WorldWideScience

Sample records for bio-optical profiling floats

  1. Bio-optical profiling floats as new observational tools for biogeochemical and ecosystem studies: Potential synergies with ocean color remote sensing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Claustre, H.; Bishop, J.; Boss, E.; Bernard, S.; Berthon, J.-F.; Coatanoan, C.; Johnson, K.; Lotiker, A.; Ulloa, O.; Perry, M.J.; D' Ortenzio, F.; D' andon, O.H.F.; Uitz, J.

    2009-10-01

    Profiling floats now represent a mature technology. In parallel with their emergence, the field of miniature, low power bio-optical and biogeochemical sensors is rapidly evolving. Over recent years, the bio-geochemical and bio-optical community has begun to benefit from the increase in observational capacities by developing profiling floats that allow the measurement of key biooptical variables and subsequent products of biogeochemical and ecosystem relevance like Chlorophyll a (Chla), optical backscattering or attenuation coefficients which are proxies of Particulate Organic Carbon (POC), Colored Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM). Thanks to recent algorithmic improvements, new bio-optical variables such as backscattering coefficient or absorption by CDOM, at present can also be extracted from space observations of ocean color. In the future, an intensification of in situ measurements by bio-optical profiling floats would permit the elaboration of unique 3D/4D bio-optical climatologies, linking surface (remotely detected) properties to their vertical distribution (measured by autonomous platforms), with which key questions in the role of the ocean in climate could be addressed. In this context, the objective of the IOCCG (International Ocean Color Coordinating Group) BIO-Argo working group is to elaborate recommendations in view of a future use of bio-optical profiling floats as part of a network that would include a global array that could be 'Argo-relevant', and specific arrays that would have more focused objectives or regional targets. The overall network, realizing true multi-scale sustained observations of global marine biogeochemistry and biooptics, should satisfy the requirements for validation of ocean color remote sensing as well as the needs of a wider community investigating the impact of global change on biogeochemical cycles and ecosystems. Regarding the global profiling float array, the recommendation is that Chla as well as POC should be the

  2. Bio-optical profiling floats as new observational tools for biogeochemical and ecosystem studies: Potential synergies with ocean color remote sensing

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Claustre, H

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Color Coordinating Group) BIO-Argo working group is to elaborate recommendations in view of a future use of bio-optical profiling floats as part of a network that would include a global array that could be "Argo-relevant", and specific arrays that would...

  3. Biogeochemical sensor performance in the SOCCOM profiling float array

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Kenneth S.; Plant, Joshua N.; Coletti, Luke J.; Jannasch, Hans W.; Sakamoto, Carole M.; Riser, Stephen C.; Swift, Dana D.; Williams, Nancy L.; Boss, Emmanuel; Haëntjens, Nils; Talley, Lynne D.; Sarmiento, Jorge L.

    2017-08-01

    The Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling (SOCCOM) program has begun deploying a large array of biogeochemical sensors on profiling floats in the Southern Ocean. As of February 2016, 86 floats have been deployed. Here the focus is on 56 floats with quality-controlled and adjusted data that have been in the water at least 6 months. The floats carry oxygen, nitrate, pH, chlorophyll fluorescence, and optical backscatter sensors. The raw data generated by these sensors can suffer from inaccurate initial calibrations and from sensor drift over time. Procedures to correct the data are defined. The initial accuracy of the adjusted concentrations is assessed by comparing the corrected data to laboratory measurements made on samples collected by a hydrographic cast with a rosette sampler at the float deployment station. The long-term accuracy of the corrected data is compared to the GLODAPv2 data set whenever a float made a profile within 20 km of a GLODAPv2 station. Based on these assessments, the fleet average oxygen data are accurate to 1 ± 1%, nitrate to within 0.5 ± 0.5 µmol kg-1, and pH to 0.005 ± 0.007, where the error limit is 1 standard deviation of the fleet data. The bio-optical measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence and optical backscatter are used to estimate chlorophyll a and particulate organic carbon concentration. The particulate organic carbon concentrations inferred from optical backscatter appear accurate to with 35 mg C m-3 or 20%, whichever is larger. Factors affecting the accuracy of the estimated chlorophyll a concentrations are evaluated.Plain Language SummaryThe ocean science community must move toward greater use of autonomous platforms and sensors if we are to extend our knowledge of the effects of climate driven change within the ocean. Essential to this shift in observing strategies is an understanding of the performance that can be obtained from biogeochemical sensors on platforms deployed for years and the

  4. BIO ARGO floats: tools for operational monitoring of the Black Sea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palazov, Atanas; Slabakova, Violeta; Peneva, Elisaveta; Stanev, Emil

    2014-05-01

    The assessment of ecological status in the context of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) requires comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the physical and biogeochemical processes that determine the functioning of marine ecosystems. One of the main challenges however is the need of data with frequency relevant to the spatial and temporal scales of the ecological processes. The majority of in situ observations that are commonly used for ecological monitoring of the Black Sea are generally based on near-shore monitoring programs or irregular oceanographic cruises that provide either non-synoptic, coarse resolution realizations of large scale processes or detailed, but time and site specific snapshots of local features. These gaps can be filled by two independent sources: satellite observation and profiling floats. In fact satellite ocean color sensors allows for determination at synoptic scale of water quality parameters through its absorption properties. However the satellite ocean color methods have a number of limitations such as: measurements can only be made during daylight hours; require cloud-free conditions and are sensitive to atmospheric aerosols; provide information only for the upper layer of the ocean (approximately the depth of 10% incident light); algorithms developed for global applications are a source of large uncertainties in the marginal seas and costal areas. These constrains of the optical remote sensing observations can be avoided by using miniature biogeochemical sensors and autonomous platforms that offer remarkable perspectives for observing the "biological" ocean, notably at critical spatiotemporal scales which have been out of reach until recently (Claustre et al., 2010). In the frame of "E-AIMS: Euro-Argo Improvements for the GMES marine Service" 7 EC FP project two Bio Argo floats were deployed in the Black Sea. Beside the traditionally CTD the floats were equipped with biogeochemical

  5. Temporal variability of chlorophyll distribution in the Gulf of Mexico: bio-optical data from profiling floats

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pasqueron de Fommervault, Orens; Perez-Brunius, Paula; Damien, Pierre; Camacho-Ibar, Victor F.; Sheinbaum, Julio

    2017-12-01

    Chlorophyll concentration is a key oceanic biogeochemical variable. In the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), its distribution, which is mainly obtained from satellite surface observations and scarce in situ experiments, is still poorly understood. In 2011-2012, eight profiling floats equipped with biogeochemical sensors were deployed for the first time in the GOM and generated an unprecedented dataset that significantly increased the number of chlorophyll vertical distribution measurements in the region. The analysis of these data, once calibrated, permits us to reconsider the spatial and temporal variability of the chlorophyll concentration in the water column. At a seasonal scale, results confirm the surface signal seen by satellites, presenting maximum concentrations in winter and low values in summer. It is shown that the deepening of the mixed layer is the primary factor triggering the chlorophyll surface increase in winter. In the GOM, a possible interpretation is that this surface increase corresponds to a biomass increase. However, the present dataset suggests that the basin-scale climatological surface increase in chlorophyll content results from a vertical redistribution of subsurface chlorophyll and/or photoacclimation processes, rather than a net increase of biomass. One plausible explanation for this is the decoupling between the mixed-layer depth and the deep nutrient reservoir since mixed-layer depth only reaches the nitracline in sporadic events in the observations. Float measurements also provide evidence that the depth and the magnitude of the deep chlorophyll maximum is strongly controlled by the mesoscale variability, with higher chlorophyll biomass generally observed in cyclones rather than anticyclones.

  6. Spring Blooms Observed with Biochemical Profiling Floats from a Chemical and Biological Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plant, J. N.; Johnson, K. S.; Sakamoto, C.; Jannasch, H. W.; Coletti, L. J.; Elrod, V.

    2015-12-01

    Recently there has been renewed interest in the mechanisms which control the seasonal increases in plankton biomass (spring blooms). Changes in physical and chemical forcing (light, wind, heat and nutrients) may increase the specific growth rate of phytoplankton. These changes may also shift the predator - prey relationships within the food web structure, which can alter the balance between plankton growth and loss rates. Biogeochemical profiling floats provide a means to observe the seasonal evolution of spring blooms from a physical, chemical and biological perspective in near real time. Floats equipped with optical sensors to measure nitrate, oxygen, chlorophyll fluorescence, and optical backscatter now have a presence in many ocean regions including the North Pacific, Subarctic Pacific, North Atlantic, South Atlantic and the Southern Ocean. Data from these regions are used to compare and contrast the evolution of spring blooms. The evolution of the bloom is examined using both chemical (oxygen, nitrate) and biooptical (phytoplankton from chlorophyll fluorescence and particulate organic carbon from optical backscatter) sensors under vastly different environmental conditions.

  7. Near-diffraction-limited and low-haze electro-optical tunable liquid crystal lens with floating electrodes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Liwei; Bryant, Doug; Van Heugten, Tony; Bos, Philip J

    2013-04-08

    A near-diffraction-limited, low-haze and tunable liquid crystal (LC) lens is presented. Building on an understanding of the key factors that have limited the performance of lenses based on liquid crystals, we show a simple design whose optical quality is similar to a high quality glass lens. It uses 'floating' electrodes to provide a smooth, controllable applied potential profile across the aperture to manage the phase profile.

  8. Photobiology of Symbiodinium revisited: bio-physical and bio-optical signatures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hennige, S. J.; Suggett, D. J.; Warner, M. E.; McDougall, K. E.; Smith, D. J.

    2009-03-01

    Light is often the most abundant resource within the nutrient-poor waters surrounding coral reefs. Consequently, zooxanthellae ( Symbiodinium spp.) must continually photoacclimate to optimise productivity and ensure coral success. In situ coral photobiology is becoming dominated by routine assessments using state-of-the-art non-invasive bio-optical or chlorophyll a fluorescence (bio-physical) techniques. Multiple genetic types of Symbiodinium are now known to exist; however, little focus has been given as to how these types differ in terms of characteristics that are observable using these techniques. Therefore, this investigation aimed to revisit and expand upon a pivotal study by Iglesias-Prieto and Trench (1994) by comparing the photoacclimation characteristics of different Symbiodinium types based on their bio-physical (chlorophyll a fluorescence, reaction centre counts) and bio-optical (optical absorption, pigment concentrations) ‘signatures’. Signatures described here are unique to Symbiodinium type and describe phenotypic responses to set conditions, and hence are not suitable to describe taxonomic structure of in hospite Symbiodinium communities. In this study, eight Symbiodinium types from clades and sub-clades (A-B, F) were grown under two PFDs (Photon Flux Density) and examined. The photoacclimation response by Symbiodinium was highly variable between algal types for all bio-physical and for many bio-optical measurements; however, a general preference to modifying reaction centre content over effective antennae-absorption was observed. Certain bio-optically derived patterns, such as light absorption, were independent of algal type and, when considered per photosystem, were matched by reaction centre stoichiometry. Only by better understanding genotypic and phenotypic variability between Symbiodinium types can future studies account for the relative taxonomic and physiological contribution by Symbiodinium to coral acclimation.

