize. Understanding and compensating for these changes will become critical during Phase 2 of the mission in 2017, when the nightside will become the focus of MMS science. Although there is no direct correlation between offset and temperature, the offsets are seen — for the period of any given week — to be well-characterized as function of instrument temperature. Using this property, a new calibration method has been developed that has proven effective in compensating for temperature-dependent offsets during phase 1X of the MMS mission and also promises to further refine calibration quality during the dayside season.

  2. Offsets - An opportunity of Financing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    PRIN, Coralie

    2008-01-01

    Nuclear Research Reactors sometimes need to implement projects to upgrade, revamp or convert their reactor, acquire new fuel elements, etc. However, as their activities are mainly of noncommercial nature, they sometimes lack of financial resources to implement these projects by themselves. Several solutions exist: loans, governmental budget, subsidies from international organizations (IAEA). Offsets are another source of financing. They also are free of charge for the reactor. The objective of offsets is to Identify, implement and finance projects that: directly create or sustain a local economic activity of high-added value, would not have happened without the Obligor's intervention, and are of crucial importance given the country's political background (favor employment, technology transfers, training and education, research and development, etc.). Companies worldwide are willing to finance local projects to fulfill their Offset Obligation. Local organizations or institutions are willing to invest to increase their activities but lack of financial resources. Offset regulations are an opportunity on both sides and are free for the local organization. The monetary value of an Offset obligation is calculated as a percentage of the main contract price (or as a percentage of the imported part value). That percentage depends on the Country's legislation and on the nature of the main contract (defense or civilian). This value has to be compensated by an equivalent economic value (a Project's cost is different from its value). There is two ways of assessing a value: - Political aspects: The Project is of political importance for the country (development of an export capability, technology and/or know-how transfers) and the project in line with the country's political priorities (employment, research, international presence, etc.). - Economic benefits: the project directly sustains or creates additional activities, turnover, R and D, employment, etc. It benefits directly

  3. Monitoring Mining Subsidence Using A Combination of Phase-Stacking and Offset-Tracking Methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hongdong Fan

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available An approach to study the mechanism of mining-induced subsidence, using a combination of phase-stacking and sub-pixel offset-tracking methods, is reported. In this method, land subsidence with a small deformation gradient was calculated using time-series differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar (D-InSAR data, whereas areas with greater subsidence were calculated by a sub-pixel offset-tracking method. With this approach, time-series data for mining subsidence were derived in Yulin area using 11 TerraSAR-X (TSX scenes from 13 December 2012 to 2 April 2013. The maximum mining subsidence and velocity values were 4.478 m and 40 mm/day, respectively, which were beyond the monitoring capabilities of D-InSAR and advanced InSAR. The results were compared with the GPS field survey data, and the root mean square errors (RMSE of the results in the strike and dip directions were 0.16 m and 0.11 m, respectively. Four important results were obtained from the time-series subsidence in this mining area: (1 the mining-induced subsidence entered the residual deformation stage within about 44 days; (2 the advance angle of influence changed from 75.6° to 80.7°; (3 the prediction parameters of mining subsidence; (4 three-dimensional deformation. This method could be used to predict the occurrence of mining accidents and to help in the restoration of the ecological environment after mining activities have ended.

  4. Crystal identification for a dual-layer-offset LYSO based PET system via Lu-176 background radiation and mean shift algorithm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Qingyang; Ma, Tianyu; Xu, Tianpeng; Zeng, Ming; Gu, Yu; Dai, Tiantian; Liu, Yaqiang

    2018-01-01

    Modern positron emission tomography (PET) detectors are made from pixelated scintillation crystal arrays and readout by Anger logic. The interaction position of the gamma-ray should be assigned to a crystal using a crystal position map or look-up table. Crystal identification is a critical procedure for pixelated PET systems. In this paper, we propose a novel crystal identification method for a dual-layer-offset LYSO based animal PET system via Lu-176 background radiation and mean shift algorithm. Single photon event data of the Lu-176 background radiation are acquired in list-mode for 3 h to generate a single photon flood map (SPFM). Coincidence events are obtained from the same data using time information to generate a coincidence flood map (CFM). The CFM is used to identify the peaks of the inner layer using the mean shift algorithm. The response of the inner layer is deducted from the SPFM by subtracting CFM. Then, the peaks of the outer layer are also identified using the mean shift algorithm. The automatically identified peaks are manually inspected by a graphical user interface program. Finally, a crystal position map is generated using a distance criterion based on these peaks. The proposed method is verified on the animal PET system with 48 detector blocks on a laptop with an Intel i7-5500U processor. The total runtime for whole system peak identification is 67.9 s. Results show that the automatic crystal identification has 99.98% and 99.09% accuracy for the peaks of the inner and outer layers of the whole system respectively. In conclusion, the proposed method is suitable for the dual-layer-offset lutetium based PET system to perform crystal identification instead of external radiation sources.

  5. Joint compensation scheme of polarization crosstalk, intersymbol interference, frequency offset, and phase noise based on cascaded Kalman filter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qun; Yang, Yanfu; Xiang, Qian; Zhou, Zhongqing; Yao, Yong

    2018-02-01

    A joint compensation scheme based on cascaded Kalman filter is proposed, which can implement polarization tracking, channel equalization, frequency offset, and phase noise compensation simultaneously. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can not only compensate multiple channel impairments simultaneously but also improve the polarization tracking capacity and accelerate the convergence speed. The scheme has up to eight times faster convergence speed compared with radius-directed equalizer (RDE) + Max-FFT (maximum fast Fourier transform) + BPS (blind phase search) and can track up polarization rotation 60 times and 15 times faster than that of RDE + Max-FFT + BPS and CMMA (cascaded multimodulus algorithm) + Max-FFT + BPS, respectively.

  6. THE ROCKSTAR PHASE-SPACE TEMPORAL HALO FINDER AND THE VELOCITY OFFSETS OF CLUSTER CORES

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Behroozi, Peter S.; Wechsler, Risa H.; Wu, Hao-Yi

    2013-01-01

    We present a new algorithm for identifying dark matter halos, substructure, and tidal features. The approach is based on adaptive hierarchical refinement of friends-of-friends groups in six phase-space dimensions and one time dimension, which allows for robust (grid-independent, shape-independent, and noise-resilient) tracking of substructure; as such, it is named ROCKSTAR (Robust Overdensity Calculation using K-Space Topologically Adaptive Refinement). Our method is massively parallel (up to 10 5 CPUs) and runs on the largest current simulations (>10 10 particles) with high efficiency (10 CPU hours and 60 gigabytes of memory required per billion particles analyzed). A previous paper has shown ROCKSTAR to have excellent recovery of halo properties; we expand on these comparisons with more tests and higher-resolution simulations. We show a significant improvement in substructure recovery compared to several other halo finders and discuss the theoretical and practical limits of simulations in this regard. Finally, we present results that demonstrate conclusively that dark matter halo cores are not at rest relative to the halo bulk or substructure average velocities and have coherent velocity offsets across a wide range of halo masses and redshifts. For massive clusters, these offsets can be up to 350 km s –1 at z = 0 and even higher at high redshifts. Our implementation is publicly available at http://code.google.com/p/rockstar.

  7. Carbon offsets, reversal risk and US climate policy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chen Yihsu

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background One controversial issue in the larger cap-and-trade debate is the proper use and certification of carbon offsets related to changes in land management. Advocates of an expanded offset supply claim that inclusion of such activities would expand the scope of the program and lower overall compliance costs, while opponents claim that it would weaken the environmental integrity of the program by crediting activities that yield either nonexistent or merely temporary carbon sequestration benefits. Our study starts from the premise that offsets are neither perfect mitigation instruments nor useless "hot air." Results We show that offsets provide a useful cost containment function, even when there is some threat of reversal, by injecting additional "when-flexibility" into the system. This allows market participants to shift their reduction requirements to periods of lower cost, thereby facilitating attainment of the least-cost time path without jeopardizing the cumulative environmental integrity of the system. By accounting for market conditions in conjunction with reversal risk, we develop a simple offset valuation methodology, taking into account the two most important factors that typically lead offsets to be overvalued or undervalued. Conclusion The result of this paper is a quantitative "model rule" that could be included in future legislation or used as a basis for active management by a future "carbon fed" or other regulatory authority with jurisdiction over the US carbon market to actively manage allowance prices.

  8. A 24 GHz Waveguide based Radar System using an Advanced Algorithm for I/Q Offset Cancelation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Will

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Precise position measurement with micrometer accuracy plays an important role in modern industrial applications. Herewith, a guided wave Six-Port interferometric radar system is presented. Due to limited matching and discontinuities in the radio frequency part of the system, the designers have to deal with DC offsets. The offset voltages in the baseband lead to worse relative modulation dynamics relating to the full scale range of the analog-to-digital converters and thus, considerably degrade the system performance. While common cancelation techniques try to estimate and extinguish the DC offsets directly, the proposed radar system is satisfied with equalizing both DC offsets for each of the two differential baseband signal pairs. Since the complex representation of the baseband signals is utilized for a subsequent arctangent demodulation, the proposed offset equalization implicates a centering of the in-phase and quadrature (I/Q components of the received signal, which is sufficient to simplify the demodulation and improve the phase accuracy. Therefore, a standard Six-Port radar system is extended and a variable phase shifter plus variable attenuators are inserted at different positions. An intelligent algorithm adjusts these configurable components to achieve optimal I/Q offset cancelation.

  9. First results of GERDA Phase II and consistency with background models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agostini, M.; Allardt, M.; Bakalyarov, A. M.; Balata, M.; Barabanov, I.; Baudis, L.; Bauer, C.; Bellotti, E.; Belogurov, S.; Belyaev, S. T.; Benato, G.; Bettini, A.; Bezrukov, L.; Bode1, T.; Borowicz, D.; Brudanin, V.; Brugnera, R.; Caldwell, A.; Cattadori, C.; Chernogorov, A.; D'Andrea, V.; Demidova, E. V.; Di Marco, N.; Domula, A.; Doroshkevich, E.; Egorov, V.; Falkenstein, R.; Frodyma, N.; Gangapshev, A.; Garfagnini, A.; Gooch, C.; Grabmayr, P.; Gurentsov, V.; Gusev, K.; Hakenmüller, J.; Hegai, A.; Heisel, M.; Hemmer, S.; Hofmann, W.; Hult, M.; Inzhechik, L. V.; Janicskó Csáthy, J.; Jochum, J.; Junker, M.; Kazalov, V.; Kihm, T.; Kirpichnikov, I. V.; Kirsch, A.; Kish, A.; Klimenko, A.; Kneißl, R.; Knöpfle, K. T.; Kochetov, O.; Kornoukhov, V. N.; Kuzminov, V. V.; Laubenstein, M.; Lazzaro, A.; Lebedev, V. I.; Lehnert, B.; Liao, H. Y.; Lindner, M.; Lippi, I.; Lubashevskiy, A.; Lubsandorzhiev, B.; Lutter, G.; Macolino, C.; Majorovits, B.; Maneschg, W.; Medinaceli, E.; Miloradovic, M.; Mingazheva, R.; Misiaszek, M.; Moseev, P.; Nemchenok, I.; Palioselitis, D.; Panas, K.; Pandola, L.; Pelczar, K.; Pullia, A.; Riboldi, S.; Rumyantseva, N.; Sada, C.; Salamida, F.; Salathe, M.; Schmitt, C.; Schneider, B.; Schönert, S.; Schreiner, J.; Schulz, O.; Schütz, A.-K.; Schwingenheuer, B.; Selivanenko, O.; Shevzik, E.; Shirchenko, M.; Simgen, H.; Smolnikov, A.; Stanco, L.; Vanhoefer, L.; Vasenko, A. A.; Veresnikova, A.; von Sturm, K.; Wagner, V.; Wegmann, A.; Wester, T.; Wiesinger, C.; Wojcik, M.; Yanovich, E.; Zhitnikov, I.; Zhukov, S. V.; Zinatulina, D.; Zuber, K.; Zuzel, G.

    2017-01-01

    The GERDA (GERmanium Detector Array) is an experiment for the search of neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) in 76Ge, located at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso of INFN (Italy). GERDA operates bare high purity germanium detectors submersed in liquid Argon (LAr). Phase II of data-taking started in Dec 2015 and is currently ongoing. In Phase II 35 kg of germanium detectors enriched in 76Ge including thirty newly produced Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) detectors is operating to reach an exposure of 100 kg·yr within about 3 years data taking. The design goal of Phase II is to reduce the background by one order of magnitude to get the sensitivity for T1/20ν = O≤ft( {{{10}26}} \\right){{ yr}}. To achieve the necessary background reduction, the setup was complemented with LAr veto. Analysis of the background spectrum of Phase II demonstrates consistency with the background models. Furthermore 226Ra and 232Th contamination levels consistent with screening results. In the first Phase II data release we found no hint for a 0νββ decay signal and place a limit of this process T1/20ν > 5.3 \\cdot {1025} yr (90% C.L., sensitivity 4.0·1025 yr). First results of GERDA Phase II will be presented.

  10. Phase shift extraction and wavefront retrieval from interferograms with background and contrast fluctuations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2015-01-01

    The fluctuations of background and contrast cause measurement errors in the phase-shifting technique. To extract the phase shifts from interferograms with background and contrast fluctuations, an iterative algorithm is represented. The phase shifts and wavefront phase are calculated in two individual steps with the least-squares method. The fluctuation factors are determined when the phase shifts are calculated, and the fluctuations are compensated when the wavefront phase is calculated. The advantage of the algorithm lies in its ability to extract phase shifts from interferograms with background and contrast fluctuations converging stably and rapidly. Simulations and experiments verify the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed algorithm. The convergence accuracy and speed are demonstrated by the simulation results. The experiment results show its ability for suppressing phase retrieval errors. (paper)

  11. Temperature Induced Voltage Offset Drifts in Silicon Carbide Pressure Sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okojie, Robert S.; Lukco, Dorothy; Nguyen, Vu; Savrun, Ender

    2012-01-01

    We report the reduction of transient drifts in the zero pressure offset voltage in silicon carbide (SiC) pressure sensors when operating at 600 C. The previously observed maximum drift of +/- 10 mV of the reference offset voltage at 600 C was reduced to within +/- 5 mV. The offset voltage drifts and bridge resistance changes over time at test temperature are explained in terms of the microstructure and phase changes occurring within the contact metallization, as analyzed by Auger electron spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The results have helped to identify the upper temperature reliable operational limit of this particular metallization scheme to be 605 C.

  12. Offset drilling obligations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boyd, K.D.; Kalmakoff, J.J.

    1998-01-01

    A review of the 'offset well' clause found in freehold and Crown natural gas and petroleum leases was presented. The objective was to provide lessors and lessees with a clear understanding of the rights and obligations associated with offset wells. It was noted that offset well obligations vary according to the form of lease used, the type of offsetting well, the regulatory regime and the geophysical characteristics of the producing formation. Some suggestions were made as to how current versions of the offset well clause can be amended to overcome some of the problems encountered in applying the clause to an offset horizontal well that has been drilled on adjoining lands. Failure to resolve the new issues presented by horizontal drilling technology in terms of documentation, which records respective rights and obligations on the basis of generally accepted principles, will result in large numbers of conflicts and unnecessary litigation. 144 refs., 1 fig

  13. Automatic WEMVA by Focusing Subsurface Offset Virtual Sources

    KAUST Repository

    Sun, Bingbing

    2017-05-26

    Macro velocity building is important for subsequent prestack depth migration and full waveform inversion. Wave equation migration velocity analysis (WEMVA) utilizes band-limited waveform to invert the velocity in an automatic manner. Normally, inversion would be implemented by focusing the subsurface offset common image gathers(SOCIGs). We re-examine it with a different perspective and propose to view the SOCIGs and the background wavefield together as subsurface offset virtual sources(SOVS). A linear system connecting the perturbation of the position of those SOVS and velocity is derived and solved subsequently using a conjugate gradient method. Both synthetic and real dataset examples verify the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed method.

  14. The Binary Offset Effect in CCDs: an Anomalous Readout Artifact Affecting Most Astronomical CCDs in Use

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boone, Kyle Robert; Aldering, Gregory; Copin, Yannick; Dixon, Samantha; Domagalski, Rachel; Gangler, Emmanuel; Pecontal, Emmanuel; Perlmutter, Saul; Nearby Supernova Factory Collaboration

    2018-01-01

    We discovered an anomalous behavior of CCD readout electronics that affects their use in many astronomical applications, which we call the “binary offset effect”. Due to feedback in the readout electronics, an offset is introduced in the values read out for each pixel that depends on the binary encoding of the previously read-out pixel values. One consequence of this effect is that a pathological local background offset can be introduced in images that only appears where science data are present on the CCD. The amplitude of this introduced offset does not scale monotonically with the amplitude of the objects in the image, and can be up to 4.5 ADU per pixel for certain instruments. Additionally, this background offset will be shifted by several pixels from the science data, potentially distorting the shape of objects in the image. We tested 22 instruments for signs of the binary offset effect and found evidence of it in 16 of them, including LRIS and DEIMOS on the Keck telescopes, WFC3-UVIS and STIS on HST, MegaCam on CFHT, SNIFS on the UH88 telescope, GMOS on the Gemini telescopes, HSC on Subaru, and FORS on VLT. A large amount of archival data is therefore affected by the binary offset effect, and conventional methods of reducing CCD images do not measure or remove the introduced offsets. As a demonstration of how to correct for the binary offset effect, we have developed a model that can accurately predict and remove the introduced offsets for the SNIFS instrument on the UH88 telescope. Accounting for the binary offset effect is essential for precision low-count astronomical observations with CCDs.

  15. Relationship between acoustic voice onset and offset and selected instances of oscillatory onset and offset in young healthy males and females

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patel, Rita; Forrest, Karen; Hedges, Drew

    2016-01-01

    Objective To investigate the relationship between (1) onset of the acoustic signal and pre-phonatory phases associated with oscillatory onset and (2) offset of the acoustic signal with the post-phonatory events associated with oscillatory offset across vocally healthy adults. Subjects and Methods High-speed videoendoscopy was captured simultaneously with the acoustic signal during repeated production of /hi.hi.hi/ at typical pitch and loudness from 56 vocally healthy adults (age 20–42 years; 21 male, 35 female). The relationship between the acoustic sound pressure signal and oscillatory onset /offset events from the glottal area waveforms (GAW), were statistically investigated using a multivariate linear regression analysis. Results The onset of the acoustic signal (X1a) is a significant predictor of the onset of first oscillations (X1g) and onset of sustained oscillations (X2g). X1a as well as gender are significant predictors of the first instance of medial contact (X1.5g). The offset of the acoustic signal (X2a) is a significant predictor of the first instance of oscillatory offset (X3g), first instance of incomplete glottal closure (X3.5g), and cessation of vocal fold motion (X4g). Conclusions The acoustic signal onset is closely related to the first medial contact of the vocal folds but the latency between these events is longer for females compared to males. The offset of the acoustic signal occurs immediately after incomplete glottal adduction. The emerging normative group latencies between the onset/offset of the acoustic and the GAW from this study appear promising for future investigations. PMID:27769696

  16. Mono-Exponential Fitting in T2-Relaxometry: Relevance of Offset and First Echo.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Milford

    Full Text Available T2 relaxometry has become an important tool in quantitative MRI. Little focus has been put on the effect of the refocusing flip angle upon the offset parameter, which was introduced to account for a signal floor due to noise or to long T2 components. The aim of this study was to show that B1 imperfections contribute significantly to the offset. We further introduce a simple method to reduce the systematic error in T2 by discarding the first echo and using the offset fitting approach.Signal curves of T2 relaxometry were simulated based on extended phase graph theory and evaluated for 4 different methods (inclusion and exclusion of the first echo, while fitting with and without the offset. We further performed T2 relaxometry in a phantom at 9.4T magnetic resonance imaging scanner and used the same methods for post-processing as in the extended phase graph simulated data. Single spin echo sequences were used to determine the correct T2 time.The simulation data showed that the systematic error in T2 and the offset depends on the refocusing pulse, the echo spacing and the echo train length. The systematic error could be reduced by discarding the first echo. Further reduction of the systematic T2 error was reached by using the offset as fitting parameter. The phantom experiments confirmed these findings.The fitted offset parameter in T2 relaxometry is influenced by imperfect refocusing pulses. Using the offset as a fitting parameter and discarding the first echo is a fast and easy method to minimize the error in T2, particularly for low to intermediate echo train length.

  17. Development of background reduced Fresnel phase zone plate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tamari, Yohei; Azechi, Hiroshi

    2004-01-01

    In study of hot and dense plasma, a high spatial resolution (a few microns) x-ray imaging is very important to observe these plasmas. The Fresnel phase zone plate (FPZP) consists of alternately material and transparent circular annuli placed concentrically, which image x rays using diffraction x rays from all annuli. FPZP have imaged 4.7-4.77 keV x rays with 2.2 μm spatial resolution. However FPZP has a problem that background level is comparable to signal level. In subtraction of background, the error of 10% is caused. For the accurate background subtraction, we designed new FPZP, which consist of three β layers of a transparent zone and two material zones. The new design FPZP parameters (thickness of material zones, each zone width) have been optimized, and in that optimum design signal-to-background ratio is 4 times better than conventional two layers FPZP

  18. Effects of Carrier Frequency Offset, Timing Offset, and Channel Spread Factor on the Performance of Hexagonal Multicarrier Modulation Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kui Xu

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Hexagonal multicarrier modulation (HMM system is the technique of choice to overcome the impact of time-frequency dispersive transmission channel. This paper examines the effects of insufficient synchronization (carrier frequency offset, timing offset on the amplitude and phase of the demodulated symbol by using a projection receiver in hexagonal multicarrier modulation systems. Furthermore, effects of CFO, TO, and channel spread factor on the performance of signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR in hexagonal multicarrier modulation systems are further discussed. The exact SINR expression versus insufficient synchronization and channel spread factor is derived. Theoretical analysis shows that similar degradation on symbol amplitude and phase caused by insufficient synchronization is incurred as in traditional cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (CP-OFDM transmission. Our theoretical analysis is confirmed by numerical simulations in a doubly dispersive (DD channel with exponential delay power profile and U-shape Doppler power spectrum, showing that HMM systems outperform traditional CP-OFDM systems with respect to SINR against ISI/ICI caused by insufficient synchronization and doubly dispersive channel.

  19. Pairing versus phase coherence of doped holes in distinct quantum spin backgrounds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Zheng; Sheng, D. N.; Weng, Zheng-Yu

    2018-03-01

    We examine the pairing structure of holes injected into two distinct spin backgrounds: a short-range antiferromagnetic phase versus a symmetry protected topological phase. Based on density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) simulation, we find that although there is a strong binding between two holes in both phases, phase fluctuations can significantly influence the pair-pair correlation depending on the spin-spin correlation in the background. Here the phase fluctuation is identified as an intrinsic string operator nonlocally controlled by the spins. We show that while the pairing amplitude is generally large, the coherent Cooper pairing can be substantially weakened by the phase fluctuation in the symmetry-protected topological phase, in contrast to the short-range antiferromagnetic phase. It provides an example of a non-BCS mechanism for pairing, in which the paring phase coherence is determined by the underlying spin state self-consistently, bearing an interesting resemblance to the pseudogap physics in the cuprate.

  20. Carbon offsetting: sustaining consumption?

    OpenAIRE

    Heather Lovell; Harriet Bulkeley; Diana Liverman

    2009-01-01

    In this paper we examine how theories of sustainable and ethical consumption help us to understand a new, rapidly expanding type of consumer product designed to mitigate climate change: carbon offsets. The voluntary carbon offset market grew by 200% between 2005 and 2006, and there are now over 150 retailers of voluntary carbon offsets worldwide. Our analysis concentrates on the production and consumption of carbon offsets, drawing on ideas from governmentality and political ecology about how...

  1. Method to minimize the low-frequency neutral-point voltage oscillations with time-offset injection for neutral-point-clamped inverters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Choi, Uimin; Lee, Kyo-Beum; Blaabjerg, Frede

    2013-01-01

    This paper proposes a method to reduce the low-frequency neutral-point voltage oscillations. The neutral-point voltage oscillations are considerably reduced by adding a time-offset to the three phase turn-on times. The proper time-offset is simply calculated considering the phase currents and dwell...

  2. Dispersion tolerance enhancement using an improved offset-QAM OFDM scheme.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Jian; Townsend, Paul D

    2015-06-29

    Discrete-Fourier transform (DFT) based offset quadrature amplitude modulation (offset-QAM) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) without cyclic prefix (CP) was shown to offer a dispersion tolerance the same as that of conventional OFDM with ~20% CP overhead. In this paper, we analytically study the fundamental mechanism limiting the dispersion tolerance of this conventional scheme. It is found that the signal and the crosstalk from adjacent subcarriers, which are orthogonal with π/2 phase difference at back to back, can be in-phase when the dispersion increases to a certain value. We propose a novel scheme to overcome this limitation and significantly improve the dispersion tolerance to that of one subcarrier. Simulations show that the proposed scheme can support a 224-Gb/s polarization-division-multiplexed offset-4QAM OFDM signal over 160,000 ps/nm without any CP under 128 subcarriers, and this tolerance scales with the square of the number of subcarriers. It is also shown that this scheme exhibits advantages of greatly enhanced spectral efficiency, larger dispersion tolerance, and/or reduced complexity compared to the conventional CP-OFDM and reduced-guard-interval OFDM using frequency domain equalization.

  3. A NEW 24 μm PHASE CURVE FOR υ ANDROMEDAE b

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Crossfield, Ian J. M.; Hansen, Brad M. S.; Harrington, Joseph; Cho, James Y.-K.; Deming, Drake; Menou, Kristen; Seager, Sara

    2010-01-01

    We report the detection of 24 μm variations from the planet-hosting υ Andromedae system consistent with the orbital periodicity of the system's innermost planet, υ And b. We find a peak-to-valley phase curve amplitude of 0.00130 times the mean system flux. Using a simple model with two hemispheres of constant surface brightness and assuming a planetary radius of 1.3 R J give a planetary temperature contrast of ∼>900 K and an orbital inclination of ∼>28 0 . We further report the largest phase offset yet observed for an extrasolar planet: the flux maximum occurs ∼80 0 before phase 0.5. Such a large phase offset is difficult to reconcile with most current atmospheric circulation models. We improve on earlier observations of this system in several important ways: (1) observations of a flux calibrator star demonstrate the MIPS detector is stable to 10 -4 on long timescales, (2) we note that the background light varies systematically due to spacecraft operations, precluding use of this background as a flux calibrator (stellar flux measured above the background is not similarly affected), and (3) we calibrate for flux variability correlated with motion of the star on the MIPS detector. A reanalysis of our earlier observations of this system is consistent with our new result.

  4. Novel IQ imbalance and offset compensation techniques for quadrature mixing radio transceivers

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    De Witt, JJ

    2006-09-01

    Full Text Available Despite the advantages that quadrature mixing offers to radio front-ends, its practical use has been limited due to its sensitivity towards gain and phase mismatches between its in-phase and quadrature channels. DC offsets are also a problem when a...

  5. Great Apes and Biodiversity Offset Projects in Africa: The Case for National Offset Strategies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kormos, Rebecca; Kormos, Cyril F.; Humle, Tatyana; Lanjouw, Annette; Rainer, Helga; Victurine, Ray; Mittermeier, Russell A.; Diallo, Mamadou S.; Rylands, Anthony B.; Williamson, Elizabeth A.

    2014-01-01

    The development and private sectors are increasingly considering “biodiversity offsets” as a strategy to compensate for their negative impacts on biodiversity, including impacts on great apes and their habitats in Africa. In the absence of national offset policies in sub-Saharan Africa, offset design and implementation are guided by company internal standards, lending bank standards or international best practice principles. We examine four projects in Africa that are seeking to compensate for their negative impacts on great ape populations. Our assessment of these projects reveals that not all apply or implement best practices, and that there is little standardization in the methods used to measure losses and gains in species numbers. Even if they were to follow currently accepted best-practice principles, we find that these actions may still fail to contribute to conservation objectives over the long term. We advocate for an alternative approach in which biodiversity offset and compensation projects are designed and implemented as part of a National Offset Strategy that (1) takes into account the cumulative impacts of development in individual countries, (2) identifies priority offset sites, (3) promotes aggregated offsets, and (4) integrates biodiversity offset and compensation projects with national biodiversity conservation objectives. We also propose supplementary principles necessary for biodiversity offsets to contribute to great ape conservation in Africa. Caution should still be exercised, however, with regard to offsets until further field-based evidence of their effectiveness is available. PMID:25372894

  6. A longitudinal assessment of sleep timing, circadian phase, and phase angle of entrainment across human adolescence.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephanie J Crowley

    Full Text Available The aim of this descriptive analysis was to examine sleep timing, circadian phase, and phase angle of entrainment across adolescence in a longitudinal study design. Ninety-four adolescents participated; 38 (21 boys were 9-10 years ("younger cohort" and 56 (30 boys were 15-16 years ("older cohort" at the baseline assessment. Participants completed a baseline and then follow-up assessments approximately every six months for 2.5 years. At each assessment, participants wore a wrist actigraph for at least one week at home to measure self-selected sleep timing before salivary dim light melatonin onset (DLMO phase - a marker of the circadian timing system - was measured in the laboratory. Weekday and weekend sleep onset and offset and weekend-weekday differences were derived from actigraphy. Phase angles were the time durations from DLMO to weekday sleep onset and offset times. Each cohort showed later sleep onset (weekend and weekday, later weekend sleep offset, and later DLMO with age. Weekday sleep offset shifted earlier with age in the younger cohort and later in the older cohort after age 17. Weekend-weekday sleep offset differences increased with age in the younger cohort and decreased in the older cohort after age 17. DLMO to sleep offset phase angle narrowed with age in the younger cohort and became broader in the older cohort. The older cohort had a wider sleep onset phase angle compared to the younger cohort; however, an age-related phase angle increase was seen in the younger cohort only. Individual differences were seen in these developmental trajectories. This descriptive study indicated that circadian phase and self-selected sleep delayed across adolescence, though school-day sleep offset advanced until no longer in high school, whereupon offset was later. Phase angle changes are described as an interaction of developmental changes in sleep regulation interacting with psychosocial factors (e.g., bedtime autonomy.

  7. Background velocity inversion by phase along reflection wave paths

    KAUST Repository

    Yu, Han; Guo, Bowen; Schuster, Gerard T.

    2014-01-01

    A background velocity model containing the correct lowwavenumber information is desired for both the quality of the migration image and the success of waveform inversion. We propose to invert for the low-wavenumber part of the velocity model by minimizing the phase difference between predicted and observed reflections. The velocity update is exclusively along the reflection wavepaths and, unlike conventional FWI, not along the reflection ellipses. This allows for reconstructing the smoothly varying parts of the background velocity model. Tests with synthetic data show both the benefits and limitations of this method.

  8. Background velocity inversion by phase along reflection wave paths

    KAUST Repository

    Yu, Han

    2014-08-05

    A background velocity model containing the correct lowwavenumber information is desired for both the quality of the migration image and the success of waveform inversion. We propose to invert for the low-wavenumber part of the velocity model by minimizing the phase difference between predicted and observed reflections. The velocity update is exclusively along the reflection wavepaths and, unlike conventional FWI, not along the reflection ellipses. This allows for reconstructing the smoothly varying parts of the background velocity model. Tests with synthetic data show both the benefits and limitations of this method.

  9. Non-Pilot-Aided Sequential Monte Carlo Method to Joint Signal, Phase Noise, and Frequency Offset Estimation in Multicarrier Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christelle Garnier

    2008-05-01

    Full Text Available We address the problem of phase noise (PHN and carrier frequency offset (CFO mitigation in multicarrier receivers. In multicarrier systems, phase distortions cause two effects: the common phase error (CPE and the intercarrier interference (ICI which severely degrade the accuracy of the symbol detection stage. Here, we propose a non-pilot-aided scheme to jointly estimate PHN, CFO, and multicarrier signal in time domain. Unlike existing methods, non-pilot-based estimation is performed without any decision-directed scheme. Our approach to the problem is based on Bayesian estimation using sequential Monte Carlo filtering commonly referred to as particle filtering. The particle filter is efficiently implemented by combining the principles of the Rao-Blackwellization technique and an approximate optimal importance function for phase distortion sampling. Moreover, in order to fully benefit from time-domain processing, we propose a multicarrier signal model which includes the redundancy information induced by the cyclic prefix, thus leading to a significant performance improvement. Simulation results are provided in terms of bit error rate (BER and mean square error (MSE to illustrate the efficiency and the robustness of the proposed algorithm.

  10. Baseline correction of phase-contrast images in congenital cardiovascular magnetic resonance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lai Wyman W

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background One potential source of error in phase contrast (PC congenital CMR flow measurements is caused by phase offsets due to local non-compensated eddy currents. Phantom correction of these phase offset errors has been shown to result in more accurate measurements of blood flow in adults with structurally normal hearts. We report the effect of phantom correction on PC flow measurements at a clinical congenital CMR program. Results Flow was measured in the ascending aorta, main pulmonary artery, and right and left pulmonary arteries as clinically indicated, and additional values such as Qp/Qs were derived from these measurements. Phantom correction in our study population of 149 patients resulted in clinically significant changes in 13% to 48% of these phase-contrast measurements in patients with known or suspected heart disease. Overall, 640 measurements or calculated values were analyzed, and clinically significant changes were found in 31%. Larger vessels were associated with greater phase offset errors, with 22% of the changes in PC flow measurements attributed to the size of the vessel measured. In patients with structurally normal hearts, the pulmonary-to-systemic flow ratio after phantom correction was closer to 1.0 than before phantom correction. There was no significant difference in the effect of phantom correction for patients with tetralogy of Fallot as compared to the group as a whole. Conclusions Phantom correction often resulted in clinically significant changes in PC blood flow measurements in patients with known or suspected congenital heart disease. In laboratories performing clinical CMR with suspected phase offset errors of significance, the routine use of phantom correction for PC flow measurements should be considered.

  11. Cap and trade offsets regulation - consultation paper

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2010-07-01

    Due to increasing concerns about the environment, British Columbia has committed to reducing its 2007 greenhouse gas emissions levels by 33% in 2020 and 80% in 2050. To reach those objectives, emissions trading and offset regulations are being developed by the Climate Action Secretariat. The aim of this document is to present a first draft of the regulations to the various stakeholders, including First Nations and the general public, together with the proposed offset eligibility criteria and related process, and to get their feedback. This document is itself part of the 5-phase process of developing the regulations. Following the 45 days during which comments on the proposed regulation were sought, the climate action secretariat will complete legal drafting of the regulations, drawing on help from this stakeholder input, and the regulation will subsequently be implemented. An accompanying response form was attached to this consultation paper.

  12. The azimuth-dependent offset-midpoint traveltime pyramid in 3D HTI media

    KAUST Repository

    Hao, Qi

    2013-09-22

    Analytical representation of offset-midpoint traveltime equation is very important for pre-stack Kirchhoff migration and velocity inversion in anisotropic media. For VTI media, the offset-midpoint traveltime resembles the shape of Cheop\\'s pyramid. In this study, we extend the offset-midpoint traveltime pyramid to the case of 3D HTI media. We employ the stationary phase method to derive the analytical representation of traveltime equation, and then use Shanks transformation to improve the accuracy of horizontal and vertical slownesses. The traveltime pyramid is derived in both the depth- and time-domain. Numerical examples indicate that the azimuthal characteristics of both the traveltime pyramid and the migration isochrones are very obvious in HTI media due to the effect of anisotropy.

  13. The voluntary offset - approaches and limitations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-06-01

    After having briefly presented the voluntary offset mechanism which aims at funding a project of reduction or capture of greenhouse gas emissions, this document describes the approach to be followed to adopt this voluntary offset, for individuals as well as for companies, communities or event organisations. It describes other important context issues (projects developed under the voluntary offset, actors of the voluntary offsetting market, market status, offset labels), and how to proceed in practice (definition of objectives and expectations, search for needed requirements, to ensure the meeting of requirements with respect to expectations). It addresses the case of voluntary offset in France (difficult implantation, possible solutions)

  14. A GPS Satellite Clock Offset Prediction Method Based on Fitting Clock Offset Rates Data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    WANG Fuhong

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available It is proposed that a satellite atomic clock offset prediction method based on fitting and modeling clock offset rates data. This method builds quadratic model or linear model combined with periodic terms to fit the time series of clock offset rates, and computes the model coefficients of trend with the best estimation. The clock offset precisely estimated at the initial prediction epoch is directly adopted to calculate the model coefficient of constant. The clock offsets in the rapid ephemeris (IGR provided by IGS are used as modeling data sets to perform certain experiments for different types of GPS satellite clocks. The results show that the clock prediction accuracies of the proposed method for 3, 6, 12 and 24 h achieve 0.43, 0.58, 0.90 and 1.47 ns respectively, which outperform the traditional prediction method based on fitting original clock offsets by 69.3%, 61.8%, 50.5% and 37.2%. Compared with the IGU real-time clock products provided by IGS, the prediction accuracies of the new method have improved about 15.7%, 23.7%, 27.4% and 34.4% respectively.

  15. 7 CFR 400.129 - Salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Salary offset. 400.129 Section 400.129 Agriculture... Years § 400.129 Salary offset. (a) Debt collection by salary offset is feasible if: the cost to the Government of collection by salary offset does not exceed the amount of the debt; there are no legal...

  16. Offset Free Tracking Predictive Control Based on Dynamic PLS Framework

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jin Xin

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper develops an offset free tracking model predictive control based on a dynamic partial least square (PLS framework. First, state space model is used as the inner model of PLS to describe the dynamic system, where subspace identification method is used to identify the inner model. Based on the obtained model, multiple independent model predictive control (MPC controllers are designed. Due to the decoupling character of PLS, these controllers are running separately, which is suitable for distributed control framework. In addition, the increment of inner model output is considered in the cost function of MPC, which involves integral action in the controller. Hence, the offset free tracking performance is guaranteed. The results of an industry background simulation demonstrate the effectiveness of proposed method.

  17. Coupling between core and cladding modes in a helical core fiber with large core offset

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Napiorkowski, Maciej; Urbanczyk, Waclaw

    2016-01-01

    We analyzed the effect of resonant coupling between core and cladding modes in a helical core fiber with large core offset using the fully vectorial method based on the transformation optics formalism. Our study revealed that the resonant couplings to lower order cladding modes predicted by perturbative methods and observed experimentally in fibers with small core offsets are in fact prohibited for larger core offsets. This effect is related to the lack of phase matching caused by elongation of the optical path of the fundamental modes in the helical core. Moreover, strong couplings to the cladding modes of the azimuthal modal number much higher than predicted by perturbative methods may be observed for large core offsets, as the core offset introduces higher order angular harmonics in the field distribution of the fundamental modes. Finally, in contrast to previous studies, we demonstrate the existence of spectrally broad polarization sensitive couplings to the cladding modes suggesting that helical core fibers with large core offsets may be used as broadband circular polarizers. (paper)

  18. Adaptively loaded SP-offset-QAM OFDM for IM/DD communication systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Jian; Chan, Chun-Kit

    2017-09-04

    In this paper, we propose adaptively loaded set-partitioned offset quadrature amplitude modulation (SP-offset-QAM) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) for low-cost intensity-modulation direct-detection (IM/DD) communication systems. We compare this scheme with multi-band carrier-less amplitude phase modulation (CAP) and conventional OFDM, and demonstrate >40 Gbit/s transmission over 50-km single-mode fiber. It is shown that the use of SP-QAM formats, together with the adaptive loading algorithm specifically designed to this group of formats, results in significant performance improvement for all these three schemes. SP-offset-QAM OFDM exhibits greatly reduced complexity compared to SP-QAM based multi-band CAP, via parallelized implementation and minimized memory length for spectral shaping. On the other hand, this scheme shows better performance than SP-QAM based conventional OFDM at both back-to-back and after transmission. We also characterize the proposed scheme in terms of enhanced tolerance to fiber intra-channel nonlinearity and the potential to increase the communication security. The studies show that adaptive SP-offset-QAM OFDM is a promising IM/DD solution for medium- and long-reach optical access networks and data center connections.

  19. Carrier Frequency Offset Estimation and I/Q Imbalance Compensation for OFDM Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Omair Ahmad

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Two types of radio-frequency front-end imperfections, that is, carrier frequency offset and the inphase/quadrature (I/Q imbalance are considered for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM communication systems. A preamble-assisted carrier frequency estimator is proposed along with an I/Q imbalance compensation scheme. The new frequency estimator reveals the relationship between the inphase and the quadrature components of the received preamble and extracts the frequency offset from the phase shift caused by the frequency offset and the cross-talk interference due to the I/Q imbalance. The proposed frequency estimation algorithm is fast, efficient, and robust to I/Q imbalance. An I/Q imbalance estimation/compensation algorithm is also presented by solving a least-square problem formulated using the same preamble as employed for the frequency offset estimation. The computational complexity of the I/Q estimation scheme is further reduced by using part of the short symbols with a little sacrifice in the estimation accuracy. Computer simulation and comparison with some of the existing algorithms are conducted, showing the effectiveness of the proposed method.

  20. Kinematics of reflections in subsurface offset and angle-domain image gathers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dafni, Raanan; Symes, William W.

    2018-05-01

    Seismic migration in the angle-domain generates multiple images of the earth's interior in which reflection takes place at different scattering-angles. Mechanically, the angle-dependent reflection is restricted to happen instantaneously and at a fixed point in space: Incident wave hits a discontinuity in the subsurface media and instantly generates a scattered wave at the same common point of interaction. Alternatively, the angle-domain image may be associated with space-shift (regarded as subsurface offset) extended migration that artificially splits the reflection geometry. Meaning that, incident and scattered waves interact at some offset distance. The geometric differences between the two approaches amount to a contradictory angle-domain behaviour, and unlike kinematic description. We present a phase space depiction of migration methods extended by the peculiar subsurface offset split and stress its profound dissimilarity. In spite of being in radical contradiction with the general physics, the subsurface offset reveals a link to some valuable angle-domain quantities, via post-migration transformations. The angle quantities are indicated by the direction normal to the subsurface offset extended image. They specifically define the local dip and scattering angles if the velocity at the split reflection coordinates is the same for incident and scattered wave pairs. Otherwise, the reflector normal is not a bisector of the opening angle, but of the corresponding slowness vectors. This evidence, together with the distinguished geometry configuration, fundamentally differentiates the angle-domain decomposition based on the subsurface offset split from the conventional decomposition at a common reflection point. An asymptotic simulation of angle-domain moveout curves in layered media exposes the notion of split versus common reflection point geometry. Traveltime inversion methods that involve the subsurface offset extended migration must accommodate the split geometry

  1. A Binary Offset Effect in CCD Readout and Its Impact on Astronomical Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boone, K.; Aldering, G.; Copin, Y.; Dixon, S.; Domagalski, R. S.; Gangler, E.; Pecontal, E.; Perlmutter, S.

    2018-06-01

    We have discovered an anomalous behavior of CCD readout electronics that affects their use in many astronomical applications. An offset in the digitization of the CCD output voltage that depends on the binary encoding of one pixel is added to pixels that are read out one, two, and/or three pixels later. One result of this effect is the introduction of a differential offset in the background when comparing regions with and without flux from science targets. Conventional data reduction methods do not correct for this offset. We find this effect in 16 of 22 instruments investigated, covering a variety of telescopes and many different front-end electronics systems. The affected instruments include LRIS and DEIMOS on the Keck telescopes, WFC3 UVIS and STIS on HST, MegaCam on CFHT, SNIFS on the UH88 telescope, GMOS on the Gemini telescopes, HSC on Subaru, and FORS on VLT. The amplitude of the introduced offset is up to 4.5 ADU per pixel, and it is not directly proportional to the measured ADU level. We have developed a model that can be used to detect this “binary offset effect” in data, and correct for it. Understanding how data are affected and applying a correction for the effect is essential for precise astronomical measurements.

  2. Low Offset AC Correlator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    This patent describes a low offset AC correlator avoids DC offset and low frequency noise by frequency operating the correlation signal so that low...noise, low level AC amplification can be substituted for DC amplification. Subsequently, the high level AC signal is demodulated to a DC level. (Author)

  3. 5 CFR 179.307 - Administrative offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Administrative offset. 179.307 Section 179.307 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS CLAIMS COLLECTION STANDARDS Administrative Offset § 179.307 Administrative offset. (a) If the debtor does not...

  4. 41 CFR 105-56.018 - Salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Salary offset. 105-56... Administration 56-SALARY OFFSET FOR INDEBTEDNESS OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES TO THE UNITED STATES Centralized Salary Offset (CSO) Procedures-GSA as Creditor Agency § 105-56.018 Salary offset. When a match occurs and all...

  5. 41 CFR 105-56.028 - Salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Salary offset. 105-56... Administration 56-SALARY OFFSET FOR INDEBTEDNESS OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES TO THE UNITED STATES Centralized Salary Offset (CSO) Procedures-GSA as Paying Agency § 105-56.028 Salary offset. When a match occurs and all...

  6. A joint recovery scheme for carrier frequency offset and carrier phase noise using extended Kalman filter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Linqian; Feng, Yiqiao; Zhang, Wenbo; Cui, Nan; Xu, Hengying; Tang, Xianfeng; Xi, Lixia; Zhang, Xiaoguang

    2017-07-01

    A joint carrier recovery scheme for polarization division multiplexing (PDM) coherent optical transmission system is proposed and demonstrated, in which the extended Kalman filter (EKF) is exploited to estimate and equalize the carrier frequency offset (CFO) and carrier phase noise (CPN) simultaneously. The proposed method is implemented and verified in the PDM-QPSK system and the PDM-16QAM system with the comparisons to conventional improved Mth-power (IMP) algorithm for CFO estimation, blind phase search (BPS) algorithm or Viterbi-Viterbi (V-V) algorithm for CPN recovery. It is demonstrated that the proposed scheme shows high CFO estimation accuracy, with absolute mean estimation error below 1.5 MHz. Meanwhile, the proposed method has the CFO tolerance of [±3 GHz] for PDM-QPSK system and [±0.9 GHz] for PDM-16QAM system. Compare with IMP/BPS and IMP/V-V, the proposed scheme can enhance the linewidth symbol duration product from 3 × 10-4 (IMP/BPS) and 2 × 10-4 (IMP/V-V) to 1 × 10-3 for PDM-QPSK, and from 1 × 10-4 (IMP/BPS) to 3 × 10-4 for PDM-16QAM, respectively, at the 1 dB optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) penalty. The proposed Kalman filter also shows a fast convergence with only 100 symbols and much lower computational complexity.

  7. 34 CFR 31.11 - Offset process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 34 Education 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Offset process. 31.11 Section 31.11 Education Office of the Secretary, Department of Education SALARY OFFSET FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES WHO ARE INDEBTED TO THE UNITED STATES UNDER PROGRAMS ADMINISTERED BY THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION § 31.11 Offset process. (a) The...

  8. Active background suppression with the liquid argon scintillation veto of GERDA Phase II

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agostini, M.; Allardt, M.; Bakalyarov, A. M.; Balata, M.; Barabanov, I.; Baudis, L.; Bauer, C.; Bellotti, E.; Belogurov, S.; Belyaev, S. T.; Benato, G.; Bettini, A.; Bezrukov, L.; Bode, T.; Borowicz, D.; Brudanin, V.; Brugnera, R.; Caldwell, A.; Cattadori, C.; Chernogorov, A.; D'Andrea, V.; Demidova, E. V.; Di Marco, N.; Domula, A.; Doroshkevich, E.; Egorov, V.; Falkenstein, R.; Frodyma, N.; Gangapshev, A.; Garfagnini, A.; Gooch, C.; Grabmayr, P.; Gurentsov, V.; Gusev, K.; Hakenmüller, J.; Hegai, A.; Heisel, M.; Hemmer, S.; Hofmann, W.; Hult, M.; Inzhechik, L. V.; Janicskó Csáthy, J.; Jochum, J.; Junker, M.; Kazalov, V.; Kihm, T.; Kirpichnikov, I. V.; Kirsch, A.; Kish, A.; Klimenko, A.; Kneißl, R.; Knöpfle, K. T.; Kochetov, O.; Kornoukhov, V. N.; Kuzminov, V. V.; Laubenstein, M.; Lazzaro, A.; Lebedev, V. I.; Lehnert, B.; Liao, H. Y.; Lindner, M.; Lippi, I.; Lubashevskiy, A.; Lubsandorzhiev, B.; Lutter, G.; Macolino, C.; Majorovits, B.; Maneschg, W.; Medinaceli, E.; Miloradovic, M.; Mingazheva, R.; Misiaszek, M.; Moseev, P.; Nemchenok, I.; Palioselitis, D.; Panas, K.; Pandola, L.; Pelczar, K.; Pullia, A.; Riboldi, S.; Rumyantseva, N.; Sada, C.; Salamida, F.; Salathe, M.; Schmitt, C.; Schneider, B.; Schönert, S.; Schreiner, J.; Schulz, O.; Schütz, A.-K.; Schwingenheuer, B.; Selivanenko, O.; Shevzik, E.; Shirchenko, M.; Simgen, H.; Smolnikov, A.; Stanco, L.; Vanhoefer, L.; Vasenko, A. A.; Veresnikova, A.; von Sturm, K.; Wagner, V.; Wegmann, A.; Wester, T.; Wiesinger, C.; Wojcik, M.; Yanovich, E.; Zhitnikov, I.; Zhukov, S. V.; Zinatulina, D.; Zuber, K.; Zuzel, G.

    2017-09-01

    The observation of neutrinoless double beta decay would allow to shed light onto the particle nature of neutrinos. Gerda is aiming to perform a background-free search for this process using high purity germanium detectors enriched in 76Ge operated in liquid argon. This goal relies on the application of active background suppression techniques. A low background light instrumentation has been installed for Phase II to detect events with coincident energy deposition in the nearby liquid argon. The intended background index of ˜10-3 cts/(keV·ky·yr) has been confirmed.

  9. Attention-dependent sound offset-related brain potentials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horváth, János

    2016-05-01

    When performing sensory tasks, knowing the potentially occurring goal-relevant and irrelevant stimulus events allows the establishment of selective attention sets, which result in enhanced sensory processing of goal-relevant events. In the auditory modality, such enhancements are reflected in the increased amplitude of the N1 ERP elicited by the onsets of task-relevant sounds. It has been recently suggested that ERPs to task-relevant sound offsets are similarly enhanced in a tone-focused state in comparison to a distracted one. The goal of the present study was to explore the influence of attention on ERPs elicited by sound offsets. ERPs elicited by tones in a duration-discrimination task were compared to ERPs elicited by the same tones in not-tone-focused attentional setting. Tone offsets elicited a consistent, attention-dependent biphasic (positive-negative--P1-N1) ERP waveform for tone durations ranging from 150 to 450 ms. The evidence, however, did not support the notion that the offset-related ERPs reflected an offset-specific attention set: The offset-related ERPs elicited in a duration-discrimination condition (in which offsets were task relevant) did not significantly differ from those elicited in a pitch-discrimination condition (in which the offsets were task irrelevant). Although an N2 reflecting the processing of offsets in task-related terms contributed to the observed waveform, this contribution was separable from the offset-related P1 and N1. The results demonstrate that when tones are attended, offset-related ERPs may substantially overlap endogenous ERP activity in the postoffset interval irrespective of tone duration, and attention differences may cause ERP differences in such postoffset intervals. © 2016 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  10. New phasor estimator in the presence of harmonics, DC offset and interharmonics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vianello, R.; Prates, M.O.; Duque, C.A.; Cerqueira, A.S.; Silveira, P.M.; Ribeiro, P.F.

    2010-01-01

    This paper proposes the use of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) to estimate the magnitude and phase of fundamental component of sinusoidal signals in the presence of harmonics, sub-harmonics and DC offset. The proposed methodology uses a preprocessing that is able to generate a signal that

  11. Five Approaches to Deal With Problem of DC Offset in Phase-Locked Loop Algorithms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Golestan, Saeed; Guerrero, Josep M.; Gharehpetian, Gevork B.

    2016-01-01

    the -frame DSC operator, the complex coefficient filter, and a cross-feedback network for blocking the dc offset before the PLL input. Design aspects of these methods are presented, some methods to enhance their performances are proposed, and their advantages and disadvantages are evaluated....

  12. Method to Minimize the Low-Frequency Neutral-Point Voltage Oscillations With Time-Offset Injection for Neutral-Point-Clamped Inverters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Choi, Ui-Min; Blaabjerg, Frede; Lee, Kyo-Beum

    2015-01-01

    time of small- and medium-voltage vectors. However, if the power factor is lower, there is a limitation to eliminate neutral-point oscillations. In this case, the proposed method can be improved by changing the switching sequence properly. Additionally, a method for neutral-point voltage balancing......This paper proposes a method to reduce the low-frequency neutral-point voltage oscillations. The neutral-point voltage oscillations are considerably reduced by adding a time offset to the three-phase turn-on times. The proper time offset is simply calculated considering the phase currents and dwell...

  13. 41 CFR 105-56.019 - Offset amount.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... Administration 56-SALARY OFFSET FOR INDEBTEDNESS OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES TO THE UNITED STATES Centralized Salary... referred for offset under this subpart is $100. (b) The amount offset from a salary payment under this... resolved to the satisfaction of GSA. ...

  14. Quadrature Errors and DC Offsets Calibration of Analog Complex Cross-Correlator for Interferometric Passive Millimeter-Wave Imaging Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chao Wang

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The design and calibration of the cross-correlator are crucial issues for interferometric imaging systems. In this paper, an analog complex cross-correlator with output DC offsets and amplitudes calibration capability is proposed for interferometric passive millimeter-wave security sensing applications. By employing digital potentiometers in the low frequency amplification circuits of the correlator, the outputs characteristics of the correlator could be digitally controlled. A measurement system and a corresponding calibration scheme were developed in order to eliminate the output DC offsets and the quadrature amplitude error between the in-phase and the quadrature correlating subunits of the complex correlator. By using vector modulators to provide phase controllable correlated noise signals, the measurement system was capable of obtaining the output correlation circle of the correlator. When injected with −18 dBm correlated noise signals, the calibrated quadrature amplitude error was 0.041 dB and the calibrated DC offsets were under 26 mV, which was only 7.1% of the uncalibrated value. Furthermore, we also described a quadrature errors calibration algorithm in order to estimate the quadrature phase error and in order to improve the output phase accuracy of the correlator. After applying this calibration, we were able to reduce the output phase error of the correlator to 0.3°.

  15. Phase Clustering Based Modulation Classification Algorithm for PSK Signal over Wireless Environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qi An

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Promptitude and accuracy of signals’ non-data-aided (NDA identification is one of the key technology demands in noncooperative wireless communication network, especially in information monitoring and other electronic warfare. Based on this background, this paper proposes a new signal classifier for phase shift keying (PSK signals. The periodicity of signal’s phase is utilized as the assorted character, with which a fractional function is constituted for phase clustering. Classification and the modulation order of intercepted signals can be achieved through its Fast Fourier Transform (FFT of the phase clustering function. Frequency offset is also considered for practical conditions. The accuracy of frequency offset estimation has a direct impact on its correction. Thus, a feasible solution is supplied. In this paper, an advanced estimator is proposed for estimating the frequency offset and balancing estimation accuracy and range under low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR conditions. The influence on estimation range brought by the maximum correlation interval is removed through the differential operation of the autocorrelation of the normalized baseband signal raised to the power of Q. Then, a weighted summation is adopted for an effective frequency estimation. Details of equations and relevant simulations are subsequently presented. The estimator proposed can reach an estimation accuracy of 10-4 even when the SNR is as low as -15 dB. Analytical formulas are expressed, and the corresponding simulations illustrate that the classifier proposed is more efficient than its counterparts even at low SNRs.

  16. 41 CFR 105-56.029 - Offset amount.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... Administration 56-SALARY OFFSET FOR INDEBTEDNESS OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES TO THE UNITED STATES Centralized Salary... salary offset under this subpart is $100. (b) The amount offset from a salary payment under this subpart... otherwise resolved to the satisfaction of the creditor agency. ...