  9. Development of a multi-data assimilation scheme to integrate Bio-Argo floats data with ocean colour satellite data into the CMEMS MFC-Biogeochemistry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cossarini, Gianpiero; D'Ortenzio, Fabrizio; Mariotti, Laura; Mignot, Alexandre; Salon, Stefano

    2017-04-01

    The Mediterranean Sea is a very promising site to develop and test the assimilation of Bio-Argo data since 1) the Bio-Argo network is one of the densest of the global ocean, and 2) a consolidate data assimilation framework of biogeochemical variables (3DVAR-BIO, presently based on assimilation of satellite-estimated surface chlorophyll data) already exists within the CMEMS biogeochemical model system for Mediterranean Sea. The MASSIMILI project, granted by the CMEMS Service Evolution initiative, is aimed to develop the assimilation of Bio-Argo Floats data into the CMEMS biogeochemical model system of the Mediterranean Sea, by means of an upgrade of the 3DVAR-BIO scheme. Specific developments of the 3DVAR-BIO scheme focus on the estimate of new operators of the variational decomposition of the background error covariance matrix and on the implementation of the new observation operator specifically for the Bio-Argo float vertical profile data. In particular, a new horizontal covariance operator for chlorophyll, nitrate and oxygen is based on 3D fields of horizontal correlation radius calculated from a long-term reanalysis simulation. A new vertical covariance operator is built on monthly and spatial varying EOF decomposition to account for the spatiotemporal variability of vertical structure of the three variables error covariance. Further, the observation error covariance is a key factor for an effective assimilation of the Bio-Argo data into the model dynamics. The sensitivities of assimilation to the different factors are estimated. First results of the implementation of the new 3DVAR-BIO scheme show the impact of Bio-Argo data on the 3D fields of chlorophyll, nitrate and oxygen. Tuning the length scale factors of horizontal covariance, analysing the sensitivity of the observation error covariance, introducing non-diagonal biogeochemical covariance operator and non-diagonal multi-platform operator (i.e. Bio-Argo and satellite) are crucial future steps for the

  10. Annual nitrate drawdown observed by SOCCOM profiling floats and the relationship to annual net community production

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Kenneth S.; Plant, Joshua N.; Dunne, John P.; Talley, Lynne D.; Sarmiento, Jorge L.

    2017-08-01

    Annual nitrate cycles have been measured throughout the pelagic waters of the Southern Ocean, including regions with seasonal ice cover and southern hemisphere subtropical zones. Vertically resolved nitrate measurements were made using in situ ultraviolet spectrophotometer (ISUS) and submersible ultraviolet nitrate analyzer (SUNA) optical nitrate sensors deployed on profiling floats. Thirty-one floats returned 40 complete annual cycles. The mean nitrate profile from the month with the highest winter nitrate minus the mean profile from the month with the lowest nitrate yields the annual nitrate drawdown. This quantity was integrated to 200 m depth and converted to carbon using the Redfield ratio to estimate annual net community production (ANCP) throughout the Southern Ocean south of 30°S. A well-defined, zonal mean distribution is found with highest values (3-4 mol C m-2 yr-1) from 40 to 50°S. Lowest values are found in the subtropics and in the seasonal ice zone. The area weighted mean was 2.9 mol C m-2 yr-1 for all regions south of 40°S. Cumulative ANCP south of 50°S is 1.3 Pg C yr-1. This represents about 13% of global ANCP in about 14% of the global ocean area.Plain Language SummaryThis manuscript reports on 40 annual cycles of nitrate observed by chemical sensors on SOCCOM profiling floats. The annual drawdown in nitrate concentration by phytoplankton is used to assess the spatial variability of annual net community production in the Southern Ocean. This ANCP is a key component of the global carbon cycle and it exerts an important control on atmospheric carbon dioxide. We show that the results are consistent with our prior understanding of Southern Ocean ANCP, which has required decades of observations to accumulate. The profiling floats now enable annual resolution of this key process. The results also highlight spatial variability in ANCP in the Southern Ocean.

  11. Phase shifting white light interferometry using colour CCD for optical metrology and bio-imaging applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Upputuri, Paul Kumar; Pramanik, Manojit

    2018-02-01

    Phase shifting white light interferometry (PSWLI) has been widely used for optical metrology applications because of their precision, reliability, and versatility. White light interferometry using monochrome CCD makes the measurement process slow for metrology applications. WLI integrated with Red-Green-Blue (RGB) CCD camera is finding imaging applications in the fields optical metrology and bio-imaging. Wavelength dependent refractive index profiles of biological samples were computed from colour white light interferograms. In recent years, whole-filed refractive index profiles of red blood cells (RBCs), onion skin, fish cornea, etc. were measured from RGB interferograms. In this paper, we discuss the bio-imaging applications of colour CCD based white light interferometry. The approach makes the measurement faster, easier, cost-effective, and even dynamic by using single fringe analysis methods, for industrial applications.

  12. Bio-optofluidics and Bio-photonics: Programmable Phase Optics activities at DTU Fotonik

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bañas, Andrew Rafael; Palima, Darwin; Pedersen, Finn

    We present ongoing research and development activities for constructing a compact next generation BioPhotonics Workstation and a Bio-optofluidic Cell Sorter (cell-BOCS) for all-optical micromanipulation platforms utilizing low numerical aperture beam geometries. Unlike conventional high NA optical...... tweezers, the BioPhotonics workstation is e.g. capable of long range 3D manipulation. This enables a variety of biological studies such as manipulation of intricate microfabricated assemblies or for automated and parallel optofluidic cell sorting. To further reduce its overhead, we propose ways of making...... the BioPhotonics Workstation platform more photon efficient by studying the 3D distribution of the counter propagating beams and utilizing the Generalized Phase Contrast (GPC) method for illuminating the applied spatial light modulators....

  13. Optical bio-sniffer for methyl mercaptan in halitosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitsubayashi, Kohji; Minamide, Takeshi; Otsuka, Kimio; Kudo, Hiroyuki; Saito, Hirokazu

    2006-07-28

    An optical bio-sniffer for methyl mercaptan (MM) one of major odorous chemicals in halitosis (bad breath) was constructed by immobilizing monoamine oxidase type A (MAO-A) onto a tip of a fiber optic oxygen sensor (od: 1.59 mm) with an oxygen sensitive ruthenium organic complex (excitation: 470 nm, fluorescent: 600 nm). A flow cell for circulating buffer solution was applied to rinse and clean the tip of the device like nasal mucosa. In order to amplify the bio-sniffer output, a substrate regeneration cycle caused by coupling MAO-A with l-ascorbic acid (AsA) as reducing reaction with reagent system was applied to the sensor system. After evaluating the sensor characteristics using a gas flow measurement system with a gas generator, the optical bio-sniffer was applied to expired gases from healthy male volunteers for halitosis analysis as a physiological application. The optical bio-sniffer was applied to detect the oxygen consumption induced by MAO-A enzymatic reaction (and AsA chemical reduction) with gaseous MM application. The bio-sniffer was calibrated against MM vapor from 8.7 to 11500 ppb with correlation coefficient of 0.977, including a MM threshold (200 ppb) of pathologic halitosis and the human sense of smell level 3.5 (10.0 ppb), with good gas-selectivity based on the MAO-A substrate specificity. As the result of the physiological application, the optical bio-sniffer could successfully monitor the MM level change in breath samples during daytime, which is consistent with the previously reported results.

  14. New techniques for optical absorption measurement of implanted nanoparticles in float glass

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okur, I.; Townsend, P.D.; Chandler, P.J.

    1999-01-01

    New techniques are reported for optical absorption and waveguide loss measurement of copper, gold and silver implanted float glass. Implantations were carried out on the tin face of the float glass since this face is an optical waveguide. Specially made triangle shape masks were used during implantation to study the optical loss-implant length relation. Absorption coefficients were extracted as 2.4 and 1 cm -1 for the gold and silver implants at 633 nm, respectively. These values were found to be implant condition dependent. To analyse the shape of nanoparticles a sandwiched structure was used in an optical absorption measurement set-up in which two guiding faces were put in contact. The sandwiched structure places the colloids at the centre of the optical field distribution rather than on the boundary zone. These experiments have revealed that the copper and the gold particles may have non-spherical shapes, whereas for silver, the formation of spherical nanoparticles is more likely

  15. Maiden Voyage of the Under-Ice Float

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shcherbina, A.; D'Asaro, E. A.; Light, B.; Deming, J. W.; Rehm, E.

    2016-02-01

    The Under-Ice Float (UIF) is a new autonomous platform for sea ice and upper ocean observations in the marginal ice zone (MIZ). UIF is based on the Mixed Layer Lagrangian Float design, inheriting its accurate buoyancy control and relatively heavy payload capability. A major challenge for sustained autonomous observations in the MIZ is detection of open water for navigation and telemetry surfacings. UIF employs the new surface classification algorithm based on the spectral analysis of surface roughness sensed by an upward-looking sonar. A prototype UIF was deployed in the MIZ of the central Arctic Ocean in late August 2015. The main payload of the first UIF was a bio-optical suit consisting of upward- and downward hyperspectral radiometers; temperature, salinity, chlorophyll, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen sensors, and a high-definition photo camera. In the early stages of its mission, the float successfully avoided ice, detected leads, surfaced in open water, and transmitted data and photographs. We will present the analysis of these observations from the full UIF mission extending into the freeze-up season.

  16. Optical properties of marine waters and the development of bio-optical algorithms

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Desa, E.

    This paper presents the primary optical variables used in the measurement of the optical properties of marine waters. How can in-situ measurements be used in the optical recognition of coastal and open ocean waters. We then look at bio...

  17. Optical bio-sniffer for ethanol vapor using an oxygen-sensitive optical fiber.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitsubayashi, Kohji; Kon, Takuo; Hashimoto, Yuki

    2003-11-30

    An optical bio-sniffer for ethanol was constructed by immobilizing alcohol oxidase (AOD) onto a tip of a fiber optic oxygen sensor with a tube-ring, using an oxygen sensitive ruthenium organic complex (excitation, 470 nm; fluorescent, 600 nm). A reaction unit for circulating buffer solution was applied to the tip of the device. After the experiment in the liquid phase, the sniffer-device was applied for gas analysis using a gas flow measurement system with a gas generator. The optical device was applied to detect the oxygen consumption induced by AOD enzymatic reaction with alcohol application. The sensor in the liquid phase was used to measure ethanol solution from 0.50 to 9.09 mmol/l. Then, the bio-sniffer was calibrated against ethanol vapor from 0.71 to 51.49 ppm with good gas-selectivity based on the AOD substrate specificity. The bio-sniffer with the reaction unit was also used to monitor the concentration change of gaseous ethanol by rinsing and cleaning the fiber tip and the enzyme membrane with buffer solution.

  18. Plankton Assemblage Estimated with BGC-Argo Floats in the Southern Ocean: Implications for Seasonal Successions and Particle Export

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rembauville, Mathieu; Briggs, Nathan; Ardyna, Mathieu; Uitz, Julia; Catala, Philippe; Penkerc'h, Cristophe; Poteau, Antoine; Claustre, Hervé; Blain, Stéphane

    2017-10-01

    The Southern Ocean (SO) hosts plankton communities that impact the biogeochemical cycles of the global ocean. However, weather conditions in the SO restrict mainly in situ observations of plankton communities to spring and summer, preventing the description of biological successions at an annual scale. Here, we use shipboard observations collected in the Indian sector of the SO to develop a multivariate relationship between physical and bio-optical data, and, the composition and carbon content of the plankton community. Then we apply this multivariate relationship to five biogeochemical Argo (BGC-Argo) floats deployed within the same bio-geographical zone as the ship-board observations to describe spatial and seasonal changes in plankton assemblage. The floats reveal a high contribution of bacteria below the mixed layer, an overall low abundance of picoplankton and a seasonal succession from nano- to microplankton during the spring bloom. Both naturally iron-fertilized waters downstream of the Crozet and Kerguelen Plateaus show elevated phytoplankton biomass in spring and summer but they differ by a nano- or microplankton dominance at Crozet and Kerguelen, respectively. The estimated plankton group successions appear consistent with independent estimations of particle diameter based on the optical signals. Furthermore, the comparison of the plankton community composition in the surface layer with the presence of large mesopelagic particles diagnosed by spikes of optical signals provides insight into the nature and temporal changes of ecological vectors that drive particle export. This study emphasizes the power of BGC-Argo floats for investigating important biogeochemical processes at high temporal and spatial resolution.