  17. 5 CFR 1639.27 - Procedures for salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Procedures for salary offset. 1639.27... Salary Offset § 1639.27 Procedures for salary offset. (a) The Board will coordinate salary deductions... pay and will implement the salary offset. (c) Deductions will begin within three official pay periods...

  18. 22 CFR 309.17 - Procedures for salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Procedures for salary offset. 309.17 Section 309.17 Foreign Relations PEACE CORPS DEBT COLLECTION Salary Offset § 309.17 Procedures for salary offset. Unless otherwise provided by statute or contract, the following procedures apply to salary offset: (a...

  19. 7 CFR 3.46 - Offset against tax refunds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Offset against tax refunds. 3.46 Section 3.46 Agriculture Office of the Secretary of Agriculture DEBT MANAGEMENT Administrative Offset § 3.46 Offset against tax refunds. USDA will take action to effect administrative offset against tax refunds due to debtors...

  20. 5 CFR 179.211 - Notice of salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Notice of salary offset. 179.211 Section... COLLECTION STANDARDS Salary Offset § 179.211 Notice of salary offset. (a) Upon receipt of proper... certification as the debtor, a written notice of salary offset. Such notice shall, at a minimum: (1) State that...

  1. A Model for the Evaluation of Offsets in International Arms Transfers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1982-01-01

    in offset proposals, a mini-study was prompted in political socialization to locate a suitable scale. No existing scale was found. A model for... political socialization to devise such a scale or model. The actual development of the resultant model will be described in Chapter 3. The background...unstable behavior. The more important are the long term influences of political socialization . As to the long-term dispositions, we know that individuals

  2. 12 CFR 1408.39 - Procedures for salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Procedures for salary offset. 1408.39 Section... STATES Offset Against Salary § 1408.39 Procedures for salary offset. (a) The Chairman, or designee of the... periods following the date of mailing or delivery of the Notice of Intent to Collect by Salary Offset. (c...

  3. 12 CFR 608.839 - Procedures for salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Procedures for salary offset. 608.839 Section... OWED THE UNITED STATES Offset Against Salary § 608.839 Procedures for salary offset. (a) The Chairman... Intent to Collect by Salary Offset. (c)(1) If the amount of the debt is equal to or is less than 15...

  4. Joint channel/frequency offset estimation and correction for coherent optical FBMC/OQAM system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Daobin; Yuan, Lihua; Lei, Jingli; wu, Gang; Li, Suoping; Ding, Runqi; Wang, Dongye

    2017-12-01

    In this paper, we focus on analysis of the preamble-based joint estimation for channel and laser-frequency offset (LFO) in coherent optical filter bank multicarrier systems with offset quadrature amplitude modulation (CO-FBMC/OQAM). In order to reduce the noise impact on the estimation accuracy, we proposed an estimation method based on inter-frame averaging. This method averages the cross-correlation function of real-valued pilots within multiple FBMC frames. The laser-frequency offset is estimated according to the phase of this average. After correcting LFO, the final channel response is also acquired by averaging channel estimation results within multiple frames. The principle of the proposed method is analyzed theoretically, and the preamble structure is thoroughly designed and optimized to suppress the impact of inherent imaginary interference (IMI). The effectiveness of our method is demonstrated numerically using different fiber and LFO values. The obtained results show that the proposed method can improve transmission performance significantly.

  5. 13 CFR 120.1722 - SBA's offset rights.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false SBA's offset rights. 120.1722... of SBA Secondary Market Guarantee Program for First Lien Position 504 Loan Pools § 120.1722 SBA's offset rights. SBA shall have the right to offset any amount owed by Lender to SBA, including, without...

  6. Utilization of curve offsets in additive manufacturing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haseltalab, Vahid; Yaman, Ulas; Dolen, Melik

    2018-05-01

    Curve offsets are utilized in different fields of engineering and science. Additive manufacturing, which lately becomes an explicit requirement in manufacturing industry, utilizes curve offsets widely. One of the necessities of offsetting is for scaling which is required if there is shrinkage after the fabrication or if the surface quality of the resulting part is unacceptable. Therefore, some post-processing is indispensable. But the major application of curve offsets in additive manufacturing processes is for generating head trajectories. In a point-wise AM process, a correct tool-path in each layer can reduce lots of costs and increase the surface quality of the fabricated parts. In this study, different curve offset generation algorithms are analyzed to show their capabilities and disadvantages through some test cases and improvements on their drawbacks are suggested.

  7. 10 CFR 1015.215 - Federal salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 10 Energy 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Federal salary offset. 1015.215 Section 1015.215 Energy... Administrative Collection of Claims § 1015.215 Federal salary offset. (a) DOE may authorize Treasury to offset a Federal salary to satisfy delinquent debt in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 5514, Installment Deduction for...

  8. Mitigation of ^{42}Ar/^{42}K background for the GERDA Phase II experiment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lubashevskiy, A.; Agostini, M.; Budjáš, D.; Gangapshev, A.; Gusev, K.; Heisel, M.; Klimenko, A.; Lazzaro, A.; Lehnert, B.; Pelczar, K.; Schönert, S.; Smolnikov, A.; Walter, M.; Zuzel, G.

    2018-01-01

    Background coming from the ^{42}Ar decay chain is considered to be one of the most relevant for the Gerda experiment, which searches for the neutrinoless double beta decay of ^{76}Ge. The sensitivity strongly relies on the absence of background around the Q-value of the decay. Background coming from ^{42}K, a progeny of ^{42}Ar, can contribute to that background via electrons from the continuous spectrum with an endpoint at 3.5 MeV. Research and development on the suppression methods targeting this source of background were performed at the low-background test facility LArGe . It was demonstrated that by reducing ^{42}K ion collection on the surfaces of the broad energy germanium detectors in combination with pulse shape discrimination techniques and an argon scintillation veto, it is possible to suppress ^{42}K background by three orders of magnitude. This is sufficient for Phase II of the Gerda experiment.

  9. Consultations on the design of a greenhouse gas offset system for Canada 2003 : Summary report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2003-10-01

    A series of one-day consultation sessions were held from June 16 to 26, 2003 in 6 cities throughout Canada, hosted by the federal government's interdepartmental Working Group on Offsets (WGO). The consultations were held in an effort to: (1) disseminate information to the provinces, territories and stakeholders concerning options and process for the development of an offset system for greenhouse gases, (2) promote the exchange of ideas and discussion on the feasibility of an offset system, (3) gather initial feedback on design considerations, elements and options, and (4) provide advice to provinces and territories on ways to provide further input on the offset system design. The 295 people who attended the sessions represented industries considered to be potential buyers of offset credits, industries considered to be potential sellers of such credits, and other sectors such as consultants, traders, insurance and finance. In addition, academia and other stakeholders were present. This document provides a summary of the main messages that emerged from the discussions. The comments reflected the following notions: support for the concept was expressed; principles should be as open as possible; surplus eligibility criteria should be less restrictive; administrative issues should consider a third party for active government involvement; design issues; forestry issues; agriculture issues; landfill gas issues; regional issues; and, next steps. These comments will be considered during the development phase of a greenhouse gas offset system in Canada. tabs

  10. Emissions trading with offset markets and free quota allocations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rosendahl, Knut Einar; Strand, Jon

    2012-07-01

    We study interactions between a 'policy bloc's' emissions quota market and an offset market where emissions offsets can be purchased from a non-policy 'fringe' of countries (such as for the CDM under the Kyoto Protocol). Policy-bloc firms are assumed to benefit from free quota allocations that are updated according to either past emissions or past outputs. We show that both overall abatement, and the allocation of given abatement between the policy bloc and the fringe, tend to be inefficient. When the policy-bloc quota market and offset markets are fully integrated (and firms buy offsets directly from the fringe), and all quotas and offsets must be traded at a single price, it is optimal for the policy bloc to either not constrain the offset market whatsoever, or to ban offsets completely. The former (latter) case occurs when free allocation of quotas is not too generous (very generous), and the offset market can profitably deliver large (only a small) quota amounts. Governments of policy countries would however instead prefer to buy offsets directly from the fringe at a price below the policy-bloc quota price. The offset price will then be below the marginal damage cost of emissions, and the quota price in the policy bloc above marginal damage cost. This solution is also inefficient as the policy bloc (acting as a monopsonist) purchases too few offsets from the fringe.(Author)

  11. 22 CFR 1007.8 - Procedures for salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Procedures for salary offset. 1007.8 Section 1007.8 Foreign Relations INTER-AMERICAN FOUNDATION SALARY OFFSET § 1007.8 Procedures for salary offset... final salary or leave payments in accordance with 31 U.S.C. 3716. ...

  12. An offset tone based gain stabilization technique for mixed-signal RF measurement systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Joshi, Gopal, E-mail: gjos@barc.gov.in [BARC, Mumbai 400085 (India); Motiwala, Paresh D.; Randale, G.D.; Singh, Pitamber [BARC, Mumbai 400085 (India); Agarwal, Vivek; Kumar, Girish [IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400076 (India)

    2015-09-21

    This paper describes a gain stabilization technique for a RF signal measurement system. A sinusoidal signal of known amplitude, phase and close enough in frequency is added to the main, to be measured RF signal at the input of the analog section. The system stabilizes this offset tone in the digital domain, as it is sampled at the output of the analog section. This process generates a correction factor needed to stabilize the magnitude of the gain of the analog section for the main RF signal. With the help of a simple calibration procedure, the absolute amplitude of the main RF signal can be measured. The technique is especially suited for a system that processes signals around a single frequency, employs direct signal conversion into the digital domain, and processes subsequent steps in an FPGA. The inherent parallel signal processing in an FPGA-based implementation allows a real time stabilization of the gain. The effectiveness of the technique is derived from the fact, that the gain stabilization stamped to the main RF signal measurement branch requires only a few components in the system to be inherently stable. A test setup, along with experimental results is presented from the field of RF instrumentation for particle accelerators. Due to the availability of a phase synchronized RF reference signal in these systems, the measured phase difference between the main RF and the RF reference is also stabilized using this technique. A scheme of the signal processing is presented, where a moving average filter has been used to filter out not only the unwanted frequencies, but also to separate the main RF signal from the offset tone signal. This is achieved by a suitable choice of sampling and offset tone frequencies. The presented signal processing scheme is suitable to a variety of RF measurement applications.

  13. Conservation Planning for Offsetting the Impacts of Development: A Case Study of Biodiversity and Renewable Energy in the Mojave Desert.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kreitler, Jason; Schloss, Carrie A; Soong, Oliver; Hannah, Lee; Davis, Frank W

    2015-01-01

    Balancing society's competing needs of development and conservation requires careful consideration of tradeoffs. Renewable energy development and biodiversity conservation are often considered beneficial environmental goals. The direct footprint and disturbance of renewable energy, however, can displace species' habitat and negatively impact populations and natural communities if sited without ecological consideration. Offsets have emerged as a potentially useful tool to mitigate residual impacts after trying to avoid, minimize, or restore affected sites. Yet the problem of efficiently designing a set of offset sites becomes increasingly complex where many species or many sites are involved. Spatial conservation prioritization tools are designed to handle this problem, but have seen little application to offset siting and analysis. To address this need we designed an offset siting support tool for the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) of California, and present a case study of hypothetical impacts from solar development in the Western Mojave subsection. We compare two offset scenarios designed to mitigate a hypothetical 15,331 ha derived from proposed utility-scale solar energy development (USSED) projects. The first scenario prioritizes offsets based precisely on impacted features, while the second scenario offsets impacts to maximize biodiversity conservation gains in the region. The two methods only agree on 28% of their prioritized sites and differ in meeting species-specific offset goals. Differences between the two scenarios highlight the importance of clearly specifying choices and priorities for offset siting and mitigation in general. Similarly, the effects of background climate and land use change may lessen the durability or effectiveness of offsets if not considered. Our offset siting support tool was designed specifically for the DRECP area, but with minor code modification could work well in other offset analyses, and could provide

  14. Automatic phase aberration compensation for digital holographic microscopy based on deep learning background detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Thanh; Bui, Vy; Lam, Van; Raub, Christopher B; Chang, Lin-Ching; Nehmetallah, George

    2017-06-26

    We propose a fully automatic technique to obtain aberration free quantitative phase imaging in digital holographic microscopy (DHM) based on deep learning. The traditional DHM solves the phase aberration compensation problem by manually detecting the background for quantitative measurement. This would be a drawback in real time implementation and for dynamic processes such as cell migration phenomena. A recent automatic aberration compensation approach using principle component analysis (PCA) in DHM avoids human intervention regardless of the cells' motion. However, it corrects spherical/elliptical aberration only and disregards the higher order aberrations. Traditional image segmentation techniques can be employed to spatially detect cell locations. Ideally, automatic image segmentation techniques make real time measurement possible. However, existing automatic unsupervised segmentation techniques have poor performance when applied to DHM phase images because of aberrations and speckle noise. In this paper, we propose a novel method that combines a supervised deep learning technique with convolutional neural network (CNN) and Zernike polynomial fitting (ZPF). The deep learning CNN is implemented to perform automatic background region detection that allows for ZPF to compute the self-conjugated phase to compensate for most aberrations.

  15. 17 CFR 141.8 - Procedures for salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Procedures for salary offset. 141.8 Section 141.8 Commodity and Securities Exchanges COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION SALARY OFFSET § 141.8 Procedures for salary offset. (a) Deductions to liquidate an employee's debt will be by...

  16. 38 CFR 1.992 - Procedures for salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Procedures for salary offset. 1.992 Section 1.992 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS GENERAL PROVISIONS Salary Offset Provisions § 1.992 Procedures for salary offset. (a) Types of collection...

  17. 22 CFR 34.16 - Procedures for salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Procedures for salary offset. 34.16 Section 34.16 Foreign Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE CLAIMS AND STOLEN PROPERTY DEBT COLLECTION Salary Offset § 34.16 Procedures for salary offset. Unless otherwise provided by statute or contract, the following...

  18. Frequency-wavenumber domain phase inversion along reflection wavepaths

    KAUST Repository

    Yu, Han

    2014-12-01

    A background velocity model containing the correct low-wavenumber information is desired for both the quality of the migration image and the success of waveform inversion. To achieve this goal, the velocity is updated along the reflection wavepaths, rather than along both the reflection ellipses and transmission wavepaths as in conventional FWI. This method allows for reconstructing the low-wavenumber part of the background velocity model, even in the absence of long offsets and low-frequency component of the data. Moreover, in gradient-based iterative updates, instead of forming the data error conventionally, we propose to exploit the phase mismatch between the observed and the calculated data. The phase mismatch emphasizes a kinematic error and varies quasi-linearly with respect to the velocity error. The phase mismatch is computed (1) in the frequency-wavenumber (f-k) domain replacing the magnitudes of the calculated common shot gather by those of the observed one, and (2) in the temporal-spatial domain to form the difference between the transformed calculated common-shot gather and the observed one. The background velocity model inverted according to the proposed methods can serve as an improved initial velocity model for conventional waveform inversion. Tests with synthetic and field data show both the benefits and limitations of this method.

  19. 16 CFR 1027.8 - Procedures for salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Procedures for salary offset. 1027.8 Section 1027.8 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION GENERAL SALARY OFFSET § 1027.8 Procedures for salary offset. (a) Deductions to liquidate an employee's debt will be by the method and in the...

  20. 5 CFR 1215.8 - Procedures for salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Procedures for salary offset. 1215.8... MANAGEMENT Salary Offset § 1215.8 Procedures for salary offset. (a) Deductions to liquidate an employee's... payment due to a separated employee including but not limited to final salary payment or leave in...

  1. 45 CFR 607.8 - Procedures for salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Procedures for salary offset. 607.8 Section 607.8 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION SALARY OFFSET § 607.8 Procedures for salary offset. (a) Deductions to liquidate an employee's debt will be by...

  2. 32 CFR 1697.8 - Procedures for salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Procedures for salary offset. 1697.8 Section 1697.8 National Defense Other Regulations Relating to National Defense SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM SALARY OFFSET § 1697.8 Procedures for salary offset. (a) Deductions to liquidate an employee's debt will be by...

  3. 14 CFR 1261.603 - Procedures for salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Procedures for salary offset. 1261.603... salary offset. If NASA is both the paying and creditor agency, the following requirements must be met... of the debt through salary offset by deductions from the employee's current disposable pay, stating...

  4. 5 CFR 179.212 - Procedures for salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Procedures for salary offset. 179.212... COLLECTION STANDARDS Salary Offset § 179.212 Procedures for salary offset. (a) The Director or his or her designee shall coordinate salary deductions under this subpart. (b) OPM payroll office shall determine the...

  5. 47 CFR 1.1951 - Offset against tax refunds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Offset against tax refunds. 1.1951 Section 1... Claims Owed the United States Cooperation with the Internal Revenue Service § 1.1951 Offset against tax refunds. The Commission will take action to effect administrative offset against tax refunds due to...

  6. Governing the carbon offset market

    OpenAIRE

    Lovell, Heather C.

    2010-01-01

    Carbon offsets are produced and sold under the international climate change regime (the United Nations Kyoto Protocol) and also within an expanding voluntary offset market in which companies and individuals can voluntarily opt to compensate for their greenhouse gas emissions. The volume of carbon produced and consumed within compliance and voluntary markets has grown dramatically in the last 5 years, raising a number of governance challenges. This Focus Article gives an overview of the govern...

  7. 29 CFR 1650.110 - Implementation of salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 29 Labor 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Implementation of salary offset. 1650.110 Section 1650.110... Procedures for the Collection of Debts by Salary Offset § 1650.110 Implementation of salary offset. (a... proposed voluntary repayment agreement, deductions will begin in the next bi-weekly salary payment after a...

  8. 45 CFR 33.10 - Procedures for salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Procedures for salary offset. 33.10 Section 33.10 Public Welfare DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL ADMINISTRATION SALARY OFFSET § 33.10 Procedures for salary offset. (a) Method and source of deductions. Unless the employee and the Secretary have...

  9. 40 CFR 13.21 - Employee salary offset-general.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Employee salary offset-general. 13.21... STANDARDS Administrative Offset § 13.21 Employee salary offset—general. (a) Purpose. This section... collection by salary offset under 5 U.S.C. 5514 of debts owed EPA and debts owed to other Federal agencies by...

  10. 45 CFR 708.10 - Procedures for salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Procedures for salary offset. 708.10 Section 708... COLLECTION BY SALARY OFFSET FROM INDEBTED CURRENT AND FORMER EMPLOYEES § 708.10 Procedures for salary offset... to final salary payment, retired pay, or lump sum leave, etc. as of the date of separation to the...

  11. Economic and ecological outcomes of flexible biodiversity offset systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Habib, Thomas J; Farr, Daniel R; Schneider, Richard R; Boutin, Stan

    2013-12-01

    The commonly expressed goal of biodiversity offsets is to achieve no net loss of specific biological features affected by development. However, strict equivalency requirements may complicate trading of offset credits, increase costs due to restricted offset placement options, and force offset activities to focus on features that may not represent regional conservation priorities. Using the oil sands industry of Alberta, Canada, as a case study, we evaluated the economic and ecological performance of alternative offset systems targeting either ecologically equivalent areas (vegetation types) or regional conservation priorities (caribou and the Dry Mixedwood natural subregion). Exchanging dissimilar biodiversity elements requires assessment via a generalized metric; we used an empirically derived index of biodiversity intactness to link offsets with losses incurred by development. We considered 2 offset activities: land protection, with costs estimated as the net present value of profits of petroleum and timber resources to be paid as compensation to resource tenure holders, and restoration of anthropogenic footprint, with costs estimated from existing restoration projects. We used the spatial optimization tool MARXAN to develop hypothetical offset networks that met either the equivalent-vegetation or conservation-priority targets. Networks that required offsetting equivalent vegetation cost 2-17 times more than priority-focused networks. This finding calls into question the prudence of equivalency-based systems, particularly in relatively undeveloped jurisdictions, where conservation focuses on limiting and directing future losses. Priority-focused offsets may offer benefits to industry and environmental stakeholders by allowing for lower-cost conservation of valued ecological features and may invite discussion on what land-use trade-offs are acceptable when trading biodiversity via offsets. Resultados Económicos y Ecológicos de Sistemas de Compensación de

  12. Phase I Final Report: Ultra-Low Background Alpha Activity Counter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Warburton, W.K.

    2005-01-01

    processor we easily distinguish between these two risetimes and thereby count only alpha particles emitted by the sample. Alpha particles emitted from the sample tray are absorbed in the rear of the sample, so the tray's emissivity does not contribute to the background either. Extensions of the method to the counter's sidewalls similarly allow us to reject alpha particles emitted from the sidewalls. We can thus able obtain background rates over a factor of 1000 lower than in conventional instruments without active background rejection. Extending this principle to count at the 0.00001 alpha/cm 2 /hour, level encounters difficulties because there will typically be only 2.4 alpha particles per square meter per day. Since about 6 counts are required to measure activity at the 95% confidence level, large sample areas are required to make measurements in reasonable times. Unfortunately, increasing the counter's anode area to a square meter raises its capacitance so much that the preamplifier noise levels swamp the alpha particle signals and make counting impossible. In this SBIR we worked to solve this dilemma by segmenting the single large area electrode into several smaller, lower capacitance electrodes that could still detect the alpha particles reliably. Each electrode would have its own electronic and we would capture signals from all of them in coincidence (since an alpha track might well deposit charge on more than one electrode), a technique in which XIA is experienced. Therefore, in Phase I we worked to show proof of principle by subdividing our original 1,800 cm 2 electrode into 4 square segments, each 625 cm 2 and demonstrating that signal noise on individual channels reduced as expected. Because the Phase II counter with a 1 m 2 segmented anode would require 16 segments plus a segmented guard as well, we also designed low cost signal processing electronics to instrument it in Phase II. Our Phase I effort met our major proof of principle goals. In particular, reducing

  13. Common-image gathers in the offset domain from reverse-time migration

    KAUST Repository

    Zhan, Ge

    2014-04-01

    Kirchhoff migration is flexible to output common-image gathers (CIGs) in the offset domain by imaging data with different offsets separately. These CIGs supply important information for velocity model updates and amplitude-variation-with-offset (AVO) analysis. Reverse-time migration (RTM) offers more insights into complex geology than Kirchhoff migration by accurately describing wave propagation using the two-way wave equation. But, it has difficulty to produce offset domain CIGs like Kirchhoff migration. In this paper, we develop a method for obtaining offset domain CIGs from RTM. The method first computes the RTM operator of an offset gather, followed by a dot product of the operator and the offset data to form a common-offset RTM image. The offset domain CIGs are then achieved after separately migrating data with different offsets. We generate offset domain CIGs on both the Marmousi synthetic data and 2D Gulf of Mexico real data using this approach. © 2014.

  14. Background rejection of n+ surface events in GERDA Phase II

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lehnert, Björn

    2016-05-01

    The GERDA experiment searches for neutrinoless double beta (0vββ) decay in 76Ge using an array of high purity germanium (HPGe) detectors immersed in liquid argon (LAr). Phase II of the experiment uses 30 new broad energy germanium (BEGe) detectors with superior pulse shape discrimination capabilities compared to the previously used semi-coaxial detector design. By far the largest background component for BEGe detectors in GERDA are n+-surface events from 42K β decays which are intrinsic in LAr. The β particles with up to 3.5 MeV can traverse the 0.5 to 0.9 mm thick electrode and deposit energy within the region of interest for the 0vββ decay. However, those events have particular pulse shape features allowing for a strong discrimination. The understanding and simulation of this background, showing a reduction by up to a factor 145 with pulse shape discrimination alone, is presented in this work.

  15. Phase-correcting non-local means filtering for diffusion-weighted imaging of the spinal cord.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kafali, Sevgi Gokce; Çukur, Tolga; Saritas, Emine Ulku

    2018-02-09

    DWI suffers from low SNR when compared to anatomical MRI. To maintain reasonable SNR at relatively high spatial resolution, multiple acquisitions must be averaged. However, subject motion or involuntary physiological motion during diffusion-sensitizing gradients cause phase offsets among acquisitions. When the motion is localized to a small region, these phase offsets become particularly problematic. Complex averaging of acquisitions lead to cancellations from these phase offsets, whereas magnitude averaging results in noise amplification. Here, we propose an improved reconstruction for multi-acquisition DWI that effectively corrects for phase offsets while reducing noise. Each acquisition is processed with a refocusing reconstruction for global phase correction and a partial k-space reconstruction via projection-onto-convex-sets (POCS). The proposed reconstruction then embodies a new phase-correcting non-local means (PC-NLM) filter. PC-NLM is performed on the complex-valued outputs of the POCS algorithm aggregated across acquisitions. The PC-NLM filter leverages the shared structure among multiple acquisitions to simultaneously alleviate nuisance factors including phase offsets and noise. Extensive simulations and in vivo DWI experiments of the cervical spinal cord are presented. The results demonstrate that the proposed reconstruction improves image quality by mitigating signal loss because of phase offsets and reducing noise. Importantly, these improvements are achieved while preserving the accuracy of apparent diffusion coefficient maps. An improved reconstruction incorporating a PC-NLM filter for multi-acquisition DWI is presented. This reconstruction can be particularly beneficial for high-resolution or high-b-value DWI acquisitions that suffer from low SNR and phase offsets from local motion. © 2018 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

  16. DFT-based offset-QAM OFDM for optical communications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Jian

    2014-01-13

    We experimentally demonstrate and numerically investigate a discrete-Fourier-transform (DFT) based offset quadrature-amplitude-modulation (offset-QAM) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system. We investigate the scheme using a set of square-root-raised-cosine functions and a set of super-Gaussian functions as signal spectra. It is shown that offset-QAM OFDM exhibits negligible penalty for all investigated spectra, in contrast to rectangular-function based Nyquist FDM (N-FDM) and sinc-function based conventional OFDM (C-OFDM). The required guard interval (GI) length for dispersion compensation in offset-QAM OFDM is analyzed and shown to scale with twice the subcarrier spacing rather than the full OFDM bandwidth. Experimental results show that 38-Gb/s offset-16QAM OFDM supports 600-km fiber transmission with negligible penalty in the absence of GI while a GI length of eight is required in C-OFDM. Further numerical simulations show that by avoiding the GI, 112-Gb/s polarization multiplexed offset-4QAM OFDM can achieve 23% increase in net data rate over C-OFDM under the same transmission reach. We also discuss the design of the pulse-shaping filter in the DFT-based implementation and show that when compared to N-FDM, the required memory length of the filter for pulse shaping can be reduced from 60 to 2 in offset-QAM OFDM regardless of the fiber length.

  17. Carbon offset potentials and design: Anticipating future public policy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Trexler, M.C.; Kosloff, L.H.; Gowen, M.

    1994-01-01

    Carbon offsets offer CO 2 emitters the opportunity to compensate for some proportion of their CO 2 emissions through the pursuit of emissions reduction or carbon sequestration projects beyond their own operational boundaries. The flexibility to pursue carbon offsets ''off-site'' can dramatically reduce the costs of achieving a given net emissions reduction. The future role of carbon offsets, however, continues to be a topic of considerable debate. Several processes are currently under way nationally and internationally that will help shape this role. This paper discusses how alternative policy outcomes could encourage or restrict the viability of carbon offsets as a component of corporate climate change mitigation portfolios and proposes criteria by which projects should be evaluated prior to the finalization of national or international policy frameworks. Based on these outcomes, the potential for offsets could be very large or very modest. It is vital that policy development in the offset arena account for the still voluntary nature of mitigation efforts and that the objective of climate change mitigation not be forgotten in the push for offset rules and regulations. At the same time, carbon offsets are far from a panacea for climate change mitigation and should be evaluated in the context of a larger global mitigation portfolio

  18. Biodiversity offsets and the challenge of achieving no net loss.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gardner, Toby A; VON Hase, Amrei; Brownlie, Susie; Ekstrom, Jonathan M M; Pilgrim, John D; Savy, Conrad E; Stephens, R T Theo; Treweek, Jo; Ussher, Graham T; Ward, Gerri; Ten Kate, Kerry

    2013-12-01

    Businesses, governments, and financial institutions are increasingly adopting a policy of no net loss of biodiversity for development activities. The goal of no net loss is intended to help relieve tension between conservation and development by enabling economic gains to be achieved without concomitant biodiversity losses. biodiversity offsets represent a necessary component of a much broader mitigation strategy for achieving no net loss following prior application of avoidance, minimization, and remediation measures. However, doubts have been raised about the appropriate use of biodiversity offsets. We examined what no net loss means as a desirable conservation outcome and reviewed the conditions that determine whether, and under what circumstances, biodiversity offsets can help achieve such a goal. We propose a conceptual framework to substitute the often ad hoc approaches evident in many biodiversity offset initiatives. The relevance of biodiversity offsets to no net loss rests on 2 fundamental premises. First, offsets are rarely adequate for achieving no net loss of biodiversity alone. Second, some development effects may be too difficult or risky, or even impossible, to offset. To help to deliver no net loss through biodiversity offsets, biodiversity gains must be comparable to losses, be in addition to conservation gains that may have occurred in absence of the offset, and be lasting and protected from risk of failure. Adherence to these conditions requires consideration of the wider landscape context of development and offset activities, timing of offset delivery, measurement of biodiversity, accounting procedures and rule sets used to calculate biodiversity losses and gains and guide offset design, and approaches to managing risk. Adoption of this framework will strengthen the potential for offsets to provide an ecologically defensible mechanism that can help reconcile conservation and development. Balances de Biodiversidad y el Reto de No Obtener P

  19. How economic contexts shape calculations of yield in biodiversity offsetting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carver, L; Sullivan, S

    2017-10-01

    We examined and analyzed methods used to create numerical equivalence between sites affected by development and proposed conservation offset sites. Application of biodiversity offsetting metrics in development impact and mitigation assessments is thought to standardize biodiversity conservation outcomes, sometimes termed yield by those conducting these calculations. The youth of biodiversity offsetting in application, however, means little is known about how biodiversity valuations and offset contracts between development and offset sites are agreed on in practice or about long-term conservation outcomes. We examined how sites were made commensurable and how biodiversity gains or yields were calculated and negotiated for a specific offset contract in a government-led pilot study of biodiversity offsets in England. Over 24 months, we conducted participant observations of various stages in the negotiation of offset contracts through repeated visits to 3 (anonymized) biodiversity offset contract sites. We conducted 50 semistructured interviews of stakeholders in regional and local government, the private sector, and civil society. We used a qualitative data analysis software program (DEDOOSE) to textually analyze interview transcriptions. We also compared successive iterations of biodiversity-offsetting calculation spreadsheets and planning documents. A particular focus was the different iterations of a specific biodiversity impact assessment in which the biodiversity offsetting metric developed by the U.K.'s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was used. We highlight 3 main findings. First, biodiversity offsetting metrics were amended in creative ways as users adapted inputs to metric calculations to balance and negotiate conflicting requirements. Second, the practice of making different habitats equivalent to each other through the application of biodiversity offsetting metrics resulted in commensuration outcomes that may not provide projected

  20. 5 CFR 179.213 - Coordinating salary offset with other agencies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Coordinating salary offset with other... REGULATIONS CLAIMS COLLECTION STANDARDS Salary Offset § 179.213 Coordinating salary offset with other agencies... intent of this regulation. (2) The designated salary offset coordinator will be responsible for: (i...

  1. The Effect of Allowing Pollution Offsets with Imperfect Enforcement

    OpenAIRE

    Hilary Sigman; Howard F. Chang

    2011-01-01

    Public policies for pollution control, including climate change policies, sometimes allow polluters in one sector subject to an emissions cap to offset excessive emissions in that sector with pollution abatement in another sector. The government may often find it more costly to verify offset claims than to verify compliance with emissions caps. Concerns about such difficulties in enforcement may lead regulators to restrict the use of offsets. In this paper, we demonstrate that allowing offset...

  2. Efficient and Robust Detection of GFSK Signals under Dispersive Channel, Modulation Index, and Carrier Frequency Offset Conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephan Weiss

    2005-09-01

    Full Text Available Gaussian frequency shift keying is the modulation scheme specified for Bluetooth. Signal adversities typical in Bluetooth networks include AWGN, multipath propagation, carrier frequency, and modulation index offsets. In our effort to realise a robust but efficient Bluetooth receiver, we adopt a high-performance matched-filter-based detector, which is near optimal in AWGN, but requires a prohibitively costly filter bank for processing of K bits worth of the received signal. However, through filtering over a single bit period and performing phase propagation of intermediate results over successive single-bit stages, we eliminate redundancy involved in providing the matched filter outputs and reduce its complexity by up to 90% (for K=9. The constant modulus signal characteristic and the potential for carrier frequency offsets make the constant modulus algorithm (CMA suitable for channel equalisation, and we demonstrate its effectiveness in this paper. We also introduce a stochastic gradient-based algorithm for carrier frequency offset correction, and show that the relative rotation between successive intermediate filter outputs enables us to detect and correct offsets in modulation index.

  3. Phase unwrapping algorithm based on multi-frequency fringe projection and fringe background for fringe projection profilometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Chunwei; Zhao, Hong; Gu, Feifei; Ma, Yueyang

    2015-01-01

    A phase unwrapping algorithm specially designed for the phase-shifting fringe projection profilometry (FPP) is proposed. It combines a revised dual-frequency fringe projectionalgorithm and a proposed fringe background based quality guided phase unwrapping algorithm (FB-QGPUA). Phase demodulated from the high-frequency fringe patterns is partially unwrapped by that demodulated from the low-frequency ones. Then FB-QGPUA is adopted to further unwrap the partially unwrapped phase. Influences of the phase error on the measurement are researched. Strategy to select the fringe pitch is given. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed method is very robust and efficient. (paper)

  4. Offset Compound Gear Drive

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stevens, Mark A.; Handschuh, Robert F.; Lewicki, David G.

    2010-01-01

    The Offset Compound Gear Drive is an in-line, discrete, two-speed device utilizing a special offset compound gear that has both an internal tooth configuration on the input end and external tooth configuration on the output end, thus allowing it to mesh in series, simultaneously, with both a smaller external tooth input gear and a larger internal tooth output gear. This unique geometry and offset axis permits the compound gear to mesh with the smaller diameter input gear and the larger diameter output gear, both of which are on the same central, or primary, centerline. This configuration results in a compact in-line reduction gear set consisting of fewer gears and bearings than a conventional planetary gear train. Switching between the two output ratios is accomplished through a main control clutch and sprag. Power flow to the above is transmitted through concentric power paths. Low-speed operation is accomplished in two meshes. For the purpose of illustrating the low-speed output operation, the following example pitch diameters are given. A 5.0 pitch diameter (PD) input gear to 7.50 PD (internal tooth) intermediate gear (0.667 reduction mesh), and a 7.50 PD (external tooth) intermediate gear to a 10.00 PD output gear (0.750 reduction mesh). Note that it is not required that the intermediate gears on the offset axis be of the same diameter. For this example, the resultant low-speed ratio is 2:1 (output speed = 0.500; product of stage one 0.667 reduction and stage two 0.750 stage reduction). The design is not restricted to the example pitch diameters, or output ratio. From the output gear, power is transmitted through a hollow drive shaft, which, in turn, drives a sprag during which time the main clutch is disengaged.

  5. A Robust Approach for Clock Offset Estimation in Wireless Sensor Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kim Jang-Sub

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The maximum likelihood estimators (MLEs for the clock phase offset assuming a two-way message exchange mechanism between the nodes of a wireless sensor network were recently derived assuming Gaussian and exponential network delays. However, the MLE performs poorly in the presence of non-Gaussian or nonexponential network delay distributions. Currently, there is a need to develop clock synchronization algorithms that are robust to the distribution of network delays. This paper proposes a clock offset estimator based on the composite particle filter (CPF to cope with the possible asymmetries and non-Gaussianity of the network delay distributions. Also, a variant of the CPF approach based on the bootstrap sampling (BS is shown to exhibit good performance in the presence of reduced number of observations. Computer simulations illustrate that the basic CPF and its BS-based variant present superior performance than MLE under general random network delay distributions such as asymmetric Gaussian, exponential, Gamma, Weibull as well as various mixtures.

  6. 12 CFR 313.49 - Coordinating salary offset with other agencies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Coordinating salary offset with other agencies... PRACTICE PROCEDURES FOR CORPORATE DEBT COLLECTION Salary Offset § 313.49 Coordinating salary offset with... employee has consented to the salary offset in writing or has signed a statement acknowledging receipt of...

  7. 15 CFR 19.10 - How will Commerce entities use administrative offset (offset of non-tax Federal payments) to...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false How will Commerce entities use administrative offset (offset of non-tax Federal payments) to collect a Commerce debt? 19.10 Section 19.10 Commerce and Foreign Trade Office of the Secretary of Commerce COMMERCE DEBT COLLECTION Procedures To...

  8. Offset Trace-Based Video Quality Evaluation Network Transport

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Seeling, P.; Reisslein, M.; Fitzek, Frank

    2006-01-01

    Video traces contain information about encoded video frames, such as frame sizes and qualities, and provide a convenient method to conduct multimedia networking research. Although wiedely used in networking research, these traces do not allow to determine the video qaulityin an accurate manner...... after networking transport that includes losses and delays. In this work, we provide (i) an overview of frame dependencies that have to be taken into consideration when working with video traces, (ii) an algorithmic approach to combine traditional video traces and offset distortion traces to determine...... the video quality or distortion after lossy network transport, (iii) offset distortion and quality characteristics and (iv) the offset distortion trace format and tools to create offset distortion traces....

  9. 10 CFR 16.15 - Procedures for internal salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 10 Energy 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Procedures for internal salary offset. 16.15 Section 16.15 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION SALARY OFFSET PROCEDURES FOR COLLECTING DEBTS OWED BY FEDERAL EMPLOYEES TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT § 16.15 Procedures for internal salary offset. (a) Deductions to...

  10. Achieving biodiversity benefits with offsets: Research gaps, challenges, and needs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gelcich, Stefan; Vargas, Camila; Carreras, Maria Jose; Castilla, Juan Carlos; Donlan, C Josh

    2017-03-01

    Biodiversity offsets are becoming increasingly common across a portfolio of settings: national policy, voluntary programs, international lending, and corporate business structures. Given the diversity of ecological, political, and socio-economic systems where offsets may be applied, place-based information is likely to be most useful in designing and implementing offset programs, along with guiding principles that assure best practice. We reviewed the research on biodiversity offsets to explore gaps and needs. While the peer-reviewed literature on offsets is growing rapidly, it is heavily dominated by ecological theory, wetland ecosystems, and U.S.-based research. Given that majority of offset policies and programs are occurring in middle- and low-income countries, the research gaps we identified present a number of risks. They also present an opportunity to create regionally based learning platforms focused on pilot projects and institutional capacity building. Scientific research should diversify, both topically and geographically, in order to support the successful design, implementation, and monitoring of biodiversity offset programs.

  11. Multi-analysis and modeling of asymmetry offset for Hall effect structures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paun, Maria-Alexandra, E-mail: maria_paun2003@yahoo.com

    2017-03-15

    The topological (asymmetry) offset voltage of CMOS cross-like Hall cells is analyzed in this paper. In order to attain the stated objective, different approaches have been considered. Both circuit and three-dimensional models have been developed. Variation of the misalignment offset with the biasing current has been studied through physical and circuit models. The latter is a non-homogenous finite elements model, which relies on using parameterized resistances and current-controlled current sources, of CMOS Hall cells. The displacement offset for various asymmetries and the offset variation with the temperature were investigated through the circuit model developed. Various experimental results for the single and magnetic equivalent offset have also been provided. - Highlights: • In this paper both physical and circuit models have been proposed for the evaluation of Hall cells offset. • Variation of the misalignment offset with the biasing current has been studied. • The displacement offset for various asymmetries and the offset variation with the temperature were investigated. • Various experimental results for single and magnetic equivalent offset were provided. • The obtained simulation results are in accordance with the experimental data.

  12. Mitigation of {sup 42}Ar/{sup 42}K background for the GERDA Phase II experiment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lubashevskiy, A.; Klimenko, A.; Smolnikov, A. [Max Planck Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna (Russian Federation); Agostini, M. [Gran Sasso Science Institute, L' Aquila (Italy); Budjas, D.; Lazzaro, A.; Schoenert, S. [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Physik Department E15, Munich (Germany); Gangapshev, A. [Max Planck Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Institute for Nuclear Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation); Gusev, K. [Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna (Russian Federation); Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Physik Department E15, Munich (Germany); Russian Research Center Kurchatov Institute, Moscow (Russian Federation); Heisel, M. [Max Planck Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Lehnert, B. [Institut fuer Kern- und Teilchenphysik Technische Universitaet Dresden, Dresden (Germany); Carleton University, Physics Department, Ottawa (Canada); Pelczar, K. [Jagellonian University, Institute of Physics, Cracow (Poland); INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, LNGS, Assergi (Italy); Walter, M. [Physik Institut der Universitaet Zuerich, Zurich (Switzerland); Zuzel, G. [Jagellonian University, Institute of Physics, Cracow (Poland)

    2018-01-15

    Background coming from the {sup 42}Ar decay chain is considered to be one of the most relevant for the Gerda experiment, which searches for the neutrinoless double beta decay of {sup 76}Ge. The sensitivity strongly relies on the absence of background around the Q-value of the decay. Background coming from {sup 42}K, a progeny of {sup 42}Ar, can contribute to that background via electrons from the continuous spectrum with an endpoint at 3.5 MeV. Research and development on the suppression methods targeting this source of background were performed at the low-background test facility LArGe. It was demonstrated that by reducing {sup 42}K ion collection on the surfaces of the broad energy germanium detectors in combination with pulse shape discrimination techniques and an argon scintillation veto, it is possible to suppress {sup 42}K background by three orders of magnitude. This is sufficient for Phase II of the Gerda experiment. (orig.)

  13. An intercomparison of the thermal offset for different pyranometers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanchez, G.; Cancillo, M. L.; Serrano, A.

    2016-07-01

    An unprecedented intensive intercomparison campaign focused on the experimental measurement of the thermal offset of pyranometers has been conducted at Badajoz (Spain) with the participation of three main manufacturers. The purpose of this study is to compare the thermal offset of six commercially available pyranometers, being some of them widely used and others recently commercialized. In this campaign, the capping methodology has been used to experimentally measure the daytime thermal offset of the pyranometers. Thus, a short but intense campaign has been conducted in two selected summer days under clear-sky conditions, covering a large range of solar zenith angle, irradiance, and temperature. Along the campaign, a total of 305 capping events have been performed, 61 for each pyranometer. The daytime thermal offset obtained for different pyranometers ranges between 0 and -16.8 W/m2 depending on the environmental conditions, being sometimes notably higher than values estimated indoors by manufacturers. The thermal offset absolute value of all instruments shows a diurnal cycle, increasing from sunrise to central hours of the day and decreasing from midafternoon to sunset. The analysis demonstrates that thermal offset is notably higher and more variable during daytime than during nighttime, requiring specific daytime measurements. Main results emphasize the key role played by wind speed in modulating the thermal offset.

  14. The sensitivity of patient specific IMRT QC to systematic MLC leaf bank offset errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rangel, Alejandra; Palte, Gesa; Dunscombe, Peter

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: Patient specific IMRT QC is performed routinely in many clinics as a safeguard against errors and inaccuracies which may be introduced during the complex planning, data transfer, and delivery phases of this type of treatment. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the feasibility of detecting systematic errors in MLC leaf bank position with patient specific checks. Methods: 9 head and neck (H and N) and 14 prostate IMRT beams were delivered using MLC files containing systematic offsets (±1 mm in two banks, ±0.5 mm in two banks, and 1 mm in one bank of leaves). The beams were measured using both MAPCHECK (Sun Nuclear Corp., Melbourne, FL) and the aS1000 electronic portal imaging device (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA). Comparisons with calculated fields, without offsets, were made using commonly adopted criteria including absolute dose (AD) difference, relative dose difference, distance to agreement (DTA), and the gamma index. Results: The criteria most sensitive to systematic leaf bank offsets were the 3% AD, 3 mm DTA for MAPCHECK and the gamma index with 2% AD and 2 mm DTA for the EPID. The criterion based on the relative dose measurements was the least sensitive to MLC offsets. More highly modulated fields, i.e., H and N, showed greater changes in the percentage of passing points due to systematic MLC inaccuracy than prostate fields. Conclusions: None of the techniques or criteria tested is sufficiently sensitive, with the population of IMRT fields, to detect a systematic MLC offset at a clinically significant level on an individual field. Patient specific QC cannot, therefore, substitute for routine QC of the MLC itself.

  15. The sensitivity of patient specific IMRT QC to systematic MLC leaf bank offset errors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rangel, Alejandra; Palte, Gesa; Dunscombe, Peter [Department of Medical Physics, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, 1331-29 Street NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N2, Canada and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive North West, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4 (Canada); Department of Medical Physics, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, 1331-29 Street NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N2 (Canada); Department of Medical Physics, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, 1331-29 Street NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N2 (Canada); Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4 (Canada) and Department of Oncology, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, 1331-29 Street NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N2 (Canada)

    2010-07-15

    Purpose: Patient specific IMRT QC is performed routinely in many clinics as a safeguard against errors and inaccuracies which may be introduced during the complex planning, data transfer, and delivery phases of this type of treatment. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the feasibility of detecting systematic errors in MLC leaf bank position with patient specific checks. Methods: 9 head and neck (H and N) and 14 prostate IMRT beams were delivered using MLC files containing systematic offsets ({+-}1 mm in two banks, {+-}0.5 mm in two banks, and 1 mm in one bank of leaves). The beams were measured using both MAPCHECK (Sun Nuclear Corp., Melbourne, FL) and the aS1000 electronic portal imaging device (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA). Comparisons with calculated fields, without offsets, were made using commonly adopted criteria including absolute dose (AD) difference, relative dose difference, distance to agreement (DTA), and the gamma index. Results: The criteria most sensitive to systematic leaf bank offsets were the 3% AD, 3 mm DTA for MAPCHECK and the gamma index with 2% AD and 2 mm DTA for the EPID. The criterion based on the relative dose measurements was the least sensitive to MLC offsets. More highly modulated fields, i.e., H and N, showed greater changes in the percentage of passing points due to systematic MLC inaccuracy than prostate fields. Conclusions: None of the techniques or criteria tested is sufficiently sensitive, with the population of IMRT fields, to detect a systematic MLC offset at a clinically significant level on an individual field. Patient specific QC cannot, therefore, substitute for routine QC of the MLC itself.

  16. Channel estimation in DFT-based offset-QAM OFDM systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Jian

    2014-10-20

    Offset quadrature amplitude modulation (offset-QAM) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) exhibits enhanced net data rates compared to conventional OFDM, and reduced complexity compared to Nyquist FDM (N-FDM). However, channel estimation in discrete-Fourier-transform (DFT) based offset-QAM OFDM is different from that in conventional OFDM and requires particular study. In this paper, we derive a closed-form expression for the demultiplexed signal in DFT-based offset-QAM systems and show that although the residual crosstalk is orthogonal to the decoded signal, its existence degrades the channel estimation performance when the conventional least-square method is applied. We propose and investigate four channel estimation algorithms for offset-QAM OFDM that vary in terms of performance, complexity, and tolerance to system parameters. It is theoretically and experimentally shown that simple channel estimation can be realized in offset-QAM OFDM with the achieved performance close to the theoretical limit. This, together with the existing advantages over conventional OFDM and N-FDM, makes this technology very promising for optical communication systems.

  17. Sample Adaptive Offset Optimization in HEVC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yang Zhang

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available As the next generation of video coding standard, High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC adopted many useful tools to improve coding efficiency. Sample Adaptive Offset (SAO, is a technique to reduce sample distortion by providing offsets to pixels in in-loop filter. In SAO, pixels in LCU are classified into several categories, then categories and offsets are given based on Rate-Distortion Optimization (RDO of reconstructed pixels in a Largest Coding Unit (LCU. Pixels in a LCU are operated by the same SAO process, however, transform and inverse transform makes the distortion of pixels in Transform Unit (TU edge larger than the distortion inside TU even after deblocking filtering (DF and SAO. And the categories of SAO can also be refined, since it is not proper for many cases. This paper proposed a TU edge offset mode and a category refinement for SAO in HEVC. Experimental results shows that those two kinds of optimization gets -0.13 and -0.2 gain respectively compared with the SAO in HEVC. The proposed algorithm which using the two kinds of optimization gets -0.23 gain on BD-rate compared with the SAO in HEVC which is a 47 % increase with nearly no increase on coding time.

  18. Handbook of Carbon Offset Programs. Trading Systems, Funds, Protocols and Standards

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kollmuss, Anja; Lazarus, Michael; Lee, Carrie; Polycarp, Clifford (SEI-US (United States)); LeFranc, Maurice (US EPA (United States))

    2010-03-15

    Greenhouse gas (GHG) offsets have long been promoted as an important element of a comprehensive climate policy approach. Offset programs can reduce the overall cost of achieving a given emission goal by enabling emission reductions to occur where costs are lower. Offsets have the potential to deliver sustainability co-benefits, through technology development and transfer. They can also develop human and institutional capacity for reducing emissions in sectors and locations not included in a cap and trade or a mandatory government policy. However, offsets can pose a risk to the environmental integrity of climate actions, especially if issues surrounding additionality, permanence, leakage, quantification and verification are not adequately addressed. The challenge is to design offset programs and policies that can maximize their potential benefits while minimizing their potential risks. This handbook provides a systematic and comprehensive review of existing offset programs. It looks are what offsets are, how offset mechanisms function, and the successes and pitfalls they have encountered. Coverage includes offset programs across the full swath of applications including mandatory and voluntary systems, government regulated and private markets, carbon offset funds, and accounting and reporting protocols such as the WBCSD/WRI GHG Protocol and ISO 14064. Learning from the successes and failures of these programs will be essential to crafting effective climate policy. A reference for regulators, policy makers, business leaders and NGOs concerned with the design and operation of GHG offset programs world-wide

  19. Research on Stress Neutral Layer Offset in the Straightening Process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hailian Gui

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The stress neutral layer offset is analyzed by theoretical and numerical calculation methods. In traditional straightening theory, the stress neutral layer was consistent with the geometric central layer. However, there is a phenomenon that the stress neutral layer has some offset with the geometric neutral layer. This offset is a very important factor for improving the precision of the straightening force. The formula of the stress neutral layer offset is obtained by a theoretical method and the change law is given by numerical calculation method. The neutral layer offset theory provides the theoretical basis for establishing the model of straightening force precisely.

  20. Characteristics and structure of turbulent 3D offset jets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agelin-Chaab, M.; Tachie, M.F.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → We investigated three-dimensional turbulent offset jets using particle image velocimetry. → We examined the effects of offset height and Reynolds number on the structure of 3D offset jets. → Effects of Reynolds number and offset height on the decay and growth rates exist close to the exit. → This study provides additional insight and comprehensive data for validating numerical models. - Abstract: Three-dimensional turbulent offset jets were investigated using a particle image velocimetry technique. The measurements were performed at three different exit Reynolds numbers and for four offset heights. The results in the early region of flow development clearly show significant effects of Reynolds number and offset height on the decay of maximum mean velocity and growth of the shear layer. On the contrary, the decay and spread rates were found to be nearly independent of offset height at larger downstream distances. The decay rates of 1.18 ± 0.03 as well as the spread rates of 0.055 ± 0.001 and 0.250 ± 0.005 obtained, respectively, in the wall-normal and lateral directions fall in the range of values reported in previous studies. The locations of the maximum mean velocities increased nearly linearly with streamwise distance in the self-similar region. Analysis from two-point velocity correlations revealed substantially larger structures in the outer layer and self-similar region than in the inner layer and developing region. It was also observed that the hairpin vortices in the inner regions of the wall jets are inclined at angles of 11.2 o ± 0.6 o , which are in good agreement with reported values in boundary layer studies.

  1. Formation of Offset and Dual Active Galactic Nuclei

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barrows, Scott; Comerford, Julia M.; Greene, Jenny E.

    2018-06-01

    Galaxy mergers are effective mechanisms for triggering accretion onto supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and thereby powering active galactic nuclei (AGN). In the merger scenario, when the SMBH from only one galaxy is accreting we observe a spatially offset AGN, and when the SMBHs from both galaxies are accreting we observe a dual AGN. Understanding the merger conditions that lead to the formation of offset AGN versus dual AGN is fundamental to informing models of hierarchical SMBH growth and the physics leading to the accretion of matter onto SMBHs. However, while the role of galaxy mergers for AGN triggering has been well-studied, the efficiency with which these events trigger offset AGN versus dual AGN is currently unclear. One reason for this gap in knowledge can be attributed to the observational difficulties in distinguishing between offset and dual AGN since doing so requires high spatial resolution, especially in the small separation regime where merger-driven AGN triggering is most likely to occur. To overcome this hurdle, we have utilized the spatial resolution of the Chandra X-ray Observatory to develop a unique sample of AGN hosted by late-stage galaxy mergers. Moreover, we have recently acquired Hubble Space Telescope imaging for a subset of these systems to examine the role that their merger morphologies play in SMBH growth and the formation of offset and dual AGN. We find that offset AGN are predominately found in minor mergers, whereas dual AGN are usually hosted by major mergers and galaxies with large morphological asymmetries. Furthermore, in both offset and dual AGN, the rate of SMBH growth increases toward more major mergers and larger morphological asymmetries. These results are in agreement with numerical simulations predicting that merger morphology is a relevant parameter governing SMBH merger-driven growth, and these results are the first to observationally confirm these trends at small pair separations.

  2. Offset Implementations for Turkey’s International Defense Acquisitions

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-12-01

    has been a source of confusion in the field of offsets and countertrade (Schmidt, 1989, p. 4) Compensatory trade agreements — or reciprocal trade...complementary policy instruments. Countertrade and offset terms have usually been overall terms to define and classify reciprocal trade agreements...motives and characteristics in nature. Author Grant T. Hammond classifies reciprocal trade as countertrade , offsets and barter — which involve all

  3. 36 CFR 1011.10 - How will the Presidio Trust use administrative offset (offset of non-tax federal payments) to...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false How will the Presidio Trust... Trust Debts § 1011.10 How will the Presidio Trust use administrative offset (offset of non-tax federal...) If not already transferred to the FMS under § 1011.9 of this part, the Presidio Trust will refer any...

  4. OLT-centralized sampling frequency offset compensation scheme for OFDM-PON.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Ming; Zhou, Hui; Zheng, Zhiwei; Deng, Rui; Chen, Qinghui; Peng, Miao; Liu, Cuiwei; He, Jing; Chen, Lin; Tang, Xionggui

    2017-08-07

    We propose an optical line terminal (OLT)-centralized sampling frequency offset (SFO) compensation scheme for adaptively-modulated OFDM-PON systems. By using the proposed SFO scheme, the phase rotation and inter-symbol interference (ISI) caused by SFOs between OLT and multiple optical network units (ONUs) can be centrally compensated in the OLT, which reduces the complexity of ONUs. Firstly, the optimal fast Fourier transform (FFT) size is identified in the intensity-modulated and direct-detection (IMDD) OFDM system in the presence of SFO. Then, the proposed SFO compensation scheme including phase rotation modulation (PRM) and length-adaptive OFDM frame has been experimentally demonstrated in the downlink transmission of an adaptively modulated optical OFDM with the optimal FFT size. The experimental results show that up to ± 300 ppm SFO can be successfully compensated without introducing any receiver performance penalties.

  5. Estimates of Future Supply of International Greenhouse Gas Offsets: A Critical Review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Erickson, Peter; Lazarus, Michael (Stockholm Environment Inst. (United States)), e-mail: mlaz@sei-us.org; Kelly, Alexia (World Resources Inst., (United States))

    2010-07-01

    This report reviews estimates of the projected availability (i.e., supply) of international offsets, evaluates the various methods used and outlines factors that should be incorporated into future analyses of international offset supply and quality. U.S. policymakers have relied on offsets from developing countries as a primary form of cost containment in proposed cap-and-trade legislation. These legislative proposals allow for emitters to use up to 1.5 billion tons CO{sub 2}e of offsets from developing countries to meet their annual compliance obligations. In this paper, we review estimates of the projected availability (i.e., supply) of international offsets, and evaluate the various methods used. We find that: (1) Estimates of supply of international offsets to global markets vary widely, with estimates differing by billions of tons CO{sub 2}e annually in 2020; (2) Despite the variation, existing studies suggest that by 2020 gross international offset supply will likely exceed U.S. demand for international offsets under current Congressional cap-and-trade designs; (3) Competition with governments and entities with emission reduction obligations (e.g. the EU), as well as with policies and measures undertaken by developing countries as part of their own mitigation contributions, could reduce the net offset supply available to U.S. entities; and (4) Several important offset program design and market factors that are central to future offset markets and credit issuance (e.g., sources of offset supply, program stringency and crediting methods, establishment of international governance and market structures) have yet to be systematically considered in offset supply assessments. This paper outlines factors that should be incorporated into future analyses of international offset supply and quality. 7 Such analyses could prove particularly germane as policy makers continue to deliberate on the role of international offsets, including whether and how to recognize credits

  6. 41 CFR 105-56.027 - Centralized salary offset computer match.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Centralized salary... Services Administration 56-SALARY OFFSET FOR INDEBTEDNESS OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES TO THE UNITED STATES Centralized Salary Offset (CSO) Procedures-GSA as Paying Agency § 105-56.027 Centralized salary offset...

  7. 41 CFR 105-56.017 - Centralized salary offset computer match.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Centralized salary... Services Administration 56-SALARY OFFSET FOR INDEBTEDNESS OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES TO THE UNITED STATES Centralized Salary Offset (CSO) Procedures-GSA as Creditor Agency § 105-56.017 Centralized salary offset...

  8. Net present biodiversity value and the design of biodiversity offsets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Overton, Jacob McC; Stephens, R T Theo; Ferrier, Simon

    2013-02-01

    There is an urgent need to develop sound theory and practice for biodiversity offsets to provide a better basis for offset multipliers, to improve accounting for time delays in offset repayments, and to develop a common framework for evaluating in-kind and out-of-kind offsets. Here, we apply concepts and measures from systematic conservation planning and financial accounting to provide a basis for determining equity across type (of biodiversity), space, and time. We introduce net present biodiversity value (NPBV) as a theoretical and practical measure for defining the offset required to achieve no-net-loss. For evaluating equity in type and space we use measures of biodiversity value from systematic conservation planning. Time discount rates are used to address risk of non-repayment, and loss of utility. We illustrate these concepts and measures with two examples of biodiversity impact-offset transactions. Considerable further work is required to understand the characteristics of these approaches.

  9. Measuring coseismic displacements with point-like targets offset tracking

    KAUST Repository

    Hu, Xie; Wang, Teng; Liao, Mingsheng

    2014-01-01

    Offset tracking is an important complement to measure large ground displacements in both azimuth and range dimensions where synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry is unfeasible. Subpixel offsets can be obtained by searching for the cross-correlation peak calculated from the match patches uniformly distributed on two SAR images. However, it has its limitations, including redundant computation and incorrect estimations on decorrelated patches. In this letter, we propose a simple strategy that performs offset tracking on detected point-like targets (PT). We first detect image patches within bright PT by using a sinc-like template from a single SAR image and then perform offset tracking on them to obtain the pixel shifts. Compared with the standard method, the application on the 2010 M 7.2 El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake shows that the proposed PT offset tracking can significantly increase the cross-correlation and thus result in both efficiency and reliability improvements. © 2013 IEEE.

  10. 12 CFR 1704.29 - Coordinating salary offset with other agencies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Coordinating salary offset with other agencies... HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT OFHEO ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTIONS DEBT COLLECTION Salary Offset § 1704.29 Coordinating salary offset with other agencies. (a) Responsibility of OFHEO as the creditor agency. (1) OFHEO...

  11. MSK and offset QPSK modulation with bandlimiting filters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prabhu, V. K.

    1981-01-01

    It is considered by some that minimum shift keying (MSK) is spectrally more efficient than quaternary phase-shift keying/offset quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK/OQPSK). An analytical method is presented here for determining the detection efficiencies of MSK and QPSK/OQPSK when the constant-envelope signal is passed through a set of filters and when the resulting signal is corrupted by Gaussian noise. The detection efficiency of MSK is compared with that of QPSK/OQPSK when a four-pole Butterworth filter is used as a transmit filter and for two different receive filter functions. When the two-sided 3-dB bandwidth of the transmit filter is between approximately 1.00/T and 1.50/T, it is shown that the detection efficiency of MSK is not substantially different from that of QPSK/OQPSK. For more severe bandlimiting of the signal, the performance of MSK is shown to be inferior to that of QPSK/OQPSK. It is, therefore, concluded that MSK does not have significantly better detection efficiency when the effect of bandlimiting filters is taken into account.

  12. 5 CFR 1639.28 - Coordinating salary offset with other agencies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Coordinating salary offset with other... CLAIMS COLLECTION Salary Offset § 1639.28 Coordinating salary offset with other agencies. (a... employee is in the process of separating and has not received a final salary check or other final payment(s...

  13. Possible correlations between gamma-ray burst and its host galaxy offset

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Fei-Fei; Zou, Yuan-Chuan; Liu, Yu; Liao, Bin; Moharana, Reetanjali

    2018-06-01

    We collected the information of 304 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) from the literature, and analyzed the correlations among the host galaxy offsets (the distance from the site of the GRB to the center of its host galaxy), T90,i (the duration T90 in rest-frame), TR45,i (the duration TR45 in rest-frame), Eγ,iso (the isotropic equivalent energy), Lγ,iso (=Eγ,iso /T90,i, the isotropic equivalent luminosity) and Lpk (peak luminosity). We found that T90,i, TR45,i, Eγ,iso, Lpk have negative correlation with offset, which is consistent with origin of short GRBs (SGRBs) and long GRBs (LGRBs). On separate analysis, we found similar results for log ⁡Eγ,iso - log ⁡ (offset) and log ⁡Lpk - log ⁡ (offset) relations in case of SGRBs only, while no obvious relation for LGRBs. There is no correlations between offset and Lγ,iso. We also put the special GRB 170817A and GRB 060218A on the plots. The two GRBs both have low luminosity and small offset. In the log ⁡ (offset) - log ⁡T90,i plot, we found GRB 170817A locates in between the two regions of SGRBs and LGRBs and it is the outlier in the offset -Eγ,iso, offset -Lγ,iso and offset -Lpk plots. Together with GRB 060218A being an outlier in all plots, it indicates the speciality of GRBs 170817A and 060218A, and might imply more subgroups of the GRB samples.

  14. Offsets and conservation of the species of the EU habitats and birds directives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Regnery, Baptiste; Couvet, Denis; Kerbiriou, Christian

    2013-12-01

    Biodiversity offsets are intended to achieve no net loss of biodiversity due to economic and human development. A variety of biodiversity components are addressed by offset policies. It is required that loss of protected species due to development be offset under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives in Europe. We call this type of offset a species-equality offset because the offset pertains to the same species affected by the development project. Whether species equality can be achieved by offset design is unknown. We addressed this gap by reviewing derogation files (i.e., specific files that describe mitigation measures to ensure no net loss under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives) from 85 development projects in France (2009-2010). We collected information on type of effect (reversible vs. irreversible) and characteristics of affected and offset sites (i.e., types of species, total area). We analyzed how the type of effect and the affected-site characteristics influenced the occurrence of offset measures. The proportion of species targeted by offset measures (i.e., offset species) increased with the irreversibility of the effect of development and the conservation status of the species affected by development (i.e., affected species). Not all effects on endangered species (International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List) were offset; on average, 82% of affected species would be offset. Twenty-six percent of species of least concern were offset species. Thirty-five percent of development projects considered all affected species in their offset measures. Species richness was much lower in offset sites than in developed sites even after offset proposals. For developed areas where species richness was relatively high before development, species richness at offset sites was 5-10 times lower. The species-equality principle appears to have been applied only partially in offset policies, as in the EU directives. We suggest the application of this principle

  15. Weak-light phase locking for LISA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McNamara, Paul W

    2005-01-01

    The long armlengths of the LISA interferometer, and the finite aperture of the telescope, lead to an optical power attenuation of ∼10 -10 of the transmitted to received light. Simple reflection at the end of the arm is therefore not an optimum interferometric design. Instead, a local laser is offset phase locked to the weak incoming beam, transferring the phase information of the incoming to the outgoing light. This paper reports on an experiment to characterize a weak-light phase-locking scheme suitable for LISA in which a diode-pumped, Nd:YAG, non-planar ring oscillator (NPRO) is offset phase locked to a low-power (13 pW) frequency stabilized master NPRO. Preliminary results of the relative phase noise of the slave laser shows shot noise limited performance above 0.4 Hz. Excess noise is observed at lower frequencies, most probably due to thermal effects in the optical arrangement and phase-sensing electronics

  16. Common-image gathers in the offset domain from reverse-time migration

    KAUST Repository

    Zhan, Ge; Zhang, Minyu

    2014-01-01

    Kirchhoff migration is flexible to output common-image gathers (CIGs) in the offset domain by imaging data with different offsets separately. These CIGs supply important information for velocity model updates and amplitude-variation-with-offset (AVO

  17. 45 CFR 1179.8 - Procedures for salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Procedures for salary offset. 1179.8 Section 1179... AND THE HUMANITIES NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES SALARY OFFSET § 1179.8 Procedures for salary... to final salary payment or leave in accordance with 31 U.S.C. 3716. ...

  18. The isotropic radio background revisited

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fornengo, Nicolao; Regis, Marco [Dipartimento di Fisica Teorica, Università di Torino, via P. Giuria 1, I–10125 Torino (Italy); Lineros, Roberto A. [Instituto de Física Corpuscular – CSIC/U. Valencia, Parc Científic, calle Catedrático José Beltrán, 2, E-46980 Paterna (Spain); Taoso, Marco, E-mail: fornengo@to.infn.it, E-mail: rlineros@ific.uv.es, E-mail: regis@to.infn.it, E-mail: taoso@cea.fr [Institut de Physique Théorique, CEA/Saclay, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cédex (France)

    2014-04-01

    We present an extensive analysis on the determination of the isotropic radio background. We consider six different radio maps, ranging from 22 MHz to 2.3 GHz and covering a large fraction of the sky. The large scale emission is modeled as a linear combination of an isotropic component plus the Galactic synchrotron radiation and thermal bremsstrahlung. Point-like and extended sources are either masked or accounted for by means of a template. We find a robust estimate of the isotropic radio background, with limited scatter among different Galactic models. The level of the isotropic background lies significantly above the contribution obtained by integrating the number counts of observed extragalactic sources. Since the isotropic component dominates at high latitudes, thus making the profile of the total emission flat, a Galactic origin for such excess appears unlikely. We conclude that, unless a systematic offset is present in the maps, and provided that our current understanding of the Galactic synchrotron emission is reasonable, extragalactic sources well below the current experimental threshold seem to account for the majority of the brightness of the extragalactic radio sky.

  19. The isotropic radio background revisited

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fornengo, Nicolao; Regis, Marco; Lineros, Roberto A.; Taoso, Marco

    2014-01-01

    We present an extensive analysis on the determination of the isotropic radio background. We consider six different radio maps, ranging from 22 MHz to 2.3 GHz and covering a large fraction of the sky. The large scale emission is modeled as a linear combination of an isotropic component plus the Galactic synchrotron radiation and thermal bremsstrahlung. Point-like and extended sources are either masked or accounted for by means of a template. We find a robust estimate of the isotropic radio background, with limited scatter among different Galactic models. The level of the isotropic background lies significantly above the contribution obtained by integrating the number counts of observed extragalactic sources. Since the isotropic component dominates at high latitudes, thus making the profile of the total emission flat, a Galactic origin for such excess appears unlikely. We conclude that, unless a systematic offset is present in the maps, and provided that our current understanding of the Galactic synchrotron emission is reasonable, extragalactic sources well below the current experimental threshold seem to account for the majority of the brightness of the extragalactic radio sky

  20. 6 CFR 13.44 - Right to administrative offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 6 Domestic Security 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Right to administrative offset. 13.44 Section 13.44 Domestic Security DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY PROGRAM FRAUD CIVIL REMEDIES § 13.44 Right to administrative offset. The amount of any penalty or assessment that has become...

  1. 22 CFR 213.21 - Employee salary offset-general.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Employee salary offset-general. 213.21 Section... § 213.21 Employee salary offset—general. (a) Purpose. This section establishes USAID's policies and... account of an employee. (b) Scope. The provisions of this section apply to collection by salary offset...

  2. Impacts of GNSS position offsets on global frame stability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Griffiths, Jake; Ray, Jim

    2014-05-01

    Positional offsets appear in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) time series for a variety of reasons. Antenna or radome changes are the most common cause for these discontinuities. Many others are from earthquakes, receiver changes, and different anthropogenic modifications at or near the stations. Some jumps appear for unknown or undocumented reasons. The accurate determination of station velocities, and therefore geophysical parameters and terrestrial reference frames, requires that positional offsets be correctly found and compensated. Williams (2003) found that undetected offsets introduce a random walk error component in individual station time series. The topic of detecting positional offsets has received considerable attention in recent years (e.g., Detection of Offsets in GPS Experiment; DOGEx), and most research groups using GNSS have adopted a combination of manual and automated methods for finding them. The removal of a positional offset is usually handled by estimating the average station position on both sides of the discontinuity, assuming a constant, continuous velocity. This is sufficient in the absence of time-correlated errors. However, GNSS time series contain systematic and power-law errors (white to random walk noise). In this paper, we aim to evaluate the impact to both individual station results and the overall stability of the global reference frame from adding increasing numbers of positional discontinuities. We use the International GNSS Service (IGS) weekly SINEX files, and iteratively insert positional offset parameters at the midpoint of each data segment. Each iteration includes a restacking of the modified SINEX files using the CATREF software from Institut National de l'Information Géographique et Forestière (IGN) to estimate: regularized station positions, secular velocities, Earth orientation parameters, Helmert frame alignment parameters, and the empirical shifts across all positional discontinuities. A comparison of the

  3. "3D_Fault_Offsets," a Matlab Code to Automatically Measure Lateral and Vertical Fault Offsets in Topographic Data: Application to San Andreas, Owens Valley, and Hope Faults

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stewart, N.; Gaudemer, Y.; Manighetti, I.; Serreau, L.; Vincendeau, A.; Dominguez, S.; Mattéo, L.; Malavieille, J.

    2018-01-01

    Measuring fault offsets preserved at the ground surface is of primary importance to recover earthquake and long-term slip distributions and understand fault mechanics. The recent explosion of high-resolution topographic data, such as Lidar and photogrammetric digital elevation models, offers an unprecedented opportunity to measure dense collections of fault offsets. We have developed a new Matlab code, 3D_Fault_Offsets, to automate these measurements. In topographic data, 3D_Fault_Offsets mathematically identifies and represents nine of the most prominent geometric characteristics of common sublinear markers along faults (especially strike slip) in 3-D, such as the streambed (minimum elevation), top, free face and base of channel banks or scarps (minimum Laplacian, maximum gradient, and maximum Laplacian), and ridges (maximum elevation). By calculating best fit lines through the nine point clouds on either side of the fault, the code computes the lateral and vertical offsets between the piercing points of these lines onto the fault plane, providing nine lateral and nine vertical offset measures per marker. Through a Monte Carlo approach, the code calculates the total uncertainty on each offset. It then provides tools to statistically analyze the dense collection of measures and to reconstruct the prefaulted marker geometry in the horizontal and vertical planes. We applied 3D_Fault_Offsets to remeasure previously published offsets across 88 markers on the San Andreas, Owens Valley, and Hope faults. We obtained 5,454 lateral and vertical offset measures. These automatic measures compare well to prior ones, field and remote, while their rich record provides new insights on the preservation of fault displacements in the morphology.

  4. 22 CFR 213.22 - Salary offset when USAID is the creditor agency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Salary offset when USAID is the creditor agency... Administrative Offset § 213.22 Salary offset when USAID is the creditor agency. (a) Due process requirements... through salary offset, USAID will first provide the employee with the opportunity to pay in full the...

  5. 7 CFR 3.81 - Procedures for salary offset: when deductions may begin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Procedures for salary offset: when deductions may... Salary Offset § 3.81 Procedures for salary offset: when deductions may begin. (a) Deductions to liquidate... Offset Salary to collect from the employee's current pay. (b) If the employee filed a petition for a...

  6. 40 CFR 13.22 - Salary offset when EPA is the creditor agency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Salary offset when EPA is the creditor... COLLECTION STANDARDS Administrative Offset § 13.22 Salary offset when EPA is the creditor agency. (a... through salary offset, EPA will first provide the employee with the opportunity to pay in full the amount...

  7. 45 CFR 33.8 - Voluntary repayment agreement in lieu of salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Voluntary repayment agreement in lieu of salary... SALARY OFFSET § 33.8 Voluntary repayment agreement in lieu of salary offset. (a)(1) In response to the... notice of intent to offset. An employee who wishes to repay the debt without salary offset shall also...

  8. 36 CFR 1201.32 - What are NARA's procedures for salary offset?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... for salary offset? 1201.32 Section 1201.32 Parks, Forests, and Public Property NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION GENERAL RULES COLLECTION OF CLAIMS Salary Offset § 1201.32 What are NARA's procedures for salary offset? (a) NARA will coordinate salary deductions under this subpart as appropriate...

  9. BPM Offset Determination by Sinusoidal Quadrupole K-modulation

    CERN Document Server

    Baer, T; Wenninger, J

    2011-01-01

    To ensure an adequate orbit steering that maximizes the machine aperture, a good knowledge of the BPM measurement offsets is crucial. During this MD, a sinusoidal k-modulation of individually powered quadrupoles was performed to determine the offsets of the nearby BPMs. An accuracy of 10µm for the determination of the absolute beam position is reached.

  10. Offsetting the impacts of mining to achieve no net loss of native vegetation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sonter, L J; Barrett, D J; Soares-Filho, B S

    2014-08-01

    Offsets are a novel conservation tool, yet using them to achieve no net loss of biodiversity is challenging. This is especially true when using conservation offsets (i.e., protected areas) because achieving no net loss requires avoiding equivalent loss. Our objective was to determine if offsetting the impacts of mining achieves no net loss of native vegetation in Brazil's largest iron mining region. We used a land-use change model to simulate deforestation by mining to 2020; developed a model to allocate conservation offsets to the landscape under 3 scenarios (baseline, no new offsets; current practice, like-for-like [by vegetation type] conservation offsetting near the impact site; and threat scenario, like-for-like conservation offsetting of highly threatened vegetation); and simulated nonmining deforestation to 2020 for each scenario to quantify avoided deforestation achieved with offsets. Mines cleared 3570 ha of native vegetation by 2020. Under a 1:4 offset ratio, mining companies would be required to conserve >14,200 ha of native vegetation, doubling the current extent of protected areas in the region. Allocating offsets under current practice avoided deforestation equivalent to 3% of that caused by mining, whereas allocating under the threat scenario avoided 9%. Current practice failed to achieve no net loss because offsets did not conserve threatened vegetation. Explicit allocation of offsets to threatened vegetation also failed because the most threatened vegetation was widely dispersed across the landscape, making conservation logistically difficult. To achieve no net loss with conservation offsets requires information on regional deforestation trajectories and the distribution of threatened vegetation. However, in some regions achieving no net loss through conservation may be impossible. In these cases, other offsetting activities, such as revegetation, will be required. © 2014 Society for Conservation Biology.

  11. Offsets : An innovative approach to reducing greenhouse gases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Steward, B.

    1998-01-01

    One of the most innovative ways to address climate change is the use of offsets, which refers to actions taken outside of a company's operations, domestically and internationally, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This paper is devoted to a discussion of Suncor Energy's action plan for greenhouse gases which include offsets, and to an explanation of the reasons why offsets are fundamental to successful greenhouse gas management. Suncor Energy Inc., has developed a plan with seven elements to meet their target of stabilizing their greenhouse gas emissions at 1990 levels by year 2000. The seven elements include: (1) energy efficiency and process improvements at their oil sands facility, (2) the development of alternative and renewable sources of energy, such as ethanol blended gasolines and the use of wind turbines to generate electricity, (3) promoting environmental and economic research to develop more advanced oil and gas technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, (4) implementing a constructive public policy input in support of sustainable development, (5) educating employees, customers and communities on global climate change, (6) measuring and reporting the company's environmental progress, and (7) pursuing domestic and international offset opportunities such as transfer of technology to developing countries, cogeneration of energy using natural gas, energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, emission reduction purchases and forest conservation. Of these proposed measures, offsets are the critical element which could spell the difference between success and failure in managing greenhouse gas emissions and the difference between economic hardship and economic opportunity

  12. 24 CFR 17.137 - Procedures for salary offset: imposition of interest.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Procedures for salary offset: imposition of interest. 17.137 Section 17.137 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... the Government Salary Offset Provisions § 17.137 Procedures for salary offset: imposition of interest...

  13. 24 CFR 17.136 - Procedures for salary offset: methods of collection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Procedures for salary offset: methods of collection. 17.136 Section 17.136 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... the Government Salary Offset Provisions § 17.136 Procedures for salary offset: methods of collection...

  14. 24 CFR 17.135 - Procedures for salary offset: types of collection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Procedures for salary offset: types of collection. 17.135 Section 17.135 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... the Government Salary Offset Provisions § 17.135 Procedures for salary offset: types of collection. A...

  15. 12 CFR 608.841 - Requesting current paying agency to offset salary.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... salary. 608.841 Section 608.841 Banks and Banking FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS COLLECTION OF CLAIMS OWED THE UNITED STATES Offset Against Salary § 608.841 Requesting current paying agency to offset salary. (a) To request a paying agency to impose a salary offset against amounts owed to...

  16. 7 CFR 3.83 - Procedures for salary offset: methods of collection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Procedures for salary offset: methods of collection. 3.83 Section 3.83 Agriculture Office of the Secretary of Agriculture DEBT MANAGEMENT Federal Salary Offset § 3.83 Procedures for salary offset: methods of collection. (a) General. A debt will be collected...

  17. 12 CFR 1408.41 - Requesting current paying agency to offset salary.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... salary. 1408.41 Section 1408.41 Banks and Banking FARM CREDIT SYSTEM INSURANCE CORPORATION COLLECTION OF CLAIMS OWED THE UNITED STATES Offset Against Salary § 1408.41 Requesting current paying agency to offset salary. (a) To request a paying agency to impose a salary offset against amounts owed to the debtor, the...

  18. 7 CFR 3.82 - Procedures for salary offset: types of collection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Procedures for salary offset: types of collection. 3.82 Section 3.82 Agriculture Office of the Secretary of Agriculture DEBT MANAGEMENT Federal Salary Offset § 3.82 Procedures for salary offset: types of collection. A debt will be collected in a lump-sum...

  19. 7 CFR 400.141 - Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Tax Refund Offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Tax Refund Offset. 400...-Regulations for the 1986 and Succeeding Crop Years § 400.141 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Tax Refund Offset... debt owing to any Federal agency by offset against a taxpayer's Federal income tax refund. This section...

  20. THE NATURE OF ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI WITH VELOCITY OFFSET EMISSION LINES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Müller-Sánchez, F.; Comerford, J. [Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309 (United States); Stern, D. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Harrison, F. A. [California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

    2016-10-10

    We obtained Keck/OSIRIS near-IR adaptive optics-assisted integral-field spectroscopy to probe the morphology and kinematics of the ionized gas in four velocity-offset active galactic nuclei (AGNs) from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. These objects possess optical emission lines that are offset in velocity from systemic as measured from stellar absorption features. At a resolution of ∼0.″18, OSIRIS allows us to distinguish which velocity offset emission lines are produced by the motion of an AGN in a dual supermassive black hole system, and which are produced by outflows or other kinematic structures. In three galaxies, J1018+2941, J1055+1520, and J1346+5228, the spectral offset of the emission lines is caused by AGN-driven outflows. In the remaining galaxy, J1117+6140, a counterrotating nuclear disk is observed that contains the peak of Pa α emission 0.″2 from the center of the galaxy. The most plausible explanation for the origin of this spatially and kinematically offset peak is that it is a region of enhanced Pa α emission located at the intersection zone between the nuclear disk and the bar of the galaxy. In all four objects, the peak of ionized gas emission is not spatially coincident with the center of the galaxy as traced by the peak of the near-IR continuum emission. The peaks of ionized gas emission are spatially offset from the galaxy centers by 0.″1–0.″4 (0.1–0.7 kpc). We find that the velocity offset originates at the location of this peak of emission, and the value of the offset can be directly measured in the velocity maps. The emission-line ratios of these four velocity-offset AGNs can be reproduced only with a mixture of shocks and AGN photoionization. Shocks provide a natural explanation for the origin of the spatially and spectrally offset peaks of ionized gas emission in these galaxies.

  1. 38 CFR 3.658 - Offsets; dependency and indemnity compensation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Offsets; dependency and... AFFAIRS ADJUDICATION Pension, Compensation, and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation Adjustments and Resumptions § 3.658 Offsets; dependency and indemnity compensation. (a) When an award of dependency and...

  2. Black-body anomaly: analysis of temperature offsets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Szopa, M.; Hofmann, R.; Schwarz, M.; Giacosa, F.

    2008-01-01

    Based on the postulate that photon propagation is governed by a dynamically broken SU(2) gauge symmetry (scale ∝10 -4 eV) we make predictions for temperature offsets due to a low-temperature (a few times the present CMB temperature) spectral anomaly at low frequencies. Temperature offsets are extracted from least-square fits of the anomalous black-body spectra to their conventional counterparts. We discuss statistical errors, compare our results with those obtained from calibration data of the FIRAS instrument, and point out that our predicted offsets are screened by experimental errors given the frequency range used by FIRAS to perform their spectral fits. We also make contact with the WMAP observation by blueshifting their frequency bands. Although our results hint towards a strong dynamical component in the CMB dipole and an explanation of low-l suppression, it is important in view of its particle-physics implications that the above postulate be verified/falsified by an independent low-temperature black-body precision experiment. (orig.)

  3. Offset-electrode profile acquisition strategy for electrical resistivity tomography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robbins, Austin R.; Plattner, Alain

    2018-04-01

    We present an electrode layout strategy that allows electrical resistivity profiles to image the third dimension close to the profile plane. This "offset-electrode profile" approach involves laterally displacing electrodes away from the profile line in an alternating fashion and then inverting the resulting data using three-dimensional electrical resistivity tomography software. In our synthetic and field surveys, the offset-electrode method succeeds in revealing three-dimensional structures in the vicinity of the profile plane, which we could not achieve using three-dimensional inversions of linear profiles. We confirm and explain the limits of linear electrode profiles through a discussion of the three-dimensional sensitivity patterns: For a homogeneous starting model together with a linear electrode layout, all sensitivities remain symmetric with respect to the profile plane through each inversion step. This limitation can be overcome with offset-electrode layouts by breaking the symmetry pattern among the sensitivities. Thanks to freely available powerful three-dimensional resistivity tomography software and cheap modern computing power, the requirement for full three-dimensional calculations does not create a significant burden and renders the offset-electrode approach a cost-effective method. By offsetting the electrodes in an alternating pattern, as opposed to laying the profile out in a U-shape, we minimize shortening the profile length.

  4. Automatic NMR field-frequency lock-pulsed phase locked loop approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kan, S; Gonord, P; Fan, M; Sauzade, M; Courtieu, J

    1978-06-01

    A self-contained deuterium frequency-field lock scheme for a high-resolution NMR spectrometer is described. It is based on phase locked loop techniques in which the free induction decay signal behaves as a voltage-controlled oscillator. By pulsing the spins at an offset frequency of a few hundred hertz and using a digital phase-frequency discriminator this method not only eliminates the usual phase, rf power, offset adjustments needed in conventional lock systems but also possesses the automatic pull-in characteristics that dispense with the use of field sweeps to locate the NMR line prior to closure of the lock loop.

  5. A Computer Simulation of the System-Wide Effects of Parallel-Offset Route Maneuvers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lauderdale, Todd A.; Santiago, Confesor; Pankok, Carl

    2010-01-01

    Most aircraft managed by air-traffic controllers in the National Airspace System are capable of flying parallel-offset routes. This paper presents the results of two related studies on the effects of increased use of offset routes as a conflict resolution maneuver. The first study analyzes offset routes in the context of all standard resolution types which air-traffic controllers currently use. This study shows that by utilizing parallel-offset route maneuvers, significant system-wide savings in delay due to conflict resolution of up to 30% are possible. It also shows that most offset resolutions replace horizontal-vectoring resolutions. The second study builds on the results of the first and directly compares offset resolutions and standard horizontal-vectoring maneuvers to determine that in-trail conflicts are often more efficiently resolved by offset maneuvers.

  6. Should breast MRI be performed with adjustment for the phase in patients’ menstrual cycle? Correlation between mammographic density, age, and background enhancement on breast MRI without adjusting for the phase in patients’ menstrual cycle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uematsu, Takayoshi; Kasami, Masako; Watanabe, Junichiro

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the correlation between mammographic density, age, and background enhancement on breast MRI without adjusting for the phase in patients’ menstrual cycle. Material and methods: The background enhancement of bilateral breast MRI and the breast density of mammography in 146 consecutive women without adjusting for the phase in patients’ menstrual cycle were reviewed. The breast density was classified into four categories according to the American College of Radiology the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System lexicon. The background enhancement was classified into four categories: minimal, mild, moderate, and marked. The correlations of mammographic breast density as well as age with background enhancement on breast MRI were examined. Results: There was a significant correlation between mammographic breast density and background enhancement (p = 0.011). All nine cases with almost completely fat mammographic breast density showed minimal (78%) or mild (12%) background enhancement on breast MRI. There was a significant inverse correlation between age and background enhancement (p < 0.0001). Younger patients with dense breasts were more likely to demonstrate moderate/marked background enhancement. Conclusion: When no adjusting for the phase in patients’ menstrual cycle, a significant correlation was observed between background enhancement and mammographic density. A significant inverse correlation was also observed between age and background enhancement.

  7. Success Factors in Offset Deals: A Case Study Based Examination

    OpenAIRE

    Heinz Kirchwehm

    2014-01-01

    The requests for offset obligations occurs primarily in the area of arms imports and covers the full range of industrial and commercial benefits that companies provide to foreign governments as inducements or conditions for the purchase of military goods and services. Increasingly, all major contracts ask for offset obligations. They are now key differentiators in major contracts and it is a fast growing market. For the suppliers, offsets are a key differentiator in earning new business and t...

  8. Offsets in International Weapons Acquisitions: The Turkish Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    2002-03-01

    Countertrade : In addition to the types of offsets defined above, various types of commercial countertrade arrangements may be required. A contract may...Offsets, Industrial Participation and Countertrade ,” A Compendium of Developments in the Military and Civil Sectors 1995-2000, Presidential Commission...www.ssm.gov.tr/english/projekriterlering.htm ) Internet accessed 14 January 2002b. Schaffer, Lindsey. Winning The Countertrade War, (New York, John Wiley

  9. Carrier-envelope offset frequency stabilization of an ultrafast semiconductor laser

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jornod, Nayara; Gürel, Kutan; Wittwer, Valentin J.; Brochard, Pierre; Hakobyan, Sargis; Schilt, Stéphane; Waldburger, Dominik; Keller, Ursula; Südmeyer, Thomas

    2018-02-01

    We present the self-referenced stabilization of the carrier-envelope offset (CEO) frequency of a semiconductor disk laser. The laser is a SESAM-modelocked VECSEL emitting at a wavelength of 1034 nm with a repetition frequency of 1.8 GHz. The 270-fs pulses are amplified to 3 W and compressed to 120 fs for the generation of a coherent octavespanning supercontinuum spectrum. A quasi-common-path f-to-2f interferometer enables the detection of the CEO beat with a signal-to-noise ratio of 30 dB sufficient for its frequency stabilization. The CEO frequency is phase-locked to an external reference with a feedback signal applied to the pump current.

  10. Tuning SISO offset-free Model Predictive Control based on ARX models

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Huusom, Jakob Kjøbsted; Poulsen, Niels Kjølstad; Jørgensen, Sten Bay

    2012-01-01

    , the proposed controller is simple to tune as it has only one free tuning parameter. These two features are advantageous in predictive process control as they simplify industrial commissioning of MPC. Disturbance rejection and offset-free control is important in industrial process control. To achieve offset......In this paper, we present a tuning methodology for a simple offset-free SISO Model Predictive Controller (MPC) based on autoregressive models with exogenous inputs (ARX models). ARX models simplify system identification as they can be identified from data using convex optimization. Furthermore......-free control in face of unknown disturbances or model-plant mismatch, integrators must be introduced in either the estimator or the regulator. Traditionally, offset-free control is achieved using Brownian disturbance models in the estimator. In this paper we achieve offset-free control by extending the noise...

  11. First-arrival Tomography Using the Double-square-root Equation Solver Stepping in Subsurface Offset

    KAUST Repository

    Serdyukov, A.S.

    2013-01-01

    Double-square-root (DSR) equation can be viewed as a Hamilton-Jacobi equation describing kinematics of downward data continuation in depth. It describes simultaneous propagation of source and receiver rays assuming that they are nowhere horizontal. Thus it is not suitable for describing diving waves. This equation can be rewritten in a new form when stepping is made in subsurface offset instead of depth. In this form it can be used for describing traveltimes of diving waves in prestack seismic data. This equation can be solved using WENO-RK numerical scheme. Prestack traveltimes (for multiple sources) can be computed in one run thus speeding up solution of the forward problem. We derive linearized version of this new DSR equation that can be used for tomographic inversion of first-arrival traveltimes. Here we used a ray-based tomographic inversion consisting of the following steps: get numerical solution of the offset DSR equation in the background velocity model, back trace DSR rays connecting receivers to sources, update velocity model using truncated SVD pseudoinverse. This approach was tested on a synthetic model generating diving waves.

  12. 41 CFR 105-56.008 - Pre-offset paper hearing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Pre-offset paper hearing. 105-56.008 Section 105-56.008 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Property Management... General Services Administration Employees § 105-56.008 Pre-offset paper hearing. If a hearing is to be...

  13. 22 CFR 213.23 - Salary offset when USAID is not the creditor agency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Salary offset when USAID is not the creditor... Administrative Offset § 213.23 Salary offset when USAID is not the creditor agency. (a) USAID will use salary... installment, if a date other than the next established pay period. (b) Requests for salary offset must be sent...

  14. On determining fluxgate magnetometer spin axis offsets from mirror mode observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plaschke, Ferdinand; Narita, Yasuhito

    2016-09-01

    In-flight calibration of fluxgate magnetometers that are mounted on spacecraft involves finding their outputs in vanishing ambient fields, the so-called magnetometer offsets. If the spacecraft is spin-stabilized, then the spin plane components of these offsets can be relatively easily determined, as they modify the spin tone content in the de-spun magnetic field data. The spin axis offset, however, is more difficult to determine. Therefore, usually Alfvénic fluctuations in the solar wind are used. We propose a novel method to determine the spin axis offset: the mirror mode method. The method is based on the assumption that mirror mode fluctuations are nearly compressible such that the maximum variance direction is aligned to the mean magnetic field. Mirror mode fluctuations are typically found in the Earth's magnetosheath region. We introduce the method and provide a first estimate of its accuracy based on magnetosheath observations by the THEMIS-C spacecraft. We find that 20 h of magnetosheath measurements may already be sufficient to obtain high-accuracy spin axis offsets with uncertainties on the order of a few tenths of a nanotesla, if offset stability can be assumed.

  15. On determining fluxgate magnetometer spin axis offsets from mirror mode observations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Plaschke

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available In-flight calibration of fluxgate magnetometers that are mounted on spacecraft involves finding their outputs in vanishing ambient fields, the so-called magnetometer offsets. If the spacecraft is spin-stabilized, then the spin plane components of these offsets can be relatively easily determined, as they modify the spin tone content in the de-spun magnetic field data. The spin axis offset, however, is more difficult to determine. Therefore, usually Alfvénic fluctuations in the solar wind are used. We propose a novel method to determine the spin axis offset: the mirror mode method. The method is based on the assumption that mirror mode fluctuations are nearly compressible such that the maximum variance direction is aligned to the mean magnetic field. Mirror mode fluctuations are typically found in the Earth's magnetosheath region. We introduce the method and provide a first estimate of its accuracy based on magnetosheath observations by the THEMIS-C spacecraft. We find that 20 h of magnetosheath measurements may already be sufficient to obtain high-accuracy spin axis offsets with uncertainties on the order of a few tenths of a nanotesla, if offset stability can be assumed.

  16. Performance and Vibration Analyses of Lift-Offset Helicopters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeong-In Go

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available A validation study on the performance and vibration analyses of the XH-59A compound helicopter is conducted to establish techniques for the comprehensive analysis of lift-offset compound helicopters. This study considers the XH-59A lift-offset compound helicopter using a rigid coaxial rotor system as a verification model. CAMRAD II (Comprehensive Analytical Method of Rotorcraft Aerodynamics and Dynamics II, a comprehensive analysis code, is used as a tool for the performance, vibration, and loads analyses. A general free wake model, which is a more sophisticated wake model than other wake models, is used to obtain good results for the comprehensive analysis. Performance analyses of the XH-59A helicopter with and without auxiliary propulsion are conducted in various flight conditions. In addition, vibration analyses of the XH-59A compound helicopter configuration are conducted in the forward flight condition. The present comprehensive analysis results are in good agreement with the flight test and previous analyses. Therefore, techniques for the comprehensive analysis of lift-offset compound helicopters are appropriately established. Furthermore, the rotor lifts are calculated for the XH-59A lift-offset compound helicopter in the forward flight condition to investigate the airloads characteristics of the ABC™ (Advancing Blade Concept rotor.

  17. 5 CFR 179.209 - Voluntary repayment agreement as alternative to salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... alternative to salary offset. 179.209 Section 179.209 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS CLAIMS COLLECTION STANDARDS Salary Offset § 179.209 Voluntary repayment agreement as alternative to salary offset. (a)(1) In response to a notice of intent, an employee may propose...

  18. The beam based alignment technique for the measurements of beam position monitors offsets and beam offsets from quadrupoles in the Pohang Light Source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, K.H.; Huang, J.Y.; Ko, I.S.

    1999-01-01

    The beam based alignment (BBA) technique is applied to the 2-GeV storage ring of the Pohang Light Source to measure the offsets of beam position monitors. This measurement is particularly necessary for beam position monitors (BPMs) plugged into a long (∼10 m) aluminum chamber, since the mechanical deformation of the vacuum chamber is experienced after repeated heating for the outgassing process, and the BPM positions are changed accordingly. A part of the excitation current of each quadrupole magnet is shunted through an electronic shunt circuit. Then, the closed orbit receives a perturbation due to the current reduction. Using two quadrupole magnets, we can measure the offset of each BPM. Also, the BBA technique is applied to measure the beam offsets from the center of quadrupole magnets, and gives information to the survey team about which quadrupole magnets should be aligned mostly. In this process, we introduce the merit function to reduce various errors such as BPM characteristic changes and the lattice imperfection. By minimizing the merit function, we can get the beam offset as the maximized expectation value. This paper presents the BBA technique used and experimental results taken from the 2-GeV Pohang Light Source (PLS) storage ring. When the BPM offset is measured, it is observed that a 3% of the shunt current is suitable. (author)

  19. 38 CFR 1.991 - Procedures for salary offset: when deductions may begin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Procedures for salary offset: when deductions may begin. 1.991 Section 1.991 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS GENERAL PROVISIONS Salary Offset Provisions § 1.991 Procedures for salary offset...

  20. Localisation of beam offset jitter sources at ATF2

    CERN Document Server

    Pfingstner, J; Patecki, M; Schulte, D; Tomás, R

    2014-01-01

    For the commissioning and operation of modern particle accelerators, automated error detection and diagnostics methods are becoming increasingly important. In this paper, we present two such methods, which are capable of localising sources of beam offset jitter with a combination of correlation studies and so called degree of freedom plots. The methods were applied to the ATF2 beam line at KEK, where one of the major goals is the reduction of the beam offset jitter. Results of this localisation are shown in this paper. A big advantage of the presented method is its high robustness especially to varying optics parameters. Therefore, we believe that the developed beam offset jitter localisation methods can be easily applied to other accelerators.

  1. Opportunities and Challenges for Terrestrial Carbon Offsetting and Marketing, with Some Implications for Forestry in the UK

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Nijnik

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Background and Purpose: Climate change and its mitigation have become increasingly high profile issues since the late 1990s, with the potential of forestry in carbon sequestration a particular focus. The purpose of this paper is to outline the importance of socio-economic considerations in this area. Opportunities for forestry to sequester carbon and the role of terrestrial carbon uptake credits in climate change negotiations are addressed, together with the feasibility of bringing terrestrial carbon offsets into the regulatory emission trading scheme. The paper discusses whether or not significant carbon offsetting and trading will occur on a large scale in the UK or internationally. Material and Methods: The paper reviews the literature on the socio-economic aspects of climate change mitigation via forestry (including the authors’ research on this topic to assess the potential for carbon offsetting and trading, and the likely scale of action. Results and Conclusion: We conclude that the development of appropriate socio-economic framework conditions (e.g. policies, tenure rights, including forest carbon ownership, and markets and incentives for creating and trading terrestrial carbon credits are important in mitigating climate change through forestry projects, and we make suggestions for future research that would be required to support such developments.

  2. Tracing Supermassive Black Hole Growth with Offset and Dual AGN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Comerford, Julia

    The growth of supermassive black holes is tied to the evolution of their host galaxies, but we are still missing a fundamental understanding of how and when supermassive black holes build up their mass. Black hole mass growth can be traced when the black holes are powered as active galactic nuclei (AGN), and AGN activity can be triggered by the stochastic accretion of gas or by gas inflows driven by galaxy mergers. Galaxy merger simulations make a series of predictions about the AGN that are triggered by mergers: (1) major mergers preferentially trigger higher-luminosity AGN, (2) minor mergers more often trigger AGN activity in one supermassive black hole while major mergers more often trigger AGN activity in both black holes in a merger, and (3) black hole mass growth peaks when the black holes approach the center (theory have been limited by the difficulty in defining a clean observational sample of AGN in galaxy mergers and the observational challenge of spatially resolving two AGN with small (dual AGN as a new observational tool that can be used to address how and when supermassive black hole mass growth occurs. A merger of two galaxies brings two supermassive black holes together, and the two black holes exist at kpc-scale separations for 100 Myr before ultimately merging. While the black holes are at kpc-scale separations, they are known as dual AGN when both of them are fueled as AGN and offset AGN when only one is fueled as an AGN. Since offset and dual AGN only occur in galaxy mergers, by their very definition, they provide a clean observational sample of black hole mass growth in galaxy mergers. The small, kpc-scale separations of offset and dual AGN also enable an observational test of black hole fueling near the centers of merger-remnant galaxies. The full potential of offset and dual AGN for such studies of black hole mass growth has not yet been realized, due to the small number of such systems known. To date, only 13 confirmed offset and dual AGN are

  3. 24 CFR 17.134 - Procedures for salary offset: when deductions may begin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Procedures for salary offset: when deductions may begin. 17.134 Section 17.134 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary, Department... Government Salary Offset Provisions § 17.134 Procedures for salary offset: when deductions may begin. (a...

  4. 20 CFR 361.11 - Procedures for salary offset: When deductions may begin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 20 Employees' Benefits 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Procedures for salary offset: When deductions... § 361.11 Procedures for salary offset: When deductions may begin. (a) Deductions to liquidate an... a debt is completed, offset shall be made from subsequent payments of any nature (e.g., final salary...

  5. Policy development for environmental licensing and biodiversity offsets in Latin America.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Villarroya

    Full Text Available Attempts to meet biodiversity goals through application of the mitigation hierarchy have gained wide traction globally with increased development of public policy, lending standards, and corporate practices. With interest in biodiversity offsets increasing in Latin America, we seek to strengthen the basis for policy development through a review of major environmental licensing policy frameworks in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. Here we focused our review on an examination of national level policies to evaluate to which degree current provisions promote positive environmental outcomes. All the surveyed countries have national-level Environmental Impact Assessment laws or regulations that cover the habitats present in their territories. Although most countries enable the use of offsets only Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Peru explicitly require their implementation. Our review has shown that while advancing quite detailed offset policies, most countries do not seem to have strong requirements regarding impact avoidance. Despite this deficiency most countries have a strong foundation from which to develop policy for biodiversity offsets, but several issues require further guidance, including how best to: (1 ensure conformance with the mitigation hierarchy; (2 identify the most environmentally preferable offsets within a landscape context; (3 determine appropriate mitigation replacement ratios; and (4 ensure appropriate time and effort is given to monitor offset performance.

  6. Policy development for environmental licensing and biodiversity offsets in Latin America.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Villarroya, Ana; Barros, Ana Cristina; Kiesecker, Joseph

    2014-01-01

    Attempts to meet biodiversity goals through application of the mitigation hierarchy have gained wide traction globally with increased development of public policy, lending standards, and corporate practices. With interest in biodiversity offsets increasing in Latin America, we seek to strengthen the basis for policy development through a review of major environmental licensing policy frameworks in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. Here we focused our review on an examination of national level policies to evaluate to which degree current provisions promote positive environmental outcomes. All the surveyed countries have national-level Environmental Impact Assessment laws or regulations that cover the habitats present in their territories. Although most countries enable the use of offsets only Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Peru explicitly require their implementation. Our review has shown that while advancing quite detailed offset policies, most countries do not seem to have strong requirements regarding impact avoidance. Despite this deficiency most countries have a strong foundation from which to develop policy for biodiversity offsets, but several issues require further guidance, including how best to: (1) ensure conformance with the mitigation hierarchy; (2) identify the most environmentally preferable offsets within a landscape context; (3) determine appropriate mitigation replacement ratios; and (4) ensure appropriate time and effort is given to monitor offset performance.

  7. Ka-Band, MEMS Switched Line Phase Shifters Implemented in Finite Ground Coplanar Waveguide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scardelletti, Maximilian C.; Ponchak, George E.; Varaljay, Nicholas C.

    2005-01-01

    Ka-band MEMS switched line phase shifters implemented in finite ground coplanar waveguide are described in this paper. The phase shifters are constructed of single-pole double-throw (SPDT) switches with additional reference and phase offset transmission line lengths. The one- and two-bit phase shifters are fabricated on high resistivity (HR) silicon with a dielectric constant, Epsilon(sub T) = 11.7 and a substrate thickness, t = 500microns. The switching architectures integrated within the phase shifters consist of MEMS switches that are doubly anchored cantilever beam capacitive switches with additional high inductive sections (MEMS LC device). The SPDT switch is composed of a T-junction with a MEMS LC device at each output port. The one-bit phase shifter described in this paper has an insertion loss (IL) and return loss (RL) of 0.9 dB and 30 dB while the two-bit described has an IL and RL of 1.8 dB and 30 dB respectively. The one-bit phase shifter's designed offset phase is 22.5deg and actual measured phase shift is 21.8deg. The two-bit phase shifter's designed offset phase is 22.5deg, 45deg, and 67.5deg and the actual measured phase shifts are 21.4deg, 44.2deg, and 65.8deg, respectively.

  8. Improved SAR Amplitude Image Offset Measurements for Deriving Three-Dimensional Coseismic Displacements

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Teng; Jonsson, Sigurjon

    2015-01-01

    Offsets of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images have played an important role in deriving complete three-dimensional (3-D) surface displacement fields in geoscientific applications. However, offset maps often suffer from multiple outliers and patch-like artifacts, because the standard offset-measurement method is a regular moving-window operation that does not consider the scattering characteristics of the ground. Here, we show that by focusing the offset measurements on predetected strong reflectors, the reliability and accuracy of SAR offsets can be significantly improved. Application to the 2011 Van (Turkey) earthquake reveals a clear deformation signal from an otherwise decorrelated interferogram, making derivation of the 3-D coseismic displacement field possible. Our proposed method can improve mapping of coseismic deformation and other ground displacements, such as glacier flow and landslide movement when strong reflectors exist.

  9. Improved SAR Amplitude Image Offset Measurements for Deriving Three-Dimensional Coseismic Displacements

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Teng

    2015-02-03

    Offsets of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images have played an important role in deriving complete three-dimensional (3-D) surface displacement fields in geoscientific applications. However, offset maps often suffer from multiple outliers and patch-like artifacts, because the standard offset-measurement method is a regular moving-window operation that does not consider the scattering characteristics of the ground. Here, we show that by focusing the offset measurements on predetected strong reflectors, the reliability and accuracy of SAR offsets can be significantly improved. Application to the 2011 Van (Turkey) earthquake reveals a clear deformation signal from an otherwise decorrelated interferogram, making derivation of the 3-D coseismic displacement field possible. Our proposed method can improve mapping of coseismic deformation and other ground displacements, such as glacier flow and landslide movement when strong reflectors exist.

  10. Spatially Offset Active Galactic Nuclei. II. Triggering in Galaxy Mergers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barrows, R. Scott; Comerford, Julia M. [Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309 (United States); Greene, Jenny E. [Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States); Pooley, David, E-mail: Robert.Barrows@Colorado.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX 78212 (United States)

    2017-04-01

    Galaxy mergers are likely to play a role in triggering active galactic nuclei (AGNs), but the conditions under which this process occurs are poorly understood. In Paper I, we constructed a sample of spatially offset X-ray AGNs that represent galaxy mergers hosting a single AGN. In this paper, we use our offset AGN sample to constrain the parameters that affect AGN observability in galaxy mergers. We also construct dual-AGN samples with similar selection properties for comparison. We find that the offset AGN fraction shows no evidence for a dependence on AGN luminosity, while the dual-AGN fractions show stronger evidence for a positive dependence, suggesting that the merger events forming dual AGNs are more efficient at instigating accretion onto supermassive black holes than those forming offset AGNs. We also find that the offset and dual-AGN fractions both have a negative dependence on nuclear separation and are similar in value at small physical scales. This dependence may become stronger when restricted to high AGN luminosities, although a larger sample is needed for confirmation. These results indicate that the probability of AGN triggering increases at later merger stages. This study is the first to systematically probe down to nuclear separations of <1 kpc (∼0.8 kpc) and is consistent with predictions from simulations that AGN observability peaks in this regime. We also find that the offset AGNs are not preferentially obscured compared to the parent AGN sample, suggesting that our selection may be targeting galaxy mergers with relatively dust-free nuclear regions.

  11. Spatially Offset Active Galactic Nuclei. II. Triggering in Galaxy Mergers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barrows, R. Scott; Comerford, Julia M.; Greene, Jenny E.; Pooley, David

    2017-04-01

    Galaxy mergers are likely to play a role in triggering active galactic nuclei (AGNs), but the conditions under which this process occurs are poorly understood. In Paper I, we constructed a sample of spatially offset X-ray AGNs that represent galaxy mergers hosting a single AGN. In this paper, we use our offset AGN sample to constrain the parameters that affect AGN observability in galaxy mergers. We also construct dual-AGN samples with similar selection properties for comparison. We find that the offset AGN fraction shows no evidence for a dependence on AGN luminosity, while the dual-AGN fractions show stronger evidence for a positive dependence, suggesting that the merger events forming dual AGNs are more efficient at instigating accretion onto supermassive black holes than those forming offset AGNs. We also find that the offset and dual-AGN fractions both have a negative dependence on nuclear separation and are similar in value at small physical scales. This dependence may become stronger when restricted to high AGN luminosities, although a larger sample is needed for confirmation. These results indicate that the probability of AGN triggering increases at later merger stages. This study is the first to systematically probe down to nuclear separations of <1 kpc (˜0.8 kpc) and is consistent with predictions from simulations that AGN observability peaks in this regime. We also find that the offset AGNs are not preferentially obscured compared to the parent AGN sample, suggesting that our selection may be targeting galaxy mergers with relatively dust-free nuclear regions.

  12. 7 CFR 3.80 - Written agreement to repay debts as alternative to salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... salary offset. 3.80 Section 3.80 Agriculture Office of the Secretary of Agriculture DEBT MANAGEMENT Federal Salary Offset § 3.80 Written agreement to repay debts as alternative to salary offset. (a) Notification by employee. The employee may propose, in response to a Notice of Intent to Offset Salary, a...

  13. Update on markets for forestry offsets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neeff, T.; Eichler, L.; Deecke, I.; Fehse, J.

    2007-01-01

    This guide is an update of the book 'Guidebook to Markets and Commercialization of CDM forestry projects'. The document provides information on the development of CMD methodologies, projects registered and markets since the publication of the first version. In addition it introduces the emerging non-Kyoto markets, it presents a classification of the existing developments, it describes each market including the buyer's preferences and it discusses the use of standards and quality criteria and transaction costs. We focus on markets for offsets from developing countries, rather than domestic offsets in developed countries. Section 1 is an introduction to the topic and an overview of the most recent developments. Sections 2 and 3 look at recent experiences and market developments for CDM reforestation projects. These sections are meant to be an update of the above mentioned guidebook and thus refrain from an exhaustive description. Section 4 assesses non-Kyoto markets for carbon offsets from forestry projects. It includes a description of the various market schemes and types of buyers. The section attempts to provide the project developer with useful information for developing a project following buyer' requirements. Finally, section 5 puts the assessment of opportunities for forestry in the broader context of the larger carbon markets. The report then concludes with a comparison of advantages and disadvantages of the CDM and non-Kyoto schemes from the project developer's point of view

  14. Combining landscape-level conservation planning and biodiversity offset programs: a case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Underwood, Jared G

    2011-01-01

    Habitat loss is a major factor in the endangerment and extinction of species around the world. One promising strategy to balance continued habitat loss and biodiversity conservation is that of biodiversity offsets. However, a major concern with offset programs is their consistency with landscape-level conservation goals. While merging offset policies and landscape-level conservation planning is thought to provide advantages over a traditional disconnected approach, few such landscape-level conservation-offset plans have been designed and implemented, so the effectiveness of such a strategy remains uncertain. In this study, we quantitatively assess the conservation impact of combining landscape-level conservation planning and biodiversity offset programs by comparing regions of San Diego County, USA with the combined approach to regions with only an offset program. This comparison is generally very difficult due to a variety of complicating factors. We overcome these complications and quantify the benefits to rare and threatened species of implementing a combined approach by assessing the amount of each species' predicted distribution, and the number of documented locations, conserved in comparison to the same metric for areas with an offset policy alone. We found that adoption of the combined approach has increased conservation for many rare species, often 5-10 times more than in the comparison area, and that conservation has been focused in the areas most important for these species. The level of conservation achieved reduces uncertainty that these species will persist in the region into the future. This San Diego County example demonstrates the potential benefits of combining landscape-level conservation planning and biodiversity offset programs.

  15. The spammed code offset method

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Skoric, B.; Vreede, de N.

    2013-01-01

    Helper data schemes are a security primitive used for privacy-preserving biometric databases and Physical Unclonable Functions. One of the oldest known helper data schemes is the Code Offset Method (COM). We propose an extension of the COM: the helper data is accompanied by many instances of fake

  16. The spammed code offset method

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Skoric, B.; Vreede, de N.

    2014-01-01

    Helper data schemes are a security primitive used for privacy-preserving biometric databases and physical unclonable functions. One of the oldest known helper data schemes is the code offset method (COM). We propose an extension of the COM: the helper data are accompanied by many instances of fake

  17. Reduction the effects of opamp finite gain and offset voltage in LDI termination with a minus one half delay of SC ladder filters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Radev Nikolay A.

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper a combined approach for reducing the effects of op amp imperfections (finite gain A and offset voltage VOS in first-order SC cell, realizing LDI (loss less discrete integrator termination with a minus one half delay is presented. First, the conventional integrator is replaced with gain- and offset-compensated (GOC integrator. Next, the gain errors m(ω and the phase errors θ(ω are further reduced by using the precise op amp gain approach in the GOC structure. The variation of the dc gain A from its nominal value A0 is taken into account.