  19. Detailed profiling of CNTs arrays along the growth window in a floating catalyst reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maghrebi, Morteza; Khodadadi, Abbas Ali; Mortazavi, Yadollah; Mhaisalkar, Subodh

    2009-01-01

    We report a detailed longitudinal and depth profiles of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) arrays synthesized using xylene and ferrocene in a floating catalyst reactor. Point to point analyses of the CNTs grown in a 'growth window' with CNTs arrays longer than 0.5 mm were performed using optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, FESEM, high-resolution TGA/DTA, and TEM techniques. The heights of the CNTs arrays show a maximum at a mid point of the growth window, while a reverse trend of minimum is observed for iron-to-CNTs atomic ratios. The ratio of amorphous carbon to CNTs sharply increases along the growth window and from the bottom to top of CNTs arrays. The CNTs diameter also increases along the growth window, due to deposition of the amorphous carbon, which can be almost removed by temperature programmed oxidation up to around 500 deg. C. A base growth mechanism, the variations of catalyst content, residence time and temperature profile along the growth window, the adsorption and decomposition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to amorphous carbon, and a limited diffusion of hydrocarbon species through the arrays covered by excessive amorphous carbon may explain the results.

  20. Bio-optical properties of coastal waters in the Eastern English Channel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vantrepotte, Vincent; Brunet, Christophe; Mériaux, Xavier; Lécuyer, Eric; Vellucci, Vincenzo; Santer, Richard

    2007-03-01

    Strong tidal currents, shallow water and numerous freshwater inputs characterize the coastal waters of the eastern English Channel. These case 2 waters were investigated through an intensive sampling effort in 2000 aiming to study the distribution and variability of the Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM), Non-Algal Particles (NAP) and phytoplankton absorption at the mesoscale. Four cruises were carried out in February, March, May and July and more than 80 stations each cruise were sampled for hydrographical, chemical and bio-optical analyses. Results showed two distinct situations, the winter period characterized by the strong dominance of CDOM absorption over the particulate matter, and the spring-summer period when phytoplankton and CDOM represented the same contribution. Meteorology was the main factor driving the bio-optical properties of the water column in winter whereas in spring-summer the biological activity seemed to be the more active driving force. The algal community composition in term of dominant cell size and, therefore pigment packaging, is the main factor driving the phytoplankton specific absorption in the water column. Photoprotective pigments did not significantly influence algal absorption, due to turbid and highly mixed water masses. This feature also explained the bio-optical homogeneity found along the water column. On the mesoscale, distinct bio-optical provinces were defined in relation with the observed bio-hydrographical variability.

  1. Observing the seasonal cycle of the upper ocean in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, with autonomous profiling floats

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porter, D. F.; Springer, S. R.; Padman, L.; Fricker, H. A.; Bell, R. E.

    2017-12-01

    The upper layers of the Southern Ocean where it meets the Antarctic ice sheet undergoes a large seasonal cycle controlled by surface radiation and by freshwater fluxes, both of which are strongly influenced by sea ice. In regions where seasonal sea ice and icebergs limit use of ice-tethered profilers and conventional moorings, autonomous profiling floats can sample the upper ocean. The deployment of seven Apex floats (by sea) and six ALAMO floats (by air) provides unique upper ocean hydrographic data in the Ross Sea close to the Ross Ice Shelf front. A novel choice of mission parameters - setting parking depth deeper than the seabed - limits their drift, allowing us to deploy the floats close to the ice shelf front, while sea ice avoidance algorithms allow the floats to to sample through winter under sea ice. Hydrographic profiles show the detailed development of the seasonal mixed layer close to the Ross front, and interannual variability of the seasonal mixed layer and deeper water masses on the central Ross Sea continental shelf. After the sea ice breakup in spring, a warm and fresh surface mixed layer develops, further warming and deepening throughout the summer. The mixed layer deepens, with maximum temperatures exceeding 0ºC in mid-February. By March, the surface energy budget becomes negative and sea ice begins to form, creating a cold, saline and dense surface layer. Once these processes overcome the stable summer stratification, convection erodes the surface mixed layer, mixing some heat downwards to deeper layers. There is considerable interannual variability in the evolution and strength of the surface mixed layer: summers with shorter ice-free periods result in a cooler and shallower surface mixed layer, which accumulates less heat than the summers with longer ice-free periods. Early ice breakup occurred in all floats in 2016/17 summer, enhancing the absorbed solar flux leading to a warmer surface mixed layer. Together, these unique measurements from

  2. The bio-optical properties of CDOM as descriptor of lake stratification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bracchini, Luca; Dattilo, Arduino Massimo; Hull, Vincent; Loiselle, Steven Arthur; Martini, Silvia; Rossi, Claudio; Santinelli, Chiara; Seritti, Alfredo

    2006-11-01

    Multivariate statistical techniques are used to demonstrate the fundamental role of CDOM optical properties in the description of water masses during the summer stratification of a deep lake. PC1 was linked with dissolved species and PC2 with suspended particles. In the first principal component that the role of CDOM bio-optical properties give a better description of the stratification of the Salto Lake with respect to temperature. The proposed multivariate approach can be used for the analysis of different stratified aquatic ecosystems in relation to interaction between bio-optical properties and stratification of the water body.

  3. Biological floating bed and bio-contact oxidation processes for landscape water treatment: simultaneous removal of Microcystis aeruginosa, TOC, nitrogen and phosphorus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Jun Feng; Liang, Dong Hui; Fu, Le; Wei, Li; Ma, Min

    2018-06-13

    The aim of this study was to identify algicidal bacteria J25 against the Microcystis aeruginosa (90.14%), Chlorella (78.75%), Scenedesmus (not inhibited), and Oscillatoria (90.12%). Meanwhile, we evaluate the SOD activity and efficiency of denitrification characteristics with Acinetobacter sp. J25. A novel hybrid bioreactor combined biological floating bed with bio-contact oxidation (BFBO) was designed for treating the landscape water, and the average removal efficiencies of nitrate-N, ammonia-N, nitrite-N, TN, TP, TOC, and algal cells were 91.14, 50, 87.86, 88.83, 33.07, 53.95, and 53.43%, respectively. A 454-pyrosequencing technology was employed to investigate the microbial communities of the BFBO reactor samples. The results showed that Acinetobacter sp. J25 was the dominant contributor for effective removal of N, algal cells, and TOC in the BFBO reactor. And the relative abundance of Acinetobacter showed increase trend with the delay of reaction time. Graphical abstract Biological floating bed and bio-contact oxidation (BFBO) as a novel hybrid bioreactor designed for simultaneous removal Microcystis aeruginosa, TOC, nitrogen, and phosphorus. And high-throughput sequencing data demonstrated that Acinetobacter sp. J25 was the dominate species in the reactor and played key roles in the removal of N, TOC, and M. aeruginosa. Proposed reaction mechanism of the BFBO.

  4. Optic flow estimation on trajectories generated by bio-inspired closed-loop flight.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shoemaker, Patrick A; Hyslop, Andrew M; Humbert, J Sean

    2011-05-01

    We generated panoramic imagery by simulating a fly-like robot carrying an imaging sensor, moving in free flight through a virtual arena bounded by walls, and containing obstructions. Flight was conducted under closed-loop control by a bio-inspired algorithm for visual guidance with feedback signals corresponding to the true optic flow that would be induced on an imager (computed by known kinematics and position of the robot relative to the environment). The robot had dynamics representative of a housefly-sized organism, although simplified to two-degree-of-freedom flight to generate uniaxial (azimuthal) optic flow on the retina in the plane of travel. Surfaces in the environment contained images of natural and man-made scenes that were captured by the moving sensor. Two bio-inspired motion detection algorithms and two computational optic flow estimation algorithms were applied to sequences of image data, and their performance as optic flow estimators was evaluated by estimating the mutual information between outputs and true optic flow in an equatorial section of the visual field. Mutual information for individual estimators at particular locations within the visual field was surprisingly low (less than 1 bit in all cases) and considerably poorer for the bio-inspired algorithms that the man-made computational algorithms. However, mutual information between weighted sums of these signals and comparable sums of the true optic flow showed significant increases for the bio-inspired algorithms, whereas such improvement did not occur for the computational algorithms. Such summation is representative of the spatial integration performed by wide-field motion-sensitive neurons in the third optic ganglia of flies.

  5. Feature Issue Introduction: Bio-Optics in Clinical Applications, Nanotechnology, and Drug Discovery

    OpenAIRE

    Nordstrom, Robert J.; Almutairi, Adah; Hillman, Elizabeth M.C.

    2010-01-01

    The editors introduce the Biomedical Optics Express feature issue, “Bio-Optics in Clinical Applications, Nanotechnology, and Drug Discovery,” which combines three technical areas from the 2010 Optical Society of America (OSA), Biomedical Optics (BIOMED) Topical Meeting held on 11–14 April in Miami, FL and includes contributions from conference attendees.

  6. BIO-OPTICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE DINOFLAGELLATE GYMNODINIUM BREVE AND THE DIATOM THALASSIOSIRA WEISSFLOGII IN OUTDOOR TANKS

    Science.gov (United States)

    The bio-optical signatures of harmful algal blooms can be used to define ocean color satellite algorithms. We characterized the bio-optical properties of nutrient-replete cultures of the red tide dinoflagellate Gymnodinium breve and the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii. We cultur...

  7. Small-Scale Bio-Optical Distributions in the Upper Ocean (AASERT)

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Cowles, Timothy

    2000-01-01

    This ASSERT project supported a graduate student, Ms. Lisa Eisner, to apply newly-developed, state-of-the-art bio-optical instrumentation to the analysis of phytoplankton processes in biological oceanography. Ms...

  8. Visualizing molecular profiles of glioblastoma with GBM-BioDP.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Orieta Celiku

    Full Text Available Validation of clinical biomarkers and response to therapy is a challenging topic in cancer research. An important source of information for virtual validation is the datasets generated from multi-center cancer research projects such as The Cancer Genome Atlas project (TCGA. These data enable investigation of genetic and epigenetic changes responsible for cancer onset and progression, response to cancer therapies, and discovery of the molecular profiles of various cancers. However, these analyses often require bulk download of data and substantial bioinformatics expertise, which can be intimidating for investigators. Here, we report on the development of a new resource available to scientists: a data base called Glioblastoma Bio Discovery Portal (GBM-BioDP. GBM-BioDP is a free web-accessible resource that hosts a subset of the glioblastoma TCGA data and enables an intuitive query and interactive display of the resultant data. This resource provides visualization tools for the exploration of gene, miRNA, and protein expression, differential expression within the subtypes of GBM, and potential associations with clinical outcome, which are useful for virtual biological validation. The tool may also enable generation of hypotheses on how therapies impact GBM molecular profiles, which can help in personalization of treatment for optimal outcome. The resource can be accessed freely at http://gbm-biodp.nci.nih.gov (a tutorial is included.

  9. Transforming Ocean Observations of the Carbon Budget, Acidification, Hypoxia, Nutrients, and Biological Productivity: a Global Array of Biogeochemical Argo Floats

    Science.gov (United States)

    Talley, L. D.; Johnson, K. S.; Claustre, H.; Boss, E.; Emerson, S. R.; Westberry, T. K.; Sarmiento, J. L.; Mazloff, M. R.; Riser, S.; Russell, J. L.

    2017-12-01

    ), and Indian Ocean (IOBioArgo). As examples, bio-optical sensors are identifying regional anomalies in light attenuation/scattering, with implications for ocean productivity and carbon export; SOCCOM floats show high CO2 outgassing in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, due to previously unmeasured winter fluxes.

  10. Global distribution of temperature and salinity profiles from profiling floats as part of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) project, from 1994-11-07 to 2002-01-19 (NCEI Accession 0000936)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Temperature-Salinity profile and pressure data were collected by using profiling floats in a world-wide distribution from 07 November 1994 to 19 January 2002. Data...

  11. Determination of optical properties of tissue and other bio-materials

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Singh, A

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available appears less diffusively scattered. Determination of optical properties of tissue and other bio-materials A SINGH, AE KARSTEN, JS DAM CSIR National Laser Centre, Biophotonics Group PO Box 395, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa Email: ASingh1@csir.co.za K...

  12. Seven hundred years of peat formation recorded throughout a deep floating mire profile from Central Italy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lobianco, Daniela; D'Orazio, Valeria; Miano, Teodoro; Zaccone, Claudio

    2016-04-01

    ), an ash content ranging from 0.8 and 7.4%, an average gravimetric water content of 26.6±7.7 gwater gdrypeat-1, and a pH generally increasing with depth (from 4.1 to 7.2). The C content along the profile ranged between 35 and 47% (avg., 41±4%), whereas the N between 0.3 and 1.1% (avg., 0.5±0.1%). Main atomic ratios (C/N, H/C and O/C) and FT-IR spectra seem to confirm what found during the visual inspection of the core, i.e., Sphagnum material so well preserved that it is hard to classify it as "peat". In fact, the 14C age dating suggests that the first 110 cm of Sphagnum material accumulated in ca. 55 yrs, thus resulting in an average growing rate of 2 cm yr-1. The remaining 300 cm (from 100 to 400 cm of depth), i.e., the submerged part of the island, consist of peat showing completely different botanical composition (reed-fen peat and silty peat rich in reeds) and physical and chemical properties. In particular, both bulk density (avg., 0.09±0.05 g cm-3) and ash content increase, reaching their maximum at 300-325 cm of depth (0.27 g cm-3 and 17%, respectively), whereas the average gravimetric water content significantly decreases (17.4±9.0 gwater gdrypeat-1). The pH ranges from 6.6 and 7.4. Both C and N along this section of the profile show higher average contents (44±3 and 1.3±0.6%, respectively) compared to those recorded in the upper 100 cm layer; furthermore, the decrease with depth of C/N, H/C and O/C atomic ratios, as well as main absorption bands of FT-IR spectra, clearly indicate the occurrence of an organic matter highly humified. The estimated accumulation rate for the bottom 300 cm of the island is 0.5 cm yr-1. At the best of our knowledge, this work represents the first characterization of a (4 m) deep floating mire profile. At Posta Fibreno, the deep water layer below the base of the island (7 m) and the movement on the water surface probably avoided the transition from floating island to firm land, thus allowing this island to float during the

  13. SeaBASS Bio-optical and pigment data collected from 1979-08-22 to 2011-12-14 (NCEI Accession 0086308)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This accession contains SeaWiFS Bio-optical Archive and Storage System (SeaBASS) bio-optical, pigment, and other data collected from 1979-08-22 to 2011-12-14....

  14. Profil Kinetik dan Efektivitas Enrofloksasin yang Dikombinasikan dengan BioATP dalam Mengatasi Coxiella burnetii (KINETIC PROFILE AND EFFECTIVITY OF ENROFLOXACINE WITH BIO ADENOSIN TRIPHOSPHATE SUPPLEMENTATION AGAINST COXIELLA BURNETII

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andriyanto .

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Coxiella burnetii belongs to rikettsia group living obligate intracellularly and as the agent of zoonosisQ fever. Enrofloxacine is an antibiotic in quinolon group used to treat infection of C. burnetii in chicken,goat, calve, pig, dog, cat,  and horse. From ruminant practical experience, enrofloxacine if combined withBioATP  can enhance the enrofloxacine activity. Research for the effecivity of enrofloxacine and BioATP totreat C. burnetii has never been carried out. The research was conducted to explore effect of enrofloxacinewith supplementation BioATP against C. burnetii. Enrofloxacine pharmacokinetic study was carried outby using simental beef as an experimental animals. The effectivity of BioATP supplementation onenrofloxacine activity to treat C. burnetii was tested by using Vero cell tissue culture. The results showedthat combination of enrofloxacine and BioATP increased kinetic profile of enrofloxacine in term of onset,duration, pharmacology intensity, and bioavailaibility. Enrofloxacine had activity to treat C. burnetii withvalue of minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC at 1-2 ppm and value of minimal bactericidal concentrationat 4 ppm. Supplementation of BioATP improved the effectivity of enrofloxacine in treating C. burnetii.

  15. About microlensing optical depth and rates for free-floating planets towards the Kepler's field of view

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hafizi, M; Hamolli, L

    2012-01-01

    In this work we examine the possibility of observing microlensing events in the Kepler space observatory field of view, caused by brown dwarfs or free-floating planets. We calculate the optical depth towards the field of view of the Kepler satellite and the rate of these events based on latest results about mass distribution of astrophysical objects from brown dwarf down to Earth mass order. With the current data, the probability of such events is insignificant, due to the small number of stars observed by this instrument compared to other experiments devoted to the microlensing method. Nevertheless, this probability may increase significantly in the case of a higher presence of free-floating planets, whose number is poorly defined so far.

  16. The Seasonal Cycle of Carbon in the Southern Pacific Ocean Observed from Biogeochemical Profiling Floats

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarmiento, J. L.; Gray, A. R.; Johnson, K. S.; Carter, B.; Riser, S.; Talley, L. D.; Williams, N. L.

    2016-02-01

    The Southern Ocean is thought to play an important role in the ocean-atmosphere exchange of carbon dioxide and the uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide. However, the total number of observations of the carbonate system in this region is small and heavily biased towards the summer. Here we present 1.5 years of biogeochemical measurements, including pH, oxygen, and nitrate, collected by 11 autonomous profiling floats deployed in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean in April 2014. These floats sampled a variety of oceanographic regimes ranging from the seasonally ice-covered zone to the subtropical gyre. Using an algorithm trained with bottle measurements, alkalinity is estimated from salinity, temperature, and oxygen and then used together with the measured pH to calculate total carbon dioxide and pCO2 in the upper 1500 dbar. The seasonal cycle in the biogeochemical quantities is examined, and the factors governing pCO2 in the surface waters are analyzed. The mechanisms driving the seasonal cycle of carbon are further investigated by computing budgets of heat, carbon, and nitrogen in the mixed layer. Comparing the different regimes sampled by the floats demonstrates the complex and variable nature of the carbon cycle in the Southern Ocean.

  17. Optical assembly of bio-hybrid micro-robots.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barroso, Álvaro; Landwerth, Shirin; Woerdemann, Mike; Alpmann, Christina; Buscher, Tim; Becker, Maike; Studer, Armido; Denz, Cornelia

    2015-04-01

    The combination of micro synthetic structures with bacterial flagella motors represents an actual trend for the construction of self-propelled micro-robots. The development of methods for fabrication of these bacteria-based robots is a first crucial step towards the realization of functional miniature and autonomous moving robots. We present a novel scheme based on optical trapping to fabricate living micro-robots. By using holographic optical tweezers that allow three-dimensional manipulation in real time, we are able to arrange the building blocks that constitute the micro-robot in a defined way. We demonstrate exemplarily that our method enables the controlled assembly of living micro-robots consisting of a rod-shaped prokaryotic bacterium and a single elongated zeolite L crystal, which are used as model of the biological and abiotic components, respectively. We present different proof-of-principle approaches for the site-selective attachment of the bacteria on the particle surface. The propulsion of the optically assembled micro-robot demonstrates the potential of the proposed method as a powerful strategy for the fabrication of bio-hybrid micro-robots.

  18. Vibro-Perception of Optical Bio-Inspired Fiber-Skin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Tao; Zhang, Sheng; Lu, Guo-Wei; Sunami, Yuta

    2018-05-12

    In this research, based on the principle of optical interferometry, the Mach-Zehnder and Optical Phase-locked Loop (OPLL) vibro-perception systems of bio-inspired fiber-skin are designed to mimic the tactile perception of human skin. The fiber-skin is made of the optical fiber embedded in the silicone elastomer. The optical fiber is an instinctive and alternative sensor for tactile perception with high sensitivity and reliability, also low cost and susceptibility to the magnetic interference. The silicone elastomer serves as a substrate with high flexibility and biocompatibility, and the optical fiber core serves as the vibro-perception sensor to detect physical motions like tapping and sliding. According to the experimental results, the designed optical fiber-skin demonstrates the ability to detect the physical motions like tapping and sliding in both the Mach-Zehnder and OPLL vibro-perception systems. For direct contact condition, the OPLL vibro-perception system shows better performance compared with the Mach-Zehnder vibro-perception system. However, the Mach-Zehnder vibro-perception system is preferable to the OPLL system in the indirect contact experiment. In summary, the fiber-skin is validated to have light touch character and excellent repeatability, which is highly-suitable for skin-mimic sensing.

  19. Characteristic of bio-geometric profile of students’ posture and physical fitness in process of physical education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.V. Dudko

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: to determine specific features of bio-geometric profile of posture and physical fitness of students in process of physical education. Material: 250 students were tested. Video-recording and analysis of bio-geometric profile of human posture were fulfilled. Program Torso was used for this purpose. Results: it was found out that only 15.2% of students had correct posture. The most quantity of posture abnormalities was detected in 36.4% of the tested. In sagittal plane we observed the following types of abnormalities: round back - in 24.4% of students, slouching back - in 24% of students. We found that 63.3% of students with normal posture are in zone of risk. Low backbone flexibility, mobility of hip joints and elasticity of hamstrings was detected on students. Conclusions: students with unsatisfactory bio-geometric profile of posture (scoliosis posture - 43.33%; round back - 23. 33%; slouching back - 22. 73% are in the called pre-morbid state of muscular-skeletal apparatus.

  20. Assessment of the abnormal growth of floating macrophytes in Winam Gulf (Kenya) by using MODIS imagery time series

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fusilli, L.; Collins, M. O.; Laneve, G.; Palombo, A.; Pignatti, S.; Santini, F.

    2013-02-01

    The objective of this research study is to assess the capability of time-series of MODIS imagery to provide information suitable for enhancing the understanding of the temporal cycles shown by the abnormal growth of the floating macrophytes in order to support monitoring and management action of Lake Victoria water resources. The proliferation of invasive plants and aquatic weeds is of growing concern. Starting from 1989, Lake Victoria has been interested by the high infestation of water hyacinth with significant socio-economic impact on riparian populations. In this paper, we describe an approach based on the time-series of MODIS to derive the temporal behaviour, the abundance and distribution of the floating macrophytes in the Winam Gulf (Kenyan portion of the Lake Victoria) and its possible links to the concentrations of the main water constituencies. To this end, we consider the NDVI values computed from the MODIS imagery time-series from 2000 to 2009 to identify the floating macrophytes cover and an appropriate bio-optical model to retrieve, by means of an inverse procedure, the concentrations of chlorophyll a, coloured dissolved organic matter and total suspended solid. The maps of the floating vegetation based on the NDVI values allow us to assess the spatial and temporal dynamics of the weeds with high time resolution. A floating vegetation index (FVI) has been introduced for describing the weeds pollution level. The results of the analysis show a consistent temporal relation between the water constituent concentrations within the Winam Gulf and the FVI, especially in the proximity of the greatest proliferation of floating vegetation in the last 10 years that occurred between the second half of 2006 and the first half of 2007.The adopted approach will be useful to implement an automatic system for monitoring and predicting the floating macrophytes proliferation in Lake Victoria.