  18. A novel calibration method for phase-locked loops

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cassia, Marco; Shah, Peter Jivan; Bruun, Erik

    2005-01-01

    A novel method to calibrate the frequency response of a Phase-Locked Loop is presented. The method requires just an additional digital counter to measure the natural frequency of the PLL; moreover it is capable of estimating the static phase offset. The measured value can be used to tune the PLL ...... response to the desired value. The method is demonstrated mathematically on a typical PLL topology and it is extended to SigmaDelta fractional-N PLLs. A set of simulations performed with two different simulators is used to verify the applicability of the method.......A novel method to calibrate the frequency response of a Phase-Locked Loop is presented. The method requires just an additional digital counter to measure the natural frequency of the PLL; moreover it is capable of estimating the static phase offset. The measured value can be used to tune the PLL...

  19. Determination of the Thermal Offset of the Eppley Precision Spectral Pyranometer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haeffelin, Martial; Kato, Seiji; Smith, Amie M.; Rutledge, C. Ken; Charlock, Thomas P.; Mahan, J. Robert

    2001-01-01

    Eppley's precision spectral pyranometer (PSP) is used in networks around the world to measure downwelling diffuse and global solar irradiance at the surface of the Earth. In recent years several studies have shown significant discrepancy between irradiances measured by pyranometers and those computed by atmospheric radiative transfer models. Pyranometer measurements have been questioned because observed diffuse irradiances sometimes are below theoretical minimum values for a pure molecular atmosphere, and at night the instruments often produce nonzero signals ranging between + 5 and - 10 W/sq m. We install thermistor sondes in the body of a PSP as well as on its inner dome to monitor the temperature gradients within the instrument, and we operate a pyrgeometer (PIR) instrument side by side with the PSP. We derive a relationship between the PSP output and thermal radiative exchange by the dome and the detector and a relationship between the PSP output and the PIR thermopile output (net-IR). We determine the true PSP offset by quickly capping the instrument at set time intervals. For a ventilated and shaded PSP, the thermal offset can reach - 15 W/sq m under clear skies, whereas it remains close to zero for low overcast clouds. We estimate the PSP thermal offset by two methods: (1) using the PSP temperatures and (2) using the PIR net-IR signal. The offset computed from the PSP temperatures yields a reliable estimate of the true offset (+/- 1 W/sq m). The offset computed from net-IR is consistent with the true offset at night and under overcast skies but predicts only part of the true range under clear skies.

  20. Pulsar Pair Cascades in Magnetic Fields with Offset Polar Caps

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harding, Alice K.; Muslimov, Alex G.

    2012-01-01

    Neutron star magnetic fields may have polar caps (PC) that are offset from the dipole axis, through field-line sweepback near the light cylinder or non-symmetric currents within the star. The effects of such offsets on electron-positron pair cascades are investigated, using simple models of dipole magnetic fields with small distortions that shift the PCs by different amounts or directions. Using a Monte Carlo pair cascade simulation, we explore the changes in the pair spectrum, multiplicity and energy flux across the PC, as well as the trends in pair flux and pair energy flux with spin-down luminosity, L(sub sd). We also give an estimate of the distribution of heating flux from returning positrons on the PC for different offsets. We find that even modest offsets can produce significant increases in pair multiplicity, especially for pulsars that are near or beyond the pair death lines for centered PCs, primarily because of higher accelerating fields. Pair spectra cover several decades in energy, with the spectral range of millisecond pulsars (MSPs) two orders of magnitude higher than for normal pulsars, and PC offsets allow significant extension of all spectra to lower pair energies. We find that the total PC pair luminosity L(sub pair) is proportional to L(sub sd), with L(sub pair) approximates 10(exp -3) L(sub sd) for normal pulsars and L(sub pair) approximates 10(exp -2) L(sub sd) for MSPs. Remarkably, the total PC heating luminosity for even large offsets increases by less than a factor of two, even though the PC area increases by much larger factors, because most of the heating occurs near the magnetic axis.

  1. 25 CFR 513.30 - When may the Commission use salary offset to collect debts?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false When may the Commission use salary offset to collect... GENERAL PROVISIONS DEBT COLLECTION Salary Offset § 513.30 When may the Commission use salary offset to... salary offset under the authority of: 5 U.S.C. 5514; 31 U.S.C. 3716; 5 CFR part 550, subpart K; 31 CFR...

  2. 36 CFR 1201.33 - How will NARA coordinate salary offsets with other agencies?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... salary offsets with other agencies? 1201.33 Section 1201.33 Parks, Forests, and Public Property NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION GENERAL RULES COLLECTION OF CLAIMS Salary Offset § 1201.33 How will NARA coordinate salary offsets with other agencies? (a) Responsibilities of NARA as the creditor agency...

  3. The Determinants Of United States Government Policy And Practice Towards Offsets In International Trade

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Milligan, Joseph

    2003-01-01

    .... Offsets are increasing as a percentage of defense exports. Because US industry leads worldwide defense exports, US offsets policy and the potential impact of offsets on US national security are highly significant...

  4. Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans: Background and Issues for Congress

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-03-17

    industrial base. Detailed coverage of certain individual Navy shipbuilding programs can be found in the following CRS reports:  CRS Report RS20643...U.S. Offset Strategy and its Implications for Partners and Allies, As Delivered by Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work, Willard Hotel , January 28...Contracting in Defense Acquisition : Background and Issues for Congress, by Ronald O’Rourke and Moshe Schwartz. Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans

  5. A Review of Offset Programs: Trading Systems, Funds, Protocols, Standards and Retailers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kollmuss, Anja; Lazarus, Michael; Lee, Carrie; Polycarp, Clifford

    2008-11-15

    Carbon or greenhouse gas (GHG) offsets have long been promoted as an important element of a comprehensive climate policy approach. Offset programs can reduce the overall cost of achieving a given emission goal by enabling emission reductions to occur where costs are lower. Furthermore, offsets have the potential to deliver sustainability co-benefits, spurred through technology development and transfer, and to develop human and institutional capacity for reducing emissions in sectors and locations not included in a cap and trade or a mandatory government policy. However, offsets can pose a risk to the environmental integrity of climate actions, especially if issues surrounding additionality, permanence, leakage, quantification and verification are not adequately addressed. The challenge for policymakers is clear: to design offset programs and policies that can maximize their potential benefits while minimizing their potential risks. The goal of this review is to provide an up-to-date analysis and synthesis of the most influential offset programs and activities, to reflect on lessons learned, and thus to inform participants and designers of current and future offset programs. Our intention is to periodically update this review to stay abreast of ongoing developments, and to develop a website portal to make this information more accessible. This version targets programs that meet one or more of the following criteria: - a significant volume of credit transactions occurring or anticipated; - an established set of rules or protocols - path-breaking, novel or otherwise notable initiatives or important lessons learned

  6. Estimation of scattering object characteristics for image reconstruction using a nonzero background.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Jing; Astheimer, Jeffrey; Waag, Robert

    2010-06-01

    Two methods are described to estimate the boundary of a 2-D penetrable object and the average sound speed in the object. One method is for circular objects centered in the coordinate system of the scattering observation. This method uses an orthogonal function expansion for the scattering. The other method is for noncircular, essentially convex objects. This method uses cross correlation to obtain time differences that determine a family of parabolas whose envelope is the boundary of the object. A curve-fitting method and a phase-based method are described to estimate and correct the offset of an uncentered radial or elliptical object. A method based on the extinction theorem is described to estimate absorption in the object. The methods are applied to calculated scattering from a circular object with an offset and to measured scattering from an offset noncircular object. The results show that the estimated boundaries, sound speeds, and absorption slopes agree very well with independently measured or true values when the assumptions of the methods are reasonably satisfied.

  7. Foundry fabricated photonic integrated circuit optical phase lock loop.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bałakier, Katarzyna; Fice, Martyn J; Ponnampalam, Lalitha; Graham, Chris S; Wonfor, Adrian; Seeds, Alwyn J; Renaud, Cyril C

    2017-07-24

    This paper describes the first foundry-based InP photonic integrated circuit (PIC) designed to work within a heterodyne optical phase locked loop (OPLL). The PIC and an external electronic circuit were used to phase-lock a single-line semiconductor laser diode to an incoming reference laser, with tuneable frequency offset from 4 GHz to 12 GHz. The PIC contains 33 active and passive components monolithically integrated on a single chip, fully demonstrating the capability of a generic foundry PIC fabrication model. The electronic part of the OPLL consists of commercially available RF components. This semi-packaged system stabilizes the phase and frequency of the integrated laser so that an absolute frequency, high-purity heterodyne signal can be generated when the OPLL is in operation, with phase noise lower than -100 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz offset from the carrier. This is the lowest phase noise level ever demonstrated by monolithically integrated OPLLs.

  8. 22 CFR 309.18 - Voluntary repayment agreements as an alternative to salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... to salary offset. 309.18 Section 309.18 Foreign Relations PEACE CORPS DEBT COLLECTION Salary Offset § 309.18 Voluntary repayment agreements as an alternative to salary offset. (a) In response to a notice of intent, an employee may propose a written agreement to repay the debt as an alternative to salary...

  9. 40 CFR 13.23 - Salary offset when EPA is not the creditor agency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Salary offset when EPA is not the... CLAIMS COLLECTION STANDARDS Administrative Offset § 13.23 Salary offset when EPA is not the creditor... period. (4) Unless the employee has consented in writing to the salary deductions or signed a statement...

  10. Japanese citizens’ preferences regarding voluntary carbon offsets: an experimental social survey of Yokohama and Kitakyushu

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakamura, Hidenori; Kato, Takaaki

    2013-01-01

    This study uses an experimental social survey in two large Japanese cities to explore citizens’ attitudes toward international voluntary carbon offsetting that encourages low carbon development in developing countries. In particular, the study focuses on whether the offsetting is a contribution to meet national target of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction under the Kyoto Protocol or reduction beyond the national target, using Kyoto credits generated from climate change mitigation projects in developing countries. The study finds that around 40% of the survey respondents chose real carbon offsetting over a gift certificate as compensation for their participation in the survey, around half of whom chose carbon offsetting contribution to the world. However, most of the current Japanese carbon offsetting providers utilise only the carbon offsetting contribution to the Japanese government. Thus, Japanese citizens have significant untapped potential for undertaking more carbon offsetting to meet targets other than national targets. However, the results also show that there is a general lack of understanding regarding the mechanism of carbon offsetting. Carbon offsetting providers in Japan and other countries that may have national self-imposed targets and allowing the usage of international carbon offsetting should therefore be considered, so as to provide individuals with the options of either contributing to their government to help it meet its national target or contributing to the world to help reduce GHG emissions beyond the national targets.

  11. Guidance document to the BC emission offsets regulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2010-11-01

    British Columbia's (BC) emission offset regulations were established under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act passed in 2007. Targets for greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions included a 6 percent reduction by 2012; an 18 percent reduction by 2016; a 33 percent reduction by 2020; and an 80 percent reduction by 2050. Carbon neutral agreements began in 2008, and covered emissions produced from government business travel and by provincial government ministries and agencies. This report presented a list of key recommendations developed by the Pacific Carbon Trust for use in future carbon offset projects. Recommendations included the use of correct emission factors when quantifying projected emission reductions from an offset project; the use of a robust data management system; and the use of evidence in supporting additionality arguments. The document outlined planning procedures for project baseline selection processes, protocol selections, and the identification of sources sinks and reservoirs. Issues related to quantification and measurements, emissions factors, and accuracy and uncertainty were also addressed. Validation, verification, and contracting options were also presented. 6 tabs., 3 figs.

  12. Multi-offset GPR methods for hyporheic zone investigations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brosten, T.R.; Bradford, J.H.; McNamara, J.P.; Gooseff, M.N.; Zarnetske, J.P.; Bowden, W.B.; Johnston, M.E.

    2009-01-01

    Porosity of stream sediments has a direct effect on hyporheic exchange patterns and rates. Improved estimates of porosity heterogeneity will yield enhanced simulation of hyporheic exchange processes. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) velocity measurements are strongly controlled by water content thus accurate measures of GPR velocity in saturated sediments provides estimates of porosity beneath stream channels using petrophysical relationships. Imaging the substream system using surface based reflection measurements is particularly challenging due to large velocity gradients that occur at the transition from open water to saturated sediments. The continuous multi-offset method improves the quality of subsurface images through stacking and provides measurements of vertical and lateral velocity distributions. We applied the continuous multi-offset method to stream sites on the North Slope, Alaska and the Sawtooth Mountains near Boise, Idaho, USA. From the continuous multi-offset data, we measure velocity using reflection tomography then estimate water content and porosity using the Topp equation. These values provide detailed measurements for improved stream channel hydraulic and thermal modelling. ?? 2009 European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers.

  13. Correlation between centre offsets and gas velocity dispersion of galaxy clusters in cosmological simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Ming-Hua; Zhu, Weishan; Zhao, Dong

    2018-05-01

    The gas is the dominant component of baryonic matter in most galaxy groups and clusters. The spatial offsets of gas centre from the halo centre could be an indicator of the dynamical state of cluster. Knowledge of such offsets is important for estimate the uncertainties when using clusters as cosmological probes. In this paper, we study the centre offsets roff between the gas and that of all the matter within halo systems in ΛCDM cosmological hydrodynamic simulations. We focus on two kinds of centre offsets: one is the three-dimensional PB offsets between the gravitational potential minimum of the entire halo and the barycentre of the ICM, and the other is the two-dimensional PX offsets between the potential minimum of the halo and the iterative centroid of the projected synthetic X-ray emission of the halo. Haloes at higher redshifts tend to have larger values of rescaled offsets roff/r200 and larger gas velocity dispersion σ v^gas/σ _{200}. For both types of offsets, we find that the correlation between the rescaled centre offsets roff/r200 and the rescaled 3D gas velocity dispersion, σ _v^gas/σ _{200} can be approximately described by a quadratic function as r_{off}/r_{200} ∝ (σ v^gas/σ _{200} - k_2)2. A Bayesian analysis with MCMC method is employed to estimate the model parameters. Dependence of the correlation relation on redshifts and the gas mass fraction are also investigated.

  14. A Framework for Implementing and Valuing Biodiversity Offsets in Colombia: A Landscape Scale Perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shirley Saenz

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Biodiversity offsets provide a mechanism for maintaining or enhancing environmental values in situations where development is sought, despite negative environmental impacts. They seek to ensure that unavoidable deleterious environmental impacts of development are balanced by environmental gains. When onsite impacts warrant the use of offsets there is often little attention paid to make sure that the location of offset sites provides the greatest conservation benefit, ensuring they are consistent with landscape level conservation goals. In most offset frameworks it is difficult for developers to proactively know the offset requirements they will need to implement. Here we propose a framework to address these needs. We propose a series of rules for selecting offset sites that meet the conservation needs of potentially impacted biological targets. We then discuss an accounting approach that seeks to support offset ratio determinations based on a structured and transparent approach. To demonstrate the approach, we present a framework developed in partnership with the Colombian Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development to reform existing mitigation regulatory processes.

  15. Pair Cascades and Deathlines in Magnetic Fields with Offset Polar Caps

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harding, Alice K.; Muslimov, Alex G.

    2012-01-01

    We present results of electron-positron pair cascade simulations in a dipole magnetic field whose polar cap is offset from the dipole axis. In such a field geometry, the polar cap is displaced a small fraction of the neutron star radius from the star symmetry axis and the field line radius of curvature is modified. Using the modified parallel electric field near the offset polar cap, we simulate pair cascades to determine the pair deathlines and pair multiplicities as a function of the offset. We find that the pair multiplicity can change dr;unatically with a modest offset, with a significant increase on one side of the polar cap. Lower pair deathlines allow a larger fraction of the pulsar population, that include old and millisecond pulsars, to produce cascades with high multiplicity. The results have some important implications for pulsar particle production, high-energy emission and cosmic-ray contribution.

  16. Critical point in the QCD phase diagram for extremely strong background magnetic fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Endrödi, Gergely

    2015-01-01

    Lattice simulations have demonstrated that a background (electro)magnetic field reduces the chiral/deconfinement transition temperature of quantum chromodynamics for eB<1 GeV 2 . On the level of observables, this reduction manifests itself in an enhancement of the Polyakov loop and in a suppression of the light quark condensates (inverse magnetic catalysis) in the transition region. In this paper, we report on lattice simulations of 1+1+1-flavor QCD at an unprecedentedly high value of the magnetic field eB=3.25 GeV 2 . Based on the behavior of various observables, it is shown that even at this extremely strong field, inverse magnetic catalysis prevails and the transition, albeit becoming sharper, remains an analytic crossover. In addition, we develop an algorithm to directly simulate the asymptotically strong magnetic field limit of QCD. We find strong evidence for a first-order deconfinement phase transition in this limiting theory, implying the presence of a critical point in the QCD phase diagram. Based on the available lattice data, we estimate the location of the critical point.

  17. Background Characterization and Discrimination in the Final Analysis of the CDMS II Phase of the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fritts, Matthew C. [Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States)

    2011-02-01

    The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) is designed to detectWeakly-Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) in the Milky Way halo. The phase known as CDMS II was performed in the Soudan Underground Laboratory. The final set of CDMS II data, collected in 2007-8 and referred to as Runs 125-8, represents the largest exposure to date for the experiment. We seek collisions between WIMPs and atomic nuclei in disk-shaped germanium and silicon detectors. A key design feature is to keep the rate of collisions from known particles producing WIMP-like signals very small. The largest category of such background is interactions with electrons in the detectors that occur very close to one of the faces of the detector. The next largest category is collisions between energetic neutrons that bypass the experimental shielding and nuclei in the detectors. Analytical efforts to discriminate these backgrounds and to estimate the rate at which such discrimination fails have been refined and improved throughout each phase of CDMS. Next-generation detectors for future phases of CDMS require testing at cryogenic test facilities. One such facility was developed at the University of Minnesota in 2007 and has been used continuously since then to test detectors for the next phase of the experiment, known as SuperCDMS.

  18. SU-E-J-259: Quantification of Rotational Localization Offset in Radiation Therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, Y; Nguyen, N; Lee, S; Liu, F

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: To verify the necessity of 6D localization detection and correction in radiation therapy. Methods: An anthropomorphic head and neck phantom was used to test the BrainLab ExacTrac x-ray imaging system. After initial positioning, both ExacTrac and the on-board kV CBCT were used to detect the offset at the same position, using both manual and automatic registration algorithms. Then 6D offset including rotational errors up to 5 degree were introduced. Both ExacTrac and CBCT were used to correct the offsets and the residual errors were evaluated. Finally, 6D offset detected by ExacTrac for a C-Spine patient was reported. Results: The differences in 3D offset detected by ExacTrac and CBCT were 1.5 ± 1.2(Lateral), 2.7 ± 2.7(Vertical), and 4.0 ± 6.3(longitudinal) mm with manual registration while the corresponding differences decreased to 0.6 ± 0.3, 1.0 ± 0.3, and 0.3 ± 0.3 when automatic registration were used. CBCT corrected the translational offset to within 0.5 mm but the rotational errors remained and detected by the ExacTrac system (Yaw=2.1, Roll=1.1, Pitch=1.4 degree). When similar offset was introduced and corrected using ExacTrac, the residual error detected by both CBCT and ExacTrac were within 0.5 mm / 0.5 degree. The average offset from the 112 ExacTrac x-ray corrections for the C-Spine patient was 0.6 ± 1.6 (lateral), 5.4 ± 8(vertical), 1.6±1.1(longitudinal) mm, and 0.7 ± 0.6 (pitch), 0.7 ± 0.4(roll), 1.2 ± 0.7 (yaw) degree. Larger rotational errors, with a maximum of 2.7 degree (corresponds to about 1.5 to 4.5 mm offset for a POI 10 to 30 cm away from the isocenter), were observed when couch rotational were involved. Conclusion: Rotational errors are common in patient localization, especially when couch rotation is involved. Both appropriate imaging system and 6D robotic couch are necessary to detect and correct the rotational localization errors

  19. Using Vision System Technologies for Offset Approaches in Low Visibility Operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kramer, Lynda J.; Bailey, Randall E.; Ellis, Kyle K.

    2015-01-01

    Flight deck-based vision systems, such as Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS) and Enhanced Flight Vision Systems (EFVS), have the potential to provide additional margins of safety for aircrew performance and enable the implementation of operational improvements for low visibility surface, arrival, and departure operations in the terminal environment with equivalent efficiency to visual operations. Twelve air transport-rated crews participated in a motion-base simulation experiment to evaluate the use of SVS/EFVS in Next Generation Air Transportation System low visibility approach and landing operations at Chicago O'Hare airport. Three monochromatic, collimated head-up display (HUD) concepts (conventional HUD, SVS HUD, and EFVS HUD) and three instrument approach types (straight-in, 3-degree offset, 15-degree offset) were experimentally varied to test the efficacy of the SVS/EFVS HUD concepts for offset approach operations. The findings suggest making offset approaches in low visibility conditions with an EFVS HUD or SVS HUD appear feasible. Regardless of offset approach angle or HUD concept being flown, all approaches had comparable ILS tracking during the instrument segment and were within the lateral confines of the runway with acceptable sink rates during the visual segment of the approach. Keywords: Enhanced Flight Vision Systems; Synthetic Vision Systems; Head-up Display; NextGen

  20. Effects of Center Offset and Noise on Weak-Lensing Derived Concentration-Mass Relation of Dark Matter Halos

    Science.gov (United States)

    Du, Wei; Fan, Zuhui

    2014-04-01

    With the halo catalog from the Millennium Simulation, we analyze the weak-lensing measured density profiles for clusters of galaxies, paying attention to the determination of the concentration-mass (c-M) relation, which can be biased by the center offset, selection effect, and shape noise from intrinsic ellipticities of background galaxies. Several different methods of locating the center of a cluster from weak-lensing effects alone are explored. We find that, for intermediate redshift clusters, the highest peak from our newly proposed two-scale smoothing method applied to the reconstructed convergence field, first with a smoothing scale of 2' and then 0.'5, corresponds best to the true center. Assuming the parameterized Navarro-Frenk-White profile, we fit the reduced tangential shear signals around different centers identified by different methods. It is shown that, for the ensemble median values, a center offset larger than one scale radius rs can bias the derived mass and concentration significantly lower than the true values, especially for low-mass halos. However, the existence of noise can compensate for the offset effect and reduce the systematic bias, although the scatter of mass and concentration becomes considerably larger. Statistically, the bias effect of center offset on the c-M relation is insignificant if an appropriate center finding method is adopted. On the other hand, noise from intrinsic ellipticities can bias the c-M relation derived from a sample of weak-lensing analyzed clusters if a simple χ2 fitting method is used. To properly account for the scatter and covariance between c and M, we apply a Bayesian method to improve the statistical analysis of the c-M relation. It is shown that this new method allows us to derive the c-M relation with significantly reduced biases.

  1. Effects of center offset and noise on weak-lensing derived concentration-mass relation of dark matter halos

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Du, Wei; Fan, Zuhui

    2014-01-01

    With the halo catalog from the Millennium Simulation, we analyze the weak-lensing measured density profiles for clusters of galaxies, paying attention to the determination of the concentration-mass (c-M) relation, which can be biased by the center offset, selection effect, and shape noise from intrinsic ellipticities of background galaxies. Several different methods of locating the center of a cluster from weak-lensing effects alone are explored. We find that, for intermediate redshift clusters, the highest peak from our newly proposed two-scale smoothing method applied to the reconstructed convergence field, first with a smoothing scale of 2' and then 0.'5, corresponds best to the true center. Assuming the parameterized Navarro-Frenk-White profile, we fit the reduced tangential shear signals around different centers identified by different methods. It is shown that, for the ensemble median values, a center offset larger than one scale radius r s can bias the derived mass and concentration significantly lower than the true values, especially for low-mass halos. However, the existence of noise can compensate for the offset effect and reduce the systematic bias, although the scatter of mass and concentration becomes considerably larger. Statistically, the bias effect of center offset on the c-M relation is insignificant if an appropriate center finding method is adopted. On the other hand, noise from intrinsic ellipticities can bias the c-M relation derived from a sample of weak-lensing analyzed clusters if a simple χ 2 fitting method is used. To properly account for the scatter and covariance between c and M, we apply a Bayesian method to improve the statistical analysis of the c-M relation. It is shown that this new method allows us to derive the c-M relation with significantly reduced biases.

  2. An offset-fed 20/30 GHz dual-band circularly polarized reflectarray antenna

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Smith, Thomas Gunst; Vesterdal, Niels; Gothelf, Ulrich

    2013-01-01

    A dual-frequency circularly polarized offset reflectarray antenna for Ka-band satellite communication is presented. The reflectarray is designed using the concentric dual split-loop element which enables full 360° phase adjustment simultaneously in two separate frequency bands. The elements have...... been optimized to suppress the cross-polar reflection. Thereafter, the element data is used for synthesis of the reflectarray layout and computation of the associated radiation patterns. The reflectarray is 400mm × 400mm and radiates LHCP at 19.95 GHz and RHCP at 29.75 GHz. Aperture efficiencies of 58......% and 60% are obtained at these frequencies, and the cross-polarization is more than 25 dB below peak gain....

  3. Correction of elevation offsets in multiple co-located lidar datasets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, David M.; Dalyander, P. Soupy; Long, Joseph W.; Plant, Nathaniel G.

    2017-04-07

    IntroductionTopographic elevation data collected with airborne light detection and ranging (lidar) can be used to analyze short- and long-term changes to beach and dune systems. Analysis of multiple lidar datasets at Dauphin Island, Alabama, revealed systematic, island-wide elevation differences on the order of 10s of centimeters (cm) that were not attributable to real-world change and, therefore, were likely to represent systematic sampling offsets. These offsets vary between the datasets, but appear spatially consistent within a given survey. This report describes a method that was developed to identify and correct offsets between lidar datasets collected over the same site at different times so that true elevation changes over time, associated with sediment accumulation or erosion, can be analyzed.

  4. Using forest carbon credits to offset emissions in the downstream business

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hein, Lars

    2017-01-01

    A forthcoming report by Concawe, entitled Using Forest Carbon Credits to Offset Emissions in the Downstream Business, investigated whether, and how, forest carbon credits can be used to offset emissions from the European refining and road transport sectors. Forest carbon plays a major role in the

  5. Significant Improvements in Pyranometer Nighttime Offsets Using High-Flow DC Ventilation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kutchenreiter, Mark; Michalski, J.J.; Long, C.N.; Habte, Aron

    2017-05-22

    Accurate solar radiation measurements using pyranometers are required to understand radiative impacts on the Earth's energy budget, solar energy production, and to validate radiative transfer models. Ventilators of pyranometers, which are used to keep the domes clean and dry, also affect instrument thermal offset accuracy. This poster presents a high-level overview of the ventilators for single-black-detector pyranometers and black-and-white pyranometers. For single-black-detector pyranometers with ventilators, high-flow-rate (50-CFM and higher), 12-V DC fans lower the offsets, lower the scatter, and improve the predictability of nighttime offsets compared to lower-flow-rate (35-CFM), 120-V AC fans operated in the same type of environmental setup. Black-and-white pyranometers, which are used to measure diffuse horizontal irradiance, sometimes show minor improvement with DC fan ventilation, but their offsets are always small, usually no more than 1 W/m2, whether AC- or DC-ventilated.

  6. Echoic Memory: Investigation of Its Temporal Resolution by Auditory Offset Cortical Responses

    OpenAIRE

    Nishihara, Makoto; Inui, Koji; Morita, Tomoyo; Kodaira, Minori; Mochizuki, Hideki; Otsuru, Naofumi; Motomura, Eishi; Ushida, Takahiro; Kakigi, Ryusuke

    2014-01-01

    Previous studies showed that the amplitude and latency of the auditory offset cortical response depended on the history of the sound, which implicated the involvement of echoic memory in shaping a response. When a brief sound was repeated, the latency of the offset response depended precisely on the frequency of the repeat, indicating that the brain recognized the timing of the offset by using information on the repeat frequency stored in memory. In the present study, we investigated the temp...

  7. 45 CFR 2506.33 - How will the Corporation coordinate salary offsets with other agencies?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false How will the Corporation coordinate salary offsets... (Continued) CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE COLLECTION OF DEBTS Salary Offset § 2506.33 How will the Corporation coordinate salary offsets with other agencies? (a) Responsibilities of the...

  8. Magnetic resonance visualization of conductive structures by sequence-triggered direct currents and spin-echo phase imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Eibofner, Frank; Wojtczyk, Hanne; Graf, Hansjörg, E-mail: hansjoerg.graf@med.uni-tuebingen.de, E-mail: drGraf@t-online.de [Section on Experimental Radiology, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen D-72076 (Germany); Clasen, Stephan [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen D-72076 (Germany)

    2014-06-15

    Purpose: Instrument visualization in interventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is commonly performed via susceptibility artifacts. Unfortunately, this approach suffers from limited conspicuity in inhomogeneous tissue and disturbed spatial encoding. Also, susceptibility artifacts are controllable only by sequence parameters. This work presents the basics of a new visualization method overcoming such problems by applying sequence-triggered direct current (DC) pulses in spin-echo (SE) imaging. SE phase images allow for background free current path localization. Methods: Application of a sequence-triggered DC pulse in SE imaging, e.g., during a time period between radiofrequency excitation and refocusing, results in transient field inhomogeneities. Dependent on the additional z-magnetic field from the DC, a phase offset results despite the refocusing pulse. False spatial encoding is avoided by DC application during periods when read-out or slice-encoding gradients are inactive. A water phantom containing a brass conductor (water equivalent susceptibility) and a titanium needle (serving as susceptibility source) was used to demonstrate the feasibility. Artifact dependence on current strength and orientation was examined. Results: Without DC, the brass conductor was only visible due to its water displacement. The titanium needle showed typical susceptibility artifacts. Applying triggered DC pulses, the phase offset of spins near the conductor appeared. Because SE phase images are homogenous also in regions of persistent field inhomogeneities, the position of the conductor could be determined with high reliability. Artifact characteristic could be easily controlled by amperage leaving sequence parameters unchanged. For an angle of 30° between current and static field visualization was still possible. Conclusions: SE phase images display the position of a conductor carrying pulsed DC free from artifacts caused by persistent field inhomogeneities. Magnitude and phase

  9. Band Offsets at the Interface between Crystalline and Amorphous Silicon from First Principles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jarolimek, K.; Hazrati, E.; de Groot, R. A.; de Wijs, G. A.

    2017-07-01

    The band offsets between crystalline and hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a -Si ∶H ) are key parameters governing the charge transport in modern silicon heterojunction solar cells. They are an important input for macroscopic simulators that are used to further optimize the solar cell. Past experimental studies, using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and capacitance-voltage measurements, have yielded conflicting results on the band offset. Here, we present a computational study on the band offsets. It is based on atomistic models and density-functional theory (DFT). The amorphous part of the interface is obtained by relatively long DFT first-principles molecular-dynamics runs at an elevated temperature on 30 statistically independent samples. In order to obtain a realistic conduction-band position the electronic structure of the interface is calculated with a hybrid functional. We find a slight asymmetry in the band offsets, where the offset in the valence band (0.29 eV) is larger than in the conduction band (0.17 eV). Our results are in agreement with the latest XPS measurements that report a valence-band offset of 0.3 eV [M. Liebhaber et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 106, 031601 (2015), 10.1063/1.4906195].

  10. 20 CFR 361.13 - Procedures for salary offset: Methods of collection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 20 Employees' Benefits 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Procedures for salary offset: Methods of collection. 361.13 Section 361.13 Employees' Benefits RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD INTERNAL ADMINISTRATION... § 361.13 Procedures for salary offset: Methods of collection. (a) General. A debt will be collected by...

  11. 7 CFR 400.138 - Procedures for salary offset; methods of collection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Procedures for salary offset; methods of collection. 400.138 Section 400.138 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) FEDERAL... Management-Regulations for the 1986 and Succeeding Crop Years § 400.138 Procedures for salary offset; methods...

  12. Band offsets in ITO/Ga2O3 heterostructures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carey, Patrick H.; Ren, F.; Hays, David C.; Gila, B. P.; Pearton, S. J.; Jang, Soohwan; Kuramata, Akito

    2017-11-01

    The valence band offsets in rf-sputtered Indium Tin Oxide (ITO)/single crystal β-Ga2O3 (ITO/Ga2O3) heterostructures were measured with X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy using the Kraut method. The bandgaps of the component materials in the heterostructure were determined by Reflection Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy as 4.6 eV for Ga2O3 and 3.5 eV for ITO. The valence band offset was determined to be -0.78 ± 0.30 eV, while the conduction band offset was determined to be -0.32 ± 0.13 eV. The ITO/Ga2O3 system has a nested gap (type I) alignment. The use of a thin layer of ITO between a metal and the Ga2O3 is an attractive approach for reducing contact resistance on Ga2O3-based power electronic devices and solar-blind photodetectors.

  13. 38 CFR 1.990 - Written agreement to repay debt as alternative to salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... repay debt as alternative to salary offset. 1.990 Section 1.990 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS GENERAL PROVISIONS Salary Offset Provisions § 1.990 Written agreement to repay debt as alternative to salary offset. (a) Notification by employee. The employee may propose, in...

  14. Effects of background noise on inter-trial phase coherence and auditory N1-P2 responses to speech stimuli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koerner, Tess K; Zhang, Yang

    2015-10-01

    This study investigated the effects of a speech-babble background noise on inter-trial phase coherence (ITPC, also referred to as phase locking value (PLV)) and auditory event-related responses (AERP) to speech sounds. Specifically, we analyzed EEG data from 11 normal hearing subjects to examine whether ITPC can predict noise-induced variations in the obligatory N1-P2 complex response. N1-P2 amplitude and latency data were obtained for the /bu/syllable in quiet and noise listening conditions. ITPC data in delta, theta, and alpha frequency bands were calculated for the N1-P2 responses in the two passive listening conditions. Consistent with previous studies, background noise produced significant amplitude reduction and latency increase in N1 and P2, which were accompanied by significant ITPC decreases in all the three frequency bands. Correlation analyses further revealed that variations in ITPC were able to predict the amplitude and latency variations in N1-P2. The results suggest that trial-by-trial analysis of cortical neural synchrony is a valuable tool in understanding the modulatory effects of background noise on AERP measures. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Digital Offset Calibration of an OPAMP Towards Improving Static Parameters of 90 nm CMOS DAC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. Arbet

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, an on-chip self-calibrated 8-bit R-2R digital-to-analog converter (DAC based on digitally compensated input offset of the operational amplifier (OPAMP is presented. To improve the overall DAC performance, a digital offset cancellation method was used to compensate deviations in the input offset voltage of the OPAMP caused by process variations. The whole DAC as well as offset compensation circuitry were designed in a standard 90 nm CMOS process. The achieved results show that after the self-calibration process, the improvement of 48% in the value of DAC offset error is achieved.

  16. Temperature and Voltage Offsets in High-ZT Thermoelectrics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levy, George S.

    2017-10-01

    Thermodynamic temperature can take on different meanings. Kinetic temperature is an expectation value and a function of the kinetic energy distribution. Statistical temperature is a parameter of the distribution. Kinetic temperature and statistical temperature, identical in Maxwell-Boltzmann statistics, can differ in other statistics such as those of Fermi-Dirac or Bose-Einstein when a field is present. Thermal equilibrium corresponds to zero statistical temperature gradient, not zero kinetic temperature gradient. Since heat carriers in thermoelectrics are fermions, the difference between these two temperatures may explain voltage and temperature offsets observed during meticulous Seebeck measurements in which the temperature-voltage curve does not go through the origin. In conventional semiconductors, temperature offsets produced by fermionic electrical carriers are not observable because they are shorted by heat phonons in the lattice. In high-ZT materials, however, these offsets have been detected but attributed to faulty laboratory procedures. Additional supporting evidence for spontaneous voltages and temperature gradients includes data collected in epistatic experiments and in the plasma Q-machine. Device fabrication guidelines for testing the hypothesis are suggested including using unipolar junctions stacked in a superlattice, alternating n/n + and p/p + junctions, selecting appropriate dimensions, doping, and loading.

  17. Temperature and Voltage Offsets in High- ZT Thermoelectrics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levy, George S.

    2018-06-01

    Thermodynamic temperature can take on different meanings. Kinetic temperature is an expectation value and a function of the kinetic energy distribution. Statistical temperature is a parameter of the distribution. Kinetic temperature and statistical temperature, identical in Maxwell-Boltzmann statistics, can differ in other statistics such as those of Fermi-Dirac or Bose-Einstein when a field is present. Thermal equilibrium corresponds to zero statistical temperature gradient, not zero kinetic temperature gradient. Since heat carriers in thermoelectrics are fermions, the difference between these two temperatures may explain voltage and temperature offsets observed during meticulous Seebeck measurements in which the temperature-voltage curve does not go through the origin. In conventional semiconductors, temperature offsets produced by fermionic electrical carriers are not observable because they are shorted by heat phonons in the lattice. In high- ZT materials, however, these offsets have been detected but attributed to faulty laboratory procedures. Additional supporting evidence for spontaneous voltages and temperature gradients includes data collected in epistatic experiments and in the plasma Q-machine. Device fabrication guidelines for testing the hypothesis are suggested including using unipolar junctions stacked in a superlattice, alternating n/ n + and p/ p + junctions, selecting appropriate dimensions, doping, and loading.

  18. 20 CFR 361.12 - Procedures for salary offset: Types of collection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 20 Employees' Benefits 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Procedures for salary offset: Types of collection. 361.12 Section 361.12 Employees' Benefits RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD INTERNAL ADMINISTRATION... § 361.12 Procedures for salary offset: Types of collection. A debt will be collected in a lump sum or in...

  19. 7 CFR 400.137 - Procedures for salary offset; types of collection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Procedures for salary offset; types of collection. 400.137 Section 400.137 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) FEDERAL CROP...-Regulations for the 1986 and Succeeding Crop Years § 400.137 Procedures for salary offset; types of collection...

  20. An Examination of Tailored Training Offsets on Core Mortarman Skills Acquisition

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-02-01

    Training, Mortar, Mortar Gunner’s Exam , Tests SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF 19. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT 20...training offsets in 11C OSUT, and ( c ) provide guidance and tools for developing effective training offsets to enhance Soldiers’ core skills proficiencies...Two-Week Mortar Training Including Gunner’s Exam ............................... 13 Knowledge and Application Tests

  1. 24 CFR 17.133 - Written agreement to repay debt as alternative to salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... alternative to salary offset. 17.133 Section 17.133 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... the Government Salary Offset Provisions § 17.133 Written agreement to repay debt as alternative to salary offset. (a) Notification by employee. The employee may propose, in response to a Notice of Intent...

  2. 20 CFR 361.10 - Written agreement to repay debt as alternative to salary offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... alternative to salary offset. 361.10 Section 361.10 Employees' Benefits RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD INTERNAL... EMPLOYEES § 361.10 Written agreement to repay debt as alternative to salary offset. (a) Notification by... debt as an alternative to salary offset. Any employee who wishes to do this must submit a proposed...

  3. Accounting for Uncertainty and Time Lags in Equivalency Calculations for Offsetting in Aquatic Resources Management Programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bradford, Michael J

    2017-10-01

    Biodiversity offset programs attempt to minimize unavoidable environmental impacts of anthropogenic activities by requiring offsetting measures in sufficient quantity to counterbalance losses due to the activity. Multipliers, or offsetting ratios, have been used to increase the amount of offsets to account for uncertainty but those ratios have generally been derived from theoretical or ad-hoc considerations. I analyzed uncertainty in the offsetting process in the context of offsetting for impacts to freshwater fisheries productivity. For aquatic habitats I demonstrate that an empirical risk-based approach for evaluating prediction uncertainty is feasible, and if data are available appropriate adjustments to offset requirements can be estimated. For two data-rich examples I estimate multipliers in the range of 1.5:1 - 2.5:1 are sufficient to account for the uncertainty in the prediction of gains and losses. For aquatic habitats adjustments for time delays in the delivery of offset benefits can also be calculated and are likely smaller than those for prediction uncertainty. However, the success of a biodiversity offsetting program will also depend on the management of the other components of risk not addressed by these adjustments.

  4. Accounting for Uncertainty and Time Lags in Equivalency Calculations for Offsetting in Aquatic Resources Management Programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bradford, Michael J.

    2017-10-01

    Biodiversity offset programs attempt to minimize unavoidable environmental impacts of anthropogenic activities by requiring offsetting measures in sufficient quantity to counterbalance losses due to the activity. Multipliers, or offsetting ratios, have been used to increase the amount of offsets to account for uncertainty but those ratios have generally been derived from theoretical or ad-hoc considerations. I analyzed uncertainty in the offsetting process in the context of offsetting for impacts to freshwater fisheries productivity. For aquatic habitats I demonstrate that an empirical risk-based approach for evaluating prediction uncertainty is feasible, and if data are available appropriate adjustments to offset requirements can be estimated. For two data-rich examples I estimate multipliers in the range of 1.5:1 - 2.5:1 are sufficient to account for the uncertainty in the prediction of gains and losses. For aquatic habitats adjustments for time delays in the delivery of offset benefits can also be calculated and are likely smaller than those for prediction uncertainty. However, the success of a biodiversity offsetting program will also depend on the management of the other components of risk not addressed by these adjustments.

  5. 20 CFR 627.708 - Offset process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 20 Employees' Benefits 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Offset process. 627.708 Section 627.708 Employees' Benefits EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR GENERAL PROVISIONS GOVERNING... process. (a) In accordance with section 164(d) of the Act, the primary sanction for misexpenditure of JTPA...

  6. The potential for biodiversity offsetting to fund effective invasive species control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norton, David A; Warburton, Bruce

    2015-02-01

    Compensating for biodiversity losses in 1 location by conserving or restoring biodiversity elsewhere (i.e., biodiversity offsetting) is being used increasingly to compensate for biodiversity losses resulting from development. We considered whether a form of biodiversity offsetting, enhancement offsetting (i.e., enhancing the quality of degraded natural habitats through intensive ecological management), can realistically secure additional funding to control biological invaders at a scale and duration that results in enhanced biodiversity outcomes. We suggest that biodiversity offsetting has the potential to enhance biodiversity values through funding of invasive species control, but it needs to meet 7 key conditions: be technically possible to reduce invasive species to levels that enhance native biodiversity; be affordable; be sufficiently large to compensate for the impact; be adaptable to accommodate new strategic and tactical developments while not compromising biodiversity outcomes; acknowledge uncertainties associated with managing pests; be based on an explicit risk assessment that identifies the cost of not achieving target outcomes; and include financial mechanisms to provide for in-perpetuity funding. The challenge then for conservation practitioners, advocates, and policy makers is to develop frameworks that allow for durable and effective partnerships with developers to realize the full potential of enhancement offsets, which will require a shift away from traditional preservation-focused approaches to biodiversity management. © 2014 Society for Conservation Biology.

  7. Background characterization for the GERDA experiment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Becerici-Schmidt, Neslihan [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Physik, Muenchen (Germany); Collaboration: GERDA-Collaboration

    2013-07-01

    The GERmanium Detector Array (Gerda) experiment at the LNGS laboratory of INFN searches for the neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay of {sup 76}Ge. A discovery of this decay can greatly advance our knowledge on the nature and properties of neutrinos. The current best limit on the half-life of {sup 76}Ge 0νββ decay is 1.9 . 10{sup 25} years (90% C.L.). In order to increase the sensitivity on the half-life with respect to past experiments, the background rate in the energy region of interest (ROI) around Q{sub ββ} = 2039 keV has been reduced by a factor 10. Gerda started data-taking with the full set of Phase I detectors in November 2011. Identification of the background in the first phase of the experiment is of major importance to further mitigate the background for Gerda Phase II. An analysis of the Phase I data resulted in a good understanding of the individual components in the Gerda background spectrum. The background components in the ROI have been identified to be mainly due to β- and γ-induced events originating from {sup 214}Bi ({sup 238}U-series), {sup 208}Tl ({sup 232}Th-series), {sup 42}K (progeny of {sup 42}Ar) and α-induced events coming from isotopes in the {sup 226}Ra decay chain. A background decomposition in the ROI will be presented, with a special emphasis on the contribution from α-induced events.

  8. Fast, accurate, and robust frequency offset estimation based on modified adaptive Kalman filter in coherent optical communication system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Yanfu; Xiang, Qian; Zhang, Qun; Zhou, Zhongqing; Jiang, Wen; He, Qianwen; Yao, Yong

    2017-09-01

    We propose a joint estimation scheme for fast, accurate, and robust frequency offset (FO) estimation along with phase estimation based on modified adaptive Kalman filter (MAKF). The scheme consists of three key modules: extend Kalman filter (EKF), lock detector, and FO cycle slip recovery. The EKF module estimates time-varying phase induced by both FO and laser phase noise. The lock detector module makes decision between acquisition mode and tracking mode and consequently sets the EKF tuning parameter in an adaptive manner. The third module can detect possible cycle slip in the case of large FO and make proper correction. Based on the simulation and experimental results, the proposed MAKF has shown excellent estimation performance featuring high accuracy, fast convergence, as well as the capability of cycle slip recovery.

  9. Evolution of bias field and offset piezoelectric coefficient in bulk lead zirconate titanate with fatigue

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Yong; Baturin, Ivan S.; Aulbach, Emil; Lupascu, Doru C.; Kholkin, Andrei L.; Shur, Vladimir Ya.; Roedel, Juergen

    2005-01-01

    Hysteresis loops of the piezoelectric coefficient, d 33 =f(E 3 ), are measured on virgin and fatigued lead zirconate titanate ceramics. Four parameters are directly extracted from the measurements: internal bias field E b , offset piezoelectric coefficient d offset , coercive field E c , and remnant piezoelectric coefficient d r . The reduction in d r displays the decreasing switchable polarization with fatigue cycling. E b and d offset are found to be linearly related. After thermal annealing, both offsets disappear, while the increase in E c and the reduction in d r withstand annealing. The microscopic entities responsible for the offsets are less stable than those for reduced switching

  10. 12 CFR 313.46 - Notice of salary offset where FDIC is the paying agency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Notice of salary offset where FDIC is the... AND RULES OF PRACTICE PROCEDURES FOR CORPORATE DEBT COLLECTION Salary Offset § 313.46 Notice of salary... shall send the employee a written notice of salary offset. Such notice shall advise the employee: (1...

  11. 12 CFR 1704.27 - Notice of salary offset where OFHEO is the paying agency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Notice of salary offset where OFHEO is the..., DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT OFHEO ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTIONS DEBT COLLECTION Salary Offset § 1704.27 Notice of salary offset where OFHEO is the paying agency. (a) Notice. Upon issuance of a proper...

  12. GERDA phase II detectors: Behind the production and characterisation at low background conditions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maneschg, Werner [Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, 69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Collaboration: GERDA Collaboration; and others

    2013-08-08

    The low background GERmanium Detector Array (GERDA) at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) is designed to search for the rare neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) in {sup 76}Ge. Bare germanium diodes are operated in liquid argon which is used as coolant, as passive and soon active as well shield against external radiation. Currently, Phase I of the experiment is running using ∼15 kg of co-axial High Purity Germanium diodes. In order to increase the sensitivity of the experiment 30 Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) diodes will be added within 2013. This presentation reviews the production chain of the new BEGe detectors from isotopic enrichment to diode production and testing. As demonstrated all steps were carefully planned in order to minimize the exposure of the enriched germanium to cosmic radiation. Following this premise, acceptance and characterisation measurement of the newly produced diodes have been performed within the HEROICA project in the Belgian underground laboratory HADES close to the diode manufacturer. The test program and the results from a subset of the recently terminated GERDA Phase II BEGe survey will be presented.

  13. Regional impacts of a program for private forest carbon offset sales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Darius M. Adams; Ralph Alig; Greg Latta; Eric M. White

    2011-01-01

    Policymakers are examining wide range of alternatives for climate change mitigation, including carbon offset sales programs, to enhance sequestration in the forest sector. Under an offset sales program, on-the-ground forestry could change as result of both afforestation and modifications in the management of existing forests. These effects could vary markedly by region...

  14. An offset cancellation technique in a switched-capacitor comparator for SAR ADCs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tong Xingyuan; Zhu Zhangming; Yang Yintang

    2012-01-01

    An offset cancellation technique for a SAR (successive approximation register) ADC switched-capacitor comparator is described. The comparator is designed with a pre-amplifying and regenerative latching structure and realized in 0.18 μm CMOS. With the first stage preamplifier offset cancellation and low offset regenerative latching approach, the equivalent offset of the comparator is reduced to < 0.55 mV. By using the pre-amplifying and regenerative latching comparison mode the comparator exhibits low power dissipation. Under a 1.8 V power supply, with a 200 kS/s ADC sampling rate and 3 MHz clock frequency, a 13-bit comparison resolution is reached and less than 0.09 mW power dissipation is consumed. The superiority of this comparator is discussed and proved by the post-simulation and application to a 10 bit 200 kS/s touch screen SAR A/D converter. (semiconductor integrated circuits)

  15. The effect of offset cues on saccade programming and covert attention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Daniel T; Casteau, Soazig

    2018-02-01

    Salient peripheral events trigger fast, "exogenous" covert orienting. The influential premotor theory of attention argues that covert orienting of attention depends upon planned but unexecuted eye-movements. One problem with this theory is that salient peripheral events, such as offsets, appear to summon attention when used to measure covert attention (e.g., the Posner cueing task) but appear not to elicit oculomotor preparation in tasks that require overt orienting (e.g., the remote distractor paradigm). Here, we examined the effects of peripheral offsets on covert attention and saccade preparation. Experiment 1 suggested that transient offsets summoned attention in a manual detection task without triggering motor preparation planning in a saccadic localisation task, although there were a high proportion of saccadic capture errors on "no-target" trials, where a cue was presented but no target appeared. In Experiment 2, "no-target" trials were removed. Here, transient offsets produced both attentional facilitation and faster saccadic responses on valid cue trials. A third experiment showed that the permanent disappearance of an object also elicited attentional facilitation and faster saccadic reaction times. These experiments demonstrate that offsets trigger both saccade programming and covert attentional orienting, consistent with the idea that exogenous, covert orienting is tightly coupled with oculomotor activation. The finding that no-go trials attenuates oculomotor priming effects offers a way to reconcile the current findings with previous claims of a dissociation between covert attention and oculomotor control in paradigms that utilise a high proportion of catch trials.

  16. Simulation on Vehicle Vibration Offset of NX70 Flatcar

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Han Yanhui

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available The current rolling stock gauge for standard gauge railway is a static gauge to check the vehicle frame. The contradiction of large construction gauge and small rolling stock gauge has always existed. It is important to set down the clearance requirements in respect of physical size for the safe passage of rail vehicles. Reasonably determining the maximum vibration offset can improve the efficiency of clearance. As an example, analyze the complex vibration of NX70 flat car by simulation test on the running track. Comprehensive considering the track model, loading plan, line conditions and running speed, then SIMPACK is used to present the vehicle system dynamics simulation model. After researching simulation result, respectively determine the maximum vehicle vibration offset for railroads of Class I, Class II and Class III on the height of the center of gravity 2000 mm and 2400 mm. According to the clearance between the structure gauge and the position of maximum vibration offset, analyze the safety of vehicle operation since the center of gravity is higher than before.

  17. Improved SAR Image Coregistration Using Pixel-Offset Series

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Teng

    2014-03-14

    Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image coregistration is a key procedure before interferometric SAR (InSAR) time-series analysis can be started. However, many geophysical data sets suffer from severe decorrelation problems due to a variety of reasons, making precise coregistration a nontrivial task. Here, we present a new strategy that uses a pixel-offset series of detected subimage patches dominated by point-like targets (PTs) to improve SAR image coregistrations. First, all potentially coherent image pairs are coregistered in a conventional way. In this step, we propose a coregistration quality index for each image to rank its relative “significance” within the data set and to select a reference image for the SAR data set. Then, a pixel-offset series of detected PTs is made from amplitude maps to improve the geometrical mapping functions. Finally, all images are resampled depending on the pixel offsets calculated from the updated geometrical mapping functions. We used images from a rural region near the North Anatolian Fault in eastern Turkey to test the proposed method, and clear coregistration improvements were found based on amplitude stability. This enhanced the fact that the coregistration strategy should therefore lead to improved InSAR time-series analysis results.

  18. Improved SAR Image Coregistration Using Pixel-Offset Series

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Teng; Jonsson, Sigurjon; Hanssen, Ramon F.

    2014-01-01

    Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image coregistration is a key procedure before interferometric SAR (InSAR) time-series analysis can be started. However, many geophysical data sets suffer from severe decorrelation problems due to a variety of reasons, making precise coregistration a nontrivial task. Here, we present a new strategy that uses a pixel-offset series of detected subimage patches dominated by point-like targets (PTs) to improve SAR image coregistrations. First, all potentially coherent image pairs are coregistered in a conventional way. In this step, we propose a coregistration quality index for each image to rank its relative “significance” within the data set and to select a reference image for the SAR data set. Then, a pixel-offset series of detected PTs is made from amplitude maps to improve the geometrical mapping functions. Finally, all images are resampled depending on the pixel offsets calculated from the updated geometrical mapping functions. We used images from a rural region near the North Anatolian Fault in eastern Turkey to test the proposed method, and clear coregistration improvements were found based on amplitude stability. This enhanced the fact that the coregistration strategy should therefore lead to improved InSAR time-series analysis results.

  19. Tax-Optimal Step-Up and Imperfect Loss Offset

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Markus Diller

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available In the field of mergers and acquisitions, German and international tax law allow for several opportunities to step up a firm's assets, i.e., to revaluate the assets at fair market values. When a step-up is performed the taxpayer recognizes a taxable gain, but also obtains tax benefits in the form of higher future depreciation allowances associated with stepping up the tax base of the assets. This tax-planning problem is well known in taxation literature and can also be applied to firm valuation in the presence of taxation. However, the known models usually assume a perfect loss offset. If this assumption is abandoned, the depreciation allowances may lose value as they become tax effective at a later point in time, or even never if there are not enough cash flows to be offset against. This aspect is especiallyrelevant if future cash flows are assumed to be uncertain. This paper shows that a step-up may be disadvantageous or a firm overvalued if these aspects are not integrated into the basic calculus. Compared to the standard approach, assets should be stepped up only in a few cases and - under specific conditions - at a later point in time. Firm values may be considerably lower under imperfect loss offset.

  20. 7 CFR 1951.106 - Offset of payments to entities related to debtors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ...) General. Collections of delinquent debts through administrative offset will be in accordance with 7 CFR... delinquent debts through administrative offset may be taken against a debtor's pro rata share of payments due..., or after receiving a loan, established an entity, or has reorganized, transferred ownership of, or...

  1. A SURVEY OF AUTOMATION TECHNIQUES COMING FORTH IN SHEET-FED OFFSET PRINTING ORGANIZATIONS

    OpenAIRE

    Mr. Ramesh Kumar*, Mr. Bijender & Mr. Sandeep Boora

    2017-01-01

    Sheet-Fed offset is one of the premier processes in India as well as abroad. To cope up with customers large quantity demands automation has become mandatory. From prepress to post press a wide range of automation techniques exist and coming forth for sheet fed offset presses. Objective of this paper is to throw light on various sheet-fed offset automation techniques existing today and their futuristic implications. The data related to automation was collected with the help of survey conducte...

  2. Exploring residential energy consumers' willingness to accept and pay to offset their CO2-emission

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yang, Yingkui; Solgaard, Hans Stubbe

    2015-01-01

    to pay for carbon offset. Finally, the ordered logit model is used in modelling willing to pay for carbon offset. Findings The results show that there is significant support from residential energy consumer to offset their CO2 emission from electricity consumption. The WTP is motivated by consumers...

  3. Methodology to include a correction for offset in the calibration of a Diode-based 2D verification device; Metodologia para incluir una correccion por offset en la calibracion de un dispositivo de verificacion 2D basado en diodos

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramirez Ros, J. C.; Pamos Urena, M.; Jerez Sainz, M.; Lobato Munoz, M.; Jodar Lopez, C. A.; Ruiz Lopez, M. a.; Carrasco Rodriguez, J. L.