  1. Bio-Optics and Bio-Inspired Optical Materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tadepalli, Sirimuvva; Slocik, Joseph M; Gupta, Maneesh K; Naik, Rajesh R; Singamaneni, Srikanth

    2017-10-25

    Through the use of the limited materials palette, optimally designed micro- and nanostructures, and tightly regulated processes, nature demonstrates exquisite control of light-matter interactions at various length scales. In fact, control of light-matter interactions is an important element in the evolutionary arms race and has led to highly engineered optical materials and systems. In this review, we present a detailed summary of various optical effects found in nature with a particular emphasis on the materials and optical design aspects responsible for their optical functionality. Using several representative examples, we discuss various optical phenomena, including absorption and transparency, diffraction, interference, reflection and antireflection, scattering, light harvesting, wave guiding and lensing, camouflage, and bioluminescence, that are responsible for the unique optical properties of materials and structures found in nature and biology. Great strides in understanding the design principles adapted by nature have led to a tremendous progress in realizing biomimetic and bioinspired optical materials and photonic devices. We discuss the various micro- and nanofabrication techniques that have been employed for realizing advanced biomimetic optical structures.

  2. On the relationship between satellite-estimated bio-optical and thermal properties in the Gulf of Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jolliff, Jason K.; Kindle, John C.; Penta, Bradley; Helber, Robert; Lee, Zhongping; Shulman, Igor; Arnone, Robert; Rowley, Clark D.

    2008-03-01

    Three years of Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) ocean color data were combined with three-dimensional thermal fields generated by the U.S. Navy's Modular Ocean Data Assimilation System (MODAS) in order to examine the interdependencies between bio-optical fields and their relationship to seasonal and mesoscale changes in upper ocean thermal structure. The combined data set suggests that the oceanic boundary layer within the Gulf of Mexico may be broadly defined by two seasonally occurring bio-thermal periods. A winter mixing period, characterized by net heat losses to the atmosphere, deepening of the isothermal layer depth, and annual maxima of satellite-estimated colored detrital matter (CDM) absorption coefficients and surface pigment concentration, was followed by a thermally stratified period characterized by net surface ocean heating, reduced isothermal layer depths, and annual minima in surface bio-optical fields. Variability in the interdependencies of ocean color products was used to diagnose an attendant shift in the size-structure of surface phytoplankton communities as well as identify CDM as the constituent responsible for the majority of blue-light absorption in Gulf of Mexico surface waters. The mesoscale circulation, as resolved by MODAS thermal fields into cold and warm-core eddies, appears to significantly modulate the seasonal bio-optical cycle of CDM absorption and surface pigment concentration. An empirical model was developed to describe CDM absorption as a function of upper ocean thermal energy. The model accounted for nearly half the variance in the satellite-estimate of this bio-optical variable. Large mismatches between the model and satellite data implied episodes of shelf water export to the deep Gulf of Mexico.

  3. Bio-optical water quality dynamics observed from MERIS in Pensacola Bay, Florida

    Science.gov (United States)

    Observed bio-optical water quality data collected from 2009 to 2011 in Pensacola Bay, Florida were used to develop empirical remote sensing retrieval algorithms for chlorophyll a (Chla), colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), and suspended particulate matter (SPM). Time-series ...

  4. Primary production calculations for sea ice from bio-optical observations in the Baltic Sea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susann Müller

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Bio-optics is a powerful approach for estimating photosynthesis rates, but has seldom been applied to sea ice, where measuring photosynthesis is a challenge. We measured absorption coefficients of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM, algae, and non-algal particles along with solar radiation, albedo and transmittance at four sea-ice stations in the Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea. This unique compilation of optical and biological data for Baltic Sea ice was used to build a radiative transfer model describing the light field and the light absorption by algae in 1-cm increments. The maximum quantum yields and photoadaptation of photosynthesis were determined from 14C-incorporation in photosynthetic-irradiance experiments using melted ice. The quantum yields were applied to the radiative transfer model estimating the rate of photosynthesis based on incident solar irradiance measured at 1-min intervals. The calculated depth-integrated mean primary production was 5 mg C m–2 d–1 for the surface layer (0–20 cm ice depth at Station 3 (fast ice and 0.5 mg C m–2 d–1 for the bottom layer (20–57 cm ice depth. Additional calculations were performed for typical sea ice in the area in March using all ice types and a typical light spectrum, resulting in depth-integrated mean primary production rates of 34 and 5.6 mg C m–2 d–1 in surface ice and bottom ice, respectively. These calculated rates were compared to rates determined from 14C incorporation experiments with melted ice incubated in situ. The rate of the calculated photosynthesis and the rates measured in situ at Station 3 were lower than those calculated by the bio-optical algorithm for typical conditions in March in the Gulf of Finland by the bio-optical algorithm. Nevertheless, our study shows the applicability of bio-optics for estimating the photosynthesis of sea-ice algae.

  5. Argo Float Data from the APDRC DAPPER Server, 1995-present

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The floats are designed to drift at a fixed pressure (usually 1000 dbar) for 10 days. After this period, the floats move to a profiling pressure (usually between...

  6. HYDRODYNAMICS AND BIO-OPTICAL ASSESSMENT OF TWO PRISTINE SUBTROPICAL ESTUARIES IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mauricio Almeida Noernberg

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Measuring small-scale physical processes and how they affect the spatial patterns of sea water's optical constituents plays a key role in understanding the functioning of complex coastal ecosystems such as estuaries. The spatial variations of physical and bio-optical water properties were investigated during one spring tidal cycle in austral summer, on two transects across the channel of the Medeiros and Itaqui sub-estuaries. These sub-estuaries are a biosphere reserve, and part of the Paranaguá Estuarine System, located on the Southern Brazilian coast. Both sub-estuaries were classified as Type 1a, wellmixed with low stratification. The salinity variations are in phase with the water level, and the tidal propagation is well represented by a standing wave. The vertical velocity profiles showed little vertical shear, and the intensity of the u-component of the velocity varied semi-diurnally. The upper estuary salt transport was dominated by tidal diffusion in an unstable water column. The optical environment presented a mixed dominance of optically active substances, as indicated by the absorption coefficients of dissolved and particulate matter. The colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM showed overall conservative behavior and was dominant in light absorption below 550 nm in the Medeiros, while nonalgal particles play the most important role in light absorption in the Itaqui in the blue absorption band. The phytoplanktonic contribution is prominent in the red domain and increases as a function of saline intrusion. However, due to the influence of freshwater discharge and the re-suspension of bottom sediments induced by physical processes, the concentrations of the optical components in the water column do not generally have any simple relationships between them.

  7. The annual cycle of nitrate and net community production in surface waters of the Southern Ocean observed with SOCCOM profiling floats

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, K. S.; Plant, J. N.; Sakamoto, C.; Coletti, L. J.; Sarmiento, J. L.; Riser, S.; Talley, L. D.

    2016-12-01

    Sixty profiling floats with ISUS and SUNA nitrate sensors have been deployed in the Southern Ocean (south of 30 degrees S) as part of the SOCCOM (Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling) program and earlier efforts. These floats have produced detailed records of the annual cycle of nitrate concentration throughout the region from the surface to depths near 2000 m. In surface waters, there are clear cycles in nitrate concentration that result from uptake of nitrate during austral spring and summer. These changes in nitrate concentration were used to compute the annual net community production over this region. NCP was computed using a simplified version of the approach detailed by Plant et al. (2016, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 30, 859-879, DOI: 10.1002/2015GB005349). At the time the abstract was written 41 complete annual cycles were available from floats deployed before the austral summer of 2015/2016. After filtering the data to remove floats that crossed distinct frontal boundaries, floats with other anomalies, and floats in sub-tropical waters, 23 cycles were available. A preliminary assessment of the data yields an NCP of 2.8 +/- 0.95 (1 SD) mol C/m2/y after integrating to 100 m depth and converting nitrate uptake to carbon using the Redfield ratio. This preliminary assessment ignores vertical transport across the nitracline and is, therefore, a minimum estimate. The number of cycles available for analysis will increase rapidly, as 32 of the floats were deployed in the austral summer of 2015/2016 and have not yet been analyzed.

  8. pH-dependence of the optical bio-sensor based on DNA-carbon nanotube

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vu Thuy Huong; Quach Kha Quang; Tran Thanh Thuy; Phan Duc Anh; Ngo Van Thanh; Nguyen Ai Viet

    2010-01-01

    In 2006, Daniel A. Heller et al. [1] demonstrated that carbon nanotubes (CNNTs) wrapped with DNA can be placed inside living cells and detect trace amounts of harmful contaminants using near infrared light. This discovery could lead to new types of optical sensors and biomarkers at the sub cellular level. The working principle of this optical bio-sensor from DNA and CNNTs can be explained by a simple theoretical model which was introduced in [3]. In this paper, the pH-dependence of DNA and the pH-dependence of solution around CNNTs are shown by using data analysis method. By substituting them into the same model, the pH-dependence of DNA-wrapped CNNTs was elicited in this paper. The range of parameters for workable conditions of this bio-sensor was indicated that the solution should have pH from 6 to 9 and the concentration of ions should be more than a critical value. These results are according to the experimental data and the deduction about pH and salt concentration in solution. They are very useful as using such a new bio-sensor like this in living environment. (author)

  9. Evaluating Southern Ocean Carbon Eddy-Pump From Biogeochemical-Argo Floats

    Science.gov (United States)

    Llort, Joan; Langlais, C.; Matear, R.; Moreau, S.; Lenton, A.; Strutton, Peter G.

    2018-02-01

    The vertical transport of surface water and carbon into ocean's interior, known as subduction, is one of the main mechanisms through which the ocean influences Earth's climate. New instrumental approaches have shown the occurrence of localized and intermittent subduction episodes associated with small-scale ocean circulation features. These studies also revealed the importance of such events for the export of organic matter, the so-called eddy-pump. However, the transient and localized nature of episodic subduction hindered its large-scale evaluation to date. In this work, we present an approach to detect subduction events at the scale of the Southern Ocean using measurements collected by biogeochemical autonomous floats (BGCArgo). We show how subduction events can be automatically identified as anomalies of spiciness and Apparent Oxygen Utilization (AOU) below the mixed layer. Using this methodology over more than 4,000 profiles, we detected 40 subduction events unevenly distributed across the Sothern Ocean. Events were more likely found in hot spots of eddy kinetic energy (EKE), downstream major bathymetric features. Moreover, the bio-optical measurements provided by BGCArgo allowed measuring the amount of Particulate Organic Carbon (POC) being subducted and assessing the contribution of these events to the total downward carbon flux at 100 m (EP100). We estimated that the eddy-pump represents less than 19% to the EP100 in the Southern Ocean, although we observed particularly strong events able to locally duplicate the EP100. This approach provides a novel perspective on where episodic subduction occurs that will be naturally improved as BGCArgo observations continue to increase.