    2013-07-01

    We propose a methodology to correct doses of device verification 2D MapChek2 planes by offset. This methodology provides an array of correction by Offset applied to the calibration per dose due to the Offset of the diode Central as well as the correction of the Offset of each diode on each acquisition. (Author)

  4. 45 CFR 2506.32 - What are the Corporation's procedures for salary offset?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false What are the Corporation's procedures for salary...) CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE COLLECTION OF DEBTS Salary Offset § 2506.32 What are the Corporation's procedures for salary offset? (a) The Corporation will coordinate salary deductions under this...

  5. Measuring coalignment of retroreflectors with large lateral incoming-outgoing beam offset

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schütze, Daniel, E-mail: Daniel.Schuetze@aei.mpg.de; Sheard, Benjamin S.; Heinzel, Gerhard; Danzmann, Karsten [Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute) and Institute for Gravitational Physics, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Callinstr. 38, 30167 Hanover (Germany); Farrant, David [Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Bradfield Road, Lindfield, NSW 2070 (Australia); Shaddock, Daniel A. [Centre for Gravitational Physics, Australian National University, Acton, ACT 0200 (Australia)

    2014-03-15

    A method based on phase-shifting Fizeau interferometry is presented with which retroreflectors with large incoming-outgoing beam separations can be tested. The method relies on a flat Reference Bar that is used to align two auxiliary mirrors parallel to each other to extend the aperture of the interferometer. The method is applied to measure the beam coalignment of a prototype Triple Mirror Assembly of the GRACE Follow-On Laser Ranging Interferometer, a future satellite-to-satellite tracking device for Earth gravimetry. The Triple Mirror Assembly features a lateral beam offset of incoming and outgoing beam of 600 mm, whereas the acceptance angle for the incoming beam is only about ±2 mrad. With the developed method, the beam coalignment of the prototype Triple Mirror Assembly was measured to be 9 μrad with a repeatability of below 1 μrad.

  6. Measuring coalignment of retroreflectors with large lateral incoming-outgoing beam offset

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schütze, Daniel; Sheard, Benjamin S.; Heinzel, Gerhard; Danzmann, Karsten; Farrant, David; Shaddock, Daniel A.

    2014-01-01

    A method based on phase-shifting Fizeau interferometry is presented with which retroreflectors with large incoming-outgoing beam separations can be tested. The method relies on a flat Reference Bar that is used to align two auxiliary mirrors parallel to each other to extend the aperture of the interferometer. The method is applied to measure the beam coalignment of a prototype Triple Mirror Assembly of the GRACE Follow-On Laser Ranging Interferometer, a future satellite-to-satellite tracking device for Earth gravimetry. The Triple Mirror Assembly features a lateral beam offset of incoming and outgoing beam of 600 mm, whereas the acceptance angle for the incoming beam is only about ±2 mrad. With the developed method, the beam coalignment of the prototype Triple Mirror Assembly was measured to be 9 μrad with a repeatability of below 1 μrad

  7. Axial offset anomalies and local pH

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tarin, F.; Montes, M.; Izquierdo, J.; Garcia-Sanchez, J.

    2001-01-01

    Small radial and axial offset anomalies (AOA) in some Spanish PWR-type NPP's, in addition to the knowledge of the existence of similar anomalies in U.S. PWR's, led us in 1993 to study this problem. Important parameters were correlated for a database of plant operating data consisting of six cycles of five different PWR plants (all of them of the Westinghouse 3-loop, 12 ft., 17 x 17 fuel design). One of these cycles (the oldest one) followed the standard constant pH 308 = 7.0, and the remaining ones followed a modified elevated pH control strategy (the pH at EOC is typically 7.4). Only for the oldest cycle that used the standard pH control was the in-core and ex-core axial offset values found to be in good agreement with the predictions, and an anomalous soluble boron curve behavior not observed. (author)

  8. The offset-midpoint traveltime pyramid of P-waves in homogeneous orthorhombic media

    KAUST Repository

    Hao, Qi

    2016-07-18

    The offset-midpoint traveltime pyramid describes the diffraction traveltime of a point diffractor in homogeneous media. We have developed an analytic approximation for the P-wave offset-midpoint traveltime pyramid for homogeneous orthorhombic media. In this approximation, a perturbation method and the Shanks transform were implemented to derive the analytic expressions for the horizontal slowness components of P-waves in orthorhombic media. Numerical examples were shown to analyze the proposed traveltime pyramid formula and determined its accuracy and the application in calculating migration isochrones and reflection traveltime. The proposed offset-midpoint traveltime formula is useful for Kirchhoff prestack time migration and migration velocity analysis for orthorhombic media.

  9. The offset-midpoint traveltime pyramid of P-waves in homogeneous orthorhombic media

    KAUST Repository

    Hao, Qi; Stovas, Alexey; Alkhalifah, Tariq Ali

    2016-01-01

    The offset-midpoint traveltime pyramid describes the diffraction traveltime of a point diffractor in homogeneous media. We have developed an analytic approximation for the P-wave offset-midpoint traveltime pyramid for homogeneous orthorhombic media. In this approximation, a perturbation method and the Shanks transform were implemented to derive the analytic expressions for the horizontal slowness components of P-waves in orthorhombic media. Numerical examples were shown to analyze the proposed traveltime pyramid formula and determined its accuracy and the application in calculating migration isochrones and reflection traveltime. The proposed offset-midpoint traveltime formula is useful for Kirchhoff prestack time migration and migration velocity analysis for orthorhombic media.

  10. The neural basis of emotions varies over time: different regions go with onset- and offset-bound processes underlying emotion intensity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Résibois, Maxime; Verduyn, Philippe; Delaveau, Pauline; Rotgé, Jean-Yves; Kuppens, Peter; Van Mechelen, Iven; Fossati, Philippe

    2017-08-01

    According to theories of emotion dynamics, emotions unfold across two phases in which different types of processes come to the fore: emotion onset and emotion offset. Differences in onset-bound processes are reflected by the degree of explosiveness or steepness of the response at onset, and differences in offset-bound processes by the degree of accumulation or intensification of the subsequent response. Whether onset- and offset-bound processes have distinctive neural correlates and, hence, whether the neural basis of emotions varies over time, still remains unknown. In the present fMRI study, we address this question using a recently developed paradigm that allows to disentangle explosiveness and accumulation. Thirty-one participants were exposed to neutral and negative social feedback, and asked to reflect on its contents. Emotional intensity while reading and thinking about the feedback was measured with an intensity profile tracking approach. Using non-negative matrix factorization, the resulting profile data were decomposed in explosiveness and accumulation components, which were subsequently entered as continuous regressors of the BOLD response. It was found that the neural basis of emotion intensity shifts as emotions unfold over time with emotion explosiveness and accumulation having distinctive neural correlates. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press.

  11. Phase Noise Compensation for OFDM Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leshem, Amir; Yemini, Michal

    2017-11-01

    We describe a low complexity method for time domain compensation of phase noise in OFDM systems. We extend existing methods in several respects. First we suggest using the Karhunen-Lo\\'{e}ve representation of the phase noise process to estimate the phase noise. We then derive an improved datadirected choice of basis elements for LS phase noise estimation and present its total least square counterpart problem. The proposed method helps overcome one of the major weaknesses of OFDM systems. We also generalize the time domain phase noise compensation to the multiuser MIMO context. Finally we present simulation results using both simulated and measured phased noise. We quantify the tracking performance in the presence of residual carrier offset.

  12. Validation of meter-scale surface faulting offset measurements from high-resolution topographic data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salisbury, Barrett; Haddad, D.E.; Rockwell, T.K.; Arrowsmith, R.; Madugo, C.; Zielke, O.; Scharer, Katherine M.

    2015-01-01

    Studies of active fault zones have flourished with the availability of high-resolution topographic data, particularly where airborne light detection and ranging (lidar) and structure from motion (SfM) data sets provide a means to remotely analyze submeter-scale fault geomorphology. To determine surface offset at a point along a strike-slip earthquake rupture, geomorphic features (e.g., stream channels) are measured days to centuries after the event. Analysis of these and cumulatively offset features produces offset distributions for successive earthquakes that are used to understand earthquake rupture behavior. As researchers expand studies to more varied terrain types, climates, and vegetation regimes, there is an increasing need to standardize and uniformly validate measurements of tectonically displaced geomorphic features. A recently compiled catalog of nearly 5000 earthquake offsets across a range of measurement and reporting styles provides insight into quality rating and uncertainty trends from which we formulate best-practice and reporting recommendations for remote studies. In addition, a series of public and beginner-level studies validate the remote methodology for a number of tools and emphasize considerations to enhance measurement accuracy and precision for beginners and professionals. Our investigation revealed that (1) standardizing remote measurement methods and reporting quality rating schemes is essential for the utility and repeatability of fault-offset measurements; (2) measurement discrepancies often involve misinterpretation of the offset geomorphic feature and are a function of the investigator’s experience; (3) comparison of measurements made by a single investigator in different climatic regions reveals systematic differences in measurement uncertainties attributable to variation in feature preservation; (4) measuring more components of a displaced geomorphic landform produces more consistently repeatable estimates of offset; and (5

  13. Validation of meter-scale surface faulting offset measurements from high-resolution topographic data

    KAUST Repository

    Salisbury, J. Barrett

    2015-10-24

    Studies of active fault zones have flourished with the availability of high-resolution topographic data, particularly where airborne light detection and ranging (lidar) and structure from motion (SfM) data sets provide a means to remotely analyze submeter- scale fault geomorphology. To determine surface offset at a point along a strike-slip earthquake rupture, geomorphic features (e.g., stream channels) are measured days to centuries after the event. Analysis of these and cumulatively offset features produces offset distributions for successive earthquakes that are used to understand earthquake rupture behavior. As researchers expand studies to more varied terrain types, climates, and vegetation regimes, there is an increasing need to standardize and uniformly validate measurements of tectonically displaced geomorphic features. A recently compiled catalog of nearly 5000 earthquake offsets across a range of measurement and reporting styles provides insight into quality rating and uncertainty trends from which we formulate best-practice and reporting recommendations for remote studies. In addition, a series of public and beginner-level studies validate the remote methodology for a number of tools and emphasize considerations to enhance measurement accuracy and precision for beginners and professionals. Our investigation revealed that (1) standardizing remote measurement methods and reporting quality rating schemes is essential for the utility and repeatability of fault-offset measurements; (2) measurement discrepancies often involve misinterpretation of the offset geomorphic feature and are a function of the investigator\\'s experience; (3) comparison of measurements made by a single investigator in different climatic regions reveals systematic differences in measurement uncertainties attributable to variation in feature preservation; (4) measuring more components of a displaced geomorphic landform produces more consistently repeatable estimates of offset; and (5

  14. Interface dependence of band offsets in lattice-matched isovalent heterojunctions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lambrecht, Walter R. L.; Segall, Benjamin

    1990-01-01

    Using a previously developed self-consistent dipole theory, we find that the interface dependence of band offsets for lattice-matched isovalent heterojunction is generally small. Specifically, we find the difference between the (001) and (110) band offsets for the common-anion heterojunctions AlP/GaP, AlAs/GaAs, AlSb/GaSb, and CdTe/HgTe to be, at most, 0.02 eV. An investigation of the various details in the calculations leads to an error estimate of +/-0.03 eV; the differences are therefore insignificant. For the noncommon-anion systems, the difference between two different bonding configurations of the (001) interface is noted. Although the differences between the various interfaces are found to be slightly larger than for the common-anion cases, the only significant difference is found to occur between the In-Sb and Ga-As (001) interfaces, where it is 0.1 eV. In this case, the (110) band offset lies midway between the two.

  15. Echoic memory: investigation of its temporal resolution by auditory offset cortical responses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishihara, Makoto; Inui, Koji; Morita, Tomoyo; Kodaira, Minori; Mochizuki, Hideki; Otsuru, Naofumi; Motomura, Eishi; Ushida, Takahiro; Kakigi, Ryusuke

    2014-01-01

    Previous studies showed that the amplitude and latency of the auditory offset cortical response depended on the history of the sound, which implicated the involvement of echoic memory in shaping a response. When a brief sound was repeated, the latency of the offset response depended precisely on the frequency of the repeat, indicating that the brain recognized the timing of the offset by using information on the repeat frequency stored in memory. In the present study, we investigated the temporal resolution of sensory storage by measuring auditory offset responses with magnetoencephalography (MEG). The offset of a train of clicks for 1 s elicited a clear magnetic response at approximately 60 ms (Off-P50m). The latency of Off-P50m depended on the inter-stimulus interval (ISI) of the click train, which was the longest at 40 ms (25 Hz) and became shorter with shorter ISIs (2.5∼20 ms). The correlation coefficient r2 for the peak latency and ISI was as high as 0.99, which suggested that sensory storage for the stimulation frequency accurately determined the Off-P50m latency. Statistical analysis revealed that the latency of all pairs, except for that between 200 and 400 Hz, was significantly different, indicating the very high temporal resolution of sensory storage at approximately 5 ms.

  16. Echoic memory: investigation of its temporal resolution by auditory offset cortical responses.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Makoto Nishihara

    Full Text Available Previous studies showed that the amplitude and latency of the auditory offset cortical response depended on the history of the sound, which implicated the involvement of echoic memory in shaping a response. When a brief sound was repeated, the latency of the offset response depended precisely on the frequency of the repeat, indicating that the brain recognized the timing of the offset by using information on the repeat frequency stored in memory. In the present study, we investigated the temporal resolution of sensory storage by measuring auditory offset responses with magnetoencephalography (MEG. The offset of a train of clicks for 1 s elicited a clear magnetic response at approximately 60 ms (Off-P50m. The latency of Off-P50m depended on the inter-stimulus interval (ISI of the click train, which was the longest at 40 ms (25 Hz and became shorter with shorter ISIs (2.5∼20 ms. The correlation coefficient r2 for the peak latency and ISI was as high as 0.99, which suggested that sensory storage for the stimulation frequency accurately determined the Off-P50m latency. Statistical analysis revealed that the latency of all pairs, except for that between 200 and 400 Hz, was significantly different, indicating the very high temporal resolution of sensory storage at approximately 5 ms.

  17. Barriers to the development of forest carbon offsetting: Insights from British Columbia, Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peterson St-Laurent, Guillaume; Hagerman, Shannon; Hoberg, George

    2017-12-01

    In recent years, the provision of economic incentives through carbon financing and carbon offsetting has been central to efforts at forest carbon mitigation. However, notwithstanding their potentially important roles in climate policy, forest carbon offsets face numerous barriers which have limited widespread implementation worldwide. This paper uses the case study of the Canadian province of British Columbia to explore the barriers associated with achieving widespread implementation of forest carbon offsets in the next several decades. Drawing on interviews with experts from government, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and First Nations, six main barriers are identified and discussed: (1) deficiencies of carbon markets, (2) limited economic benefits, (3) uncertain climate effectiveness, (4) negative public opinion, (5) limited and uncertain property rights, and (6) governance issues. While respondents from different sectors agreed on various points, divergence was also observed, notably on the trade-off between generating environmentally sound offsets and promoting cost-effective ways to achieve mitigation. We discuss these differences in the context of the goals and objectives of different actors, and offer insights for understanding the uptake (or not) of carbon offset policies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Optimum energy levels and offsets for organic donor/acceptor binary photovoltaic materials and solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun, S.-S.

    2005-01-01

    Optimum frontier orbital energy levels and offsets of an organic donor/acceptor binary type photovoltaic material have been analyzed using classic Marcus electron transfer theory in order to achieve the most efficient photo induced charge separation. This study reveals that, an exciton quenching parameter (EQP) yields one optimum donor/acceptor frontier orbital energy offset that equals the sum of the exciton binding energy and the charge separation reorganization energy, where the photo generated excitons are converted into charges most efficiently. A recombination quenching parameter (RQP) yields a second optimum donor/acceptor energy offset where the ratio of charge separation rate constant over charge recombination rate constant becomes largest. It is desirable that the maximum RQP is coincidence or close to the maximum EQP. A third energy offset is also identified where charge recombination becomes most severe. It is desirable that the most severe charge recombination offset is far away from maximum EQP offset. These findings are very critical for evaluating and fine tuning frontier orbital energy levels of a donor/acceptor pair in order to realize high efficiency organic photovoltaic materials

  19. 7 CFR 400.136 - Procedures for salary offset; when deductions may begin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Procedures for salary offset; when deductions may... Management-Regulations for the 1986 and Succeeding Crop Years § 400.136 Procedures for salary offset; when... amount outlined in the Notice of Intent to collect from the employee's salary, as provided for in § 400...

  20. Carbon Offsets in California: What Role for Earth Scientists in the Policy Process? (Invited)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cullenward, D.; Strong, A. L.

    2013-12-01

    This talk addresses the policy structure in California for developing and approving carbon offset protocols, which rely on findings from the environmental and earth sciences communities. In addition to providing an overview of the legal requirements of carbon offsets, we describe a series of case studies of how scientists can engage with policymakers. Based on those experiences, we suggest ways for the earth sciences community to become more involved in climate policy development. California's climate law, known as AB 32, requires that major sectors of the state's economy reduce their emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. As part of AB 32, the California Air Resources Board created a cap-and-trade market to ensure compliance with the statutory target. Under this system, regulated companies have to acquire tradable emissions permits (called 'compliance instruments') for the greenhouse gas emissions they release. The State allocates a certain number of allowances to regulated entities through a mixture of auctions and free transfers, with the total number equal to the overall emissions target; these allowances, along with approved offsets credits, are the compliance instruments that regulated entities are required to obtain by law. One of the key policy design issues in California's cap-and-trade market concerns the use of carbon offsets. Under AB 32, the Air Resources Board can issue offset credits to project developers who reduce emissions outside of the capped sectors (electricity, industry, and transportation)--or even outside of California--pursuant to approved offset protocols. Project developers then sell the credits to regulated companies in California. Essentially, offsets allow regulated entities in California to earn credit for emissions reductions that take place outside the scope of AB 32. Many regulated entities and economists are in favor of offsets because they view them as a source of low-cost compliance instruments. On the other hand, critics argue that

  1. Possible Correlations between the Emission Properties of SGRBs and Their Offsets from the Host Galaxies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Shuai; Jin, Zhi-Ping; Li, Xiang; Fan, Yi-Zhong; Wei, Da-Ming [Key Laboratory of Dark Matter and Space Astronomy, Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008 (China); Zhang, Fu-Wen, E-mail: jin@pmo.ac.cn, E-mail: yzfan@pmo.ac.cn, E-mail: dmwei@pmo.ac.cn [College of Science, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004 (China)

    2017-07-20

    Short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) are widely believed to be from mergers of binary compact objects involving at least one neutron star and hence have a broad range of spatial offsets from their host galaxies. In this work, we search for possible correlations between the emission properties of 18 SGRBs and their offsets from the host galaxies. The SGRBs with and without extended emission do not show significant differences between their offset distributions, in agreement with some previous works. There are, however, possible correlations between the optical and X-ray afterglow emission and the offsets. The underlying physical origins are examined.

  2. Dynamics analysis of microsphere in a dual-beam fiber-optic trap with transverse offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xinlin; Xiao, Guangzong; Luo, Hui; Xiong, Wei; Yang, Kaiyong

    2016-04-04

    A comprehensive dynamics analysis of microsphere has been presented in a dual-beam fiber-optic trap with transverse offset. As the offset distance between two counterpropagating beams increases, the motion type of the microsphere starts with capture, then spiral motion, then orbital rotation, and ends with escape. We analyze the transformation process and mechanism of the four motion types based on ray optics approximation. Dynamic simulations show that the existence of critical offset distances at which different motion types transform. The result is an important step toward explaining physical phenomena in a dual-beam fiber-optic trap with transverse offset, and is generally applicable to achieving controllable motions of microspheres in integrated systems, such as microfluidic systems and lab-on-a-chip systems.

  3. What Issues Does the Czech Republic Face Concerning Offsets in the Context of Military Purchases?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2006-09-01

    of CZK 19.650 billion; approximately USD 0.9 billion)1. Countertrade is an immense, pervasive business practice, involving huge numbers of people...overwhelmed with various terms: direct and indirect offsets, countertrade , bilateral government trade, compensatory arrangements, clearing arrangements...34Coproduction, Barter, and Countertrade : Offsets in the International Arms Market," (Orbis, 1985), 29. 8 1. The Meaning of Offsets, Definitions and

  4. Collision Resolution Scheme with Offset for Improved Performance of Heterogeneous WLAN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Upadhyay, Raksha; Vyavahare, Prakash D.; Tokekar, Sanjiv

    2016-03-01

    CSMA/CA based DCF of 802.11 MAC layer employs best effort delivery model, in which all stations compete for channel access with same priority. Heterogeneous conditions result in unfairness among stations and degradation in throughput, therefore, providing different priorities to different applications for required quality of service in heterogeneous networks is challenging task. This paper proposes a collision resolution scheme with a novel concept of introducing offset, which is suitable for heterogeneous networks. Selection of random value by a station for its contention with offset results in reduced probability of collision. Expression for the optimum value of the offset is also derived. Results show that proposed scheme, when applied to heterogeneous networks, has improved throughput and fairness than conventional scheme. Results show that proposed scheme also exhibits higher throughput and fairness with reduced delay in homogeneous networks.

  5. Fluxgate magnetometer offset vector determination by the 3D mirror mode method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plaschke, F.; Goetz, C.; Volwerk, M.; Richter, I.; Frühauff, D.; Narita, Y.; Glassmeier, K.-H.; Dougherty, M. K.

    2017-07-01

    Fluxgate magnetometers on-board spacecraft need to be regularly calibrated in flight. In low fields, the most important calibration parameters are the three offset vector components, which represent the magnetometer measurements in vanishing ambient magnetic fields. In case of three-axis stabilized spacecraft, a few methods exist to determine offsets: (I) by analysis of Alfvénic fluctuations present in the pristine interplanetary magnetic field, (II) by rolling the spacecraft around at least two axes, (III) by cross-calibration against measurements from electron drift instruments or absolute magnetometers, and (IV) by taking measurements in regions of well-known magnetic fields, e.g. cometary diamagnetic cavities. In this paper, we introduce a fifth option, the 3-dimensional (3D) mirror mode method, by which 3D offset vectors can be determined using magnetic field measurements of highly compressional waves, e.g. mirror modes in the Earth's magnetosheath. We test the method by applying it to magnetic field data measured by the following: the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms-C spacecraft in the terrestrial magnetosheath, the Cassini spacecraft in the Jovian magnetosheath and the Rosetta spacecraft in the vicinity of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The tests reveal that the achievable offset accuracies depend on the ambient magnetic field strength (lower strength meaning higher accuracy), on the length of the underlying data interval (more data meaning higher accuracy) and on the stability of the offset that is to be determined.

  6. Defense Trade: Data Collection and Coordination on Offsets

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    2000-01-01

    ... on the U.S. economy and national security. Defense offsets are the full range of industrial and commercial benefits that firms provide to foreign governments as inducements or conditions for the purchase of military goods and services...

  7. How much carbon offsetting and where? Implications of efficiency, effectiveness, and ethicality considerations for public opinion formation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anderson, Brilé; Bernauer, Thomas

    2016-01-01

    A fundamental policy design choice in government-led climate change mitigation is: what role should flexibility mechanisms like carbon offsetting play in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Since public opinion affects the policy choices of government, we investigate how arguments regarding carbon offsetting's economic efficiency, effectiveness, and ethicality, which have been key points in the public debate, impact the public's preferences. We fielded an online framing experiment in the United States (N=995) to empirically identify how arguments for and against carbon offsetting influence public preferences for the inclusion of offsetting in national GHG mitigation policy. We find that the public's support for international offsetting increases and support for reductions at their source (i.e. within firms' own operations) diminishes when considerations of economic efficiency gains are at the forefront. Support for offsetting declines when individuals are confronted with arguments concerning its effectiveness and ethicality, which suggests that future policies will require clear standards of additionality in order to address these concerns. Moreover, we find that how carbon offsetting is framed matters even amongst climate skeptics and support could potentially be enhanced via improved communication on efficiency gains. - Highlights: •We use a framing survey experiment to study public opinion on carbon offsetting. •Efficiency gains increase public support for international carbon offsetting. •Concerns about effectiveness/additionality and ethicality reduce support. •More information on efficiency gains and strengthening additionality could help increase support.

  8. Optimization based tuning approach for offset free MPC

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olesen, Daniel Haugård; Huusom, Jakob Kjøbsted; Jørgensen, John Bagterp

    2012-01-01

    We present an optimization based tuning procedure with certain robustness properties for an offset free Model Predictive Controller (MPC). The MPC is designed for multivariate processes that can be represented by an ARX model. The advantage of ARX model representations is that standard system...... identifiation techniques using convex optimization can be used for identification of such models from input-output data. The stochastic model of the ARX model identified from input-output data is modified with an ARMA model designed as part of the MPC-design procedure to ensure offset-free control. The ARMAX...... model description resulting from the extension can be realized as a state space model in innovation form. The MPC is designed and implemented based on this state space model in innovation form. Expressions for the closed-loop dynamics of the unconstrained system is used to derive the sensitivity...

  9. The Synthesis of NiO/TiO2 Heterostructures and Their Valence Band Offset Determination

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Z. H. Ibupoto

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In this work, a heterojunction based on p-type NiO/n-type TiO2 nanostructures has been prepared on the fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO glass substrate by hydrothermal method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM and X-Ray diffraction techniques were used for the morphological and crystalline arrays characterization. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was employed to determine the valence-band offset (VBO of the NiO/TiO2 heterojunction prepared on FTO glass substrate. The core levels of Ni 2p and Ti 2p were utilized to align the valence-band offset of p-type NiO/n-type TiO2 heterojunction. The valence band offset was found to be ∼0.41 eV and the conduction band was calculated about ∼0.91 eV. The ratio of conduction band offset and the valence-band offset was found to be 2.21.

  10. Willingness to pay for carbon offset certification and co-benefits among (high-)flying young adults in the UK

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    MacKerron, George J.; Mourato, Susana; Egerton, Catrin; Gaskell, Christopher; Parpia, Aimie

    2009-01-01

    Voluntary carbon offsets represent a growing share of the carbon market as a whole, and have the potential to contribute to meeting greenhouse gas emissions targets and reducing anthropogenic climate change. Certain offset project types may also deliver co-benefits including safeguarding or promoting biodiversity, supporting human development and poverty reduction, and enabling market and technology development in low-carbon sectors. These co-benefits might encourage consumers to participate in the voluntary offset market, depending on their effects both on consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for offsets and on implementation costs. However, the offset market is not yet sufficiently developed to give a clear indication of consumer WTP for offsets with varying attributes. This exploratory stated preference study therefore uses a choice experiment to estimate WTP for certified and uncertified offsets, with or without these specific co-benefits, in an aviation context. It is, to the best of our knowledge, the first to do so. Our results suggest that uptake of voluntary offsets may be encouraged by investing in projects with co-benefits and by emphasising those co-benefits to consumers. They also suggest that certification regimes will add value to offsets, helping compensate for increased costs, provided that consumers are made fully aware of them. (author)

  11. 20 CFR 404.525 - Suspension of offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Suspension of offset. 404.525 Section 404.525 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION FEDERAL OLD-AGE, SURVIVORS AND DISABILITY INSURANCE (1950....521, the overpaid individual notifies us that he or she is exercising a right described in § 404.522(a...

  12. Flux-gate magnetometer spin axis offset calibration using the electron drift instrument

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Plaschke, Ferdinand; Nakamura, Rumi; Baumjohann, Wolfgang; Steller, Manfred; Magnes, Werner; Leinweber, Hannes K; Chutter, Mark; Vaith, Hans

    2014-01-01

    Spin-stabilization of spacecraft immensely supports the in-flight calibration of on-board flux-gate magnetometers (FGMs). From 12 calibration parameters in total, 8 can be easily obtained by spectral analysis. From the remaining 4, the spin axis offset is known to be particularly variable. It is usually determined by analysis of Alfvénic fluctuations that are embedded in the solar wind. In the absence of solar wind observations, the spin axis offset may be obtained by comparison of FGM and electron drift instrument (EDI) measurements. The aim of our study is to develop methods that are readily usable for routine FGM spin axis offset calibration with EDI. This paper represents a major step forward in this direction. We improve an existing method to determine FGM spin axis offsets from EDI time-of-flight measurements by providing it with a comprehensive error analysis. In addition, we introduce a new, complementary method that uses EDI beam direction data instead of time-of-flight data. Using Cluster data, we show that both methods yield similarly accurate results, which are comparable yet more stable than those from a commonly used solar wind-based method. (paper)

  13. Dosimetric effects of rotational offsets in stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for lung cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang, Yun; Catalano, Suzanne; Kelsey, Chris R.; Yoo, David S.; Yin, Fang-Fang; Cai, Jing, E-mail: jing.cai@duke.edu

    2014-04-01

    To quantitatively evaluate dosimetric effects of rotational offsets in stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for lung cancer. Overall, 11 lung SBRT patients (8 female and 3 male; mean age: 75.0 years) with medially located tumors were included. Treatment plans with simulated rotational offsets of 1°, 3°, and 5° in roll, yaw, and pitch were generated and compared with the original plans. Both clockwise and counterclockwise rotations were investigated. The following dosimetric metrics were quantitatively evaluated: planning target volume coverage (PTV V{sub 100%}), max PTV dose (PTV D{sub max}), percentage prescription dose to 0.35 cc of cord (cord D{sub 0.35} {sub cc}), percentage prescription dose to 0.35 cc and 5 cc of esophagus (esophagus D{sub 0.35} {sub cc} and D{sub 5} {sub cc}), and volume of the lungs receiving at least 20 Gy (lung V{sub 20}). Statistical significance was tested using Wilcoxon signed rank test at the significance level of 0.05. Overall, small differences were found in all dosimetric matrices at all rotational offsets: 95.6% of differences were < 1% or < 1 Gy. Of all rotational offsets, largest change in PTV V{sub 100%}, PTV D{sub max}, cord D{sub 0.35} {sub cc}, esophagus D{sub 0.35} {sub cc}, esophagus D{sub 5} {sub cc}, and lung V{sub 20} was − 8.36%, − 6.06%, 11.96%, 8.66%, 6.02%, and − 0.69%, respectively. No significant correlation was found between any dosimetric change and tumor-to-cord/esophagus distances (R{sup 2} range: 0 to 0.44). Larger dosimetric changes and intersubject variations were observed at larger rotational offsets. Small dosimetric differences were found owing to rotational offsets up to 5° in lung SBRT for medially located tumors. Larger intersubject variations were observed at larger rotational offsets.

  14. Annual report on the Background Soil Characterization Project on the Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge, Tennessee: Results of Phase 1 investigation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watkins, D.R.; Goddard, P.L.; Hatmaker, T.L.; Hook, L.A.; Jackson, B.L.; Kimbrough, C.W.; Lee, S.Y.; Lietzke, D.A.; McGin, C.W.; Nourse, B.D.; Schmoyer, R.L.; Shaw, R.A.; Stinnette, S.E.; Switek, J.; Wright, J.C.; Ammons, J.T.; Branson, J.L.; Burgoa, B.B.

    1993-05-01

    Many constituents of potential concern for human health occur naturally at low concentrations in undisturbed soils. The Background soil Characterization Project (BSCP) was undertaken to provide background concentration data on potential contaminants in natural soils on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR). The objectives of the BSCP are to provide baseline data for contaminated site assessment and estimates of potential human health risk associated with background concentrations of hazardous and other constituents in native soils. This report presents, evaluates, and documents data and results obtained in Phase I of the project. It is intended to be a stand-alone document for application and use in structuring and conducting remedial investigation and remedial action projects in the Environmental Restoration (ER) Program

  15. Annual report on the Background Soil Characterization Project on the Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge, Tennessee: Results of Phase 1 investigation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Watkins, D.R.; Goddard, P.L.; Hatmaker, T.L.; Hook, L.A.; Jackson, B.L.; Kimbrough, C.W.; Lee, S.Y.; Lietzke, D.A.; McGin, C.W.; Nourse, B.D.; Schmoyer, R.L.; Shaw, R.A.; Stinnette, S.E.; Switek, J.; Wright, J.C. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States); Ammons, J.T.; Branson, J.L.; Burgoa, B.B. [Tennessee Univ., Knoxville, TN (United States). Dept. of Plant and Soil Science; Lietzke, D.A. [Lietzke (David A.), Rutledge, TN (United States)

    1993-05-01

    Many constituents of potential concern for human health occur naturally at low concentrations in undisturbed soils. The Background soil Characterization Project (BSCP) was undertaken to provide background concentration data on potential contaminants in natural soils on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR). The objectives of the BSCP are to provide baseline data for contaminated site assessment and estimates of potential human health risk associated with background concentrations of hazardous and other constituents in native soils. This report presents, evaluates, and documents data and results obtained in Phase I of the project. It is intended to be a stand-alone document for application and use in structuring and conducting remedial investigation and remedial action projects in the Environmental Restoration (ER) Program.

  16. Offset-Free Model Predictive Control of Open Water Channel Based on Moving Horizon Estimation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ekin Aydin, Boran; Rutten, Martine

    2016-04-01

    Model predictive control (MPC) is a powerful control option which is increasingly used by operational water managers for managing water systems. The explicit consideration of constraints and multi-objective management are important features of MPC. However, due to the water loss in open water systems by seepage, leakage and evaporation a mismatch between the model and the real system will be created. These mismatch affects the performance of MPC and creates an offset from the reference set point of the water level. We present model predictive control based on moving horizon estimation (MHE-MPC) to achieve offset free control of water level for open water canals. MHE-MPC uses the past predictions of the model and the past measurements of the system to estimate unknown disturbances and the offset in the controlled water level is systematically removed. We numerically tested MHE-MPC on an accurate hydro-dynamic model of the laboratory canal UPC-PAC located in Barcelona. In addition, we also used well known disturbance modeling offset free control scheme for the same test case. Simulation experiments on a single canal reach show that MHE-MPC outperforms disturbance modeling offset free control scheme.

  17. Looking for Cosmic Neutrino Background

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chiaki eYanagisawa

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Since the discovery of neutrino oscillation in atmospheric neutrinos by the Super-Kamiokande experiment in 1998, study of neutrinos has been one of exciting fields in high-energy physics. All the mixing angles were measured. Quests for 1 measurements of the remaining parameters, the lightest neutrino mass, the CP violating phase(s, and the sign of mass splitting between the mass eigenstates m3 and m1, and 2 better measurements to determine whether the mixing angle theta23 is less than pi/4, are in progress in a well-controlled manner. Determining the nature of neutrinos, whether they are Dirac or Majorana particles is also in progress with continuous improvement. On the other hand, although the ideas of detecting cosmic neutrino background have been discussed since 1960s, there has not been a serious concerted effort to achieve this goal. One of the reasons is that it is extremely difficult to detect such low energy neutrinos from the Big Bang. While there has been tremendous accumulation of information on Cosmic Microwave Background since its discovery in 1965, there is no direct evidence for Cosmic Neutrino Background. The importance of detecting Cosmic Neutrino Background is that, although detailed studies of Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and Cosmic Microwave Background give information of the early Universe at ~a few minutes old and ~300 k years old, respectively, observation of Cosmic Neutrino Background allows us to study the early Universe at $sim$ 1 sec old. This article reviews progress made in the past 50 years on detection methods of Cosmic Neutrino Background.

  18. Background free CARS imaging by phase sensitive heterodyne CARS

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jurna, M.; Korterik, Jeroen P.; Otto, Cornelis; Herek, Jennifer Lynn; Offerhaus, Herman L.

    2008-01-01

    In this article we show that heterodyne CARS, based on a controlled and stable phase-preserving chain, can be used to measure amplitude and phase information of molecular vibration modes. The technique is validated by a comparison of the imaginary part of the heterodyne CARS spectrum to the

  19. Determination of the aging offset voltage of AMR sensors based on accelerated degradation test

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zambrano Constantini, A.C.; Kerkhoff, Hans G.

    Usually Anisotropic Magnetoresistance angle sensors are configured with two Wheatstone bridges, but an undesirable offset voltage included in the sensor output affects its accuracy. The total offset voltage combines a voltage due to resistance mismatches during manufacturing and a voltage from

  20. Conserved quantities in background independent theories

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Markopoulou, Fotini [Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, 35 King Street North, Waterloo, Ontario N2J 2W9 (Canada); Department of Physics, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 (Canada)

    2007-05-15

    We discuss the difficulties that background independent theories based on quantum geometry encounter in deriving general relativity as the low energy limit. We follow a geometrogenesis scenario of a phase transition from a pre-geometric theory to a geometric phase which suggests that a first step towards the low energy limit is searching for the effective collective excitations that will characterize it. Using the correspondence between the pre-geometric background independent theory and a quantum information processor, we are able to use the method of noiseless subsystems to extract such coherent collective excitations. We illustrate this in the case of locally evolving graphs.

  1. Force-deflection analysis of offset indentations on pressurised pipes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hyde, T.H.; Luo, R.; Becker, A.A.

    2007-01-01

    The indenter force vs. deflection characteristics of pressurised pipes with long offset indentations under plane strain conditions have been investigated using finite element (FE) and analytical methods with four experimental tests performed on aluminium rings. Two different materials and five different geometries were used to investigate their effects on the elastic-plastic behaviour. A comparison of the experimental, FE and the analytical results indicates that the analytical formulation developed in this paper, for predicting the force-deflection curves for pressurised pipes with offset indenters, is reasonably accurate. Also, all of the analyses presented in this paper indicate that by using a representative flow stress, which is defined as the average of the yield and ultimate tensile stresses, the analytical method can accurately predict the force-deflection curves

  2. Demonstrating biodiversity offset policy outcomes using the classic "trading in a pit market" classroom game

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bull, Joseph William; Strange, Niels

    2017-01-01

    , and subsequently, the provision of full ecological compensation measures elsewhere by the associated developer, e. g., habitat restoration. The objective is no net loss of biodiversity overall. Here, we develop an offset experiment in the style of a classic economic game (‘trading in a pit market’), which can...... the experiment, with and without a hypothetical biodiversity offset policy in place, revealed some key principles around offsetting which have been noted in real world policy outcomes....

  3. Detection of a westward hotspot offset in the atmosphere of hot gas giant CoRoT-2b

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dang, Lisa; Cowan, Nicolas B.; Schwartz, Joel C.; Rauscher, Emily; Zhang, Michael; Knutson, Heather A.; Line, Michael; Dobbs-Dixon, Ian; Deming, Drake; Sundararajan, Sudarsan; Fortney, Jonathan J.; Zhao, Ming

    2018-03-01

    Short-period planets exhibit day-night temperature contrasts of hundreds to thousands of kelvin. They also exhibit eastward hotspot offsets whereby the hottest region on the planet is east of the substellar point1; this has been widely interpreted as advection of heat due to eastward winds2. We present thermal phase observations of the hot Jupiter CoRoT-2b obtained with the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) on the Spitzer Space Telescope. These measurements show the most robust detection to date of a westward hotspot offset of 23 ± 4°, in contrast with the nine other planets with equivalent measurements3-10. The peculiar infrared flux map of CoRoT-2b may result from westward winds due to non-synchronous rotation11 or magnetic effects12,13, or partial cloud coverage, that obscure the emergent flux from the planet's eastern hemisphere14-17. Non-synchronous rotation and magnetic effects may also explain the planet's anomalously large radius12,18. On the other hand, partial cloud coverage could explain the featureless dayside emission spectrum of the planet19,20. If CoRoT-2b is not tidally locked, then it means that our understanding of star-planet tidal interaction is incomplete. If the westward offset is due to magnetic effects, our result represents an opportunity to study an exoplanet's magnetic field. If it has eastern clouds, then it means that a greater understanding of large-scale circulation on tidally locked planets is required.

  4. Background reduction in the SNO+ experiment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Segui, L. [University of Oxford, Denys Wilkinson Building, Keble Road, OX1 Oxford (United Kingdom)

    2015-08-17

    SNO+ is a large multi-purpose liquid scintillator experiment, which first aim is to detect the neutrinoless double beta decay of {sup 130}Te. It is placed at SNOLAB, at 6000 m.w.e. and it is based on the SNO infrastructure. SNO+ will contain approximately 780 tonnes of liquid scintillator, loaded with {sup 130}Te inside an acrylic vessel (AV) with an external volume of ultra pure water to reduce the external backgrounds. Light produced in the scintillator by the interaction of particles will be detected with about 9,000 photomultiplier’s. For the neutrinoless double beta decay phase, due to its the extremely low rate expected, the control, knowledge and reduction of the background is essential. Moreover, it will also benefit other phases of the experiment focused on the study of solar neutrinos, nucleon decay, geoneutrinos and supernovae. In order to reduce the internal background level, a novel purification technique for tellurium loaded scintillators has been developed by the collaboration that reduces the U/Th concentration and several cosmic-activated isotopes by at least a factor 10{sup 2} -10{sup 3} in a single pass. In addition, different rejection techniques have been developed for the remaining internal backgrounds based on Monte-Carlo simulations. In this work, the scintillator purification technique and the levels obtained with it will be discussed. Furthermore, an overview of the different backgrounds for the double-beta phase will be presented, highlighting some of the techniques developed to reject the remained decays based on their expected timing differences.

  5. Forest Carbon Offsets Revisited: Shedding Light on Darkwoods

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kooten, van G.C.; Bogle, T.; Vries, de F.P.

    2015-01-01

    This paper investigates the viability of carbon offset credits created through forest conservation and preservation. A detailed forest management model based on a case study of a forest estate in southeastern British Columbia, owned by The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is used to demonstrate

  6. Stakeholders of Voluntary Forest Carbon Offset Projects in China: An Empirical Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Derong Lin

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Climate change is one of the defining challenges facing the planet. Voluntary forest carbon offset project which has the potential to boost forest carbon storage and mitigate global warming has aroused the global concern. The objective of this paper is to model the game situation and analyze the game behaviors of stakeholders of voluntary forest carbon offset projects in China. A stakeholder model and a Power-Benefit Matrix are constructed to analyze the roles, behaviors, and conflicts of stakeholders including farmers, planting entities, communities, government, and China Green Carbon Foundation. The empirical analysis results show that although the stakeholders have diverse interests and different goals, a win-win solution is still possible through their joint participation and compromise in the voluntary forest carbon offset project. A wide governance structure laying emphasis on benefit balance, equality, and information exchanges and being regulated by all stakeholders has been constructed. It facilitates the agreement among the stakeholders with conflicting or different interests. The joint participation of stakeholders in voluntary forest carbon offset projects might change the government-dominated afforestation/reforestation into a market, where all participators including government are encouraged to cooperate with each other to improve the condition of fund shortage and low efficiency.

  7. Crystal timing offset calibration method for time of flight PET scanners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ye, Jinghan; Song, Xiyun

    2016-03-01

    In time-of-flight (TOF) positron emission tomography (PET), precise calibration of the timing offset of each crystal of a PET scanner is essential. Conventionally this calibration requires a specially designed tool just for this purpose. In this study a method that uses a planar source to measure the crystal timing offsets (CTO) is developed. The method uses list mode acquisitions of a planar source placed at multiple orientations inside the PET scanner field-of-view (FOV). The placement of the planar source in each acquisition is automatically figured out from the measured data, so that a fixture for exactly placing the source is not required. The expected coincidence time difference for each detected list mode event can be found from the planar source placement and the detector geometry. A deviation of the measured time difference from the expected one is due to CTO of the two crystals. The least squared solution of the CTO is found iteratively using the list mode events. The effectiveness of the crystal timing calibration method is evidenced using phantom images generated by placing back each list mode event into the image space with the timing offset applied to each event. The zigzagged outlines of the phantoms in the images become smooth after the crystal timing calibration is applied. In conclusion, a crystal timing calibration method is developed. The method uses multiple list mode acquisitions of a planar source to find the least squared solution of crystal timing offsets.

  8. The Sweet and the Bitter: Intertwined Positive and Negative Social Impacts of a Biodiversity Offset

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cécile Bidaud

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Major developments, such as mines, will often have unavoidable environmental impacts. In such cases, investors, governments, or even a company's own standards increasingly require implementation of biodiversity offsets (investment in conservation with a measurable outcome with the aim of achieving 'no net loss' or even a 'net gain' of biodiversity. Where conservation is achieved by changing the behaviour of people directly using natural resources, the offset might be expected to have social impacts but such impacts have received very little attention. Using the case study of Ambatovy, a major nickel mine in the eastern rainforests of Madagascar and a company at the vanguard of developing biodiversity offsets, we explore local perceptions of the magnitude and distribution of impacts of the biodiversity offset project on local wellbeing. We used both qualitative (key informant interviews and focus group discussions and quantitative (household survey methods. We found that the biodiversity offsets, which comprise both conservation restrictions and development activities, influenced wellbeing in a mixture of positive and negative ways. However, overall, respondents felt that they had suffered a net cost from the biodiversity offset. It is a matter of concern that benefits from development activities do not compensate for the costs of the conservation restrictions, that those who bear the costs are not the same people as those who benefit, and that there is a mismatch in timing between the immediate restrictions and the associated development activities which take some time to deliver benefits. These issues matter both from the perspective of environmental justice, and for the long-term sustainability of the biodiversity benefits the offset is supposed to deliver.

  9. Public Budget Database - Outlays and offsetting receipts 1962-Current

    Data.gov (United States)

    Executive Office of the President — This file contains historical outlays and offsetting receipts for 1962 through the current budget year, as well as four years of projections. It can be used to...

  10. Determination of Vertical Datum Offset between the Regional and the Global Height Datum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    LI Jiancheng

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The unification of the global height datum is a key problem to be solved for geodesy after the unification of global geodetic coordination system and three-dimension spatial datum, and the basis of global spatial information sharing and exchange. In this paper, the theoretical and practical problems of vertical datum offset between the regional height datum and the global height datum are studied. Based on the classical theory of the height system in physical geodesy, the definition of the height datum vertical offset is given, and the rigorous formulas for calculating the vertical offset are derived. The formulas can be used to deduce the three methods of the height datum vertical offset determination. On that basis, the influences of different reference system and reference ellipsoid parameters on the calculation of the vertical offset are analyzed. The results show that the reference system and the ellipsoid parameter conversion are very necessary. At the same time, the height anomaly differences method needs to consider the degree zero correction caused by the inconsistency between gravity potential of the global height datum and the one computed by the model. Based on potential difference approach and the height anomaly difference method, the vertical offset between the China 1985 national height datum and the global height datum corresponding to the normal gravity potential U0 of GRS80, WGS-84 and CGCS2000 reference ellipsoidal from the 152 GPS/leveling points near the origin of Qingdao height origin and the EGM2008, EIGEN-6C4 and SGG-UGM-1 model. The regional datum is 23.1 cm lower than the global datum based on EIGEN-6C4 and WGS-84. When the Gauss-Listing geoid (mean sea surface is selected as the global height datum, the China 1985 national height datum is 21.0 cm higher than the global height datum. The results also show that there are still large differences among the accuracies of the current gravity field models on these GPS

  11. Dosimetric effects of rotational offsets in stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for lung cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Yun; Catalano, Suzanne; Kelsey, Chris R.; Yoo, David S.; Yin, Fang-Fang; Cai, Jing

    2014-01-01

    To quantitatively evaluate dosimetric effects of rotational offsets in stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for lung cancer. Overall, 11 lung SBRT patients (8 female and 3 male; mean age: 75.0 years) with medially located tumors were included. Treatment plans with simulated rotational offsets of 1°, 3°, and 5° in roll, yaw, and pitch were generated and compared with the original plans. Both clockwise and counterclockwise rotations were investigated. The following dosimetric metrics were quantitatively evaluated: planning target volume coverage (PTV V 100% ), max PTV dose (PTV D max ), percentage prescription dose to 0.35 cc of cord (cord D 0.35 cc ), percentage prescription dose to 0.35 cc and 5 cc of esophagus (esophagus D 0.35 cc and D 5 cc ), and volume of the lungs receiving at least 20 Gy (lung V 20 ). Statistical significance was tested using Wilcoxon signed rank test at the significance level of 0.05. Overall, small differences were found in all dosimetric matrices at all rotational offsets: 95.6% of differences were 100% , PTV D max , cord D 0.35 cc , esophagus D 0.35 cc , esophagus D 5 cc , and lung V 20 was − 8.36%, − 6.06%, 11.96%, 8.66%, 6.02%, and − 0.69%, respectively. No significant correlation was found between any dosimetric change and tumor-to-cord/esophagus distances (R 2 range: 0 to 0.44). Larger dosimetric changes and intersubject variations were observed at larger rotational offsets. Small dosimetric differences were found owing to rotational offsets up to 5° in lung SBRT for medially located tumors. Larger intersubject variations were observed at larger rotational offsets

  12. CHANGING PHASES OF ALIEN WORLDS: PROBING ATMOSPHERES OF KEPLER PLANETS WITH HIGH-PRECISION PHOTOMETRY

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Esteves, Lisa J.; Mooij, Ernst J. W. De [Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto, 50 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H4 (Canada); Jayawardhana, Ray, E-mail: esteves@astro.utoronto.ca, E-mail: demooij@astro.utoronto.ca, E-mail: rayjay@yorku.ca [Physics and Astronomy, York University, Toronto, Ontario L3T 3R1 (Canada)

    2015-05-10

    We present a comprehensive analysis of planetary phase variations, including possible planetary light offsets, using eighteen quarters of data from the Kepler space telescope. Our analysis found fourteen systems with significant detections in each of the phase curve components: planet’s phase function, secondary eclipse, Doppler boosting, and ellipsoidal variations. We model the full phase curve simultaneously, including primary and secondary transits, and derive albedos, day- and night-side temperatures and planet masses. Most planets manifest low optical geometric albedos (< 0.25), with the exception of Kepler-10b, Kepler-91b, and KOI-13b. We find that KOI-13b, with a small eccentricity of 0.0006 ± 0.0001, is the only planet for which an eccentric orbit is favored. We detect a third harmonic for HAT-P-7b for the first time, and confirm the third harmonic for KOI-13b reported in Esteves et al.: both could be due to their spin–orbit misalignments. For six planets, we report a planetary brightness peak offset from the substellar point: of those, the hottest two (Kepler-76b and HAT-P-7b) exhibit pre-eclipse shifts or on the evening-side, while the cooler four (Kepler-7b, Kepler-8b, Kepler-12b, and Kepler-41b) peak post-eclipse or on the morning-side. Our findings dramatically increase the number of Kepler planets with detected planetary light offsets, and provide the first evidence in the Kepler data for a correlation between the peak offset direction and the planet’s temperature. Such a correlation could arise if thermal emission dominates light from hotter planets that harbor hot spots shifted toward the evening-side, as theoretically predicted, while reflected light dominates cooler planets with clouds on the planet’s morning-side.

  13. Mining and biodiversity offsets: a transparent and science-based approach to measure "no-net-loss".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Virah-Sawmy, Malika; Ebeling, Johannes; Taplin, Roslyn

    2014-10-01

    Mining and associated infrastructure developments can present themselves as economic opportunities that are difficult to forego for developing and industrialised countries alike. Almost inevitably, however, they lead to biodiversity loss. This trade-off can be greatest in economically poor but highly biodiverse regions. Biodiversity offsets have, therefore, increasingly been promoted as a mechanism to help achieve both the aims of development and biodiversity conservation. Accordingly, this mechanism is emerging as a key tool for multinational mining companies to demonstrate good environmental stewardship. Relying on offsets to achieve "no-net-loss" of biodiversity, however, requires certainty in their ecological integrity where they are used to sanction habitat destruction. Here, we discuss real-world practices in biodiversity offsetting by assessing how well some leading initiatives internationally integrate critical aspects of biodiversity attributes, net loss accounting and project management. With the aim of improving, rather than merely critiquing the approach, we analyse different aspects of biodiversity offsetting. Further, we analyse the potential pitfalls of developing counterfactual scenarios of biodiversity loss or gains in a project's absence. In this, we draw on insights from experience with carbon offsetting. This informs our discussion of realistic projections of project effectiveness and permanence of benefits to ensure no net losses, and the risk of displacing, rather than avoiding biodiversity losses ("leakage"). We show that the most prominent existing biodiversity offset initiatives employ broad and somewhat arbitrary parameters to measure habitat value and do not sufficiently consider real-world challenges in compensating losses in an effective and lasting manner. We propose a more transparent and science-based approach, supported with a new formula, to help design biodiversity offsets to realise their potential in enabling more responsible

  14. Analysis of the production and transaction costs of forest carbon offset projects in the USA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galik, Christopher S; Cooley, David M; Baker, Justin S

    2012-12-15

    Forest carbon offset project implementation costs, comprised of both production and transaction costs, could present an important barrier to private landowner participation in carbon offset markets. These costs likewise represent a largely undocumented component of forest carbon offset potential. Using a custom spreadsheet model and accounting tool, this study examines the implementation costs of different forest offset project types operating in different forest types under different accounting and sampling methodologies. Sensitivity results are summarized concisely through response surface regression analysis to illustrate the relative effect of project-specific variables on total implementation costs. Results suggest that transaction costs may represent a relatively small percentage of total project implementation costs - generally less than 25% of the total. Results also show that carbon accounting methods, specifically the method used to establish project baseline, may be among the most important factors in driving implementation costs on a per-ton-of-carbon-sequestered basis, dramatically increasing variability in both transaction and production costs. This suggests that accounting could be a large driver in the financial viability of forest offset projects, with transaction costs likely being of largest concern to those projects at the margin. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. A novel analog/digital reconfigurable automatic gain control with a novel DC offset cancellation circuit

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    He Xiaofeng; Ye Tianchun [Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100029 (China); Mo Taishan; Ma Chengyan, E-mail: hexiaofeng@casic.ac.cn [Hangzhou Zhongke Microelectronics Co, Ltd, Hangzhou 310053 (China)

    2011-02-15

    An analog/digital reconfigurable automatic gain control (AGC) circuit with a novel DC offset cancellation circuit for a direct-conversion receiver is presented. The AGC is analog/digital reconfigurable in order to be compatible with different baseband chips. What's more, a novel DC offset cancellation (DCOC) circuit with an HPCF (high pass cutoff frequency) less than 10 kHz is proposed. The AGC is fabricated by a 0.18 {mu}m CMOS process. Under analog control mode, the AGC achieves a 70 dB dynamic range with a 3 dB-bandwidth larger than 60 MHz. Under digital control mode, through a 5-bit digital control word, the AGC shows a 64 dB gain control range by 2 dB each step with a gain error of less than 0.3 dB. The DC offset cancellation circuits can suppress the output DC offset voltage to be less than 1.5 mV, while the offset voltage of 40 mV is introduced into the input. The overall power consumption is less than 3.5 mA, and the die area is 800 x 300 {mu}m{sup 2}. (semiconductor integrated circuits)

  16. THE ODD OFFSET BETWEEN THE GALACTIC DISK AND ITS BAR IN NGC 3906

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Swardt, Bonita de [South African Astronomical Observatory, Observatory, 7935 Cape Town (South Africa); Sheth, Kartik; Kim, Taehyun; Muñoz-Mateos, Juan-Carlos [National Radio Astronomy Observatory/NAASC, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903 (United States); Stephen Pardy; Elena D’ Onghia; Eric Wilcots [Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin, 475 North Charter Street, Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Hinz, Joannah [MMTO, University of Arizona, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Regan, Michael W. [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Athanassoula, E.; Bosma, Albert [Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, LAM (Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille) UMR 7326, F-13388 Marseille (France); Buta, Ronald J. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Box 870324, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 (United States); Cisternas, Mauricio; Erroz-Ferrer, Santiago [Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, E-38200 La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain); Comerón, Sébastien [Division of Astronomy, Department of Physical Sciences, University of Oulu, Oulu, FI-90014 (Finland); Gadotti, Dimitri A. [European Southern Observatory, Casilla 19001, Santiago 19 (Chile); Paz, Armando Gil de [Departamento de Astrofísica, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid E-28040 (Spain); Jarrett, Thomas H. [Astronomy Department, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701 (South Africa); Elmegreen, Bruce G. [IBM Research Division, T.J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Hts., NY 10598 (United States); Ho, Luis C. [The Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, 813 Santa Barbara Street, Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States); and others

    2015-07-20

    We use mid-infrared 3.6 and 4.5 μm imaging of NGC 3906 from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S{sup 4}G) to understand the nature of an unusual offset between its stellar bar and the photometric center of an otherwise regular, circular outer stellar disk. We measure an offset of ∼910 pc between the center of the stellar bar and photometric center of the stellar disk; the bar center coincides with the kinematic center of the disk determined from previous HI observations. Although the undisturbed shape of the disk suggests that NGC 3906 has not undergone a significant merger event in its recent history, the most plausible explanation for the observed offset is an interaction. Given the relatively isolated nature of NGC 3906 this interaction could be with dark matter substructure in the galaxy's halo or from a recent interaction with a fast moving neighbor that remains to be identified. Simulations aimed at reproducing the observed offset between the stellar bar/kinematic center of the system and the photometric center of the disk are necessary to confirm this hypothesis and constrain the interaction history of the galaxy.

  17. Accounting for no net loss: A critical assessment of biodiversity offsetting metrics and methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carreras Gamarra, Maria Jose; Lassoie, James Philip; Milder, Jeffrey

    2018-08-15

    Biodiversity offset strategies are based on the explicit calculation of both losses and gains necessary to establish ecological equivalence between impact and offset areas. Given the importance of quantifying biodiversity values, various accounting methods and metrics are continuously being developed and tested for this purpose. Considering the wide array of alternatives, selecting an appropriate one for a specific project can be not only challenging, but also crucial; accounting methods can strongly influence the biodiversity outcomes of an offsetting strategy, and if not well-suited to the context and values being offset, a no net loss outcome might not be delivered. To date there has been no systematic review or comparative classification of the available biodiversity accounting alternatives that aim at facilitating metric selection, and no tools that guide decision-makers throughout such a complex process. We fill this gap by developing a set of analyses to support (i) identifying the spectrum of available alternatives, (ii) understanding the characteristics of each and, ultimately (iii) making the most sensible and sound decision about which one to implement. The metric menu, scoring matrix, and decision tree developed can be used by biodiversity offsetting practitioners to help select an existing metric, and thus achieve successful outcomes that advance the goal of no net loss of biodiversity. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Pyranometer offsets triggered by ambient meteorology: insights from laboratory and field experiments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oswald, Sandro M.; Pietsch, Helga; Baumgartner, Dietmar J.; Weihs, Philipp; Rieder, Harald E.

    2017-03-01

    This study investigates the effects of ambient meteorology on the accuracy of radiation (R) measurements performed with pyranometers contained in various heating and ventilation systems (HV-systems). It focuses particularly on instrument offsets observed following precipitation events. To quantify pyranometer responses to precipitation, a series of controlled laboratory experiments as well as two targeted field campaigns were performed in 2016. The results indicate that precipitation (as simulated by spray tests or observed under ambient conditions) significantly affects the thermal environment of the instruments and thus their stability. Statistical analyses of laboratory experiments showed that precipitation triggers zero offsets of -4 W m-2 or more, independent of the HV-system. Similar offsets were observed in field experiments under ambient environmental conditions, indicating a clear exceedance of BSRN (Baseline Surface Radiation Network) targets following precipitation events. All pyranometers required substantial time to return to their initial signal states after the simulated precipitation events. Therefore, for BSRN-class measurements, the recommendation would be to flag the radiation measurements during a natural precipitation event and 90 min after it in nighttime conditions. Further daytime experiments show pyranometer offsets of 50 W m-2 or more in comparison to the reference system. As they show a substantially faster recovery, the recommendation would be to flag the radiation measurements within a natural precipitation event and 10 min after it in daytime conditions.

  19. Analysis of collector-emitter offset voltage of InGaP/GaAs composite collector double heterojunction bipolar transistor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lew, K. L.; Yoon, S. F.

    2002-04-01

    The Ebers-Moll-like terminal current expressions of a composite collector double heterojunction bipolar transistor (DHBT), which takes the recombination effect into account, have been formulated and an expression for collector-emitter offset voltage [VCE(offset)] has been derived. Factors affecting the VCE(offset) of a composite collector DHBT are investigated and good agreement between the calculated and reported experimental results is shown. Analytical results showed that the transmission coefficient of the base-collector (B-C) junction does not have a considerable effect on the VCE(offset), provided that the B-C junction is of good quality. Thus, despite its asymmetric structure, the VCE(offset) of an optimally designed composite collector DHBT could be as low as that of a conventional DHBT. Hence a composite collector DHBT with low saturation voltage and negligible VCE(offset) is possible if the two conditions: (i) good quality B-C junction, (ii) base transport factor, α≈1, are fulfilled.

  20. Shielding analysis of the IEM cell offset adapter plate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simons, R.L.

    1995-01-01

    The adapter plate for the Interim Examination and Maintenance (IEM) cell ten foot ceiling valve was modified so that the penetration through the valve is offset to the north side of the steel plate. The modifications required that the shielding effectiveness be evaluated for several operating conditions. The highest gamma ray dose rate (51 mrem/hr) occurs when a Core Component Container (CCC) with six high burn-up driver fuel assemblies is transferred into or out of Solid Waste Cask (SWC). The neutron dose rate at the same source location is 2.5 mrem/hr. The total dose rate during the transfer is less than the 200 mrem/hr limit. If the ten foot ceiling valve is closed, the dose rate with twelve DFA in the cell will be less than 0.1 mrem/hr. However, with the ceiling valve open the dose rate will be as high as 12 mrem/hr. The latter condition will require controlled access to the area around the offset adapter plate when the ceiling valve is open. It was found that gaps in the shield block around the SWC floor valve will allow contact dose rates as high as 350 mrem/hr during the transfer of a fully loaded CCC. Although this situation does not pertain to the offset adapter plate, it will require controlled access around the SWC valve during the transfer of a fully loaded CCC

  1. Domestic offset projects in the built environment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oikonomou, V.; Spijker, E.; Van der Gaast, W. [Joint Implementation Network, Laan Corpus den Hoorn 300, 9728JT Groningen (Netherlands); Flamos, A.; Spyridaki, N.A. [Department of Industrial Management, University of Piraeus, Karaoli and Dimitriou 80 Str, 185 34 Piraeus (Greece)

    2012-08-15

    Emission reduction activities in the European Union (EU) in- and outside the European Trading System (ETS) thus far have largely taken place separately. One possibility to combine the two is through linking Non-ETS offset project-based crediting schemes in the form of Joint Implementation or domestic offset (DO) projects with the EU ETS. Linking would allow non-ETS offset project-based CO2 credits to be traded within the ETS market. This paper discusses the merits and drawbacks of the implementation of a DO scheme in the built environment in the Netherlands. The built environment can be characterised as a sector with a great diversity and significant energy savings potential. Emphasis is paid on the modalities for estimating energy savings under DO projects. The authors discuss if next to existing EU, national or regional policies in the Netherlands, DO could spur initiatives in sub-sectors or market areas that are difficult to reach with conventional policy instruments. Thus, despite the existing policy framework in this sector, there could be still space for DO to reach the untapped energy savings potential. DO can support activities and technologies that are not covered by other policy instruments, either because they are not part of the instruments focus or are above the minimum requirements of the incumbent policy targets. It is expected that some lessons from this study in the Netherlands can be taken into account also by other countries facing similar market circumstances, which have implemented several policy instruments and are considering DO schemes as an alternative for capturing part of the untapped energy saving potential in their end use sectors. Another possible advantage of DO is that it has the potential to reduce public spending on existing policy goals, when it is considered in conjunction with existing public financing instruments. In order to tap into this potential, there are a series of hurdles in place, like additionality and the current CO2

  2. SARAS MEASUREMENT OF THE RADIO BACKGROUND AT LONG WAVELENGTHS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Patra, Nipanjana; Subrahmanyan, Ravi; Sethi, Shiv; Shankar, N. Udaya; Raghunathan, A.

    2015-01-01

    SARAS is a correlation spectrometer connected to a frequency independent antenna that is purpose-designed for precision measurements of the radio background at long wavelengths. The design, calibration, and observing strategies admit solutions for the internal additive contributions to the radiometer response, and hence a separation of these contaminants from the antenna temperature. We present here a wideband measurement of the radio sky spectrum by SARAS that provides an accurate measurement of the absolute brightness and spectral index between 110 and 175 MHz. Accuracy in the measurement of absolute sky brightness is limited by systematic errors of magnitude 1.2%; errors in calibration and in the joint estimation of sky and system model parameters are relatively smaller. We use this wide-angle measurement of the sky brightness using the precision wide-band dipole antenna to provide an improved absolute calibration for the 150 MHz all-sky map of Landecker and Wielebinski: subtracting an offset of 21.4 K and scaling by a factor of 1.05 will reduce the overall offset error to 8 K (from 50 K) and scale error to 0.8% (from 5%). The SARAS measurement of the temperature spectral index is in the range −2.3 to −2.45 in the 110–175 MHz band and indicates that the region toward the Galactic bulge has a relatively flatter index

  3. Making the Most of Kepler Photometry: Characterizing Exoplanets through Phase Curve Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Esteves Lisa J.

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The Kepler mission’s long-term monitoring of stars through high-precision photometry has not only revealed a plethora of exoplanet transits but also provided valuable data for characterizing a subset of these planets. Using over four years of Kepler observations, we have derived phase curves for over a dozen planets, and use these measurements to constrain their mass, brightness/temperature and energy redistribution between the day and the night sides. In our new study, we also investigate possible offsets of the peak brightness of the phase curve, which could be indicative of inhomogeneous clouds and/or substantial winds in the planet’s atmosphere. We find significant offsets for over a half-dozen planets. With this growing sample of measured phase curves, we are able to better examine the trends of hot Jupiter energy budgets and albedos, and for the first time relate these properties to the presence of clouds or winds on a planet.

  4. Characterization of the polymer energy landscape in polymer:fullerene bulk heterojunctions with pure and mixed phases

    KAUST Repository

    Sweetnam, Sean

    2014-10-08

    Theoretical and experimental studies suggest that energetic offsets between the charge transport energy levels in different morphological phases of polymer:fullerene bulk heterojunctions may improve charge separation and reduce recombination in polymer solar cells (PSCs). In this work, we use cyclic voltammetry, UV-vis absorption, and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy to characterize hole energy levels in the polymer phases of polymer:fullerene bulk heterojunctions. We observe an energetic offset of up to 150 meV between amorphous and crystalline polymer due to bandgap widening associated primarily with changes in polymer conjugation length. We also observe an energetic offset of up to 350 meV associated with polymer:fullerene intermolecular interactions. The first effect has been widely observed, but the second effect is not always considered despite being larger in magnitude for some systems. These energy level shifts may play a major role in PSC performance and must be thoroughly characterized for a complete understanding of PSC function.

  5. Fully integrated low-noise readout circuit with automatic offset cancellation loop for capacitive microsensors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Haryong; Park, Yunjong; Kim, Hyungseup; Cho, Dong-Il Dan; Ko, Hyoungho

    2015-10-14

    Capacitive sensing schemes are widely used for various microsensors; however, such microsensors suffer from severe parasitic capacitance problems. This paper presents a fully integrated low-noise readout circuit with automatic offset cancellation loop (AOCL) for capacitive microsensors. The output offsets of the capacitive sensing chain due to the parasitic capacitances and process variations are automatically removed using AOCL. The AOCL generates electrically equivalent offset capacitance and enables charge-domain fine calibration using a 10-bit R-2R digital-to-analog converter, charge-transfer switches, and a charge-storing capacitor. The AOCL cancels the unwanted offset by binary-search algorithm based on 10-bit successive approximation register (SAR) logic. The chip is implemented using 0.18 μm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) process with an active area of 1.76 mm². The power consumption is 220 μW with 3.3 V supply. The input parasitic capacitances within the range of -250 fF to 250 fF can be cancelled out automatically, and the required calibration time is lower than 10 ms.

  6. Fully Integrated Low-Noise Readout Circuit with Automatic Offset Cancellation Loop for Capacitive Microsensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haryong Song

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Capacitive sensing schemes are widely used for various microsensors; however, such microsensors suffer from severe parasitic capacitance problems. This paper presents a fully integrated low-noise readout circuit with automatic offset cancellation loop (AOCL for capacitive microsensors. The output offsets of the capacitive sensing chain due to the parasitic capacitances and process variations are automatically removed using AOCL. The AOCL generates electrically equivalent offset capacitance and enables charge-domain fine calibration using a 10-bit R-2R digital-to-analog converter, charge-transfer switches, and a charge-storing capacitor. The AOCL cancels the unwanted offset by binary-search algorithm based on 10-bit successive approximation register (SAR logic. The chip is implemented using 0.18 μm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS process with an active area of 1.76 mm2. The power consumption is 220 μW with 3.3 V supply. The input parasitic capacitances within the range of −250 fF to 250 fF can be cancelled out automatically, and the required calibration time is lower than 10 ms.

  7. Efficient Fixed-Offset GPR Scattering Analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Meincke, Peter; Chen, Xianyao

    2004-01-01

    The electromagnetic scattering by buried three-dimensional penetrable objects, as involved in the analysis of ground penetrating radar systems, is calculated using the extended Born approximation. The involved scattering tensor is calculated using fast Fourier transforms (FFT's). We incorporate...... in the scattering calculation the correct radiation patterns of the ground penetrating radar antennas by using their plane-wave transmitting and receiving spectra. Finally, we derive an efficient FFT-based method to analyze a fixed-offset configuration in which the location of the transmitting antenna is different...

  8. Managing dependencies in forest offset projects: toward a more complete evaluation of reversal risk

    Science.gov (United States)

    David M Cooley; Chrsitopher S Galik; Thomas P Holmes; Carolyn Kousky; Roger M Cooke

    2011-01-01

    Although forest carbon offsets can play an important role in the implementation of comprehensive climate policy, they also face an inherent risk of reversal. If such risks are positively correlated across projects, it can affect the integrity of larger project portfolios and potentially the entire offsets program. Here, we discuss three types of risks that could affect...

  9. Energy and Beam-Offset dependence of the Luminosity weighted depolarization for CLIC

    CERN Document Server

    Esberg, Jakob; Uggerhoj, Ulrik; Dalena, Barbara

    2011-01-01

    We report on simulations of e+e- depolarization due to beam-beam effects. These effects are studied for CLIC at 3 TeV, using GUINEA PIG++. We find a strong energy dependence of the luminosity weighted depolarization. In the luminosity peak at CLIC the total luminosity weighted depolarization remains below the one per-mil level. The effect of a vertical offset on the energy dependent depolarization is investigated. The depolarization in the luminosity peak remains below per-cent level even for 5sy offsets.

  10. Analog CMOS peak detect and hold circuits. Part 2. The two-phase offset-free and derandomizing configuration

    CERN Document Server

    De Geronimo, G; Kandasamy, A

    2002-01-01

    An analog CMOS peak detect and hold (PDH) circuit, which combines high speed and accuracy, rail-to-rail sensing and driving, low power, and buffering is presented. It is based on a configuration that cancels the major error sources of the classical CMOS PDH, including offset and common mode gain, by re-using the same amplifier for tracking, peak sensing, and output buffering. By virtue of its high absolute accuracy, two or more PDHs can be used in parallel to serve as a data-driven analog memory for derandomization. The first experimental results on the new peak detector and derandomizer (PDD) circuit, fabricated in 0.35 mu m CMOS technology, include a 0.2% absolute accuracy for pulses with 500 ns peaking time, 2.7 V linear input range, 3.3 mW power dissipation, 250 mV/s droop rate, and negligible dead time. The use of such a high performance analog PDD can greatly relax the requirements on the digitization in multi-channel systems.

  11. 31 CFR 5.20 - How do other Federal agencies use the offset process to collect debts from payments issued by a...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... a debtor by the Treasury entity, including salary payments issued to Treasury entity employees. This... (including salary offset); certification. A Treasury entity will initiate a requested offset only upon... satisfaction of the creditor agency. (c) Where a creditor agency makes requests for offset. Requests for offset...

  12. Conduction band offset at the InN/GaN heterojunction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Kejia; Lian Chuanxin; Su Ning; Jena, Debdeep; Timler, John

    2007-01-01

    The conduction-band offset between GaN and InN is experimentally determined. InN/n-type GaN isotype heterojunctions grown by molecular beam epitaxy are observed to exhibit Schottky-junction like behavior based on rectifying vertical current flow. From capacitance-voltage measurements on the heterojunction, the Schottky barrier height is found to be ∼0.94 eV. The photocurrent spectroscopy measurement by backside illumination reveals an energy barrier height of 0.95 eV across the heterojunction, consistent with the capacitance measurement. By combining electrical transport, capacitance-voltage, and photocurrent spectroscopy measurement results, the conduction band offset between InN and GaN is estimated to be ΔE C =1.68±0.1 eV

  13. The cosmic microwave background

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silk, J.

    1991-01-01

    Recent limits on spectral distortions and angular anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background are reviewed. The various backgrounds are described, and the theoretical implications are assessed. Constraints on inflationary cosmology dominated by cold dark matter (CDM) and on open cosmological models dominated by baryonic dark matter (BDM), with, respectively, primordial random phase scale-invariant curvature fluctuations or non-gaussian isocurvature fluctuations are described. More exotic theories are addressed, and I conclude with the 'bottom line': what theories expect experimentalists to be measuring within the next two to three years without having to abandon their most cherished theorists. (orig.)

  14. Model Predictive Control for Offset-Free Reference Tracking

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Belda, Květoslav

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 5, č. 1 (2016), s. 8-13 ISSN 1805-3386 Institutional support: RVO:67985556 Keywords : offset-free reference tracking * predictive control * ARX model * state-space model * multi-input multi-output system * robotic system * mechatronic system Subject RIV: BC - Control Systems Theory http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2016/AS/belda-0458355.pdf

  15. A simple carrier frequency offset synchronization strategy for multiple relay cooperative diversity ofdm system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mudassar, I.; Cheema, A.; Shoab, A.

    2014-01-01

    Cooperative Diversity Orthogonal Frequency Division Modulation (CD-OFDM) systems are very sensitive to synchronization errors. In CD-OFDM, synchronization is more complex because all cooperative nodes (CNs) have their own frequency oscillator and different channel path which results in different timing and carrier frequency offset (CFO) for each node. Consequently, each node has to be synchronized separately without affecting the synchronization process of other nodes. All CNs transmit simultaneously during cooperation phase (C-phase) and their aggregate signal is received at the destination node. A unique frequency domain (FD) preamble is proposed for each CN during C-phase that will allow simple separation of cooperative nodes. These FD multiplexed preambles make the synchronization problem identical to OFDMA uplink. OFDMA system typically uses highly complex iterative CFO estimators for uplink synchronization. However, a simple one-shot CFO estimator is proposed that uses repeated preamble of two OFDM symbol duration. The proposed method is computationally efficient because it relies on FFT operation for user separation and interference mitigation. Subsequently, time domain (TD) multiplication is used for CFO correction of each CN. Furthermore, a CD-OFDM protocol for data transmission is presented that suites the proposed estimator and harnesses spatial diversity. The proposed estimator shows good statistical results during simulations in AWGN and Rayleigh environments. During evaluation, estimator variance, mean square error and symbol error rate are used as performance measure. (author)

  16. BC Hydro shops for GHG offsets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    2000-01-01

    BC Hydro is reported to have offered to purchase one million tonnes of carbon dioxide reductions in Canada's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Trading program (GERT). The program uses a baseline and credit system, where emitters purchase measurable quantities of site-specific GHG reductions. Since mid-1998, the program registered five bilateral trades and seven offers to sell. BC Hydro's recent offer is the first offer to buy. BC Hydro has made the offer to buy in expectation of the introduction of the start of the Kyoto Protocol reductions, and expects to be in the game for some time to come if it is to meet its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol. Preference will be given to projects located in Canada, but BC Hydro will consider reductions created anywhere in the world. The financial range of a single trade is between $50,000 and $1 million. (GHG offsets are currently trading in North America for between $.50 and $3.00 Cdn per metric tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent.) At present, offsets are selling at a heavily discounted price because of the uncertainty that investments made now will be credited against future regulations curbing emitters. Consequently, buying now while prices are low, may lead to sizable benefits later, depending on the actual regulations when they are promulgated. Trading now will also give BC Hydro greater credibility and assurance to have its voice heard when discussions about emissions trading and the implementation of emission trading rules reaches the serious stage

  17. Redefining RECs-Part 1: Untangling attributes and offsets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gillenwater, Michael

    2008-01-01

    Renewable energy and greenhouse gas emissions markets are currently in a state of confusion regarding the treatment of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). Should consumers buy RECs or emission offsets? After examining this question, the author concludes that RECs are not equivalent to emission offset credits, and as currently defined, the retiring of a REC may have no impact on emissions from electric power generation. Consumers who purchase RECs in voluntary green power markets are providing financial assistance to renewable generators in the form of a production subsidy. Generators that sell RECs are not transferring emission reductions, since they are unlikely to have ownership or the ability to quantify reductions using a commonly accepted standard. More importantly, RECs currently sold in voluntary markets do not pass credible additionality tests and can, at best, be expected to have a market demand effect, which will be less than the supply of RECs on the market. REC definitions that use the term 'environmental attributes' or 'environmental benefits' are almost universally ambiguous, providing the mistaken impression that consumers are purchasing a good instead of subsidizing a public good

  18. Modal analysis and acoustic transmission through offset-core honeycomb sandwich panels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathias, Adam Dustin

    The work presented in this thesis is motivated by an earlier research that showed that double, offset-core honeycomb sandwich panels increased thermal resistance and, hence, decreased heat transfer through the panels. This result lead to the hypothesis that these panels could be used for acoustic insulation. Using commercial finite element modeling software, COMSOL Multiphysics, the acoustical properties, specifically the transmission loss across a variety of offset-core honeycomb sandwich panels, is studied for the case of a plane acoustic wave impacting the panel at normal incidence. The transmission loss results are compared with those of single-core honeycomb panels with the same cell sizes. The fundamental frequencies of the panels are also computed in an attempt to better understand the vibrational modes of these particular sandwich-structured panels. To ensure that the finite element analysis software is adequate for the task at hand, two relevant benchmark problems are solved and compared with theory. Results from these benchmark results compared well to those obtained from theory. Transmission loss results from the offset-core honeycomb sandwich panels show increased transmission loss, especially for large cell honeycombs when compared to single-core honeycomb panels.

  19. From coseismic offsets to fault-block mountains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, George A.; Parsons, Tom

    2017-09-01

    In the Basin and Range extensional province of the western United States, coseismic offsets, under the influence of gravity, display predominantly subsidence of the basin side (fault hanging wall), with comparatively little or no uplift of the mountainside (fault footwall). A few decades later, geodetic measurements [GPS and interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR)] show broad (˜100 km) aseismic uplift symmetrically spanning the fault zone. Finally, after millions of years and hundreds of fault offsets, the mountain blocks display large uplift and tilting over a breadth of only about 10 km. These sparse but robust observations pose a problem in that the coesismic uplifts of the footwall are small and inadequate to raise the mountain blocks. To address this paradox we develop finite-element models subjected to extensional and gravitational forces to study time-varying deformation associated with normal faulting. Stretching the model under gravity demonstrates that asymmetric slip via collapse of the hanging wall is a natural consequence of coseismic deformation. Focused flow in the upper mantle imposed by deformation of the lower crust localizes uplift, which is predicted to take place within one to two decades after each large earthquake. Thus, the best-preserved topographic signature of earthquakes is expected to occur early in the postseismic period.

  20. Digital Colour Printing on the Way to Offset Quality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew Tribute

    2004-12-01

    Full Text Available Digital production colour printing is now more than ten years old. The first implementations of this technology from Indigo and Xeikon started the market but they suffered problems with reliability,quality and overall running costs. They produced a very good-looking printed image but it was notcomparable to offset. Quality problems were that tints often were streaky or banded, flat tints did notreproduce well, and the overall image had a somewhat harsh reflective look.Ongoing developments of digital colour printing mainly from Xerox and Canon developed the marketand improved the economics of the process. Certain elements of the quality also improved. Indigoand Xeikon also showed significant quality improvements and better economics. The improvedquality came closer to the look of offset, but in most cases was still obviously printed digitally.New developments are happening in what is termed "Digital Colour Lite." This is a range of new slower presses coming from Japan which run at around 30 pages/minute and cost well under 50.000 Euro. A few of these are getting almost offset quality through the use of new chemical toners that significantly improve printing quality.At the same time as the quality of digital colour printing has improved, so have the cost economics of running the presses. Potential buyers of presses will have to understand the different business models for running these presses. These are the "click" models from most suppliers, or the pay by usage model as offered by Heidelberg with the NexPress.

  1. How sensitive is the deltoid moment arm to humeral offset changes with reverse total shoulder arthroplasty?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walker, David R; Kinney, Allison L; Wright, Thomas W; Banks, Scott A

    2016-06-01

    Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty commonly treats cuff-deficient or osteoarthritic shoulders not amenable to rotator cuff repair. This study investigates deltoid moment arm sensitivity to variations in the joint center and humeral offset of 3 representative reverse total shoulder arthroplasty subjects. We hypothesized that a superior joint implant placement may exist, indicated by muscle moment arms, compared with the current actual surgical implant configuration. Moment arms for the anterior, lateral, and posterior aspects of the deltoid muscle were determined for 1521 perturbations of the humeral offset location away from the surgical placement in a subject-specific musculoskeletal model with motion defined by subject-specific in vivo abduction kinematics. The humeral offset was varied from its surgical position ±4 mm in the anterior/posterior direction, ±12 mm in the medial/lateral direction, and -10 to 14 mm in the superior/inferior direction. The anterior deltoid moment arm varied in humeral offset and center of rotation up to 20 mm, primarily in the medial/lateral and superior/inferior directions. The lateral deltoid moment arm varied in humeral offset up to 20 mm, primarily in the medial/lateral and anterior/posterior directions. The posterior deltoid moment arm varied up to 15 mm, primarily in early abduction, and was most sensitive to humeral offset changes in the superior/inferior direction. High variations in muscle moment arms were found for all 3 deltoid components, presenting an opportunity to dramatically change the deltoid moment arms through surgical placement of the reverse shoulder components and by varying the overall offset of the humerus. Basic Science Study; Computer Modeling. Copyright © 2016 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Cosmological Backgrounds of Gravitational Waves and eLISA

    OpenAIRE

    Dufaux, Jean-Francois

    2012-01-01

    We review cosmological backgrounds of gravitational waves with a particular attention to the scientific potential of the eLISA/NGO mission. After an overview of cosmological backgrounds and detectors, we consider different cosmological sources that could lead to an observable signal. We then study the backgrounds produced by first-order phase transitions and networks of cosmic strings, assessing the prospects for their detection.

  3. Public Budget Database - Budget Authority and offsetting receipts 1976-Current

    Data.gov (United States)

    Executive Office of the President — This file contains historical budget authority and offsetting receipts for 1976 through the current budget year, as well as four years of projections. It can be used...

  4. ESTIMATION OF SHIE GLACIER SURFACE MOVEMENT USING OFFSET TRACKING TECHNIQUE WITH COSMO-SKYMED IMAGES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Q. Wang

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Movement is one of the most important characteristics of glaciers which can cause serious natural disasters. For this reason, monitoring this massive blocks is a crucial task. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR can operate all day in any weather conditions and the images acquired by SAR contain intensity and phase information, which are irreplaceable advantages in monitoring the surface movement of glaciers. Moreover, a variety of techniques like DInSAR and offset tracking, based on the information of SAR images, could be applied to measure the movement. Sangwang lake, a glacial lake in the Himalayas, has great potentially danger of outburst. Shie glacier is situated at the upstream of the Sangwang lake. Hence, it is significant to monitor Shie glacier surface movement to assess the risk of outburst. In this paper, 6 high resolution COSMO-SkyMed images spanning from August to December, 2016 are applied with offset tracking technique to estimate the surface movement of Shie glacier. The maximum velocity of Shie glacier surface movement is 51 cm/d, which was observed at the end of glacier tongue, and the velocity is correlated with the change of elevation. Moreover, the glacier surface movement in summer is faster than in winter and the velocity decreases as the local temperature decreases. Based on the above conclusions, the glacier may break off at the end of tongue in the near future. The movement results extracted in this paper also illustrate the advantages of high resolution SAR images in monitoring the surface movement of small glaciers.

  5. Estimation of Shie Glacier Surface Movement Using Offset Tracking Technique with Cosmo-Skymed Images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Q.; Zhou, W.; Fan, J.; Yuan, W.; Li, H.; Sousa, J. J.; Guo, Z.

    2017-09-01

    Movement is one of the most important characteristics of glaciers which can cause serious natural disasters. For this reason, monitoring this massive blocks is a crucial task. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) can operate all day in any weather conditions and the images acquired by SAR contain intensity and phase information, which are irreplaceable advantages in monitoring the surface movement of glaciers. Moreover, a variety of techniques like DInSAR and offset tracking, based on the information of SAR images, could be applied to measure the movement. Sangwang lake, a glacial lake in the Himalayas, has great potentially danger of outburst. Shie glacier is situated at the upstream of the Sangwang lake. Hence, it is significant to monitor Shie glacier surface movement to assess the risk of outburst. In this paper, 6 high resolution COSMO-SkyMed images spanning from August to December, 2016 are applied with offset tracking technique to estimate the surface movement of Shie glacier. The maximum velocity of Shie glacier surface movement is 51 cm/d, which was observed at the end of glacier tongue, and the velocity is correlated with the change of elevation. Moreover, the glacier surface movement in summer is faster than in winter and the velocity decreases as the local temperature decreases. Based on the above conclusions, the glacier may break off at the end of tongue in the near future. The movement results extracted in this paper also illustrate the advantages of high resolution SAR images in monitoring the surface movement of small glaciers.

  6. Sensitivity and offset calibration for the beam position monitors at the Advanced Photon Source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Y.; Barr, D.; Decker, G.; Evans, K. Jr.; Kahana, E.

    1995-01-01

    The beam position monitors (BPMs) play a critically important role in commissioning and operation of accelerators. Accurate determination of the offsets relative to the magnetic axis and sensitivities of individual BPMs is thus needed. We will describe in this paper the schemes for calibrating all of the 360 BPMs for sensitivity and offset in the 7-GeV Advanced Photon Source (APS) storage ring and the results. For the sensitivity calibration, a 2-dimensional map of the BPM response in the aluminum vacuum chamber is obtained theoretically, which is combined with the measured nonlinear response of the BPM electronics. A set of 2-dimensional polynomial coefficients is then obtained to approximate the result analytically. The offset calibration of the BPMs is done relative to the magnetic axis of the quadrupoles using the beam. This avoids the problem arising from various mechanical sources as well as the offset in the processing electronics. The measurement results for the resolution and long-term drift of the BPM electronics shows 0.06-μm/√Hz resolution and 2-μm/hr drift over a period of 1.5 hrs

  7. An Analysis of Second-Tier Arms Producing Countries' Offset Policies: Technology Transfer and Defense Industrial Base Establishment

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Confer, Brian S

    2008-01-01

    The purpose of this thesis is to determine if offsets are an effective means of second-tier countries acquiring technology and if offsets enhance their ability to establish and maintain an industrial...

  8. Heterophase fluctuation of omega phase and X-ray diffuse scattering from dual phase structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farjami, Susan; Kubo, Hiroshi

    2003-01-01

    Heterophase fluctuation of athermal omega embryos has been analyzed by assuming a dual phase structure of omega embryos composed of omega and bcc matrix phase. The two-dimensional modulation of dual phase was suggested from the quantitative estimation of coherent free energy of omega embryos using microscopic theory of elasticity and the Landau anharmonic theory for phase transformation. The X-ray diffraction theory was developed in connection to the formation of omega embryos having the dual phase structure. The offset of the diffuse peak position from the ideal omega point in the X-ray diffraction pattern is attributed to the dual phase (incommensurate phase) of omega embryos. It was also shown that the ellipsoidal shape of the diffuse intensity tailing toward the fundamental spot of the matrix phase is originated from the equilibrium shape of the omega embryo. The quantitative estimation of elastic energy modulus (EEM) in the disordered bcc matrix and in the ordered bcc matrix indicates a difference in the deviation amount of the minimum point k(q m ) from the ideal omega point k(q ω ) and a difference in the elliptical shape of embryos

  9. Improving method of real-time offset tuning for arterial signal coordination using probe trajectory data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jian Zhang

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available In the environment of intelligent transportation systems, traffic condition data would have higher resolution in time and space, which is especially valuable for managing the interrupted traffic at signalized intersections. There exist a lot of algorithms for offset tuning, but few of them take the advantage of modern traffic detection methods such as probe vehicle data. This study proposes a method using probe trajectory data to optimize and adjust offsets in real time. The critical point, representing the changing vehicle dynamics, is first defined as the basis of this approach. Using the critical points related to different states of traffic conditions, such as free flow, queue formation, and dissipation, various traffic status parameters can be estimated, including actual travel speed, queue dissipation rate, and standing queue length. The offset can then be adjusted on a cycle-by-cycle basis. The performance of this approach is evaluated using a simulation network. The results show that the trajectory-based approach can reduce travel time of the coordinated traffic flow when compared with using well-defined offline offset.

  10. Analytical solution for the inverse kinematics of a redundant 7DoF manipulator with link offsets

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Singh, GK

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available This work addresses the inverse kinematics problem for the 7 Degrees of Freedom Barrett Whole Arm Manipulator with link offsets. The presence of link offsets gives rise to the possibility of the in-elbow & out-elbow poses for a given end...

  11. Life cycle assessment of offset printed matter with EDIP97

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Henrik Fred; Hansen, Morten Søes; Hauschild, Michael Zwicky

    2009-01-01

    warming, acidification and nutrient enrichment. Ecotoxicity and human toxicity, which are related to emissions of chemicals etc., are only included to a limited degree or not at all. In this paper we include the impacts from chemicals emitted during the life cycle of sheet fed offset printed matter....... This is done by making use of some of the newest knowledge about emissions from the production at the printing industry combined with knowledge about the composition of the printing materials used. In cases with available data also upstream emissions from the production of printing materials are included....... The results show that inclusion of the chemical emission-related impacts makes the EDIP97 impact profile of sheet fed offset products much more varied, as well for the normalised profiles as for the profiles weighted by distance to political environmental targets. Especially the ecotoxicity impact potential...

  12. Imagining Another Context during Encoding Offsets Context-Dependent Forgetting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masicampo, E. J.; Sahakyan, Lili

    2014-01-01

    We tested whether imagining another context during encoding would offset context-dependent forgetting. All participants studied a list of words in Context A. Participants who remained in Context A during the test recalled more than participants who were tested in another context (Context B), demonstrating the standard context-dependent forgetting…

  13. Simple UHV offset manipulator with independent theta and phi rotations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jamison, K.D.; Dunning, F.B.

    1984-01-01

    A simple UHV offset manipulator is described that not only allows a target crystal to be moved to any point on a circle centered on the manipulator axis but also provides indepedent theta and phi rotations at each position

  14. Reagan Defense Forum: The Third Offset Strategy

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-11-07

    guided weapons as you do, and have a homefield advantage. How would you do that? And the LRRDPP really, really did a great job in looking at that...The second thing was the Defense Science Board summer study on autonomy . To a person, every single person on the summer study said, we can’t prove...it, but we believe we are at an inflection point at an artificial intelligence and autonomy . How might we use that as an advantage in an offset

  15. Adaptive Disturbance Estimation for Offset-Free SISO Model Predictive Control

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Huusom, Jakob Kjøbsted; Poulsen, Niels Kjølstad; Jørgensen, Sten Bay

    2011-01-01

    Offset free tracking in Model Predictive Control requires estimation of unmeasured disturbances or the inclusion of an integrator. An algorithm for estimation of an unknown disturbance based on adaptive estimation with time varying forgetting is introduced and benchmarked against the classical...

  16. Asymmetric band offsets in silicon heterojunction solar cells: Impact on device performance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seif, Johannes Peter, E-mail: johannes.seif@alumni.epfl.ch; Ballif, Christophe; De Wolf, Stefaan [Photovoltaics and Thin-Film Electronics Laboratory, Institute of Microengineering (IMT), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Rue de la Maladière 71b, CH-2002 Neuchâtel (Switzerland); Menda, Deneb; Özdemir, Orhan [Department of Physics, Yıldız Technical University, Davutpasa Campus, TR-34210 Esenler, Istanbul (Turkey); Descoeudres, Antoine; Barraud, Loris [CSEM, PV-Center, Jaquet-Droz 1, CH-2002 Neuchâtel (Switzerland)

    2016-08-07

    Amorphous/crystalline silicon interfaces feature considerably larger valence than conduction band offsets. In this article, we analyze the impact of such band offset asymmetry on the performance of silicon heterojunction solar cells. To this end, we use silicon suboxides as passivation layers—inserted between substrate and (front or rear) contacts—since such layers enable intentionally exacerbated band-offset asymmetry. Investigating all topologically possible passivation layer permutations and focussing on light and dark current-voltage characteristics, we confirm that to avoid fill factor losses, wider-bandgap silicon oxide films (of at least several nanometer thin) should be avoided in hole-collecting contacts. As a consequence, device implementation of such films as window layers—without degraded carrier collection—demands electron collection at the front and hole collection at the rear. Furthermore, at elevated operating temperatures, once possible carrier transport barriers are overcome by thermionic (field) emission, the device performance is mainly dictated by the passivation of its surfaces. In this context, compared to the standard amorphous silicon layers, the wide-bandgap oxide layers applied here passivate remarkably better at these temperatures, which may represent an additional benefit under practical operation conditions.

  17. A low-power and low-phase-noise LC digitally controlled oscillator featuring a novel capacitor bank

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tian Huanhuan; Li Zhiqiang; Chen Pufeng; Wu Rufei; Zhang Haiying, E-mail: thuan8@126.com [Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029 (China)

    2010-12-15

    A monolithic low-power and low-phase-noise digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) based on a symmetric spiral inductor with center-tap and novel capacitor bank was implemented in a 0.18 {mu}m CMOS process with six metal layers. A third new way to change capacitance is proposed and implemented in this work. Results show that the phase noise at 1 MHz offset frequency is below -122.5 dBc/Hz while drawing a current of only 4.8 mA from a 1.8 V supply. Also, the DCO can work at low supply voltage conditions with a 1.6 V power supply and 4.1 mA supply current for the DCO's core circuit, achieving a phase-noise of -21.5 dBc/Hz at offset of 1 MHz. It demonstrates that the supply pushing of DCO is less than 10 MHz/V. (semiconductor integrated circuits)

  18. Lateralization of noise bursts in interaurally correlated or uncorrelated background noise using interaural level differences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reed, Darrin K; van de Par, Steven

    2015-10-01

    The interaural level difference (ILD) of a lateralized target source may be effectively reduced when the target is presented together with background noise containing zero ILD. It is not certain whether listeners perceive a position congruent with the reduced ILD or the actual target ILD in a lateralization task. Two sets of behavioral experiments revealed that many listeners perceived a position at or even larger than that corresponding to the presented target ILD when a temporal onset/offset asynchrony between the broadband target and the broadband background noise was present. When no temporal asynchrony was present, however, the perceived lateral position indicated a dependency on the coherence of the background noise for several listeners. With interaurally correlated background noise, listeners reported a reduced ILD resulting from the combined target and background noise stimulus. In contrast, several of the listeners made a reasonable estimate of the position corresponding to the target ILD for interaurally uncorrelated, broadband, background noise. No obvious difference in performance was seen between low- or high-frequency stimuli. Extension of a weighting template to the output of a standard equalization-cancellation model was shown to remove a lateral bias on the predicted target ILD resulting from the presence of background noise. Provided that an appropriate weighting template is applied based on knowledge of the background noise coherence, good prediction of the behavioral data is possible.

  19. Injection Related Background due to the Transverse Feedback

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Decker, F.J.; Akre, R.; Fisher, A.; Iverson, R.; Weaver, M.

    2008-01-01

    The background in the BaBar detector is especially high during injection, when most components are actually having reduced voltages. The situation is worse for the beam in High Energy Ring (HER) when the LER beam is present. It was found that the transverse feedback system plays an important role when stacking more charge on top of existing bunches. Lowering the feedback gain helped and it was realized later that the best scenario would be to gate off the feedback for only the one bunch, which got additional charge injected into it. The explanation is that the blown-up, but centered, original HER bunch plus the small injected off-axis bunch (each with half the charge) would stay in the ring if not touched, but the feedback system sees half the offset and wants to correct it, therefore disturbing and scraping the blown-up part

  20. Evaluation of the Use of Sub-Pixel Offset Tracking Techniques to Monitor Landslides in Densely Vegetated Steeply Sloped Areas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luyi Sun

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Sub-Pixel Offset Tracking (sPOT is applied to derive high-resolution centimetre-level landslide rates in the Three Gorges Region of China using TerraSAR-X Hi-resolution Spotlight (TSX HS space-borne SAR images. These results contrast sharply with previous use of conventional differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR techniques in areas with steep slopes, dense vegetation and large variability in water vapour which indicated around 12% phase coherent coverage. By contrast, sPOT is capable of measuring two dimensional deformation of large gradient over steeply sloped areas covered in dense vegetation. Previous applications of sPOT in this region relies on corner reflectors (CRs, (high coherence features to obtain reliable measurements. However, CRs are expensive and difficult to install, especially in remote areas; and other potential high coherence features comparable with CRs are very few and outside the landslide boundary. The resultant sub-pixel level deformation field can be statistically analysed to yield multi-modal maps of deformation regions. This approach is shown to have a significant impact when compared with previous offset tracking measurements of landslide deformation, as it is demonstrated that sPOT can be applied even in densely vegetated terrain without relying on high-contrast surface features or requiring any de-noising process.

  1. Analysis of the German market for voluntary carbon offsetting; Analyse des deutschen Marktes zur freiwilligen Kompensation von Treibhausgasemissionen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kind, Christian; Duwe, Sebastian; Taenzler, Dennis; Reuster, Lena [adelphi research gGmbH, Berlin (Germany); Kleemann, Max; Krebs, Jan-Marten [sustainable AG, Muenchen (Germany)

    2010-12-15

    In the past years the market for voluntary carbon offsetting has developed rapidly. Certificates sold on this market originate partly from the compliance market, i.e. from projects of the Clean Development Mechanism and the Joint Implementation. Mostly, however, certificates stem from projects of the voluntary carbon market. Voluntary carbon offsetting can serve as another mechanism to efficiently prevent emissions, while at the same time achieving co-benefits. Very little is known however of the exact state of the voluntary carbon market, e.g. factors like business volume, market actors, origin of certificates or the efficacy of the voluntary market. Analyses of the market on the global market for voluntary offsetting do exist (ENDS, Hamilton et al. 2007, 2008, 2009); however they do not allow any conclusions for the market situation in Germany. This study aims at closing this gap. From the end of 2009 until the beginning of 2010 adelphi and sustainable interviewed providers of offset services, intermediaries, certifiers and consumers like businesses and public institutions on their activities in the voluntary carbon offset market in Germany. (orig.)

  2. Investigation of LO-leakage cancellation and DC-offset influence on flicker-noise in X-band mixers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Michaelsen, Rasmus; Johansen, Tom; Tamborg, Kjeld

    2012-01-01

    This paper describes an investigation on the influences in 1/f noise of LO-leakage and DC-offset cancellation for X-band mixers. Conditions for LO-leakage cancellation and zero DC-offset is derived. Measurements on a double balanced diode mixer shows an improvement in noise figure from 14.3dB to ...

  3. Willingness to Pay of Air Passengers for Carbon-Offset

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rong-Chang Jou

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available An important source of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG emissions is the air transport sector, which accounts for approximately 2% of global GHG emissions. Therefore, reducing GHG emissions from aircrafts has become a major challenge for transportation authorities worldwide. In recent years, much research has focused on tax ideas related to the CO2 emissions produced by air transport, such as the voluntary carbon offset (VCO. This study investigates the willingness of economy class air passengers to pay to compensate for the CO2 emissions produced during their journeys from Taiwan to Hong Kong. Together with the Spike model, a framework known as the contingent valuation (CV method offers a way to investigate how much the air passenger would be willing to pay to offset a journey’s airplane-generated CO2 emissions. The Spike model was applied to address the problem of zero willingness to pay (WTP. The results obtained in this study are consistent with the results found in previous studies and therefore can provide valuable insights into pricing strategies for airlines.

  4. Offset coil designs for superconducting magnets, a logical development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Collins, T.

    1986-03-01

    Dipoles and quadrupoles for any new, large proton ring must be stronger, smaller and have better field shape (systematic error) than those used in the Doubler. The present two-shell designs are rigid in that the coils are too thin but cannot be relatively fatter without destroying the field quality. An examination of the coil shapes for dipoles and quadrupoles which produce perfect fields from a uniform current density shows clearly that our persistent use of a circular form for the inner surface of the coils is a poor approximation. When this is corrected by ''offsets'' there is a striking improvement both in the strength of fields and in the field quality. The same analysis makes clear that the efficient use of superconductor and the overall magnet size is determined by the perfect coil shapes. Any reasonable magnet will not differ significantly from the ideal for these parameters. This will be particularly helpful in setting design goals for very large quadrupoles. The offset two-shell dipole design preserves the mechanical features of the highly successful, resilient doubler magnets while greatly extending the performance

  5. Rounded leaf end effect of multileaf collimator on penumbra width and radiation field offset: an analytical and numerical study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou, Dong; Zhang, Hui; Ye, Peiqing

    2015-01-01

    Penumbra characteristics play a significant role in dose delivery accuracy for radiation therapy. For treatment planning, penumbra width and radiation field offset strongly influence target dose conformity and organ at risk sparing. In this study, we present an analytical and numerical approach for evaluation of the rounded leaf end effect on penumbra characteristics. Based on the rule of half-value layer, algorithms for leaf position calculation and radiation field offset correction were developed, which were advantageous particularly in dealing with large radius leaf end. Computer simulation was performed based on the Monte Carlo codes of EGSnrc/BEAMnrc, with groups of leaf end radii and source sizes. Data processing technique of curve fitting was employed for deriving penumbra width and radiation field offset. Results showed that penumbra width increased with source size. Penumbra width curves for large radius leaf end were U-shaped. This observation was probably related to the fact that radiation beams penetrated through the proximal and distal leaf sides. In contrast, source size had negligible impact on radiation field offset. Radiation field offsets were found to be constant both for analytical method and numerical simulation. However, the overall resulting values of radiation field offset obtained by analytical method were slightly smaller compared with Monte Carlo simulation. The method we proposed could provide insight into the investigation of rounded leaf end effects on penumbra characteristics. Penumbra width and radiation field offset calibration should be carefully performed to commission multileaf collimator for intensity modulated radiotherapy

  6. Lateral Offset Quality Rating along Low Slip Rate Faults: Application to the Alhama de Murcia Fault (SE Iberian Peninsula

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marta Ferrater

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Seismic hazard assessment of strike-slip faults is based partly on the identification and mapping of landforms laterally offset due to fault activity. The characterization of these features affected by slow-moving faults is challenging relative to studies emphasizing rapidly slipping faults. We propose a methodology for scoring fault offsets based on subjective and objective qualities. We apply this methodology to the Alhama de Murcia fault (SE Iberian Peninsula where we identify 138 offset features that we mapped on a high-resolution (0.5 × 0.5 m pixel size Digital Elevation Model (DEM. The amount of offset, the uncertainty of the measurement, the subjective and objective qualities, and the parameters that affect objective quality are independent variables, suggesting that our methodological scoring approach is good. Based on the offset measurements and qualifications we calculate the Cumulative Offset Probability Density (COPD for the entire fault and for each fault segment. The COPD for the segments differ from each other. Tentative interpretation of the COPDs implies that the slip rate varies from one segment to the other (we assume that channels with the same amount of offset were incised synchronously. We compare the COPD with climate proxy curves (aligning using the very limited age control to test if entrenchment events are coincident with climatic changes. Channel incision along one of the traces in Lorca-Totana segment may be related to transitions from glacial to interglacial periods.

  7. A Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy Method for Non-Destructive Detection of Gelatin-Encapsulated Powders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kuanglin Chao

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Non-destructive subsurface detection of encapsulated, coated, or seal-packaged foods and pharmaceuticals can help prevent distribution and consumption of counterfeit or hazardous products. This study used a Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy (SORS method to detect and identify urea, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen powders contained within one or more (up to eight layers of gelatin capsules to demonstrate subsurface chemical detection and identification. A 785-nm point-scan Raman spectroscopy system was used to acquire spatially offset Raman spectra for an offset range of 0 to 10 mm from the surfaces of 24 encapsulated samples, using a step size of 0.1 mm to obtain 101 spectral measurements per sample. As the offset distance was increased, the spectral contribution from the subsurface powder gradually outweighed that of the surface capsule layers, allowing for detection of the encapsulated powders. Containing mixed contributions from the powder and capsule, the SORS spectra for each sample were resolved into pure component spectra using self-modeling mixture analysis (SMA and the corresponding components were identified using spectral information divergence values. As demonstrated here for detecting chemicals contained inside thick capsule layers, this SORS measurement technique coupled with SMA has the potential to be a reliable non-destructive method for subsurface inspection and authentication of foods, health supplements, and pharmaceutical products that are prepared or packaged with semi-transparent materials.

  8. A high speed low power low offset dynamic comparator used in SHA-less pipelined ADC

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shubin, Liu; Zhangming, Zhu; Yintang, Yang; Lianxi, Liu

    2014-05-01

    A novel fully differential high speed high resolution low offset CMOS dynamic comparator has been implemented in the SMIC 0.18 μm process used for a sample-and-hold amplifier (SHA)-less pipelined analog-to-digital converters (ADC). Based on the analysis and optimization between delay time and offset, an enhanced reset architecture with transmission gate was introduced to speed up the comparison and reset procedure. Four inputs with two cross coupled differential pairs, reconstituted bias circuit for tail current transistor and common centroid layouts make the comparator more robust against mismatch and process variations. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed design achieves 1 mV sensitivity at 2.2 GHz sampling rate with a power consumption of 510 μW, while the mean offset voltage is equal to 10.244 mV.

  9. Phase dynamics of complex-valued neural networks and its application to traffic signal control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishikawa, Ikuko; Iritani, Takeshi; Sakakibara, Kazutoshi; Kuroe, Yasuaki

    2005-01-01

    Complex-valued Hopfield networks which possess the energy function are analyzed. The dynamics of the network with certain forms of an activation function is de-composable into the dynamics of the amplitude and phase of each neuron. Then the phase dynamics is described as a coupled system of phase oscillators with a pair-wise sinusoidal interaction. Therefore its phase synchronization mechanism is useful for the area-wide offset control of the traffic signals. The computer simulations show the effectiveness under the various traffic conditions.

  10. A programmable gain amplifier with a DC offset calibration loop for a direct-conversion WLAN transceiver

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lei Qianqian; Chen Zhiming [Department of Applied Electronics, Xi' an University of Technology, Xi' an 710048 (China); Lin Min; Shi Yin, E-mail: leiqianqian@163.com [Suzhou-CAS Semiconductors Integrated Technology Research Center, Suzhou 215021 (China)

    2011-04-15

    A high-linearity PGA (programmable gain amplifier) with a DC offset calibration loop is proposed. The PGA adopts a differential degeneration structure to vary voltage gain and uses the closed-loop structure including the input op-amps to enhance the linearity. A continuous time feedback based DC offset calibration loop is also designed to solve the DC offset problem. This PGA is fabricated by TSMC 0.13 {mu}m CMOS technology. The measurements show that the receiver PGA (RXPGA) provides a 64 dB gain range with a step of 1 dB, and the transmitter PGA (TXPGA) covers a 16 dB gain. The RXPGA consumes 18 mA and the TXPGA consumes 7 mA (I and Q path) under a 3.3 V supply. The bandwidth of the multi-stage PGA is higher than 20 MHz. In addition, the DCOC (DC offset cancellation) circuit shows 10 kHz of HPCF (high pass cutoff frequency) and the DCOC settling time is less than 0.45 {mu}s. (semiconductor integrated circuits)

  11. Influence of data irregularities on 3-D common offset migration; Influence d'irregularites dans l'echantillonnage des donnees sur la migration 3D par deport

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Assouline, F.; Lailly, P. [Institut Francais du Petrole (IFP), 92 - Rueil-Malmaison (France); Assouline, F [Pau Univ., 64 (France)

    2001-07-01

    In 3-D seismic survey, offset is a vector characterized by the source-receiver distance and azimuth. Due to irregularities in the acquisition (for instance streamer feathering in marine acquisition) common offset data are not available and, in turn, 3-D common offset migration does not make sense any longer. We then introduce the concept of migration by offset class: it is a straightforward extension of common offset migration in which we migrate all traces that belong to a given offset class, namely all traces with offset close to a given one. The result of such a migration depends of course on how the offset class is constructed or, in other words, on what is meant with 'close '. The aim of this paper is to investigate by means of a 3-D numerical study how to design offset classes so as to obtain migrated images that can be interpreted without trouble (such an interpretation is a key element for a successful migration velocity analysis). We have to find a trade-off between two extremes: - a too loose offset class that would mix heterogeneous offsets (in particular mixing substantially different azimuths can be dangerous); - a too narrow offset class that would result in sparse seismic traces with, in turn, an inadequate coverage of the reflector. The regularity, within an offset class, of the offset variation as well as the one of the distribution of midpoints are parameters that can have a drastic influence on the quality of the migrated image. It is shown that migration by offset class appears as a robust procedure all the more than the offset varies slowly with the midpoint coordinate within an offset class. Besides, the smaller the mean offset norm, the lower is the contamination of the image due to the mixing of azimuths within an offset class. (authors)

  12. The Purchase of Voluntary Carbon Offsets by Australian Consumers: Exploring the Attitude-Behaviour Gap

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Adamsen, Jannie Mia; Sloan, Sarah

    This research examines the level of environmental awareness among Australian consumers and identifies the factors that affect attitudes and behaviour towards purchasing carbon offset products. Data was obtained from 83 consumers through an online survey to measure knowledge and purchase behaviour...... of carbon offsets, intention for future purchases and attitudes towards the environment. The results demonstrate that an attitude-behaviour gap exists among Australian consumers; while consumers possess strong positive attitudes towards the environment and climate change, this does not translate into actual...

  13. 36 CFR 1011.21 - How do other Federal agencies use the offset process to collect debts from payments issued by the...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ..., including salary payments issued to the Presidio Trust employees. This section and § 1011.22 of this subpart... collection of debts through tax refund offset. (b) Administrative offset (including salary offset... paid in full or otherwise resolved to the satisfaction of the creditor agency. (c) Where a creditor...

  14. Coherence between geophysical excitations and celestial pole offsets

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Ron, Cyril; Vondrák, Jan

    2011-01-01

    Roč. 8, č. 3 (2011), s. 243-247 ISSN 1214-9705. [Czech-Polish Workshop on Recent Geodynamics of the Sudeten and Adjacent Areas. Třešť, 04.11.2010-06.11. 2010] R&D Projects: GA ČR GA205/08/0908 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10030501 Keywords : geophysical excitations * celestial pole offsets * coherence Subject RIV: BN - Astronomy, Celestial Mechanics, Astrophysics Impact factor: 0.530, year: 2011

  15. Coseismic displacements from SAR image offsets between different satellite sensors: Application to the 2001 Bhuj (India) earthquake

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Teng

    2015-09-05

    Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image offset tracking is increasingly being used for measuring ground displacements, e.g., due to earthquakes and landslide movement. However, this technique has been applied only to images acquired by the same or identical satellites. Here we propose a novel approach for determining offsets between images acquired by different satellite sensors, extending the usability of existing SAR image archives. The offsets are measured between two multiimage reflectivity maps obtained from different SAR data sets, which provide significantly better results than with single preevent and postevent images. Application to the 2001 Mw7.6 Bhuj earthquake reveals, for the first time, its near-field deformation using multiple preearthquake ERS and postearthquake Envisat images. The rupture model estimated from these cross-sensor offsets and teleseismic waveforms shows a compact fault slip pattern with fairly short rise times (<3 s) and a large stress drop (20 MPa), explaining the intense shaking observed in the earthquake.