  10. Bio-optical characterization in an ultra-oligotrophic region: the North central Red Sea

    KAUST Repository

    Kheireddine, Malika; Jones, Burton

    2015-01-01

    are derived from the concentration and physical properties of suspended particles in the ocean. They provide a simple description of the influence of these particles on the light within the water column. Bio-optical relationships found for ultra

  11. Floating / Travelling Gardens of (Postcolonial Time

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carmen Concilio

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available This essay on travelling gardens of (postcolonial time opens with two iconic images of floating gardens in contemporary postcolonial literature: Will Phantom’s bio-garbage rafter, which saves him in the midst of a cyclone in Carpentaria (2008, by the Aboriginal author Alexis Wright, and Pi’s carnivore island-organism in Life of Pi (2001, which cannot save him from his shipwreck, by Canadian writer Yan Martel. These floating, hybrid gardens of the Anthropocene precede the real travelling gardens of both Michael Ondaatje’s The Cat’s Table (2011 and Amitav Ghosh’s Ibis Trilogy (2008-2015, two authors who both indirectly and directly tell the story of botanical gardens in Asia, and of plant and seed smuggling and transplantation (“displacement” also hinting at their historical and economic colonial implications. For, after all, botanical gardens imply a very specific version of care, Cura (Robert Pogue Harrison 2009, while embodying a precise, imperial scientific and economic project (Brockway 2002; Johnson 2011.

  12. Cylindrical optical resonators: fundamental properties and bio-sensing characteristics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khozeymeh, Foroogh; Razaghi, Mohammad

    2018-04-01

    In this paper, detailed theoretical analysis of cylindrical resonators is demonstrated. As illustrated, these kinds of resonators can be used as optical bio-sensing devices. The proposed structure is analyzed using an analytical method based on Lam's approximation. This method is systematic and has simplified the tedious process of whispering-gallery mode (WGM) wavelength analysis in optical cylindrical biosensors. By this method, analysis of higher radial orders of high angular momentum WGMs has been possible. Using closed-form analytical equations, resonance wavelengths of higher radial and angular order WGMs of TE and TM polarization waves are calculated. It is shown that high angular momentum WGMs are more appropriate for bio-sensing applications. Some of the calculations are done using a numerical non-linear Newton method. A perfect match of 99.84% between the analytical and the numerical methods has been achieved. In order to verify the validity of the calculations, Meep simulations based on the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method are performed. In this case, a match of 96.70% between the analytical and FDTD results has been obtained. The analytical predictions are in good agreement with other experimental work (99.99% match). These results validate the proposed analytical modelling for the fast design of optical cylindrical biosensors. It is shown that by extending the proposed two-layer resonator structure analyzing scheme, it is possible to study a three-layer cylindrical resonator structure as well. Moreover, by this method, fast sensitivity optimization in cylindrical resonator-based biosensors has been possible. Sensitivity of the WGM resonances is analyzed as a function of the structural parameters of the cylindrical resonators. Based on the results, fourth radial order WGMs, with a resonator radius of 50 μm, display the most bulk refractive index sensitivity of 41.50 (nm/RIU).

  13. An optical water type framework for selecting and blending retrievals from bio-optical algorithms in lakes and coastal waters

    OpenAIRE

    Moore, Timothy S.; Dowell, Mark D.; Bradt, Shane; Verdu, Antonio Ruiz

    2014-01-01

    Bio-optical models are based on relationships between the spectral remote sensing reflectance and optical properties of in-water constituents. The wavelength range where this information can be exploited changes depending on the water characteristics. In low chlorophyll-a waters, the blue/green region of the spectrum is more sensitive to changes in chlorophyll-a concentration, whereas the red/NIR region becomes more important in turbid and/or eutrophic waters. In this work we present an appro...

  14. Temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen profile data from globally distributed Argo profiling floats through the month of August 2017 for the Global Argo Data Repository, 1995-09-07 to 2017-08-31 (NCEI Accession 0042682)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — These data represent all data collected from Argo profiling floats through the current month (August 2017). The NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information...

  15. Organic matter evolution throughout a 100-cm ombrotrophic profile from an Italian floating mire

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaccone, Claudio; D'Orazio, Valeria; Lobianco, Daniela; Miano, Teodoro M.

    2015-04-01

    The curious sight of an island floating and moving on a lake naturally, already described by Pliny the Elder in his Naturalis historia (AD 77-79), fascinated people from time immemorial. Floating mires are defined by the occurrence of emergent vegetation rooted in highly organic buoyant mats that rise and fall with changes in water level. Peat-forming floating mires could provide an exceptional tool for environmental studies, since much of their evolution, as well as the changes of the surrounding areas, is recorded in their peat deposits. A complete, 4-m deep peat core was collected in July 2012 from the floating island of Posta Fibreno, a relic mire in the Central Italy. This floating island has a diameter of ca. 30 m, a submerged thickness of about 3 m, and the vegetation is organized in concentric belts, from the Carex paniculata palisade to the Sphagnum centre. Here, some of the southernmost Italian populations of Sphagnum palustre occur. The 14C age dating of macrofossils removed from the sample at 360 cm of depth revealed that the island probably formed more than 500 yrs ago (435±20 yr BP). In the present work, we show preliminary results regarding the evolution of the organic matter along the first, ombrotrophic 100 cm of depth, hoping also to provide some insight into the possible mechanism of the evolution of this floating island. The 100 cm monolith was collected using a Wardenaar corer and cut frozen in 1-cm layers. It consists almost exclusively of Sphagnum mosses, often spaced out, in the top 20-30 cm, by leaves of Populus tremula that annually fell off. This section shows a very low bulk density, ranging from 0.017 and 0.059 g cm-3 (avg. value, 0.03±0.01 g cm-3), an average water content of 96.1±1.1%, and a gravimetric water content ranging between 14.3 and 41.5 gwater gdrypeat-1. The pH of porewaters was in the range 5-5.5. The C content along the profile ranged between 35 and 47% (avg., 41±1%), whereas the N between 0.3 and 0.9% (avg., 0.6±0

  16. Integrative Analysis of Complex Cancer Genomics and Clinical Profiles Using the cBioPortal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Jianjiong; Aksoy, Bülent Arman; Dogrusoz, Ugur; Dresdner, Gideon; Gross, Benjamin; Sumer, S. Onur; Sun, Yichao; Jacobsen, Anders; Sinha, Rileen; Larsson, Erik; Cerami, Ethan; Sander, Chris; Schultz, Nikolaus

    2014-01-01

    The cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics (http://cbioportal.org) provides a Web resource for exploring, visualizing, and analyzing multidimensional cancer genomics data. The portal reduces molecular profiling data from cancer tissues and cell lines into readily understandable genetic, epigenetic, gene expression, and proteomic events. The query interface combined with customized data storage enables researchers to interactively explore genetic alterations across samples, genes, and pathways and, when available in the underlying data, to link these to clinical outcomes. The portal provides graphical summaries of gene-level data from multiple platforms, network visualization and analysis, survival analysis, patient-centric queries, and software programmatic access. The intuitive Web interface of the portal makes complex cancer genomics profiles accessible to researchers and clinicians without requiring bioinformatics expertise, thus facilitating biological discoveries. Here, we provide a practical guide to the analysis and visualization features of the cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics. PMID:23550210

  17. Spatial-temporal bio-optical classification of dynamic semi-estuarine waters in western North America

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillips, Stephen Robert; Costa, Maycira

    2017-12-01

    The use of standard ocean colour reflectance based algorithms to derive surface chlorophyll may have limited applicability for optically dynamic coastal waters due to the pre-defined coefficients based on global datasets. Reflectance based algorithms adjusted to regional optical water characteristics are a promising alternative. A class-based definition of optically diverse coastal waters was investigated as a first step towards the development of temporal and spatial constrained reflectance based algorithms for optically variable coastal waters. A large set of bio-optical data were collected as part of five research cruises and bi-weekly trips aboard a ship of opportunity in the west coast of Canada, to assess the spatial and temporal variability of above-water reflectance in this contrasted coastal environment. To accomplish this, in situ biophysical and optical measurements were collected in conjunction with above-water hyperspectral remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) at 145 stations. The concentrations of measured biophysical data varied considerably; chlorophyll a (Chla) (mean = 1.64, range: 0.10-7.20 μg l-1), total suspended matter (TSM) (3.09, 0.82-20.69 mg l-1), and absorption by chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) (acdom(443 nm)) (0.525, 0.007-3.072 m-1), thus representing the spatio-temporal variability of the Salish Sea. Optically, a similar large range was also found; particulate scattering (bp(650 nm)) (1.316, 0.250-7.450 m-1), particulate backscattering (bbp(650 nm)) (0.022, 0.005-0.097 m-1), total beam attenuation coefficient (ct(650)) (1.675, 0.371-9.537 m-1) and particulate absorption coefficient (ap(650 nm)) (0.345, 0.048-2.020 m-1). An empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis revealed that Rrs variability was highly correlated to bp (r = 0.90), bbp (r = 0.82) and concentration of TSM (r = 0.80), which highlighted the dominant role of water turbidity in this region. Hierarchical clustering analysis was applied to the normalized Rrs

  18. Optical bio-chemical sensors on SNOW ring resonators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khorasaninejad, Mohammadreza; Clarke, Nigel; Anantram, M. P.; Singh Saini, Simarjeet

    2011-08-01

    In this paper, we propose and analyze novel ring resonator based bio-chemical sensors on silicon nanowire optical waveguide (SNOW) and show that the sensitivity of the sensors can be increased by an order of magnitude as compared to silicon-on-insulator based ring resonators while maintaining high index contrast and compact devices. The core of the waveguide is hollow and allows for introduction of biomaterial in the center of the mode, thereby increasing the sensitivity of detection. A sensitivity of 243 nm/refractive index unit (RIU) is achieved for a change in bulk refractive index. For surface attachment, the sensor is able to detect monolayer attachments as small as 1 Å on the surface of the silicon nanowires.

  19. On the Relationship Between Satellite-Estimated Bio-Optical and Thermal Properties in the Gulf of Mexico

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Jolliff, Jason K; Kindle, John C; Penta, Bradley; Helber, Robert; Lee, Zhongping; Shulman, Igor G; Amone, Robert A; Rowley, Clark D

    2008-01-01

    .... Navy's Modular Ocean Data Assimilation System (MODAS) in order to examine the interdependencies between bio-optical fields and their relationship to seasonal and mesoscale changes in upper ocean thermal structure...

  20. A bio-optical model suitable for use in forward and inverse coupled atmosphere-ocean radiative transfer models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Kexin; Li Wei; Eide, Hans; Stamnes, Knut

    2007-01-01

    A simple, yet complete bio-optical model for the inherent optical properties (IOPs) of oceanic waters is developed. This bio-optical model is specifically designed for use in comprehensive, multiple scattering radiative transfer models for the coupled atmosphere-ocean system. Such models can be used to construct next-generation algorithms for simultaneous retrieval of aerosol and marine parameters. The computed remote sensing reflectance R rs (λ) is validated against field measurements of R rs (λ) compiled in the SeaBASS data base together with simultaneous chlorophyll concentrations (C) ranging from 0.03 to 100mgm -3 . This connection between R rs and C is used to construct a chlorophyll concentration retrieval algorithm that yields reliable results for a large range of chlorophyll concentrations. The overall performance of a MODIS/VIIRS chlorophyll concentration retrieval algorithm is found to be less satisfactory

  1. Efficacy of saccharides bio-template on structural, morphological, optical and antibacterial property of ZnO nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dhanalakshmi, A; Palanimurugan, A; Natarajan, B

    2018-09-01

    Mono, di and polysaccharides of glucose (C 6 H 12 O 6 ), sucrose (C 12 H 24 O 12 ) and starch (C 6 H 12 O 6 ) n bio-template ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) has prepared by chemical precipitation method. Saccharides bio-template ZnO (SBts-ZnO) NPs were efficiently prepared for their structural and optical properties were examined by using XRD, FE-SEM, AFM, FTIR, UV and PL techniques. All the samples are polycrystalline nature with a preferential orientation depending on the (1 0 1) plane. The reduction of crystalline size by utilizing glucose, sucrose and starch bio-template of ZnO NPs. FE-SEM images revealed that the spherical and nano-rods like morphologies for ZnO and SBts-ZnO NPs respectively. AFM recorded images shows spherical features that confirmed and also the morphological changes were noticed with the addition of polymers. Interaction of bio-templated saccharides (glucose G 1 , sucrose S 2 & starch S n ) molecules was proved by FTIR study. Optical absorbance and emission behaviours were investigated using UV-Vis and photoluminescence techniques. The antibacterial study revealed that SBts-ZnO have excellent antibacterial effect than ZnO. The S n -ZnO sample has potent antibacterial activity against the Proteus vulgaris followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Bio-optical properties of Porsnagerfjorden (Norway) waters based on data collected in 2014 and 2015

    Science.gov (United States)

    Białogrodzka, Jagoda; Stramska, Małgorzata; Burska, Dorota; Ficek, Dariusz; Stoń-Egiert, Joanna; Winogradow, Aleksandra

    2016-04-01

    Oceanographic data collected in the Arctic are valuable in view of the role of this region in the studies on global climate change and the fact that historically the number of in situ measurements is relatively low. Porsangerfjorden, Norway, is an example of oceanic basin with case 2 water according to the optical classification. Optical data from coastal seas are difficult in interpretation because the concentrations of optically important components can be high, variable, and not covarying with each other. Porsanger Fjord can be divided into three basins: inner, middle and outer, where physical and bio-optical properties of water masses differ. We collected optical data and water samples for phytoplankton pigments, dissolved organic matter, particulate (POC) and dissolved (DOC) organic carbon, and particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) during our two summer expeditions in 2014 and 2015. In this presentation we focus on data collected with WETLabs' ac-9 and ac-s spectrophotometers and ECO-Triplet and ECO-Triplet-w fluorometers. Concurrently with in situ optical measurements water samples were collected in situ and soon afterwards they were filtered in the laboratory at the station, stored and transported for further processing in Poland. Our analysis includes 146 of in situ measurements and discrete water samples: 62 of POC, 52 of PIC, 33 of DOC, 68 of dissolved organic matter and 89 of phytoplankton pigments. During our analysis we compare chlorophyll (Chl_a), dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and carbon concentrations with in situ collected inherent optical properties of sea water to find empirical proxies allowing to estimate various water component concentrations from optical data. Application of these proxies to available bio-optical data allowed us to derive spatial distribution of these water constituents and their variability. This work was funded by the Norway Grants (NCBR contract No. 201985, project NORDFLUX).

  3. Fiber-Optic Bio-sniffer (Biochemical Gas Sensor) Using Reverse Reaction of Alcohol Dehydrogenase for Exhaled Acetaldehyde.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iitani, Kenta; Chien, Po-Jen; Suzuki, Takuma; Toma, Koji; Arakawa, Takahiro; Iwasaki, Yasuhiko; Mitsubayashi, Kohji

    2018-02-23

    Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) exhaled in breath have huge potential as indicators of diseases and metabolisms. Application of breath analysis for disease screening and metabolism assessment is expected since breath samples can be noninvasively collected and measured. In this research, a highly sensitive and selective biochemical gas sensor (bio-sniffer) for gaseous acetaldehyde (AcH) was developed. In the AcH bio-sniffer, a reverse reaction of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) was employed for reducing AcH to ethanol and simultaneously consuming a coenzyme, reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). The concentration of AcH can be quantified by fluorescence detection of NADH that was consumed by reverse reaction of ADH. The AcH bio-sniffer was composed of an ultraviolet light-emitting diode (UV-LED) as an excitation light source, a photomultiplier tube (PMT) as a fluorescence detector, and an optical fiber probe, and these three components were connected with a bifurcated optical fiber. A gas-sensing region of the fiber probe was developed with a flow-cell and an ADH-immobilized membrane. In the experiment, after optimization of the enzyme reaction conditions, the selectivity and dynamic range of the AcH bio-sniffer were investigated. The AcH bio-sniffer showed a short measurement time (within 2 min) and a broad dynamic range for determination of gaseous AcH, 0.02-10 ppm, which encompassed a typical AcH concentration in exhaled breath (1.2-6.0 ppm). Also, the AcH bio-sniffer exhibited a high selectivity to gaseous AcH based on the specificity of ADH. The sensor outputs were observed only from AcH-contained standard gaseous samples. Finally, the AcH bio-sniffer was applied to measure the concentration of AcH in exhaled breath from healthy subjects after ingestion of alcohol. As a result, a significant difference of AcH concentration between subjects with different aldehyde dehydrogenase type 2 (ALDH2) phenotypes was observed. The AcH bio-sniffer can be

  4. Determination of the profile of DO and its mass transferring coefficient in a biofilm reactor packed with semi-suspended bio-carriers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Bing; Song, Haoliang; Bin, Liying; Huang, Shaosong; Zhang, Wenxiang; Fu, Fenglian; Zhao, Yiliang; Chen, Qianyu

    2017-10-01

    The work aims at illustrating the profile of DO and its mass transferring process in a biofilm reactor packed with a novel semi-suspended bio-carrier, and further revealing the main factors that influence the mass transferring coefficient of DO within the biofilm. Results showed that the biofilm was very easy to attach and grow on the semi-suspended bio-carrier, which obviously changed the DO profile inside and outside the biofilm. The semi-suspended bio-carrier caused three different mass transfer zones occurring in the bioreactor, including the zones of bulk solution, boundary layer and biofilm, in which, the boundary layer zone had an obvious higher mass transfer resistance. Increasing the aeration rate might improve the hydrodynamic conditions in the bioreactor and accelerate the mass transfer of DO, but it also detached the biofilm from the surface of bio-carrier, which reduced the consumption of DO, and accordingly, decreased the DO gradient in the bioreactor. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Optical properties of Ni-doped MgGa2O4 single crystals grown by floating zone method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuki, Takenobu; Hughes, Mark; Ohishi, Yasutake

    2010-01-01

    The single crystal growth conditions and spectroscopic characterization of Ni-doped MgGa 2 O 4 with inverse-spinel structure crystal family are described. Single crystals of this material have been grown by floating zone method. Ni-doped MgGa 2 O 4 single crystals have broadband fluorescence in the 1100-1600 nm wavelength range, 1.6 ms room temperature lifetime, 56% quantum efficiency and 1.05x10 -21 cm 2 stimulated emission cross section at the emission peak. This new material is very promising for tunable laser applications covering the important optical communication and eye safe wavelength region.

  6. Forecasting the Ocean’s Optical Environment: Development of the BioCast System

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-09-01

    Gulf of Mexico (data not shown). Additional advancements in ocean optical forecasting will also result from the integration of BioCast with other...uniformed sailors and marines would have been rather conspicuous against the turbid gray waves marking the entryway to the riotous North Sea. Two...Detection of underwater mines with airborne, towed, or autonomous under- water platforms can be severely impeded by sustained water column turbidity

  7. Development of hybrid fluid jet/float polishing process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beaucamp, Anthony T. H.; Namba, Yoshiharu; Freeman, Richard R.

    2013-09-01

    On one hand, the "float polishing" process consists of a tin lap having many concentric grooves, cut from a flat by single point diamond turning. This lap is rotated above a hydrostatic bearing spindle of high rigidity, damping and rotational accuracy. The optical surface thus floats above a thin layer of abrasive particles. But whilst surface texture can be smoothed to ~0.1nm rms (as measured by atomic force microscopy), this process can only be used on flat surfaces. On the other hand, the CNC "fluid jet polishing" process consists of pumping a mixture of water and abrasive particles to a converging nozzle, thus generating a polishing spot that can be moved along a tool path with tight track spacing. But whilst tool path feed can be moderated to ultra-precisely correct form error on freeform optical surfaces, surface finish improvement is generally limited to ~1.5nm rms (with fine abrasives). This paper reports on the development of a novel finishing method, that combines the advantages of "fluid jet polishing" (i.e. freeform corrective capability) with "float polishing" (i.e. super-smooth surface finish of 0.1nm rms or less). To come up with this new "hybrid" method, computational fluid dynamic modeling of both processes in COMSOL is being used to characterize abrasion conditions and adapt the process parameters of experimental fluid jet polishing equipment, including: (1) geometrical shape of nozzle, (2) position relative to the surface, (3) control of inlet pressure. This new process is aimed at finishing of next generation X-Ray / Gamma Ray focusing optics.

  8. IMPACT OF HEAVY METAL TO FISH AQUACULTURE IN FLOATING NET CAGE IN CIRATA RESERVOIR, INDONESIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tri Heru Prihadi

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available Utilization of Cirata Reservoir for fisheries aquaculture with floating net cage system has been increasing rapidly. Industrial waste existed along watershed brings significant heavy metal pollutant that flows and difficult to control. Consequences of such activities were reflected in the degradation of reservoir environment indicated by sedimentation, water quality degradation and fish mass mortality because of up welling. The objectives of this research were: 1 to obtain data and information on heavy metal content in Cirata Reservoir waters, and 2 to observe and understand the effect of heavy metal to the fish cultured in floating net cage to support aquaculture in floating net cage system. Water quality and fish histology analyses were the methodologies used in this research. Descriptive and laboratory analysis were carry out to analysis the data. Based on observation and descriptive analyses, the content of heavy metal in Cirata Reservoir was classified as worse. Concentration of Pb, Cr, Hg, and Cd in the sample of water and tilapia digestive organ becomes fragile. Infiltration of hemoglobin cell, necrosis, degeneration and pigmentation occurred in body organs when up welling happened. Beside that, during up-welling digestive organ become easily breakable resulted in fish mass mortality in floating net cage. The affinity of hemoglobin to the toxic gas was higher than to oxygen, therefore aeration was not affective and mass mortality cannot be avoided. This was because of various events that occured to the fish and the other water biota that encompassed regular diffusion, bio-magnification, and bio-concentration to fish.

  9. Synthesis and Characterization of PEDOT Derivative with Carboxyl Group and Its Chemo/Bio Sensing Application as Nanocomposite, Immobilized Biological and Enhanced Optical Materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Long; Wen, Yangping; Yao, Yuanyuan; Xu, Jingkun; Duan, Xuemin; Zhang, Ge

    2014-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Electropolymerization of C4-EDOT-COOH and corresponding polymer's sensing application for environmental, pharmaceutical, biology and food. -- Highlights: •C4-EDOT-COOH monomer with good solubility in water was synthesized by an efficient five-step route. •That acidic conditions were favorable for the electropolymerization of C4-EDOT-COOH. •The resulting high-quality polymer film can be employed for the fabrication of chemo/bio-sensors and optical sensors. •These as-prepared sensors can be applied to the simple, fast and sensitive detection of different analytes. -- Abstract: Various electrochemical chemo/bio-sensors and optical sensors are facilely explored for the sensitive determination of biomolecules, drug molecules, environmental pollutants, and metal ions using a carboxylic-functionalized poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) derivative (PC4), which is easily obtained by the direct electropolymerization of a water-soluble 4-((2,3-dihydrothieno[3,4-b][1,4] dioxin-2-yl) methoxy)-4-oxobutanoic acid (C4-EDOT-COOH) monomer in a microemulsion system. The effect of different pH values on the electropolymerization of C4-EDOT-COOH monomer is investigated, and the as-prepared PC4 film is characterized by electrochemical method, infrared spectrum, and scanning electron microscope. The resulting high-quality PC4 film as a sensing material not only can combine with various biologically active species via covalent linkage and inorganic materials via layer-by-layer self-assembly for the construction of electrochemical chemo/bio-sensors, but also excellent optical performance of PC4 can be employed for the fabrication of optical sensors. These as-prepared chemo/bio-sensors can be applied to the simple, fast and sensitive detection of environmental pollutants, pharmaceuticals, hazardous substances, and biological active substance and nutrients present in food by means of electrochemistry, ultraviolet and fluorescence spectroscopy. Satisfactory results

  10. Bilateral Floating Hip and Floating Knee: a Rare Complex Injury ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    We report a rare complex injury of a 45-year-old man who sustained a bilateral floating hip and floating knee and hospitalised in our service six days after a traffic accident. The floating knees were open type III and II of Cauchoix score in phase of suppuration. He also presented with a floating ankle on the right side.