  16. In-flight calibration of the spin axis offset of a fluxgate magnetometer with an electron drift instrument

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leinweber, H. K.; Russell, C. T.; Torkar, K.

    2012-10-01

    We show that the spin axis offset of a fluxgate magnetometer can be calibrated with an electron drift instrument (EDI) and that the required input time interval is relatively short. For missions such as Cluster or the upcoming Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission the spin axis offset of a fluxgate magnetometer could be determined on an orbital basis. An improvement of existing methods for finding spin axis offsets via comparison of accurate measurements of the field magnitude is presented, that additionally matches the gains of the two instruments that are being compared. The technique has been applied to EDI data from the Cluster Active Archive and fluxgate magnetometer data processed with calibration files also from the Cluster Active Archive. The method could prove to be valuable for the MMS mission because the four MMS spacecraft will only be inside the interplanetary field (where spin axis offsets can be calculated from Alfvénic fluctuations) for short periods of time and during unusual solar wind conditions.

  17. In-flight calibration of the spin axis offset of a fluxgate magnetometer with an electron drift instrument

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leinweber, H K; Russell, C T; Torkar, K

    2012-01-01

    We show that the spin axis offset of a fluxgate magnetometer can be calibrated with an electron drift instrument (EDI) and that the required input time interval is relatively short. For missions such as Cluster or the upcoming Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission the spin axis offset of a fluxgate magnetometer could be determined on an orbital basis. An improvement of existing methods for finding spin axis offsets via comparison of accurate measurements of the field magnitude is presented, that additionally matches the gains of the two instruments that are being compared. The technique has been applied to EDI data from the Cluster Active Archive and fluxgate magnetometer data processed with calibration files also from the Cluster Active Archive. The method could prove to be valuable for the MMS mission because the four MMS spacecraft will only be inside the interplanetary field (where spin axis offsets can be calculated from Alfvénic fluctuations) for short periods of time and during unusual solar wind conditions. (paper)

  18. REAL TIME QUALITY CONTROL OF THE HEATSET OFFSET PRINTING PROCESS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Răzvan-George RĂCHERU

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Offset lithography is one of the most common ways of creating printed materials. Compared to other printing methods, offset printing is best suited for economically producing large volumes of high quality prints in a manner that requires little maintenance. Because of the high speed and the high volume of the printing press, we have to rely on automation for press control and not just to the printer’s eye. When printing an image that has more than one color, it is necessary to print each color separately and ensure each color overlaps the others precisely. If this is not done, the finished image will look fuzzy, blurred or "out of register". To help line the colors up correctly, a system of registration is necessary. Therefore, the use of an automated real time quality control system will result in a more consistent color for the customer and less waste for the printer.

  19. The carrier transport mechanism and band offset at the interface of ZnO/n-Si(111) heterojunction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Yapeng, E-mail: liyp1984@126.com [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Technology, Hanzhong 723001 (China); Li, Yingfeng [School of Electrical Engineering, Shaanxi University of Technology, Hanzhong 723001 (China); Wang, Jianyuan [School of Nature and Applied Science, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi' an 710072 (China); He, Zhirong; Zhang, Yonghong; Yu, Qi; Hou, Juncai [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Technology, Hanzhong 723001 (China)

    2017-05-15

    Highlights: • The carrier transport deviated from ideal thermionic emission model. • One deep level present at the interface of ZnO/n-Si(111) heterojunction. • The band offsets of ZnO/n-Si(111) heterojunction are a type-II band alignment. - Abstract: The ZnO films were deposited on the surface of n-Si(111) substrate by pulsed laser deposition for fabrication of ZnO/n-Si(111) heterojunction. The carrier transport mechanism, deep level defects and band offsets at the interface of ZnO/n-Si(111) heterojunction were investigated by current- voltage measurement, deep level transient spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. The results showed that the barrier height and ideality factor values varied in the different linear voltage range by using the thermionic emission model, which was due to the deep level participated in carrier transport. Meanwhile, it was found that one deep level appeared at the interface of ZnO/n-Si(111) heterojunction with densities of the deep level about 8.5 × 10{sup 16} cm{sup −3} and activation energies about 224 m eV, which originated from O{sup 2−} vacancies of ZnO films. In addition, the valence band offset of the ZnO/n-Si(111) heterojunction can be calculated to be −2.4 ± 0.15 eV. The conduction band offset is deduced to be −3.5 ± 0.15 eV from the valence band offset value, indicating that the band offsets of ZnO/n-Si(111) heterojunction is a type-II band alignment.

  20. Synchronizing modified van der Pol-Duffing oscillators with offset terms using observer design: application to secure communications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fodjouong, G J; Fotsin, H B; Woafo, P

    2007-01-01

    This study addresses the adaptive synchronization of the modified van der Pol-Duffing (MVDPD) oscillator with offset terms. From our investigations of the system dynamics, we obtain that the system presents a chaotic behaviour at weak values of the offset parameters. Routh-Hurwitz criteria are used to study the asymptotic stability of the steady states. An adaptive observer design method is applied to achieve synchronization of two identical MVDPD oscillators with offset. Numerical simulations are given to validate the proposed synchronization approach. Moreover, as an application, the proposed scheme is applied to secure communication. Also, simulation results verify the proposed scheme's success in the communication application

  1. Frequency-dependent effects of background noise on subcortical response timing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tierney, A; Parbery-Clark, A; Skoe, E; Kraus, N

    2011-12-01

    The addition of background noise to an auditory signal delays brainstem response timing. This effect has been extensively documented using manual peak selection. Peak picking, however, is impractical for large-scale studies of spectrotemporally complex stimuli, and leaves open the question of whether noise-induced delays are frequency-dependent or occur across the frequency spectrum. Here we use an automated, objective method to examine phase shifts between auditory brainstem responses to a speech sound (/da/) presented with and without background noise. We predicted that shifts in neural response timing would also be reflected in frequency-specific phase shifts. Our results indicate that the addition of background noise causes phase shifts across the subcortical response spectrum (70-1000 Hz). However, this noise-induced delay is not uniform such that some frequency bands show greater shifts than others: low-frequency phase shifts (300-500 Hz) are largest during the response to the consonant-vowel formant transition (/d/), while high-frequency shifts (720-1000 Hz) predominate during the response to the steady-state vowel (/a/). Most importantly, phase shifts occurring in specific frequency bands correlate strongly with shifts in the latencies of the predominant peaks in the auditory brainstem response, while phase shifts in other frequency bands do not. This finding confirms the validity of phase shift detection as an objective measure of timing differences and reveals that this method detects noise-induced shifts in timing that may not be captured by traditional peak latency measurements. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Analytical study on holographic superfluid in AdS soliton background

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lai, Chuyu; Pan, Qiyuan; Jing, Jiliang; Wang, Yongjiu

    2016-01-01

    We analytically study the holographic superfluid phase transition in the AdS soliton background by using the variational method for the Sturm–Liouville eigenvalue problem. By investigating the holographic s-wave and p-wave superfluid models in the probe limit, we observe that the spatial component of the gauge field will hinder the phase transition. Moreover, we note that, different from the AdS black hole spacetime, in the AdS soliton background the holographic superfluid phase transition always belongs to the second order and the critical exponent of the system takes the mean-field value in both s-wave and p-wave models. Our analytical results are found to be in good agreement with the numerical findings.

  3. Cost-offsets of prescription drug expenditures: data analysis via a copula-based bivariate dynamic hurdle model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deb, Partha; Trivedi, Pravin K; Zimmer, David M

    2014-10-01

    In this paper, we estimate a copula-based bivariate dynamic hurdle model of prescription drug and nondrug expenditures to test the cost-offset hypothesis, which posits that increased expenditures on prescription drugs are offset by reductions in other nondrug expenditures. We apply the proposed methodology to data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, which have the following features: (i) the observed bivariate outcomes are a mixture of zeros and continuously measured positives; (ii) both the zero and positive outcomes show state dependence and inter-temporal interdependence; and (iii) the zeros and the positives display contemporaneous association. The point mass at zero is accommodated using a hurdle or a two-part approach. The copula-based approach to generating joint distributions is appealing because the contemporaneous association involves asymmetric dependence. The paper studies samples categorized by four health conditions: arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, and mental illness. There is evidence of greater than dollar-for-dollar cost-offsets of expenditures on prescribed drugs for relatively low levels of spending on drugs and less than dollar-for-dollar cost-offsets at higher levels of drug expenditures. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  4. 76 FR 24406 - Collection by Offset From Indebted Government Employees

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-02

    ... alternative dispute resolution methods if they are not inconsistent with agency-specific laws and regulations... by offset and allows the debtor additional opportunities to dispute the debt, enter into a repayment... is proposing to revise the definition of FCCS to include a reference to 31 CFR parts 900 through 904...

  5. Subsurface offset behaviour in velocity analysis with extended reflectivity images

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mulder, W.A.

    2012-01-01

    Migration velocity analysis with the wave equation can be accomplished by focusing of extended migration images, obtained by introducing a subsurface offset or shift. A reflector in the wrong velocity model will show up as a curve in the extended image. In the correct model, it should collapse to a

  6. 75 FR 62348 - Reimbursement Offsets for Medical Care or Services

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-08

    ... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 38 CFR Part 17 RIN 2900-AN55 Reimbursement Offsets for Medical Care... Veterans Affairs (VA) proposes to amend its regulations concerning the reimbursement of medical care and... situations where third-party payers are required to reimburse VA for costs related to care provided by VA to...

  7. Determination of band offsets at GaN/single-layer MoS2 heterojunction

    KAUST Repository

    Tangi, Malleswararao

    2016-07-25

    We report the band alignment parameters of the GaN/single-layer (SL) MoS2 heterostructure where the GaN thin layer is grown by molecular beam epitaxy on CVD deposited SL-MoS2/c-sapphire. We confirm that the MoS2 is an SL by measuring the separation and position of room temperature micro-Raman E1 2g and A1 g modes, absorbance, and micro-photoluminescence bandgap studies. This is in good agreement with HRTEM cross-sectional analysis. The determination of band offset parameters at the GaN/SL-MoS2 heterojunction is carried out by high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy accompanying with electronic bandgap values of SL-MoS2 and GaN. The valence band and conduction band offset values are, respectively, measured to be 1.86 ± 0.08 and 0.56 ± 0.1 eV with type II band alignment. The determination of these unprecedented band offset parameters opens up a way to integrate 3D group III nitride materials with 2D transition metal dichalcogenide layers for designing and modeling of their heterojunction based electronic and photonic devices.

  8. Determination of band offsets at GaN/single-layer MoS2 heterojunction

    KAUST Repository

    Tangi, Malleswararao; Mishra, Pawan; Ng, Tien Khee; Hedhili, Mohamed N.; Janjua, Bilal; Alias, Mohd Sharizal; Anjum, Dalaver H.; Tseng, Chien-Chih; Shi, Yumeng; Joyce, Hannah J.; Li, Lain-Jong; Ooi, Boon S.

    2016-01-01

    We report the band alignment parameters of the GaN/single-layer (SL) MoS2 heterostructure where the GaN thin layer is grown by molecular beam epitaxy on CVD deposited SL-MoS2/c-sapphire. We confirm that the MoS2 is an SL by measuring the separation and position of room temperature micro-Raman E1 2g and A1 g modes, absorbance, and micro-photoluminescence bandgap studies. This is in good agreement with HRTEM cross-sectional analysis. The determination of band offset parameters at the GaN/SL-MoS2 heterojunction is carried out by high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy accompanying with electronic bandgap values of SL-MoS2 and GaN. The valence band and conduction band offset values are, respectively, measured to be 1.86 ± 0.08 and 0.56 ± 0.1 eV with type II band alignment. The determination of these unprecedented band offset parameters opens up a way to integrate 3D group III nitride materials with 2D transition metal dichalcogenide layers for designing and modeling of their heterojunction based electronic and photonic devices.

  9. Linking the Climate and Thermal Phase Curve of 55 Cancri e

    OpenAIRE

    Hammond, Mark; Pierrehumbert, Raymond

    2017-01-01

    The thermal phase curve of 55 Cancri e is the first measurement of the temperature distribution of a tidally locked Super-Earth, but raises a number of puzzling questions about the planet's climate. The phase curve has a high amplitude and peak offset, suggesting that it has a significant eastward hot-spot shift as well as a large day-night temperature contrast. We use a general circulation model to model potential climates, and investigate the relation between bulk atmospheric composition an...

  10. Continuous fine pattern formation by screen-offset printing using a silicone blanket

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nomura, Ken-ichi; Kusaka, Yasuyuki; Ushijima, Hirobumi; Nagase, Kazuro; Ikedo, Hiroaki; Mitsui, Ryosuke; Takahashi, Seiya; Nakajima, Shin-ichiro; Iwata, Shiro

    2014-09-01

    Screen-offset printing combines screen-printing on a silicone blanket with transference of the print from the blanket to a substrate. The blanket absorbs organic solvents in the ink, and therefore, the ink does not disperse through the material. This prevents blurring and allows fine patterns with widths of a few tens of micrometres to be produced. However, continuous printing deteriorates the pattern’s shape, which may be a result of decay in the absorption abilities of the blanket. Thus, we have developed a new technique for refreshing the blanket by substituting high-boiling-point solvents present on the blanket surface with low-boiling-point solvents. We analyse the efficacy of this technique, and demonstrate continuous fine pattern formation for 100 screen-offset printing processes.

  11. Continuous fine pattern formation by screen-offset printing using a silicone blanket

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nomura, Ken-ichi; Kusaka, Yasuyuki; Ushijima, Hirobumi; Nagase, Kazuro; Ikedo, Hiroaki; Mitsui, Ryosuke; Takahashi, Seiya; Nakajima, Shin-ichiro; Iwata, Shiro

    2014-01-01

    Screen-offset printing combines screen-printing on a silicone blanket with transference of the print from the blanket to a substrate. The blanket absorbs organic solvents in the ink, and therefore, the ink does not disperse through the material. This prevents blurring and allows fine patterns with widths of a few tens of micrometres to be produced. However, continuous printing deteriorates the pattern’s shape, which may be a result of decay in the absorption abilities of the blanket. Thus, we have developed a new technique for refreshing the blanket by substituting high-boiling-point solvents present on the blanket surface with low-boiling-point solvents. We analyse the efficacy of this technique, and demonstrate continuous fine pattern formation for 100 screen-offset printing processes. (paper)

  12. 15 CFR 19.12 - How will Commerce entities offset a Federal employee's salary to collect a Commerce debt?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... the Financial Management Service for collection by administrative offset, including salary offset... documentary evidence alone. All travel expenses incurred by the Federal employee in connection with an in... be resolved by review of documentary evidence alone (for example, when an issue of credibility or...

  13. Valence band offset of wurtzite InN/SrTiO3 heterojunction measured by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Zhiwei

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The valence band offset (VBO of wurtzite indium nitride/strontium titanate (InN/SrTiO3 heterojunction has been directly measured by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The VBO is determined to be 1.26 ± 0.23 eV and the conduction band offset is deduced to be 1.30 ± 0.23 eV, indicating the heterojunction has a type-I band alignment. The accurate determination of the valence and conduction band offsets paves a way to the applications of integrating InN with the functional oxide SrTiO3.

  14. Development of a Fiber-Optics Microspatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy Sensor for Probing Layered Materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vandenabeele, Peter; Conti, Claudia; Rousaki, Anastasia; Moens, Luc; Realini, Marco; Matousek, Pavel

    2017-09-05

    Microspatially offset Raman spectroscopy (micro-SORS) has been proposed as a valuable approach to sample molecular information from layers that are covered by a turbid (nontransparent) layer. However, when large magnifications are involved, the approach is not straightforward, as spatial constraints exist to position the laser beam and the objective lens with the external beam delivery or, with internal beam delivery, the maximum spatial offset achievable is restricted. To overcome these limitations, we propose here a prototype of a new micro-SORS sensor, which uses bare glass fibers to transfer the laser radiation to the sample and to collect the Raman signal from a spatially offset zone to the Raman spectrometer. The concept also renders itself amenable to remote delivery and to the miniaturization of the probe head which could be beneficial for special applications, e.g., where access to sample areas is restricted. The basic applicability of this approach was demonstrated by studying several layered structure systems. Apart from proving the feasibility of the technique, also, practical aspects of the use of the prototype sensor are discussed.

  15. Current Trend Towards Using Soft Computing Approaches to Phase Synchronization in Communication Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drake, Jeffrey T.; Prasad, Nadipuram R.

    1999-01-01

    This paper surveys recent advances in communications that utilize soft computing approaches to phase synchronization. Soft computing, as opposed to hard computing, is a collection of complementary methodologies that act in producing the most desirable control, decision, or estimation strategies. Recently, the communications area has explored the use of the principal constituents of soft computing, namely, fuzzy logic, neural networks, and genetic algorithms, for modeling, control, and most recently for the estimation of phase in phase-coherent communications. If the receiver in a digital communications system is phase-coherent, as is often the case, phase synchronization is required. Synchronization thus requires estimation and/or control at the receiver of an unknown or random phase offset.

  16. Family forest landowners' interest in forest carbon offset programs: Focus group findings from the Lake States, USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kristell A. Miller; Stephanie A. Snyder; Mike A. Kilgore; Mae A. Davenport

    2014-01-01

    In 2012, focus groups were organized with individuals owning 20+ acres in the Lake States region of the United States (Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin) to discuss various issues related to forest carbon offsetting. Focus group participants consisted of landowners who had responded to an earlier mail-back survey (2010) on forest carbon offsets. Two focus groups were...

  17. Factors influencing current interests and motivations of local governments to supply carbon offset credits from urban forestry

    Science.gov (United States)

    N. Poudyal; J. Siry; M. Bowker

    2009-01-01

    This study conducted a nationwide survey of municipal governments in the United States to assess their motivations, willingness, and technical as well as managerial capacities of cities to store carbon and sell carbon offsets. The analysis reveals that cities are fairly interested in selling carbon offsets and their interest in carbon trading is driven by the degree of...

  18. Does femoral offset recover and affect the functional outcome of patients with displaced femoral neck fracture following hemiarthroplasty?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ji, Hyung-Min; Won, Seok-Hyung; Han, Jun; Won, Ye-Yeon

    2017-06-01

    Restoring preoperative horizontal femoral offset (FO) promised good functional outcome in patients receiving total hip arthroplasty. However, relatively little was known regarding the clinical relevance of restoring the offset in patients with bipolar hemiarthroplasty to treat displaced femoral neck fracture. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate postoperative FO accurately and verify its relation with functional outcome. One hundred elderly patients who received bipolar hemiarthroplasty to treat displaced femoral neck fracture were identified. Preoperative CT scanning of contralateral hip joint and reconstruction of images led to rotation-free FO. By referencing postoperative implant specification and comparing to measured values in Picture Archive and Communication System, rotation-free postoperative FO and the amount of change were acquired. Postoperative Harris Hip Score (HHS) and Modified Barthel Index (MBI) were evaluated to measure functional outcome at 12-month after the surgery. Patients with significant FO change were identified. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine if the FO change might independently affect the outcome regardless of confounding factors. The mean preoperative offset was 37.4±2.5 increased by 12.7±9.6% after the surgery. Only 25.0% of postoperative offset after hemiarthroplasty was changed within ±5% of preoperative offset. A total of 45.0% of postoperative offset changed within ±10% while 77.0% of postoperative offset changed within ±20%. 23% of patients whose FO changed more than 20% showed significantly worse outcome score than the patients whose FO change remained within ±20% of initial value. Mean MBI and HHS were negatively correlated with FO change. After adjusting for confounding factors, significant correlation remained between modification of FO and MBI, but not between FO change and HHS (B=4.576; β=0.235; 95% confidence interval of B: 0.534 to 8.135). FO was not properly restored in 23

  19. Positron annihilation imaging device using multiple offset rings of detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thompson, C.J.

    1981-01-01

    This patent application relates to a positron annihilation imaging device comprising two or more coaxial circular arrays of detectors (2,2'), with the detectors in one array angularly offset with respect to the detectors in the adjacent array to detect more than one tomographic image simultaneously through different cross-sections of a patient. (author)

  20. Noise-based frequency offset modulation in wideband frequency-selective fading channels

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Meijerink, Arjan; Cotton, S.L.; Bentum, Marinus Jan; Scanlon, W.G.

    2009-01-01

    A frequency offset modulation scheme using wideband noise carriers is considered. The main advantage of such a scheme is that it enables fast receiver synchronization without channel adaptation, while providing robustness to multipath fading and in-band interference. This is important for low-power

  1. A 3.96 GHz phase-locked loop for mode-1 MB-OFDM UWB hopping carrier generation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zheng Yongzheng; Li Weinan; Xia Lingli; Huang Yumei; Hong Zhiliang, E-mail: yumeihuang@fudan.edu.c [State Key Laboratory of ASIC and System, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203 (China)

    2009-07-15

    A fully integrated phase-locked loop (PLL) is presented for a single quadrature output frequency of 3.96 GHz. The proposed PLL can be applied to mode-1 MB-OFDM UWB hopping carrier generation. An adaptive frequency calibration loop is incorporated into the PLL. The capacitance area in the loop filter is largely reduced through a capacitor multiplier. Implemented in a CMOS process, this PLL draws 13.0 mA current from a single 1.2 V supply while occupying 0.55 mm{sup 2} die area. Measurement results show that the PLL achieves a phase noise of-70 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz offset and -113 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset. The integrated RMS jitter from 1 kHz to 10 MHz is 2.2 ps. The reference spur level is less than -68 dBc.

  2. A 3.96 GHz phase-locked loop for mode-1 MB-OFDM UWB hopping carrier generation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng Yongzheng; Li Weinan; Xia Lingli; Huang Yumei; Hong Zhiliang

    2009-01-01

    A fully integrated phase-locked loop (PLL) is presented for a single quadrature output frequency of 3.96 GHz. The proposed PLL can be applied to mode-1 MB-OFDM UWB hopping carrier generation. An adaptive frequency calibration loop is incorporated into the PLL. The capacitance area in the loop filter is largely reduced through a capacitor multiplier. Implemented in a CMOS process, this PLL draws 13.0 mA current from a single 1.2 V supply while occupying 0.55 mm 2 die area. Measurement results show that the PLL achieves a phase noise of-70 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz offset and -113 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset. The integrated RMS jitter from 1 kHz to 10 MHz is 2.2 ps. The reference spur level is less than -68 dBc.

  3. Tuning of methods for offset free MPC based on ARX model representations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Huusom, Jakob Kjøbsted; Poulsen, Niels Kjølstad; Jørgensen, Sten Bay

    2010-01-01

    In this paper we investigate model predictive control (MPC) based on ARX models. ARX models can be identified from data using convex optimization technologies and is linear in the system parameters. Compared to other model parameterizations this feature is an advantage in embedded applications...... for robust and automatic system identification. Standard MPC is not able to reject a sustained, unmeasured, non zero mean disturbance and will therefore not provide offset free tracking. Offset free tracking can be guaranteed for this type of disturbances if Δ variables are used or if the state space...... is extended with a disturbance model state. The relation between the base case and the two extended methods are illustrated which provides good understanding and a platform for discussing tuning for good closed loop performance....

  4. Band offsets and electronic structures of interface between In{sub 0.5}Ga{sub 0.5}As and InP

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cai, Genwang [School of Physical Science and Engineering and Key Laboratory of Materials Physics of Ministry of Education of China, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052 (China); College of Science, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou 450001 (China); Wang, Changhong; Wang, Weichao [College of Electronic Information and Optical Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071 (China); Liang, Erjun, E-mail: ejliang@zzu.edu.cn [School of Physical Science and Engineering and Key Laboratory of Materials Physics of Ministry of Education of China, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052 (China)

    2016-02-07

    III–V semiconductor interfacing with high-κ gate oxide is crucial for the high mobility metal-oxide-semiconductor field transistor device. With density functional theory calculations, we explored the band offsets and electronic structures of the In{sub 0.5}Ga{sub 0.5}As/InP interfaces with various interfacial bondings. Among six different bonding interfaces, we found that P-In(Ga) bonding interface showed the highest stability. Local density of states calculations was adopted to calculate the band offsets. Except for the metallic interface, we noticed that neither valence band offset nor conduction band offset depended on the interfacial bondings. For the most stable P-In(Ga) interface, we did not observe any gap states. Furthermore, we explored the P-In(Ga) interfaces with interfacial P-As exchange defects, which slightly modified the interface stability and the band offsets but did not produce any gap states. These findings provide solid evidence that InP could serve as a promising interfacial passivation layer between III–V material and high-κ oxide in the application of high mobility devices.

  5. The offset-midpoint traveltime pyramid in 3D transversely isotropic media with a horizontal symmetry axis

    KAUST Repository

    Hao, Qi

    2014-12-30

    Analytic representation of the offset-midpoint traveltime equation for anisotropy is very important for prestack Kirchhoff migration and velocity inversion in anisotropic media. For transversely isotropic media with a vertical symmetry axis, the offset-midpoint traveltime resembles the shape of a Cheops’ pyramid. This is also valid for homogeneous 3D transversely isotropic media with a horizontal symmetry axis (HTI). We extended the offset-midpoint traveltime pyramid to the case of homogeneous 3D HTI. Under the assumption of weak anellipticity of HTI media, we derived an analytic representation of the P-wave traveltime equation and used Shanks transformation to improve the accuracy of horizontal and vertical slownesses. The traveltime pyramid was derived in the depth and time domains. Numerical examples confirmed the accuracy of the proposed approximation for the traveltime function in 3D HTI media.

  6. Analysis of in-band interference in noise-based frequency offset modulation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bilal, Ibrahim; Meijerink, Arjan; Bentum, Marinus Jan

    2014-01-01

    A noise-based frequency offset modulation (N-FOM) system is considered, employing a wideband noise carrier, transmit reference modulation and a self-correlation receiver. The performance of such a system in the presence of in-band interference is studied by modeling the interference as a Gaussian

  7. Leg lengthening and femoral-offset reduction after total hip arthroplasty: where is the problem - stem or cup positioning?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Amiry, Bariq; Mahmood, Sarwar; Krupic, Ferid; Sayed-Noor, Arkan

    2017-09-01

    Background Restoration of femoral offset (FO) and leg length is an important goal in total hip arthroplasty (THA) as it improves functional outcome. Purpose To analyze whether the problem of postoperative leg lengthening and FO reduction is related to the femoral stem or acetabular cup positioning or both. Material and Methods Between September 2010 and April 2013, 172 patients with unilateral primary osteoarthritis treated with THA were included. Postoperative leg-length discrepancy (LLD) and global FO (summation of cup and FO) were measured by two observers using a standardized protocol for evaluation of antero-posterior plain hip radiographs. Patients with postoperative leg lengthening ≥10 mm (n = 41) or with reduced global FO >5 mm (n = 58) were further studied by comparing the stem and cup length of the operated side with the contralateral side in the lengthening group, and by comparing the stem and cup offset of the operated side with the contralateral side in the FO reduction group. We evaluated also the inter-observer and intra-observer reliability of the radiological measurements. Results Both observers found that leg lengthening was related to the stem positioning while FO reduction was related to the positioning of both the femoral stem and acetabular cup. Both inter-observer reliability and intra-observer reproducibility were moderate to excellent (intra-class correlation co-efficient, ICC ≥0.69). Conclusion Post THA leg lengthening was mainly caused by improper femoral stem positioning while global FO reduction resulted from improper positioning of both the femoral stem and the acetabular cup.

  8. SU-E-T-179: Exploring Appropriate Offset Values for Pencil Beam and Monte Carlo Dose Optimization in Lung Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy Encompassing the Effects of Respiration and Tumor Location

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Evans, G [Boca Raton, FL (United States); Shang, C [Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL (United States); Leventouri, T [Lynn Cancer Institute, Boca Raton, FL (United States)

    2014-06-01

    Purpose: Exploring appropriate offset values in dose optimization with pencil beam (PB) algorithm to minimize dosimetric differences with plans calculated with Monte Carlo (MC) for lung cancer treatment with Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT). Methods: 20 cases of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, treated with gated full motion range SBRT were selected. According to the proximity of the Gross Tumor Volume (GTV) to the chest wall, two groups are defined: peripherally located when GTV merges with the chest wall for at least 50% of the lesion diameter, and centrally located when the GTV is surrounded by lung tissue. Treatment plans were created on 4D average intensity projection (AIP) CT set with Brainlab iPlanDose 4.1.2 planning system. The D97 of PTV was normalized to 50Gy using the fast PB and compared with MC. The optimized plan was then recomputed over each 4D respiratory phase, and compared with MC using the same plan MU's. Results: The mean difference in the PB and MC D97 of the ITV was 10.5% (±0.8%) of the prescription dose (50Gy). PB algorithm showed 2.3–2.4% less overestimation to the D97 of the ITV, when comparing to MC, in the maximum exhalation phase than in the maximal inhalation phase. Significantly smaller dose difference between PB and MC is also shown in plans for peripheral lesions (7.7 ± 0.7%) versus for central lesions (12.7±0.8%) (p< 0.01). Conclusion: The dosimetric differences between PB and MC can be reasonably predicted depending on the location of lesion in the lung, and may be used as offset value in dose optimization with PB. Since the maximal exhalation phase demonstrates less dose discrepancy between the two algorithms than that in maximal inhalation phase, caution is suggested when the latter is included as a major phase portion in the respiration gated lung SBRT.

  9. Refractive index sensor based on lateral-offset of coreless silica interferometer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baharin, Nur Faizzah; Azmi, Asrul Izam; Abdullah, Ahmad Sharmi; Mohd Noor, Muhammad Yusof

    2018-02-01

    A compact, cost-effective and high sensitivity fiber interferometer refractive index (RI) sensor based on symmetrical offset coreless silica fiber (CSF) configuration is proposed, optimized and demonstrated. The sensor is formed by splicing a section of CSF between two CSF sections in an offset manner. Thus, two distinct optical paths are created with large index difference, the first path through the connecting CSF sections and the second path is outside the CSF through the surrounding media. RI sensing is established from direct interaction of light with surrounding media, hence high sensitivity can be achieved with a relatively compact sensor length. In the experimental work, a 1.5 mm sensor demonstrates RI sensitivity of 750 nm/RIU for RI range between 1.33 and 1.345. With the main attributes of high sensitivity and compact size, the proposed sensor can be further developed for related applications including blood diagnosis, water quality control and food industries.

  10. Theta frequency background tunes transmission but not summation of spiking responses.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dhanya Parameshwaran

    Full Text Available Hippocampal neurons are known to fire as a function of frequency and phase of spontaneous network rhythms, associated with the animal's behaviour. This dependence is believed to give rise to precise rate and temporal codes. However, it is not well understood how these periodic membrane potential fluctuations affect the integration of synaptic inputs. Here we used sinusoidal current injection to the soma of CA1 pyramidal neurons in the rat brain slice to simulate background oscillations in the physiologically relevant theta and gamma frequency range. We used a detailed compartmental model to show that somatic current injection gave comparable results to more physiological synaptically driven theta rhythms incorporating excitatory input in the dendrites, and inhibitory input near the soma. We systematically varied the phase of synaptic inputs with respect to this background, and recorded changes in response and summation properties of CA1 neurons using whole-cell patch recordings. The response of the cell was dependent on both the phase of synaptic inputs and frequency of the background input. The probability of the cell spiking for a given synaptic input was up to 40% greater during the depolarized phases between 30-135 degrees of theta frequency current injection. Summation gain on the other hand, was not affected either by the background frequency or the phasic afferent inputs. This flat summation gain, coupled with the enhanced spiking probability during depolarized phases of the theta cycle, resulted in enhanced transmission of summed inputs during the same phase window of 30-135 degrees. Overall, our study suggests that although oscillations provide windows of opportunity to selectively boost transmission and EPSP size, summation of synaptic inputs remains unaffected during membrane oscillations.

  11. A pneumatic Bionic Voice prosthesis-Pre-clinical trials of controlling the voice onset and offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmadi, Farzaneh; Noorian, Farzad; Novakovic, Daniel; van Schaik, André

    2018-01-01

    Despite emergent progress in many fields of bionics, a functional Bionic Voice prosthesis for laryngectomy patients (larynx amputees) has not yet been achieved, leading to a lifetime of vocal disability for these patients. This study introduces a novel framework of Pneumatic Bionic Voice Prostheses as an electronic adaptation of the Pneumatic Artificial Larynx (PAL) device. The PAL is a non-invasive mechanical voice source, driven exclusively by respiration with an exceptionally high voice quality, comparable to the existing gold standard of Tracheoesophageal (TE) voice prosthesis. Following PAL design closely as the reference, Pneumatic Bionic Voice Prostheses seem to have a strong potential to substitute the existing gold standard by generating a similar voice quality while remaining non-invasive and non-surgical. This paper designs the first Pneumatic Bionic Voice prosthesis and evaluates its onset and offset control against the PAL device through pre-clinical trials on one laryngectomy patient. The evaluation on a database of more than five hours of continuous/isolated speech recordings shows a close match between the onset/offset control of the Pneumatic Bionic Voice and the PAL with an accuracy of 98.45 ±0.54%. When implemented in real-time, the Pneumatic Bionic Voice prosthesis controller has an average onset/offset delay of 10 milliseconds compared to the PAL. Hence it addresses a major disadvantage of previous electronic voice prostheses, including myoelectric Bionic Voice, in meeting the short time-frames of controlling the onset/offset of the voice in continuous speech.

  12. Limits of Astrophysics with Gravitational-Wave Backgrounds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas Callister

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available The recent Advanced LIGO detection of gravitational waves from the binary black hole GW150914 suggests there exists a large population of merging binary black holes in the Universe. Although most are too distant to be individually resolved by advanced detectors, the superposition of gravitational waves from many unresolvable binaries is expected to create an astrophysical stochastic background. Recent results from the LIGO and Virgo Collaborations show that this astrophysical background is within reach of Advanced LIGO. In principle, the binary black hole background encodes interesting astrophysical properties, such as the mass distribution and redshift distribution of distant binaries. However, we show that this information will be difficult to extract with the current configuration of advanced detectors (and using current data analysis tools. Additionally, the binary black hole background also constitutes a foreground that limits the ability of advanced detectors to observe other interesting stochastic background signals, for example, from cosmic strings or phase transitions in the early Universe. We quantify this effect.

  13. Irrigation offsets wheat yield reductions from warming temperatures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tack, Jesse; Barkley, Andrew; Hendricks, Nathan

    2017-11-01

    Temperature increases due to climate change are expected to cause substantial reductions in global wheat yields. However, uncertainty remains regarding the potential role for irrigation as an adaptation strategy to offset heat impacts. Here we utilize over 7000 observations spanning eleven Kansas field-trial locations, 180 varieties, and 29 years to show that irrigation significantly reduces the negative impact of warming temperatures on winter wheat yields. Dryland wheat yields are estimated to decrease about eight percent for every one-degree Celsius increase in temperature, yet irrigation completely offsets this negative impact in our sample. As in previous studies, we find that important interactions exist between heat stress and precipitation for dryland production. Here, uniquely, we observe both dryland and irrigated trials side-by-side at the same locations and find that precipitation does not provide the same reduction in heat stress as irrigation. This is likely to be because the timing, intensity, and volume of water applications influence wheat yields, so the ability to irrigate—rather than relying on rainfall alone—has a stronger influence on heat stress. We find evidence of extensive differences of water-deficit stress impacts across varieties. This provides some evidence of the potential for adapting to hotter and drier climate conditions using optimal variety selection. Overall, our results highlight the critical role of water management for future global food security. Water scarcity not only reduces crop yields through water-deficit stress, but also amplifies the negative effects of warming temperatures.

  14. Non-Newtonian ink transfer in gravure-offset printing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghadiri, Fatemeh; Ahmed, Dewan Hasan; Sung, Hyung Jin; Shirani, Ebrahim

    2011-01-01

    The inks used in gravure-offset printing are non-Newtonian fluids with higher viscosities and lower surface tensions than Newtonian fluids. This paper examines the transfer of a non-Newtonian ink between a flat plate and a groove when the plate is moved upward with a constant velocity while the groove is held fixed. Numerical simulations were carried out with the Carreau model to explore the behavior of this non-Newtonian ink in gravure-offset printing. The volume of fluid (VOF) method was implemented to capture the interface during the ink transfer process. The effects of varying the contact angle of the ink on the flat plate and groove walls and geometrical parameters such as the groove angle and the groove depth on the breakup time of the liquid filament that forms between the plate and the groove and the ink transfer ratio were determined. Our results indicate that increasing the groove contact angle and decreasing the flat plate contact angle enhance the ink transfer ratio and the breakup time. However, increasing the groove depth and the groove angle decreases the transfer ratio and the breakup time. By optimizing these parameters, it is possible to achieve an ink transfer from the groove to the flat plate of approximately 92%. Moreover, the initial width and the vertical velocity of the neck of the ink filament have significant influences on the ink transfer ratio and the breakup time.

  15. A new strategy of axial power distribution control based on three axial offsets concept

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shimazu, Yoichiro

    2009-01-01

    We have proposed a very simple control procedure for axial xenon oscillation control based on a characteristic trajectory. The trajectory is drawn by three offsets of power distributions, namely, AOp, AOi and AOx. They are defined as the offset of axial power distribution, the offset of the power distribution under which the current iodine distribution is obtained as the equilibrium and that for xenon distribution, respectively. When these offsets are plotted on X-Y plane for (AOp-AOx, AOi-AOx) the trajectory draws a quite characteristic ellipse (or an elliptic spiral). On the other hands, Constant Axial Offset Control (CAOC) procedure is adopted as axial power distribution control strategy during both base load and load following operations in domestic PWRs. In the previous paper, we have presented an innovative procedure of axial power distribution control during load following in PWRs based on this trajectory such that the AOp-AOx is to be controlled to zero when the value deviates the pre-determined limiting values. In this paper we propose a modified control strategy to get more stability of axial power distributions. In this strategy, we control the trajectory to be close to the major axis of the ellipse when the power distribution reaches the limiting values. In other words, the plot is not controlled only to reduce AOp-AOx but also AOi-AOx is taken into account at the same time. It is known that when the plot is controlled to the major axis, it means that the point gives the peak position of axial xenon oscillation. Therefore xenon oscillation will not increase its amplitude any more. Thus more stable axial power distribution control is attained. This kind of design concept is quite important especially for the future PWRs with elongated fuel length and longer core life. Because in a longer effective core and also the longer core life, it has been known that the stability of axial xenon oscillation becomes more unstable. In this paper, some simulation

  16. 76 FR 11402 - Recovery of Delinquent Debts-Treasury Offset Program Enhancements

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-02

    ...-1213 or TTY 1-800-325- 0778, or visit our Internet site, Social Security Online, at http://www... SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION 20 CFR Parts 404, 408, 416, and 422 [Docket No. SSA-2010-0010] RIN 0960-AH19 Recovery of Delinquent Debts--Treasury Offset Program Enhancements AGENCY: Social Security...

  17. Phases of Holographic QCD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lippert, Matthew

    2009-01-01

    We investigated the Sakai-Sugimoto model of large N QCD at nonzero temperature and baryon chemical potential and in the presence of background electric and magnetic fields. We studied the holographic representation of baryons and the deconfinement, chiral-symmetry breaking, and nuclear matter phase transitions. In a background electric field, chiral-symmetry breaking corresponds to an insulator-conductor transition. A magnetic field both catalyzes chiral-symmetry breaking and generates, in the confined phase, a pseudo-scalar gradient or, in the deconfined phase, an axial current. The resulting phase diagram is in qualitative agreement with studies of hot, dense QCD.

  18. Considerations of digital phase modulation for narrowband satellite mobile communication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grythe, Knut

    1990-01-01

    The Inmarsat-M system for mobile satellite communication is specified as a frequency division multiple access (FDMA) system, applying Offset Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) for transmitting 8 kbit/sec in 10 kHz user channel bandwidth. We consider Digital Phase Modulation (DPM) as an alternative modulation format for INMARSAT-M. DPM is similar to Continuous Phase Modulation (CPM) except that DPM has a finite memory in the premodular filter with a continuous varying modulation index. It is shown that DPM with 64 states in the VA obtains a lower bit error rate (BER). Results for a 5 kHz system, with the same 8 kbit/sec transmitted bitstream, is also presented.

  19. Band offsets in HfTiO/InGaZnO4 heterojunction determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    He, G.; Chen, X.F.; Lv, J.G.; Fang, Z.B.; Liu, Y.M.; Zhu, K.R.; Sun, Z.Q.; Liu, M.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Band offsets in HfTiO/InGaZnO 4 heterojunction were determined by XPS. • Valence band offset of HfTiO/IGZO heterojunction is determined to be 0.35 eV. • Conduction band offset of 1.61 eV is deduced for HfTiO/IGZO heterojunction. - Abstract: In current report, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy has been pursued to obtain the valence band discontinuity (ΔE v ) of sputter deposited HfTiO/InZnGaO 4 (IGZO) heterostructures. A ΔE v value of 0.32 ± 0.1 eV was obtained by using the Ga 2p3/2, Zn 2p3/2, and In 3d5/2 energy levels as references. Taking into consideration the experimental band gaps of 5.35 eV and 3.39 eV for HfTiO and IGZO thin films measured by absorption method, respectively, this would result in a conduction band offset of 1.64 eV in this heterostructure

  20. Offsetting or Enhancing Behavior: An Empirical Analysis of Motorcycle Helmet Safety Legislation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jonathan M

    2015-10-01

    This study uses state-level panel data from a 33-year period to test the hypotheses of offsetting and enhancing behavior with regards to motorcycle helmet legislation. Results presented in this article find no evidence of offsetting behavior and are consistent with the presence of enhancing behavior. State motorcycle helmet laws are estimated to reduce motorcycle crashes by 18.4% to 31.9%. In the absence of any behavioral adaptations among motorcyclists mandatory helmet laws are not expected to have any significant impact on motorcycle crash rates. The estimated motorcycle crash reductions do not appear to be driven by omitted variable bias or nonclassical measurement error in reported crashes. Overall, the results strongly suggest that mandatory helmet laws yield significant changes in motorcycle mobility in the form of reduced risk taking and/or decreased utilization. © 2015 Society for Risk Analysis.

  1. Feeling worse to feel better: pain-offset relief simultaneously stimulates positive affect and reduces negative affect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franklin, Joseph C; Lee, Kent M; Hanna, Eleanor K; Prinstein, Mitchell J

    2013-04-01

    Although pain itself induces negative affect, the removal (or offset) of pain induces a powerful state of relief. Despite being implicated in a wide range of psychological and behavioral phenomena, relief remains a poorly understood emotion. In particular, some theorists associate relief with increased positive affect, whereas others associate relief with diminished negative affect. In the present study, we examined the affective nature of relief in a pain-offset paradigm with psychophysiological measures that were specific to negative valence (startle eyeblink reactivity) and positive valence (startle postauricular reactivity). Results revealed that pain offset simultaneously stimulates positive affect and diminishes negative affect for at least several seconds. Results also indicated that pain intensity differentially affects the positive and negative valence aspects of relief. These findings clarify the affective nature of relief and provide insight into why people engage in both normal and abnormal behaviors associated with relief.

  2. Emergency Flight Control Using Only Engine Thrust and Lateral Center-of-Gravity Offset: A First Look

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burcham, Frank W., Jr.; Burken, John; Maine, Trindel A.; Bull, John

    1997-01-01

    Normally, the damage that results in a total loss of the primary flight controls of a jet transport airplane, including all engines on one side, would be catastrophic. In response, NASA Dryden has conceived an emergency flight control system that uses only the thrust of a wing-mounted engine along with a lateral center-of-gravity (CGY) offset from fuel transfer. Initial analysis and simulation studies indicate that such a system works, and recent high-fidelity simulation tests on the MD-11 and B-747 suggest that the system provides enough control for a survivable landing. This paper discusses principles of flight control using only a wing engine thrust and CGY offset, along with the amount of CGY offset capability of some transport airplanes. The paper also presents simulation results of the throttle-only control capability and closed-loop control of ground track using computer-controlled thrust.

  3. The effect of offset on fracture permeability of rocks from the Southern Andes Volcanic Zone, Chile

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pérez-Flores, P.; Wang, G.; Mitchell, T. M.; Meredith, P. G.; Nara, Y.; Sarkar, V.; Cembrano, J.

    2017-11-01

    The Southern Andes Volcanic Zone (SVZ) represents one of the largest undeveloped geothermal provinces in the world. Development of the geothermal potential requires a detailed understanding of fluid transport properties of its main lithologies. The permeability of SVZ rocks is altered by the presence of fracture damage zones produced by the Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault System (LOFS) and the Andean Transverse Faults (ATF). We have therefore measured the permeability of four representative lithologies from the volcanic basement in this area: crystalline tuff, andesitic dike, altered andesite and granodiorite. For comparative purposes, we have also measured the permeability of samples of Seljadalur basalt, an Icelandic rock with widely studied and reported hydraulic properties. Specifically, we present the results of a systematic study of the effect of fractures and fracture offsets on permeability as a function of increasing effective pressure. Baseline measurements on intact samples of SVZ rocks show that the granodiorite has a permeability (10-18 m2), two orders of magnitude higher than that of the volcanic rocks (10-20 m2). The presence of throughgoing mated macro-fractures increases permeability by between four and six orders of magnitude, with the highest permeability recorded for the crystalline tuff. Increasing fracture offset to produce unmated fractures results in large increases in permeability up to some characteristic value of offset, beyond which permeability changes only marginally. The increase in permeability with offset appears to depend on fracture roughness and aperture, and these are different for each lithology. Overall, fractured SVZ rocks with finite offsets record permeability values consistent with those commonly found in geothermal reservoirs (>10-16 m2), which potentially allow convective/advective flow to develop. Hence, our results demonstrate that the fracture damage zones developed within the SVZ produce permeable regions, especially within the

  4. Southern San Andreas Fault evaluation field activity: approaches to measuring small geomorphic offsets--challenges and recommendations for active fault studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scharer, Katherine M.; Salisbury, J. Barrett; Arrowsmith, J. Ramon; Rockwell, Thomas K.

    2014-01-01

    In southern California, where fast slip rates and sparse vegetation contribute to crisp expression of faults and microtopography, field and high‐resolution topographic data (fault, analyze the offset values for concentrations or trends along strike, and infer that the common magnitudes reflect successive surface‐rupturing earthquakes along that fault section. Wallace (1968) introduced the use of such offsets, and the challenges in interpreting their “unique complex history” with offsets on the Carrizo section of the San Andreas fault; these were more fully mapped by Sieh (1978) and followed by similar field studies along other faults (e.g., Lindvall et al., 1989; McGill and Sieh, 1991). Results from such compilations spurred the development of classic fault behavior models, notably the characteristic earthquake and slip‐patch models, and thus constitute an important component of the long‐standing contrast between magnitude–frequency models (Schwartz and Coppersmith, 1984; Sieh, 1996; Hecker et al., 2013). The proliferation of offset datasets has led earthquake geologists to examine the methods and approaches for measuring these offsets, uncertainties associated with measurement of such features, and quality ranking schemes (Arrowsmith and Rockwell, 2012; Salisbury, Arrowsmith, et al., 2012; Gold et al., 2013; Madden et al., 2013). In light of this, the Southern San Andreas Fault Evaluation (SoSAFE) project at the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) organized a combined field activity and workshop (the “Fieldshop”) to measure offsets, compare techniques, and explore differences in interpretation. A thorough analysis of the measurements from the field activity will be provided separately; this paper discusses the complications presented by such offset measurements using two channels from the San Andreas fault as illustrative cases. We conclude with best approaches for future data collection efforts based on input from the Fieldshop.

  5. Measurements of the cosmic background radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weiss, R.

    1980-01-01

    Measurements of the attributes of the 2.7-K microwave background radiation (CBR) are reviewed, with emphasis on the analytic phase of CBR studies. Methods for the direct measurement of the CBR spectrum are discussed. Attention is given to receivers, antennas, absolute receiver calibration, atmospheric emission and absorption, the galactic background contribution, the analysis of LF measurements, and recent HF observations of the CBR spectrum. Measurements of the large-angular-scale intensity distribution of the CBR (the most convincing evidence that the radiation is of cosmological origin) are examined, along with limits on the linear polarization of the CBR. A description is given of the NASA-sponsored Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite mission. The results of the COBE mission will be a set of sky maps showing, in the wave number range from 1 to 10,000 kaysers, the galactic background radiation due to synchrotron emission from galactic cosmic rays, to diffuse thermal emission from H II regions, and to diffuse thermal emission from interstellar and interplanetary dust, as well as a residue consisting of the CBR and whatever other cosmological background might exist

  6. High-resolution mapping based on an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to capture paleoseismic offsets along the Altyn-Tagh fault, China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Mingxing; Xu, Xiwei; Klinger, Yann; van der Woerd, Jerome; Tapponnier, Paul

    2017-08-15

    The recent dramatic increase in millimeter- to centimeter- resolution topographic datasets obtained via multi-view photogrammetry raises the possibility of mapping detailed offset geomorphology and constraining the spatial characteristics of active faults. Here, for the first time, we applied this new method to acquire high-resolution imagery and generate topographic data along the Altyn Tagh fault, which is located in a remote high elevation area and shows preserved ancient earthquake surface ruptures. A digital elevation model (DEM) with a resolution of 0.065 m and an orthophoto with a resolution of 0.016 m were generated from these images. We identified piercing markers and reconstructed offsets based on both the orthoimage and the topography. The high-resolution UAV data were used to accurately measure the recent seismic offset. We obtained the recent offset of 7 ± 1 m. Combined with the high resolution satellite image, we measured cumulative offsets of 15 ± 2 m, 20 ± 2 m, 30 ± 2 m, which may be due to multiple paleo-earthquakes. Therefore, UAV mapping can provide fine-scale data for the assessment of the seismic hazards.

  7. Efficient Calculation of Born Scattering for Fixed-Offset Ground-Penetrating Radar Surveys

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Meincke, Peter

    2007-01-01

    A formulation is presented for efficient calculation of linear electromagnetic scattering by buried penetrable objects, as involved in the analysis of fixed-offset ground-penetrating radar (GPR) systems. The actual radiation patterns of the GPR antennas are incorporated in the scattering...

  8. Modification of the axial offsets trajectory method to control xenon oscillation during load following operations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shimazu, Yoichiro

    1996-01-01

    A new method which can give continuous guidance for controlling axial xenon oscillations in large PWRs has been presented. The method is based on two additional newly defined axial offsets, A Oi and A Ox together with the conventional axial offset of power distribution A Op. A Oi and A Ox are the axial offsets of power distributions which would give the current iodine and xenon distributions under equilibrium conditions, respectively. The information from A Oi, A Ox and A Op are used to display the trajectory of (A Op - A Ox, A Oi - A Ox) in the X-Y plane. The trajectory shows a very characteristic behavior. With the characteristics in mind the xenon oscillation can be controlled quite easily to lead the plot to the origin where three A Os are identical. The method has been proved with the power level constant. However, it is necessary to modify the definition of A Ox so as to apply this method to load following operations. A reasonable way of the modification is described and the results are presented. (author)

  9. Administration and transaction cost estimates for a greenhouse gas offset system : final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2004-01-01

    Canada's Climate Change Plan provides large final emitters (LFEs) with the option to meet their emission targets through the purchase of domestic greenhouse gas (GHG) offset credits. This paper presents the results of a study which identified and estimated transaction costs associated with an offset system. The cost to both proponents and governments were identified. The study also suggested ways to reduce administration and transaction costs through design options. The study considered projects involving agriculture, forests, landfill gas capture, renewable energy and energy efficiency within a potential domestic offset system. It was determined that average transaction costs per tonne range from $19 per tonne to $0.05 depending on the design choice and project type. Total administration costs did not vary more than 5 per cent between different design choices. The total system costs, which are the combination of all transaction and administration costs, are the best indicator for the potential of a project. Eight case studies were examined and costs per tonne were presented. According to the results, the best opportunities to reduce both transaction and administration costs are to choose a broad approach to baselines, boundaries and quantification; and, to allow pooling in the forestry and agriculture sectors. Transaction costs can be lowered further by reducing the frequency of monitoring and verification and allowing pre-2008 crediting. refs., tabs., figs

  10. Exogenous and endogenous control of attention: the effect of visual onsets and offsets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Theeuwes, J

    1991-01-01

    Two experiments were carried out to investigate the relation between exogenous and endogenous control of visual attention. Subjects searched for a target letter among three nontarget letters that were positioned on an imaginary circle around a fixation point. At different cue-display intervals, a centrally located arrowhead cue reliably indicated the location of the target letter. At different SOAs, a peripheral line segment near one of the letters was either abruptly switched on (Experiment 1) or abruptly switched off (Experiment 2). Presenting the central arrowhead after display onset prevents attention from being focused in advance on the critical location. In this unfocused attentional state, both onset and offset transients attracted attention. When the central arrowhead was available in advance, the focusing of attention prior to display onset precluded attention attraction to the location of the onset or offset transient. Contrary to an offset transient, an onset transient presented at the attended location disrupted performance, indicating that an onset within the spotlight of attention attracts attention. The results are reconciled by means of the zoom-lens theory of attention, suggesting that outside the focus of attention, abrupt transients are not capable of attracting attention. Since the size of the zoom lens is under voluntary control, it can be argued that transients do not fulfill the intentionality criterion of automaticity.

  11. MULTI-FOLD, SEISMIC-STYLE TDEM INDUCTION OFFSET PROFILING AT KENTLAND FARMS, VA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kazlauskas, E. M.; Weiss, C. J.

    2009-12-01

    An outstanding question in Valley and Ridge geology is the geomorphological history and hydrologic framework of the New River terraces. And while depth to bedrock on the upper terraces remains unknown, knowledge of the bedrock interface is key to addressing two specific issues: What is the geometry and connectivity of karst features such as sinkholes and what is the structure and depositional history of these terraces? To answer these questions, Kentland Farms (located in the Valley and Ridge of Southwest Virginia) has been chosen as the study site for its exceptional development of terrace deposits, nearly unrestricted access to its grounds, sparse vegetation coverage, and numerous sinkholes with a clear topographic expression. The Kentland Farms study area is characterized by heavily weathered, fluvial terrace deposits ranging from a few meters thickness to an estimated 70 m, overlying a karstic, Cambrian aged Elbrook Formation limestone. The terrace deposits consist of weathered clay units of varying composition with interbedded cobble and gravel horizons. The nature of the underlying bedrock coupled with the complex structure of the terrace deposits present difficulties in location of the bedrock interface. Due to complicated geology, a novel, multi-fold, seismic-style, Time Domain Electromagnetic (TDEM) induction survey was conducted in order to provide a more robust data set than a traditional common offset survey as well as to increase lateral resolution. This approach consists of taking multiple transmitter “shots” at a fixed position with a spread of receiver locations at fixed offset intervals (10m in this survey). The procedure is then repeated by moving the transmitter one interval at a time until the line is complete. 1-D inversions generated by using different transmitter-receiver offsets were analyzed to create a set of laterally constrained vertical profiles. In addition, multi-fold, seismic-style TDEM induction offset profiling allowed for

  12. A pneumatic Bionic Voice prosthesis-Pre-clinical trials of controlling the voice onset and offset.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Farzaneh Ahmadi

    Full Text Available Despite emergent progress in many fields of bionics, a functional Bionic Voice prosthesis for laryngectomy patients (larynx amputees has not yet been achieved, leading to a lifetime of vocal disability for these patients. This study introduces a novel framework of Pneumatic Bionic Voice Prostheses as an electronic adaptation of the Pneumatic Artificial Larynx (PAL device. The PAL is a non-invasive mechanical voice source, driven exclusively by respiration with an exceptionally high voice quality, comparable to the existing gold standard of Tracheoesophageal (TE voice prosthesis. Following PAL design closely as the reference, Pneumatic Bionic Voice Prostheses seem to have a strong potential to substitute the existing gold standard by generating a similar voice quality while remaining non-invasive and non-surgical. This paper designs the first Pneumatic Bionic Voice prosthesis and evaluates its onset and offset control against the PAL device through pre-clinical trials on one laryngectomy patient. The evaluation on a database of more than five hours of continuous/isolated speech recordings shows a close match between the onset/offset control of the Pneumatic Bionic Voice and the PAL with an accuracy of 98.45 ±0.54%. When implemented in real-time, the Pneumatic Bionic Voice prosthesis controller has an average onset/offset delay of 10 milliseconds compared to the PAL. Hence it addresses a major disadvantage of previous electronic voice prostheses, including myoelectric Bionic Voice, in meeting the short time-frames of controlling the onset/offset of the voice in continuous speech.

  13. A pneumatic Bionic Voice prosthesis—Pre-clinical trials of controlling the voice onset and offset

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noorian, Farzad; Novakovic, Daniel; van Schaik, André

    2018-01-01

    Despite emergent progress in many fields of bionics, a functional Bionic Voice prosthesis for laryngectomy patients (larynx amputees) has not yet been achieved, leading to a lifetime of vocal disability for these patients. This study introduces a novel framework of Pneumatic Bionic Voice Prostheses as an electronic adaptation of the Pneumatic Artificial Larynx (PAL) device. The PAL is a non-invasive mechanical voice source, driven exclusively by respiration with an exceptionally high voice quality, comparable to the existing gold standard of Tracheoesophageal (TE) voice prosthesis. Following PAL design closely as the reference, Pneumatic Bionic Voice Prostheses seem to have a strong potential to substitute the existing gold standard by generating a similar voice quality while remaining non-invasive and non-surgical. This paper designs the first Pneumatic Bionic Voice prosthesis and evaluates its onset and offset control against the PAL device through pre-clinical trials on one laryngectomy patient. The evaluation on a database of more than five hours of continuous/isolated speech recordings shows a close match between the onset/offset control of the Pneumatic Bionic Voice and the PAL with an accuracy of 98.45 ±0.54%. When implemented in real-time, the Pneumatic Bionic Voice prosthesis controller has an average onset/offset delay of 10 milliseconds compared to the PAL. Hence it addresses a major disadvantage of previous electronic voice prostheses, including myoelectric Bionic Voice, in meeting the short time-frames of controlling the onset/offset of the voice in continuous speech. PMID:29466455

  14. 20 CFR 408.945 - When will we suspend tax refund offset?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false When will we suspend tax refund offset? 408.945 Section 408.945 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION SPECIAL BENEFITS FOR CERTAIN..., you notify us that you are exercising a right described in § 408.942(a) of this subpart and submit...

  15. Roll-offset printed transparent conducting electrode for organic solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Inyoung; Kwak, Sun-Woo; Ju, Yeonkyeong; Park, Gun-Young; Lee, Taik-Min; Jang, Yunseok; Choi, Young-Man; Kang, Dongwoo

    2015-01-01

    Transparent conducting electrodes (TCEs) were developed through the roll-offset printing of Ag grid mesh patterns for the application of all-solution processed organic solar cells (OSCs). Due to the remarkable printability of roll-offset printing, the printed TCEs did not show the step coverage problem of subsequent thin layers, which was a chronic problem in other printing techniques. The control of ink cohesion was verified as a critical factor for the high printing quality, which was optimized by adding a polyurethane diol of 2 wt.%. The tensile strength of optimized Ag ink was 322 mN, which led to the clear patterning of Ag nanoparticles. The printed TCEs with different mesh densities of the Ag grid were designed to have a similar property of indium tin oxide (ITO). The measured sheet resistance was 13 Ω/□, and optical transmittance was 86%, including the glass substrate, which was found to be independent of wavelength in the visible spectrum, in contrast with the optical transmittance of ITO. To evaluate the TCE performance as bottom electrodes, all-solution processed OSCs were fabricated on top of the TCEs. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the OSCs increased with the increments of the mesh density due to the distinctive increase of the short circuit current density (J sc ), notwithstanding the similar transmittance and sheet resistance of the TCEs. In comparison with ITO, a higher PCE of OSCs was obtained because the printed TCEs with a high mesh density were able to facilitate effective current collection, leading to a significant increase of J sc . - Highlights: • Roll-offset printing provided a remarkable printability of Ag nano-ink. • Control of ink cohesion played a critical role on the patterning of Ag nano-ink. • Printed Ag mesh was used as a transparent conducting electrode. • Transparency and sheet resistance of printed Ag mesh can be designed simply. • Printed Ag mesh was effective for the current collection of organic solar

  16. Roll-offset printed transparent conducting electrode for organic solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Inyoung, E-mail: ikim@kimm.re.kr; Kwak, Sun-Woo; Ju, Yeonkyeong; Park, Gun-Young; Lee, Taik-Min; Jang, Yunseok; Choi, Young-Man; Kang, Dongwoo

    2015-04-01

    Transparent conducting electrodes (TCEs) were developed through the roll-offset printing of Ag grid mesh patterns for the application of all-solution processed organic solar cells (OSCs). Due to the remarkable printability of roll-offset printing, the printed TCEs did not show the step coverage problem of subsequent thin layers, which was a chronic problem in other printing techniques. The control of ink cohesion was verified as a critical factor for the high printing quality, which was optimized by adding a polyurethane diol of 2 wt.%. The tensile strength of optimized Ag ink was 322 mN, which led to the clear patterning of Ag nanoparticles. The printed TCEs with different mesh densities of the Ag grid were designed to have a similar property of indium tin oxide (ITO). The measured sheet resistance was 13 Ω/□, and optical transmittance was 86%, including the glass substrate, which was found to be independent of wavelength in the visible spectrum, in contrast with the optical transmittance of ITO. To evaluate the TCE performance as bottom electrodes, all-solution processed OSCs were fabricated on top of the TCEs. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the OSCs increased with the increments of the mesh density due to the distinctive increase of the short circuit current density (J{sub sc}), notwithstanding the similar transmittance and sheet resistance of the TCEs. In comparison with ITO, a higher PCE of OSCs was obtained because the printed TCEs with a high mesh density were able to facilitate effective current collection, leading to a significant increase of J{sub sc}. - Highlights: • Roll-offset printing provided a remarkable printability of Ag nano-ink. • Control of ink cohesion played a critical role on the patterning of Ag nano-ink. • Printed Ag mesh was used as a transparent conducting electrode. • Transparency and sheet resistance of printed Ag mesh can be designed simply. • Printed Ag mesh was effective for the current collection of organic

  17. PIXE studies on elemental characterization of offset printing ink tagged with rare-earth taggants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joseph, D.; Saxena, A.; Choudhury, R.K.; Maind, S.D.

    2007-01-01

    Proton Induced X-ray Emission Technique (PIXE) has been used for elemental characterization of offset printing ink tagged with rare-earth taggants, with a proton beam of energy 4 MeV at Folded Tandem Ion Accelerator (FOTIA) at BARC, Trombay, Mumbai, India. The offset printing ink was tagged with rare-earth (La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu and Gd) thenoyltrifluoroacetonate chelates at about 1000 ppm level for each element separately. Small aliquots (approximately 20 mg) of tagged inks were coated on paper supports and then analyzed. Well-resolved rare-earth L X-rays were detected using a high resolution Si(Li) detector. Satisfactory results to identify and quantify the taggants were achieved. (author)

  18. Exploring off-set pricing models and article deposit terms at King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST)

    KAUST Repository

    Buck, Stephen

    2018-04-09

    In the ‘normal’ world of retail and commerce you pay for an item and receive the item. In the world of academic journals you prepay for the item and you might receive the item and you might get some money back depending on what journals you did or didn’t receive. In the world of offset pricing you prepay, then you pay again, you sometimes use vouchers, you might get a discount (the following year) then you might get money back, or you might not. Are publishers knowingly placing barriers to off-set models, and not transparently offsetting the APCs to the subscription cost, in order to raise more income? Whether by design or accident it is a complex world which needs a time commitment, which not all librarians can give, to understand fully. The new model of scholarly communication, which leading universities (including KAUST) want to introduce, is based on shifting the subscription costs to publishing costs, not to double the payment channels to the publishers. Can we get to a mutually beneficial position where the author can deposit the accepted version of the article into the Institutional Repository without any embargo period as the institute is agreeing to pay the subscription fee on an ongoing basis? The required model does not adversely affect the vendors’ revenue. This presentation, based on KAUST’’s experience to date, will attempt to explain the different models of offset pricing while outlining KAUST’s dual approach, redirecting subscription money to publishing money and embedding open access terms in understandable language in our license agreements, to the problem. Why we have accepted IoP’s offset offer and not Springer’s, though we were considered among the first timers and important Institutions? Why is this important? Resolving the inherent complexities in offsetting models will save libraries money and also time wasted on tedious and unnecessary administration work. Researchers do not want to know about offsetting agreements nor

  19. How much compensation is enough? A framework for incorporating uncertainty and time discounting when calculating offset ratios for impacted habitats

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Moilanen, A.; Teeffelen, van A.J.A.; Ben-Haim, Y.; Ferrier, S.

    2009-01-01

    Biodiversity offset areas may compensate for ecological damage caused by human activity elsewhere. One way of determining the offset ratio, or the compensation area needed, is to divide the present conservation value of the development site by the predicted future conservation value of a

  20. Background-free search for neutrinoless double-β decay of 76Ge with GERDA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agostini, M.; Allardt, M.; Bakalyarov, A. M.; Balata, M.; Barabanov, I.; Baudis, L.; Bauer, C.; Bellotti, E.; Belogurov, S.; Belyaev, S. T.; Benato, G.; Bettini, A.; Bezrukov, L.; Bode, T.; Borowicz, D.; Brudanin, V.; Brugnera, R.; Caldwell, A.; Cattadori, C.; Chernogorov, A.; D'Andrea, V.; Demidova, E. V.; di Marco, N.; di Vacri, A.; Domula, A.; Doroshkevich, E.; Egorov, V.; Falkenstein, R.; Fedorova, O.; Freund, K.; Frodyma, N.; Gangapshev, A.; Garfagnini, A.; Gooch, C.; Grabmayr, P.; Gurentsov, V.; Gusev, K.; Hakenmüller, J.; Hegai, A.; Heisel, M.; Hemmer, S.; Hofmann, W.; Hult, M.; Inzhechik, L. V.; Janicskó Csáthy, J.; Jochum, J.; Junker, M.; Kazalov, V.; Kihm, T.; Kirpichnikov, I. V.; Kirsch, A.; Kish, A.; Klimenko, A.; Kneißl, R.; Knöpfle, K. T.; Kochetov, O.; Kornoukhov, V. N.; Kuzminov, V. V.; Laubenstein, M.; Lazzaro, A.; Lebedev, V. I.; Lehnert, B.; Liao, H. Y.; Lindner, M.; Lippi, I.; Lubashevskiy, A.; Lubsandorzhiev, B.; Lutter, G.; Macolino, C.; Majorovits, B.; Maneschg, W.; Medinaceli, E.; Miloradovic, M.; Mingazheva, R.; Misiaszek, M.; Moseev, P.; Nemchenok, I.; Palioselitis, D.; Panas, K.; Pandola, L.; Pelczar, K.; Pullia, A.; Riboldi, S.; Rumyantseva, N.; Sada, C.; Salamida, F.; Salathe, M.; Schmitt, C.; Schneider, B.; Schönert, S.; Schreiner, J.; Schulz, O.; Schütz, A.-K.; Schwingenheuer, B.; Selivanenko, O.; Shevchik, E.; Shirchenko, M.; Simgen, H.; Smolnikov, A.; Stanco, L.; Vanhoefer, L.; Vasenko, A. A.; Veresnikova, A.; von Sturm, K.; Wagner, V.; Walter, M.; Wegmann, A.; Wester, T.; Wiesinger, C.; Wojcik, M.; Yanovich, E.; Zhitnikov, I.; Zhukov, S. V.; Zinatulina, D.; Zuber, K.; Zuzel, G.; GERDA Collaboration

    2017-04-01

    Many extensions of the Standard Model of particle physics explain the dominance of matter over antimatter in our Universe by neutrinos being their own antiparticles. This would imply the existence of neutrinoless double-β decay, which is an extremely rare lepton-number-violating radioactive decay process whose detection requires the utmost background suppression. Among the programmes that aim to detect this decay, the GERDA Collaboration is searching for neutrinoless double-β decay of 76Ge by operating bare detectors, made of germanium with an enriched 76Ge fraction, in liquid argon. After having completed Phase I of data taking, we have recently launched Phase II. Here we report that in GERDA Phase II we have achieved a background level of approximately 10-3 counts keV-1 kg-1 yr-1. This implies that the experiment is background-free, even when increasing the exposure up to design level. This is achieved by use of an active veto system, superior germanium detector energy resolution and improved background recognition of our new detectors. No signal of neutrinoless double-β decay was found when Phase I and Phase II data were combined, and we deduce a lower-limit half-life of 5.3 × 1025 years at the 90 per cent confidence level. Our half-life sensitivity of 4.0 × 1025 years is competitive with the best experiments that use a substantially larger isotope mass. The potential of an essentially background-free search for neutrinoless double-β decay will facilitate a larger germanium experiment with sensitivity levels that will bring us closer to clarifying whether neutrinos are their own antiparticles.

  1. Fourier phase in Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uttam, Shikhar; Liu, Yang

    2015-01-01

    Phase of an electromagnetic wave propagating through a sample-of-interest is well understood in the context of quantitative phase imaging in transmission-mode microscopy. In the past decade, Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography has been used to extend quantitative phase imaging to the reflection-mode. Unlike transmission-mode electromagnetic phase, however, the origin and characteristics of reflection-mode Fourier phase are poorly understood, especially in samples with a slowly varying refractive index. In this paper, the general theory of Fourier phase from first principles is presented, and it is shown that Fourier phase is a joint estimate of subresolution offset and mean spatial frequency of the coherence-gated sample refractive index. It is also shown that both spectral-domain phase microscopy and depth-resolved spatial-domain low-coherence quantitative phase microscopy are special cases of this general theory. Analytical expressions are provided for both, and simulations are presented to explain and support the theoretical results. These results are further used to show how Fourier phase allows the estimation of an axial mean spatial frequency profile of the sample, along with depth-resolved characterization of localized optical density change and sample heterogeneity. Finally, a Fourier phase-based explanation of Doppler optical coherence tomography is also provided. PMID:26831383

  2. Fourier phase in Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uttam, Shikhar; Liu, Yang

    2015-12-01

    Phase of an electromagnetic wave propagating through a sample-of-interest is well understood in the context of quantitative phase imaging in transmission-mode microscopy. In the past decade, Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography has been used to extend quantitative phase imaging to the reflection-mode. Unlike transmission-mode electromagnetic phase, however, the origin and characteristics of reflection-mode Fourier phase are poorly understood, especially in samples with a slowly varying refractive index. In this paper, the general theory of Fourier phase from first principles is presented, and it is shown that Fourier phase is a joint estimate of subresolution offset and mean spatial frequency of the coherence-gated sample refractive index. It is also shown that both spectral-domain phase microscopy and depth-resolved spatial-domain low-coherence quantitative phase microscopy are special cases of this general theory. Analytical expressions are provided for both, and simulations are presented to explain and support the theoretical results. These results are further used to show how Fourier phase allows the estimation of an axial mean spatial frequency profile of the sample, along with depth-resolved characterization of localized optical density change and sample heterogeneity. Finally, a Fourier phase-based explanation of Doppler optical coherence tomography is also provided.

  3. Luminosity Optimization With Offset, Crossing Angle, and Distortion

    CERN Document Server

    Wu, Juhao

    2005-01-01

    In a linear collider, sources of beam jitter due to kicker noise, quadrupole vibration and long-range transverse wakefields will lead to beam offsets and tilts at the Intersection Point (IP). In addition, sources of emittance dilution such as short-range transverse wakefields or dispersive errors will lead to internal beam distortions. When the IP disruption parameter is large, these beam imperfections will be amplified by a single bunch kink instability which will lead to luminosity loss. In this paper, we study the luminosity loss and then the optimization required to cancel the luminosity loss first analytically and then with simulation.

  4. Determination of band offsets at GaN/single-layer MoS{sub 2} heterojunction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tangi, Malleswararao; Mishra, Pawan; Ng, Tien Khee; Janjua, Bilal; Alias, Mohd Sharizal; Ooi, Boon S., E-mail: boon.ooi@kaust.edu.sa [Photonics Laboratory, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900 (Saudi Arabia); Hedhili, Mohamed Nejib; Anjum, Dalaver H. [Adavanced Nanofabrication Imaging and Characterization, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900 (Saudi Arabia); Tseng, Chien-Chih; Shi, Yumeng; Li, Lain-Jong [Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900 (Saudi Arabia); Joyce, Hannah J. [Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB3 0FA (United Kingdom)

    2016-07-18

    We report the band alignment parameters of the GaN/single-layer (SL) MoS{sub 2} heterostructure where the GaN thin layer is grown by molecular beam epitaxy on CVD deposited SL-MoS{sub 2}/c-sapphire. We confirm that the MoS{sub 2} is an SL by measuring the separation and position of room temperature micro-Raman E{sup 1}{sub 2g} and A{sup 1}{sub g} modes, absorbance, and micro-photoluminescence bandgap studies. This is in good agreement with HRTEM cross-sectional analysis. The determination of band offset parameters at the GaN/SL-MoS{sub 2} heterojunction is carried out by high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy accompanying with electronic bandgap values of SL-MoS{sub 2} and GaN. The valence band and conduction band offset values are, respectively, measured to be 1.86 ± 0.08 and 0.56 ± 0.1 eV with type II band alignment. The determination of these unprecedented band offset parameters opens up a way to integrate 3D group III nitride materials with 2D transition metal dichalcogenide layers for designing and modeling of their heterojunction based electronic and photonic devices.

  5. A direct-conversion WLAN transceiver baseband with DC offset compensation and carrier leakage reduction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yuan Fang; Yan Jun; Ma Heping; Shi Yin [Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083 (China); Foster, Dai Fa, E-mail: fyuan@sci-inc.com.c [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849-5201 (United States)

    2010-10-15

    A dual-band direct-conversion WLAN transceiver baseband compliant with the IEEE 802.11a/b/g standards is described. Several critical techniques for receiver DC offset compensation and transmitter carrier leakage rejection calibration are presented that enable the direct-conversion architecture to meet all WLAN specifications. The receiver baseband VGA provides 62 dB gain range with steps of 2 dB and a DC offset cancellation circuit is introduced to remove the offset from layout and self-mixing. The calibration loop achieves constant high-pass pole when gain changes; and a fast response time by programming the pole to 1 MHz during preamble and to 30 kHz during receiving data. The transmitter baseband employs an auto-calibration loop with on-chip AD and DA to suppress the carrier leakage, and AD can be powered down after calibration to save power consumption. The chip consumes 17.52 mA for RX baseband VGA and DCOC, and 8.3 mA for TX carrier leakage calibration (5.88 mA after calibration) from 2.85 V supply. Implemented in a 0.35 {mu}m SiGe technology, they occupy 0.68 mm{sup 2} and 0.18 mm{sup 2} die size respectively. (semiconductor integrated circuits)

  6. The Effects of Background Noise on the Performance of an Automatic Speech Recogniser

    Science.gov (United States)

    Littlefield, Jason; HashemiSakhtsari, Ahmad

    2002-11-01

    Ambient or environmental noise is a major factor that affects the performance of an automatic speech recognizer. Large vocabulary, speaker-dependent, continuous speech recognizers are commercially available. Speech recognizers, perform well in a quiet environment, but poorly in a noisy environment. Speaker-dependent speech recognizers require training prior to them being tested, where the level of background noise in both phases affects the performance of the recognizer. This study aims to determine whether the best performance of a speech recognizer occurs when the levels of background noise during the training and test phases are the same, and how the performance is affected when the levels of background noise during the training and test phases are different. The relationship between the performance of the speech recognizer and upgrading the computer speed and amount of memory as well as software version was also investigated.

  7. Band offsets in HfTiO/InGaZnO{sub 4} heterojunction determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    He, G., E-mail: ganghe01@issp.ac.cn [School of Physics and Materials Science, Radiation Detection Materials & Devices Lab, Anhui University, Hefei 230601 (China); Chen, X.F. [School of Physics and Materials Science, Radiation Detection Materials & Devices Lab, Anhui University, Hefei 230601 (China); Lv, J.G., E-mail: jglv@hftc.edu.cn [School of Electronic and Information Engineering, Hefei Normal University, Hefei 230601 (China); Fang, Z.B., E-mail: csfzb@usx.edu.cn [Department of Physics, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing 312000 (China); Liu, Y.M.; Zhu, K.R.; Sun, Z.Q. [School of Physics and Materials Science, Radiation Detection Materials & Devices Lab, Anhui University, Hefei 230601 (China); Liu, M., E-mail: mliu@issp.ac.cn [Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanostructure, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031 (China)

    2015-09-05

    Highlights: • Band offsets in HfTiO/InGaZnO{sub 4} heterojunction were determined by XPS. • Valence band offset of HfTiO/IGZO heterojunction is determined to be 0.35 eV. • Conduction band offset of 1.61 eV is deduced for HfTiO/IGZO heterojunction. - Abstract: In current report, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy has been pursued to obtain the valence band discontinuity (ΔE{sub v}) of sputter deposited HfTiO/InZnGaO{sub 4} (IGZO) heterostructures. A ΔE{sub v} value of 0.32 ± 0.1 eV was obtained by using the Ga 2p3/2, Zn 2p3/2, and In 3d5/2 energy levels as references. Taking into consideration the experimental band gaps of 5.35 eV and 3.39 eV for HfTiO and IGZO thin films measured by absorption method, respectively, this would result in a conduction band offset of 1.64 eV in this heterostructure.

  8. Improved stove programs need robust methods to estimate carbon offsets

    OpenAIRE

    Johnson, Michael; Edwards, Rufus; Masera, Omar

    2010-01-01

    Current standard methods result in significant discrepancies in carbon offset accounting compared to approaches based on representative community based subsamples, which provide more realistic assessments at reasonable cost. Perhaps more critically, neither of the currently approved methods incorporates uncertainties inherent in estimates of emission factors or non-renewable fuel usage (fNRB). Since emission factors and fNRB contribute 25% and 47%, respectively, to the overall uncertainty in ...

  9. Radon-domain interferometric interpolation for reconstruction of the near-offset gap in marine seismic data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Zhuo; Sopher, Daniel; Juhlin, Christopher; Han, Liguo; Gong, Xiangbo

    2018-04-01

    In towed marine seismic data acquisition, a gap between the source and the nearest recording channel is typical. Therefore, extrapolation of the missing near-offset traces is often required to avoid unwanted effects in subsequent data processing steps. However, most existing interpolation methods perform poorly when extrapolating traces. Interferometric interpolation methods are one particular method that have been developed for filling in trace gaps in shot gathers. Interferometry-type interpolation methods differ from conventional interpolation methods as they utilize information from several adjacent shot records to fill in the missing traces. In this study, we aim to improve upon the results generated by conventional time-space domain interferometric interpolation by performing interferometric interpolation in the Radon domain, in order to overcome the effects of irregular data sampling and limited source-receiver aperture. We apply both time-space and Radon-domain interferometric interpolation methods to the Sigsbee2B synthetic dataset and a real towed marine dataset from the Baltic Sea with the primary aim to improve the image of the seabed through extrapolation into the near-offset gap. Radon-domain interferometric interpolation performs better at interpolating the missing near-offset traces than conventional interferometric interpolation when applied to data with irregular geometry and limited source-receiver aperture. We also compare the interferometric interpolated results with those obtained using solely Radon transform (RT) based interpolation and show that interferometry-type interpolation performs better than solely RT-based interpolation when extrapolating the missing near-offset traces. After data processing, we show that the image of the seabed is improved by performing interferometry-type interpolation, especially when Radon-domain interferometric interpolation is applied.

  10. The absence or temporal offset of visual feedback does not influence adaptation to novel movement dynamics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKenna, Erin; Bray, Laurence C Jayet; Zhou, Weiwei; Joiner, Wilsaan M

    2017-10-01

    Delays in transmitting and processing sensory information require correctly associating delayed feedback to issued motor commands for accurate error compensation. The flexibility of this alignment between motor signals and feedback has been demonstrated for movement recalibration to visual manipulations, but the alignment dependence for adapting movement dynamics is largely unknown. Here we examined the effect of visual feedback manipulations on force-field adaptation. Three subject groups used a manipulandum while experiencing a lag in the corresponding cursor motion (0, 75, or 150 ms). When the offset was applied at the start of the session (continuous condition), adaptation was not significantly different between groups. However, these similarities may be due to acclimation to the offset before motor adaptation. We tested additional subjects who experienced the same delays concurrent with the introduction of the perturbation (abrupt condition). In this case adaptation was statistically indistinguishable from the continuous condition, indicating that acclimation to feedback delay was not a factor. In addition, end-point errors were not significantly different across the delay or onset conditions, but end-point correction (e.g., deceleration duration) was influenced by the temporal offset. As an additional control, we tested a group of subjects who performed without visual feedback and found comparable movement adaptation results. These results suggest that visual feedback manipulation (absence or temporal misalignment) does not affect adaptation to novel dynamics, independent of both acclimation and perceptual awareness. These findings could have implications for modeling how the motor system adjusts to errors despite concurrent delays in sensory feedback information. NEW & NOTEWORTHY A temporal offset between movement and distorted visual feedback (e.g., visuomotor rotation) influences the subsequent motor recalibration, but the effects of this offset for

  11. A multiple-pass ring oscillator based dual-loop phase-locked loop

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Danfeng; Ren Junyan; Deng Jingjing; Li Wei; Li Ning

    2009-01-01

    A dual-loop phase-locked loop (PLL) for wideband operation is proposed. The dual-loop architecture combines a coarse-tuning loop with a fine-tuning one, enabling a wide tuning range and low voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) gain without poisoning phase noise and reference spur suppression performance. An analysis of the phase noise and reference spur of the dual-loop PLL is emphasized. A novel multiple-pass ring VCO is designed for the dual-loop application. It utilizes both voltage-control and current-control simultaneously in the delay cell. The PLL is fabricated in Jazz 0.18-μm RF CMOS technology. The measured tuning range is from 4.2 to 5.9 GHz. It achieves a low phase noise of -99 dBc/Hz - 1 MHz offset from a 5.5 GHz carrier.

  12. A multiple-pass ring oscillator based dual-loop phase-locked loop

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen Danfeng; Ren Junyan; Deng Jingjing; Li Wei; Li Ning, E-mail: dfchen@fudan.edu.c [State Key Laboratory of ASIC and System, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203 (China)

    2009-10-15

    A dual-loop phase-locked loop (PLL) for wideband operation is proposed. The dual-loop architecture combines a coarse-tuning loop with a fine-tuning one, enabling a wide tuning range and low voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) gain without poisoning phase noise and reference spur suppression performance. An analysis of the phase noise and reference spur of the dual-loop PLL is emphasized. A novel multiple-pass ring VCO is designed for the dual-loop application. It utilizes both voltage-control and current-control simultaneously in the delay cell. The PLL is fabricated in Jazz 0.18-{mu}m RF CMOS technology. The measured tuning range is from 4.2 to 5.9 GHz. It achieves a low phase noise of -99 dBc/Hz - 1 MHz offset from a 5.5 GHz carrier.

  13. First Measurements of Beam Backgrounds at SuperKEKB

    CERN Document Server

    Vahsen, S.E.; Jaegle, I.; Nakayama, H.; Aloisio, A.; Ameli, F.; Barrett, M.; Beaulieu, A.; Bosisio, L.; Branchini, P.; Browder, T.E.; Budano, A.; Cautero, G.; Cecchi, C.; Chen, Y.-T.; Chu, K.-N.; Cinabro, D.; Cristaudo, P.; de Jong, S.; de Sangro, R.; Finocchiaro, G.; Flanagan, J.; Funakoshi, Y.; Gabriel, M.; Giordano, R.; Giuressi, D.; Hedges, M. T.; Honkanen, N.; Ikeda, H.; Ishibashi, T.; Kaji, H.; Kanazawa, K.; Kiesling, C.; Koirala, S.; Križan, P.; La Licata, C.; Lanceri, L.; Liau, J.-J.; Lin, F.-H.; Lin, J.-C.; Liptak, Z.; Longo, S.; Manoni, E.; Marinas, C.; Miyabayashi, K.; Mulyani, E.; Morita, A.; Nakao, M.; Nayak, M.; Ohnishi, Y.; Passeri, A.; Poffenberger, P.; Ritzert, M.; Roney, J M.; Rossi, A.; Röder, T.; Seddon, R.M.; Seong, I.S.; Shiu, J.-G.; Simon, F.; Soloviev, Y.; Suetsugu, Y.; Szalay, M.; Terui, S.; Tortone, G.; van der Kolk, N.; Vitale, L.; Wang, M.Z.; Windel, H.; Yokoyama, S.

    2018-01-01

    The high design luminosity of the SuperKEKB electron-positron collider is expected to result in challenging levels of beam-induced backgrounds in the interaction region. Properly simulating and mitigating these backgrounds is critical to the success of the Belle~II experiment. We report on measurements performed with a suite of dedicated beam background detectors, collectively known as BEAST II, during the so-called Phase 1 commissioning run of SuperKEKB in 2016, which involved operation of both the high energy ring (HER) of 7 GeV electrons as well as the low energy ring (LER) of 4 GeV positrons. We describe the BEAST II detector systems, the simulation of beam backgrounds, and the measurements performed. The measurements include standard ones of dose rates versus accelerator conditions, and more novel investigations, such as bunch-by-bunch measurements of injection backgrounds and measurements sensitive to the energy spectrum and angular distribution of fast neutrons. We observe beam-gas, Touschek, beam-dust...

  14. Noise Prediction Module for Offset Stream Nozzles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henderson, Brenda S.

    2011-01-01

    A Modern Design of Experiments (MDOE) analysis of data acquired for an offset stream technology was presented. The data acquisition and concept development were funded under a Supersonics NRA NNX07AC62A awarded to Dimitri Papamoschou at University of California, Irvine. The technology involved the introduction of airfoils in the fan stream of a bypass ratio (BPR) two nozzle system operated at transonic exhaust speeds. The vanes deflected the fan stream relative to the core stream and resulted in reduced sideline noise for polar angles in the peak jet noise direction. Noise prediction models were developed for a range of vane configurations. The models interface with an existing ANOPP module and can be used or future system level studies.

  15. VIIRS day-night band gain and offset determination and performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geis, J.; Florio, C.; Moyer, D.; Rausch, K.; De Luccia, F. J.

    2012-09-01

    On October 28th, 2011, the Visible-Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) was launched on-board the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) spacecraft. The instrument has 22 spectral bands: 14 reflective solar bands (RSB), 7 thermal emissive bands (TEB), and a Day Night Band (DNB). The DNB is a panchromatic, solar reflective band that provides visible through near infrared (IR) imagery of earth scenes with radiances spanning 7 orders of magnitude. In order to function over this large dynamic range, the DNB employs a focal plane array (FPA) consisting of three gain stages: the low gain stage (LGS), the medium gain stage (MGS), and the high gain stage (HGS). The final product generated from a DNB raw data record (RDR) is a radiance sensor data record (SDR). Generation of the SDR requires accurate knowledge of the dark offsets and gain coefficients for each DNB stage. These are measured on-orbit and stored in lookup tables (LUT) that are used during ground processing. This paper will discuss the details of the offset and gain measurement, data analysis methodologies, the operational LUT update process, and results to date including a first look at trending of these parameters over the early life of the instrument.

  16. Hospitalization Cost Offset of a Hostility Intervention for Coronary Heart Disease Patients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davidson, Karina W.; Gidron, Yori; Mostofsky, Elizabeth; Trudeau, Kimberlee J.

    2007-01-01

    The authors evaluated hospitalization cost offset of hostility management group therapy for patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) from a previously published randomized controlled trial (Y. Gidron, K. Davidson, & I. Bata, 1999). Twenty-six male patients with myocardial infarction or unstable angina were randomized to either 2 months of…

  17. How costly are carbon offsets? A meta-analysis of carbon forest sinks

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kooten, van G.C.; Eagle, A.J.; Manley, J.; Smolak, T.

    2004-01-01

    Carbon terrestrial sinks are seen as a low-cost alternative to fuel switching and reduced fossil fuel use for lowering atmospheric CO2. As a result of agreements reached at Bonn and Marrakech, carbon offsets have taken on much greater importance in meeting Kyoto targets for the first commitment

  18. 7 CFR 3.45 - USDA payment authorizing agency offset of pro rata share of payments due entity in which debtor...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... Secretary of Agriculture DEBT MANAGEMENT Administrative Offset § 3.45 USDA payment authorizing agency offset... ownership of, or changed in some other manner the operation of, for the purpose of avoiding payment on the claim or debt, as determined by the creditor agency or the payment authorizing agency. (b) Prior to...

  19. Twice the negativity bias and half the positivity offset: Evaluative responses to emotional information in depression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gollan, Jackie K; Hoxha, Denada; Hunnicutt-Ferguson, Kallio; Norris, Catherine J; Rosebrock, Laina; Sankin, Lindsey; Cacioppo, John

    2016-09-01

    Humans have the dual capacity to assign a slightly pleasant valence to neutral stimuli (the positivity offset) to encourage approach behaviors, as well as to assign a higher negative valence to unpleasant images relative to the positive valence to equally arousing and extreme pleasant images (the negativity bias) to facilitate defensive strategies. We conducted an experimental psychopathology study to examine the extent to which the negativity bias and the positivity offset differ in participants with and without major depression.. Forty-one depressed and thirty-six healthy participants were evaluated using a structured clinical interview for DSM-IV Axis I disorders, questionnaires, and a computerized task designed to measure implicit affective responses to unpleasant, neutral, and pleasant stimuli. The negativity bias was significantly higher and the positivity offset was significantly lower in depressed relative to healthy participants.. Entry criteria enrolling medication-free participants with minimal DSM-IV comorbidity may limit generalizability of the findings. This study advances our understanding of the positive and negative valence systems in depression, highlighting the irregularities in the positive valence system.. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Crowdfunding in Extension: Leveraging Relationships to Offset Declines in Traditional Funding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hill, Paul; Swadley, Emy; Esplin, Kaleb

    2017-01-01

    Crowdfunding is a new tool available for Extension professionals and their clients to use to creatively offset the abatement of traditional funding sources. A fund-raising campaign can be set up in minutes, as demonstrated by the work of the 4-H members profiled in this article. Whether there is a need for new equipment or added help for a special…

  1. Two-step phase retrieval algorithm based on the quotient of inner products of phase-shifting interferograms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niu, Wenhu; Zhong, Liyun; Sun, Peng; Zhang, Wangping; Lu, Xiaoxu

    2015-01-01

    Based on the quotient of inner products, a simple and rapid algorithm is proposed to retrieve the measured phase from two-frame phase-shifting interferograms with unknown phase shifts. Firstly, we filtered the background of interferograms by a Gaussian high-pass filter. Secondly, we calculated the inner products of the background-filtered interferograms. Thirdly, we extracted the phase shifts by the quotient of the inner products then calculated the measured phase by an arctangent function. Finally, we tested the performance of the proposed algorithm by the simulation calculation and the experimental research for a vortex phase plate. Both the simulation calculation and the experimental result showed that the phase shifts and the measured phase with high accuracy can be obtained by the proposed algorithm rapidly and conveniently. (paper)

  2. Macroscopic assessment of cartilage shear: effects of counter-surface roughness, synovial fluid lubricant, and compression offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Quynhhoa T; Wong, Benjamin L; Chun, June; Yoon, Yeoung C; Talke, Frank E; Sah, Robert L

    2010-06-18

    During joint articulation, cartilage is subjected to compression, shear, and sliding, mechanical factors that regulate and affect cartilage metabolism. The objective of this study was to use an in vitro material-on-cartilage shear test to elucidate the effects of counter-surface roughness (Polished, Mildly rough, and Rough), lubricants (phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and bovine synovial fluid (bSF)), and compression offset on the shearing and sliding of normal human talar cartilage under dynamic lateral displacement. Peak shear stress (sigma(xz,m)) and strain (E(xz,m)) increased with increasing platen roughness and compression offset, and were 30% higher with PBS than with bSF. Compared to PBS, bSF was more effective as a lubricant for P than for M and R platens as indicated by the higher reduction in kinetic friction coefficient (-60% vs. -20% and -19%, respectively), sigma(xz,m) (-50% vs. -14% and -17%) and E(xz,m) (-54% vs. -19% and -17%). Cartilage shear and sliding were evident for all counter-surfaces either at low compression offset (10%) or with high lateral displacement (70%), regardless of lubricant. An increase in tissue shear occurred with either increased compression offset or increased surface roughness. This material and biomechanical test system allow control of cartilage sigma(xz,m) and E(xz,m), and hence, sliding magnitude, for an imposed lateral displacement. It therefore can facilitate study of cartilage mechanobiological responses to distinct regimes of cartilage loading and articulation, such as shear with variable amounts of sliding. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Xenon oscillation control in large PWR using a characteristic ellipse trajectory drawn by three axial offsets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoichiro, Shimazu

    2007-01-01

    We have proposed a very simple xenon oscillation control procedure based on a characteristic trajectory. The trajectory is drawn by three offsets of power distributions, namely, AOp, AOi and AOx. They are defined as the offset of axial power distribution, the offset of the power distribution under which the current iodine distribution is obtained as the equilibrium and that for xenon distribution, respectively. When these offsets are plotted on X-Y plane for (AOp-AOx, AOi-AOx) the trajectory shows a quite characteristic ellipse (or an elliptic spiral). It shows characteristics such that the center of the ellipse is at the origin, the gradient of the major axis is constant, direction of the trajectory progress is always anti-clock wise, plot goes around the ellipse during a cycle of the xenon oscillation and so on. This characteristic does not change even if the control rods are moved. When the plot is at the origin of the X-Y plane, no xenon oscillation exists. Using the characteristics of the ellipse the xenon oscillation can be eliminated by guiding the plot to the origin with control rod operation. This concept can be applied not only to the axial xenon oscillation but also to the radial xenon oscillation control. Conventionally, the trajectory is drawn based on the xenon dynamics using reactor parameters such as core averaged macroscopic fission cross section, xenon micro absorption cross section, fission yields of iodine and xenon, and so on together with the neutron flux signals. The accuracy is expected to be better. (authors)

  4. Space and the Third Offset Symposium - Summary Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bahney, B. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

    2017-01-05

    The Third Offset Workshop explored the nature of the challenges and opportunities facing the United States as it is increasingly forced to integrate space into defense strategy as well as deterrence and strategic stability frameworks. Participants broadly agreed that Washington’s deep ties to allies and partners, as well as its history of leveraging an innovative U.S private sector, will be enduring competitive advantages against potential rivals into the foreseeable future. Yet panelists also highlighted key challenges from Russia and China’s rapid integration of space capabilities into conventional and nuclear warfighting, the pronounced growth in Chinese and Russian counterspace capabilities, and tensions in the U.S.-Russia relationship.

  5. Precise Receiver Clock Offset Estimations According to Each Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) Timescales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thongtan, Thayathip; Tirawanichakul, Pawit; Satirapod, Chalermchon

    2017-12-01

    Each GNSS constellation operates its own system times; namely, GPS system time (GPST), GLONASS system time (GLONASST), BeiDou system time (BDT) and Galileo system time (GST). They could be traced back to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) scale and are aligned to GPST. This paper estimates the receiver clock offsets to three timescales: GPST, GLONASST and BDT. The two measurement scenarios use two identical multi-GNSS geodetic receivers connected to the same geodetic antenna through a splitter. One receiver is driven by its internal oscillators and another receiver is connected to the external frequency oscillators, caesium frequency standard, kept as the Thailand standard time scale at the National Institute of Metrology (Thailand) called UTC(NIMT). The three weeks data are observed at 30 seconds sample rate. The receiver clock offsets with respected to the three system time are estimated and analysed through the geodetic technique of static Precise Point Positioning (PPP) using a data processing software developed by Wuhan University - Positioning And Navigation Data Analyst (PANDA) software. The estimated receiver clock offsets are around 32, 33 and 18 nanoseconds from GPST, GLONASST and BDT respectively. This experiment is initially stated that each timescale is inter-operated with GPST and further measurements on receiver internal delay has to be determined for clock comparisons especially the high accuracy clock at timing laboratories.

  6. A CFD study of the flow field and aerodynamic torque on a triple-offset butterfly valve used in nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Qinzhao; Wang Hong

    2011-01-01

    Triple-offset butterfly valve is one advanced kind of butterfly valve. It is potential in nuclear power plants because of its advantages in high temperature and high pressure occasions. There are few papers on performance of triple-offset butterfly valve. This paper is intended to predict the performance of a triple-offset butterfly valve used in a nuclear power plant using computational fluid dynamics. The flow field and aerodynamic torque on the triple-offset butterfly valve were studied at six different disk positions from 90deg to 20deg (where 90deg is in the full open position). The selected six different disk positions indicated a stroke. The flow fields were predicted using the k-epsilon renormalization group theory (RNG) turbulence model. The computational results were obtained using CFX 12. The flow field is illustrated using velocity contours and disk pressure profiles, illustrating the effects of the disk position. Some results of flow field are compared to those of symmetric disk butterfly valve which have been validated by test results. Based on the flow field, valve resistance coefficient and aerodynamic torque coefficient with the disk positions are obtained, providing a better understanding of the performance of the triple-offset butterfly valve throughout a stroke. (author)

  7. Software for Quantitative Estimation of Coefficients of Ink Transfer on the Printed Substrate in Offset Printing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varepo, L. G.; Trapeznikova, O. V.; Panichkin, A. V.; Roev, B. A.; Kulikov, G. B.

    2018-04-01

    In the framework of standardizing the process of offset printing, one of the most important tasks is the correct selection of the printing system components, taking into account the features of their interaction and behavior in the printing process. The program allows to calculate the transfer of ink on the printed material between the contacting cylindrical surfaces of the sheet-fed offset printing apparatus with the boundaries deformation. A distinctive feature of this software product is the modeling of the liquid flow having free boundaries and causing deformation of solid boundaries when flowing between the walls of two cylinders.

  8. Point Climat no. 11 'Japan's Bilateral Offset Crediting Mechanism: A Bilateral Solution to a Global Issue?'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Le, Hanh; Delbosc, Anais

    2012-01-01

    Among the publications of CDC Climat Research, 'Climate Briefs' presents, in a few pages, hot topics in climate change policy. This issue addresses the following points: In order to achieve its long-term emission reduction target following the Fukushima incident, Japan would rely more heavily on international offsetting activities. Concurrent to vigorous proposals to reform the CDM, Japan is also promoting an offset crediting scheme through bilateral agreements with developing countries as a post-2012 market mechanism. Despite potential benefits, issues relating to the accounting rules, environmental integrity and implications to carbon markets warrant further consideration prior to international recognition

  9. Identification of backgrounds in the EDELWEISS-I dark matter search experiment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fiorucci, S. [CEA, Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires de Saclay, DSM/DAPNIA, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France); Benoit, A. [Centre de Recherche sur les Tres Basses Temperatures, SPM-CNRS, BP 166, 38042 Grenoble (France); Berge, L. [Centre de Spectroscopie Nucleaire et de Spectroscopie de Masse, UMR8609 IN2P3-CNRS, Univ. Paris Sud, bat 108, 91405 Orsay Campus (France)] (and others)

    2007-05-15

    This paper presents our interpretation and understanding of the different backgrounds in the EDELWEISS-I data sets. We analyze in detail the several populations observed, which include gammas, alphas, neutrons, thermal sensor events and surface events, and try to combine all data sets to provide a coherent picture of the nature and localization of the background sources. In light of this interpretation, we draw conclusions regarding the background suppression scheme for the EDELWEISS-II phase. (authors)

  10. Identification of backgrounds in the EDELWEISS-I dark matter search experiment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fiorucci, S. [CEA, Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires de Saclay, DSM/DAPNIA, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France); Benoit, A. [Centre de Recherche sur les Tres Basses Temperatures, SPM-CNRS, BP 166, 38042 Grenoble (France); Berge, L. [Centre de Spectroscopie Nucleaire et de Spectroscopie de Masse, UMR 8609 IN2P3-CNRS, Univ. Paris Sud, bat 108, 91405 Orsay Campus (France)] (and others)

    2006-10-15

    This paper presents our interpretation and understanding of the different backgrounds in the EDELWEISS-I data sets. We analyze in detail the several populations observed, which include gammas, alphas, neutrons, thermal sensor events and surface events, and try to combine all data sets to provide a coherent picture of the nature and localisation of the background sources. In light of this interpretation, we draw conclusions regarding the background suppression scheme for the EDELWEISS-II phase. (authors)

  11. Exposure to organic solvents in the offset printing industry in Norway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Svendsen, K; Rognes, K S

    2000-03-01

    The purpose of this study was to document the conditions regarding solvent exposure at offset printing offices in Norway at present and to study the variation of exposure between printing office technologies. Measurements were made at seven offset printing offices. The measurements consisted of five to 10 whole day personal exposure measurements at each office performed over a period of 2 months. Variables that may influence the level of exposure were registered by the occupational hygienist at the end of each measuring day using a check list. The influence of the variables on the "additive factor" was examined by linear regression analysis.The main contributor to the "additive factor" was isopropanol. The exposure to isopropanol sometimes exceeded the Norwegian TLV. The exposure decreased when a separate exhaust ventilation was used. The exposure increased when the machine had automatic cleaning. The variables automatic cleaning and separate exhaust ventilation explained 59% of the variation in the "additive factor". The results of this study indicate that the most important source of solvent exposure in printing offices at present is the moisturizer used in the printing machines. We think it is worth giving attention to this exposure and making efforts to reduce it.

  12. A low background pulsed neutron polyenergetic beam

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adib, M.; Abdelkawy, A.; Habib, N.; abuelela, M.; Wahba, M.; kilany, M.; Kalebebin, S.M.

    1992-01-01

    A low background pulsed neutron polyenergetic thermal beam at ET-R R-1 is produced by a rotor and rotating collimator suspended in magnetic fields. Each of them is mounted on its mobile platform and whose centres are 66 cm apart, rotating synchronously at speeds up to 16000 rpm. It was found that the neutron burst produced by the rotor with almost 100% transmission passes through the collimator, when the rotation phase between them is 28.8 degree Moreover the background level achieved at the detector position is low, constant and free from peaks due to gamma rays and fast neutrons accompanying the reactor thermal beam.3 fig

  13. Investigation on synchronization of the offset printing process for fine patterning and precision overlay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, Dongwoo; Lee, Eonseok; Kim, Hyunchang; Choi, Young-Man; Lee, Seunghyun; Kim, Inyoung; Yoon, Dukkyun; Jo, Jeongdai; Kim, Bongmin; Lee, Taik-Min

    2014-01-01

    Offset printing processes are promising candidates for producing printed electronics due to their capacity for fine patterning and suitability for mass production. To print high-resolution patterns with good overlay using offset printing, the velocities of two contact surfaces, which ink is transferred between, should be synchronized perfectly. However, an exact velocity of the contact surfaces is unknown due to several imperfections, including tolerances, blanket swelling, and velocity ripple, which prevents the system from being operated in the synchronized condition. In this paper, a novel method of measurement based on the sticking model of friction force was proposed to determine the best synchronized condition, i.e., the condition in which the rate of synchronization error is minimized. It was verified by experiment that the friction force can accurately represent the rate of synchronization error. Based on the measurement results of the synchronization error, the allowable margin of synchronization error when printing high-resolution patterns was investigated experimentally using reverse offset printing. There is a region where the patterning performance is unchanged even though the synchronization error is varied, and this may be viewed as indirect evidence that printability performance is secured when there is no slip at the contact interface. To understand what happens at the contact surfaces during ink transfer, the deformation model of the blanket's surface was developed. The model estimates how much deformation on the blanket's surface can be borne by the synchronization error when there is no slip at the contact interface. In addition, the model shows that the synchronization error results in scale variation in the machine direction (MD), which means that the printing registration in the MD can be adjusted actively by controlling the synchronization if there is a sufficient margin of synchronization error to guarantee printability. The effect of

  14. A ton is not always a ton: A road-test of landfill, manure, and afforestation/reforestation offset protocols in the U.S. carbon market

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Carrie M.; Lazarus, Michael; Smith, Gordon R.; Todd, Kimberly; Weitz, Melissa

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • Protocols are the foundation of an offset program. • Using sample projects, we “road test” landfill, manure and afforestation protocols from 5 programs. • For a given project, we find large variation in the volume of offsets generated. • Harmonization of protocols can increase the likelihood that “a ton is a ton”. • Harmonization can enhance prospects for linking emission trading systems. -- Abstract: The outcome of recent international climate negotiations suggests we are headed toward a more fragmented carbon market, with multiple emission trading and offset programs operating in parallel. To effectively harmonize and link across programs, it will be important to ensure that across offset programs and protocols that a “ton is a ton”. In this article, we consider how sample offsets projects in the U.S. carbon market are treated across protocols from five programs: the Clean Development Mechanism, Climate Action Reserve, Chicago Climate Exchange, Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and the U.S. EPA's former program, Climate Leaders. We find that differences among protocols for landfill methane, manure management, and afforestation/reforestation project types in accounting boundary definitions, baseline setting methods, measurement rules, emission factors, and discounts lead to differences in offsets credited that are often significant (e.g. greater than 50%). We suggest opportunities for modification and harmonization of protocols that can improve offset quality and credibility and enhance prospects for future linking of trading units and systems

  15. 31 CFR 285.1 - Collection of past-due support by administrative offset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Collection of past-due support by administrative offset. 285.1 Section 285.1 Money and Finance: Treasury Regulations Relating to Money and Finance... include current basic pay, special pay, incentive pay, retainer pay, overtime, or in the case of an...

  16. Carbon offsets as an economic alternative to large-scale logging: a case study in Guyana

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Osborne, T. [Energy and Resources Group, University of California Berkeley, 310 Barrows Hall, Berkeley CA 94720 (United States); Kiker, C. [Food and Resource Economics Department, University of Florida, PO Box 110240, Gainesville, FL 32611 (United States)

    2005-03-01

    The objective of this study is to analyze the economic viability of carbon-offset projects that avoid logging in Guyana's forests. The results of this case study illustrate the cost effectiveness of alternative land-use options that reduce deforestation and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This analysis demonstrates that using Guyana's rainforests for climate change mitigation can generate equivalent revenue to that of conventional large-scale logging without detrimental environmental impacts. At a 12% discount rate, the break-even price for carbon is estimated to be about US$ 0.20/tC. This estimate falls toward the low range of carbon prices for existing carbon offset projects that avoid deforestation.

  17. Determination of a natural valence-band offset - The case of HgTe and CdTe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shih, C. K.; Spicer, W. E.

    1987-01-01

    A method to determine a natural valence-band offset (NVBO), i.e., the change in the valence-band maximum energy which is intrinsic to the bulk band structures of semiconductors is proposed. The HgTe-CdTe system is used as an example in which it is found that the valence-band maximum of HgTe lies 0.35 + or - 0.06 eV above that of CdTe. The NVBO of 0.35 eV is in good agreement with the X-ray photoemission spectroscopy measurement of the heterojunction offset. The procedure to determine the NVBO between semiconductors, and its implication on the heterojunction band lineup and the electronic structures of semiconductor alloys, are discussed.

  18. Band offsets of n-type electron-selective contacts on cuprous oxide (Cu{sub 2}O) for photovoltaics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brandt, Riley E., E-mail: rbrandt@alum.mit.edu, E-mail: buonassisi@mit.edu; Lee, Yun Seog; Buonassisi, Tonio, E-mail: rbrandt@alum.mit.edu, E-mail: buonassisi@mit.edu [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States); Young, Matthew; Dameron, Arrelaine; Teeter, Glenn [National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401 (United States); Park, Helen Hejin; Chua, Danny; Gordon, Roy G. [Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States)

    2014-12-29

    The development of cuprous oxide (Cu{sub 2}O) photovoltaics (PVs) is limited by low device open-circuit voltages. A strong contributing factor to this underperformance is the conduction-band offset between Cu{sub 2}O and its n-type heterojunction partner or electron-selective contact. In the present work, a broad range of possible n-type materials is surveyed, including ZnO, ZnS, Zn(O,S), (Mg,Zn)O, TiO{sub 2}, CdS, and Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3}. Band offsets are determined through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and optical bandgap measurements. A majority of these materials is identified as having a negative conduction-band offset with respect to Cu{sub 2}O; the detrimental impact of this on open-circuit voltage (V{sub OC}) is evaluated through 1-D device simulation. These results suggest that doping density of the n-type material is important as well, and that a poorly optimized heterojunction can easily mask changes in bulk minority carrier lifetime. Promising heterojunction candidates identified here include Zn(O,S) with [S]/[Zn] ratios >70%, and Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3}, which both demonstrate slightly positive conduction-band offsets and high V{sub OC} potential. This experimental protocol and modeling may be generalized to evaluate the efficiency potential of candidate heterojunction partners for other PV absorbers, and the materials identified herein may be promising for other absorbers with low electron affinities.

  19. Comparison of Greenhouse Gas Offset Quantification Protocols for Nitrogen Management in Dryland Wheat Cropping Systems of the Pacific Northwest

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tabitha T. Brown

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available In the carbon market, greenhouse gas (GHG offset protocols need to ensure that emission reductions are of high quality, quantifiable, and real. Lack of consistency across protocols for quantifying emission reductions compromise the credibility of offsets generated. Thus, protocol quantification methodologies need to be periodically reviewed to ensure emission offsets are credited accurately and updated to support practical climate policy solutions. Current GHG emission offset credits generated by agricultural nitrogen (N management activities are based on reducing the annual N fertilizer application rate for a given crop without reducing yield. We performed a “road test” of agricultural N management protocols to evaluate differences among protocol components and quantify nitrous oxide (N2O emission reductions under sample projects relevant to N management in dryland, wheat-based cropping systems of the inland Pacific Northwest (iPNW. We evaluated five agricultural N management offset protocols applicable to North America: two methodologies of American Carbon Registry (ACR1 and ACR2, Verified Carbon Standard (VCS, Climate Action Reserve (CAR, and Alberta Offset Credit System (Alberta. We found that only two protocols, ACR2 and VCS, were suitable for this study, in which four sample projects were developed representing feasible N fertilizer rate reduction activities. The ACR2 and VCS protocols had identical baseline and project emission quantification methodologies resulting in identical emission reduction values. Reducing N fertilizer application rate by switching to variable rate N (sample projects 1–3 or split N application (sample project 4 management resulted in a N2O emission reduction ranging from 0.07 to 0.16, and 0.26 Mg CO2e ha−1, respectively. Across the range of C prices considered ($5, $10, and $50 per metric ton of CO2 equivalent, we concluded that the N2O emission offset payment alone ($0.35–$13.0 ha−1 was unlikely to

  20. Status of Gerda Phase II

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wagner, Victoria [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Collaboration: GERDA-Collaboration

    2016-07-01

    The GERDA experiment is designed to search for neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay of {sup 76}Ge. In Phase I of the experiment a background index (BI) of 10{sup -2} cts/(keV.kg.yr) was reached. No signal has been found and a lower limit on the half-life of 2.1.10{sup 25} yr (at 90% C.L.) is extracted. The aim of Phase II is to double the Ge mass and further reduce the BI by an order of magnitude to explore half-lives of about 10{sup 26} yr. Thirty new Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) detectors have been produced. These detectors are distinct for their improved energy resolution and enhanced pulse shape discrimination of signal from background events. Further background reduction will be reached by an active veto to read out argon scintillation light. The Phase II commissioning showed that two of the major background components, external γ-rays from {sup 214}Bi and {sup 208}Tl decays, can be suppressed up to two orders of magnitude. This talk presents the current status of the GERDA Phase II upgrade.