  11. Ipsilateral Floating Hip and Floating Knee – A Rare Entity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yashavantha Kumar

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Ipsilateral floating hip and floating knee are very rare injuries. These injuries so uncommon that only three cases of similar kind have been reported. These injuries are due to high velocity injuries following motor vehicle accidents. Management of such complex injuries is a challenging task even in experienced hands as there are no standard treatment guidelines for such fractures. Case Report: We hereby report a 20 yr old male who sustained ipsilateral floating hip and ipsilateral floating knee injuries following motor vehicle accident. Patient was stabilized initially and later taken up for surgery. Patient was treated with interlocking nail for femur and tibia in the same sitting whereas acetabulam fracture was managed conservatively. At five months all the fractures united well with restoration of good range of motion in both hip and knee. Conclusion: Ipsilateral floating knee and floating hip are very rare injuries seen following high velocity motor vehicle accidents. There are no standard guidelines for treatment of those fractures as only a few cases of similar kind have been reported in literature. Early fixation and aggressive mobilization ensures fracture union and fewer complications. Keywords: Floating hip, Floating Knee, Ipsilateral.

  12. Bio-optofluidics and biophotonics at the cellular level

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bañas, Andrew Rafael; Palima, Darwin; Tauro, Sandeep

    2012-01-01

    We present ongoing research and development activities for constructing a compact next generation BioPhotonics Workstation and a Bio-optofluidic Cell Sorter (cell-BOCS) for all-optical micro-manipulation platforms utilizing low numerical aperture beam geometries. Unlike conventional high NA optical...

  13. Quality of temperature and salinity data from Argo profiling floats in the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Parvathi, V.; Pankajakshan, T.; Rajkumar, M.; Prasannakumar, S.; Muraleedharan, P.M.; Ravichandran, M.; Rao, R.R.; Gopalakrishna, V.V.

    In the present study, temperature and salinity from APEX -Argo floats with reported SPB (Argo-SPB) and salinity from normal floats without any reported SPB (Argo-N) in the BoB have been subjected to quality check (QC) Method used for QC depends...

  14. Analysis of the nitrifying bacterial community in BioCube sponge media using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and microelectrodes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chae, Kyu-Jung; Rameshwar, T; Jang, Am; Kim, Sung H; Kim, In S

    2008-09-01

    There is growing interest in the development of more cost-effective and retrofit technologies for the upgrade and expansion of existing wastewater treatment plants with extreme space constraints. A free-floating sponge media (BioCube) process, using a 24 L lab scale reactor, was operated to study the nitrification profiles and microbial community. The COD removal efficiencies were maintained, at an average of 95%, with the mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) inside the BioCube sponge media maintained at 12,688 mg/L. The nitrification removal efficiencies were between 92% and 100%, with an average value of 99%. From the results of microelectrode measurements, the ammonium ion concentration was found to rapidly decrease from the surface of the BioCube sponge media to a depth of 2mm due to chemical reactions carried out by ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) species. Multi-fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) has been used to investigate the spatial distributions of various microbial activities within reactors. Microbial communities were targeted using different oligonucleotide probes specific to AOB and nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB). There were a large number of AOB populations, but these were not uniformly distributed in the biofilm compared to the NOB populations.

  15. Artisanal fishing net float loss and a proposal for a float design solution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paulo de Tarso Chaves

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Plastic floats from fishing nets are commonly found washed up on beaches in southern Brazil. They are usually broken and show signs of having been repaired. Characteristics of floats and interviews with fishermen suggest two main causes of float loss. First, collisions between active gear, bottom trawl nets for shrimp, and passive gear, drift nets for fish, destroy nets and release fragments of them, including floats. Second, the difficulty with which floats are inserted on the float rope of the nets when they are used near the surface. Floats are inserted to replace damaged or lost floats, or they may be removed if it is desired that the nets be used in deeper waters. Floats may thus be poorly fixed to the cables and lost. Here a new float design that offers greater safety in use and for the replacement of floats is described and tested.

  16. Optics for five-dimensional measurement for correction of vertical displacement error due to attitude of floating body in superconducting magnetic levitation system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shiota, Fuyuhiko; Morokuma, Tadashi

    2006-01-01

    An improved optical system for five-dimensional measurement has been developed for the correction of vertical displacement error due to the attitude change of a superconducting floating body that shows five degrees of freedom besides a vertical displacement of 10 mm. The available solid angle for the optical measurement is extremely limited because of the cryogenic laser interferometer sharing the optical window of a vacuum chamber in addition to the basic structure of the cryogenic vessel for liquid helium. The aim of the design was to develop a more practical as well as better optical system compared with the prototype system. Various artifices were built into this optical system and the result shows a satisfactory performance and easy operation overcoming the extremely severe spatial difficulty in the levitation system. Although the system described here is specifically designed for our magnetic levitation system, the concept and each artifice will be applicable to the optical measurement system for an object in a high-vacuum chamber and/or cryogenic vessel where the available solid angle for an optical path is extremely limited

  17. Equilibrium configuration of a stratus floating above accretion disks: Full-disk calculation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Itanishi, Yusuke; Fukue, Jun

    2017-06-01

    We examine floating strati above a luminous accretion disk, supported by the radiative force from the entire disk, and calculate the equilibrium locus, which depends on the disk luminosity and the optical depth of the stratus. Due to the radiative transfer effect (albedo effect), the floating height of the stratus with a finite optical depth generally becomes high, compared with the particle case. In contrast to the case of the near-disk approximation, moreover, the floating height becomes yet higher in the present full-disk calculation, since the intense radiation from the inner disk is taken into account. As a result, when the disk luminosity normalized by the Eddington luminosity is ˜0.3 and the stratus optical depth is around unity, the stable configuration disappears at around r ˜ 50 rg, rg being the Schwarzschild radius, and the stratus would be blown off as a cloudy wind consisting of many strati with appropriate conditions. This luminosity is sufficiently smaller than the Eddington one, and the present results suggest that the radiation-driven cloudy wind can be easily blown off from the sub-Eddington disk, and this can explain various outflows observed in ultra-fast outflow objects as well as in broad-absorption-line quasars.

  18. Optical surface profiling of orb-web spider capture silks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kane, D M; Joyce, A M; Staib, G R [Department of Physics, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109 (Australia); Herberstein, M E, E-mail: deb.kane@mq.edu.a [Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109 (Australia)

    2010-09-15

    Much spider silk research to date has focused on its mechanical properties. However, the webs of many orb-web spiders have evolved for over 136 million years to evade visual detection by insect prey. It is therefore a photonic device in addition to being a mechanical device. Herein we use optical surface profiling of capture silks from the webs of adult female St Andrews cross spiders (Argiope keyserlingi) to successfully measure the geometry of adhesive silk droplets and to show a bowing in the aqueous layer on the spider capture silk between adhesive droplets. Optical surface profiling shows geometric features of the capture silk that have not been previously measured and contributes to understanding the links between the physical form and biological function. The research also demonstrates non-standard use of an optical surface profiler to measure the maximum width of a transparent micro-sized droplet (microlens).

  19. Optical surface profiling of orb-web spider capture silks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kane, D M; Joyce, A M; Staib, G R; Herberstein, M E

    2010-01-01

    Much spider silk research to date has focused on its mechanical properties. However, the webs of many orb-web spiders have evolved for over 136 million years to evade visual detection by insect prey. It is therefore a photonic device in addition to being a mechanical device. Herein we use optical surface profiling of capture silks from the webs of adult female St Andrews cross spiders (Argiope keyserlingi) to successfully measure the geometry of adhesive silk droplets and to show a bowing in the aqueous layer on the spider capture silk between adhesive droplets. Optical surface profiling shows geometric features of the capture silk that have not been previously measured and contributes to understanding the links between the physical form and biological function. The research also demonstrates non-standard use of an optical surface profiler to measure the maximum width of a transparent micro-sized droplet (microlens).

  20. Optimizing the bio-optical algorithm for estimating chlorophyll-a and phycocyanin concentrations in inland waters in Korea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Several bio-optical algorithms were developed to estimate the chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and phycocyanin (PC) concentrations in inland waters. This study aimed at identifying the influence of the algorithm parameters and wavelength bands on output variables and searching optimal parameter values. The opt...

  1. Southern Ocean Carbon Dioxide and Oxygen Fluxes Detected by SOCCOM Biogeochemical Profiling Floats

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarmiento, J. L.; Bushinksy, S.; Gray, A. R.

    2016-12-01

    The Southern Ocean is known to play an important role in the global carbon cycle, yet historically our measurements of this remote region have been sparse and heavily biased towards summer. Here we present new estimates of air-sea fluxes of carbon dioxide and oxygen calculated with measurements from autonomous biogeochemical profiling floats. At high latitudes in and southward of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, we find a significant flux of CO2 from the ocean to the atmosphere during 2014-2016, which is particularly enhanced during winter months. These results suggest that previous estimates may be biased towards stronger Southern Ocean CO2 uptake due to undersampling in winter. We examine various implications of having a source of CO2 that is higher than previous estimates. We also find that CO2:O2 flux ratios north of the Subtropical Front are positive, consistent with the fluxes being driven by changes in solubility, while south of the Polar Front biological processes and upwelling of deep water combine to produce a negative CO2:O2 flux ratio.

  2. Modeling of 4H—SiC multi-floating-junction Schottky barrier diode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hong-Bin, Pu; Lin, Cao; Zhi-Ming, Chen; Jie, Ren; Ya-Gong, Nan

    2010-01-01

    This paper develops a new and easy to implement analytical model for the specific on-resistance and electric field distribution along the critical path for 4H—SiC multi-floating junction Schottky barrier diode. Considering the charge compensation effects by the multilayer of buried opposite doped regions, it improves the breakdown voltage a lot in comparison with conventional one with the same on-resistance. The forward resistance of the floating junction Schottky barrier diode consists of several components and the electric field can be understood with superposition concept, both are consistent with MEDICI simulation results. Moreover, device parameters are optimized and the analyses show that in comparison with one layer floating junction, multilayer of floating junction layer is an effective way to increase the device performance when specific resistance and the breakdown voltage are traded off. The results show that the specific resistance increases 3.2 mΩ·cm 2 and breakdown voltage increases 422 V with an additional floating junction for the given structure. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

  3. Nano-Bio Quantum Technology for Device-Specific Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Sang H.

    2009-01-01

    The areas discussed are still under development: I. Nano structured materials for TE applications a) SiGe and Be.Te; b) Nano particles and nanoshells. II. Quantum technology for optical devices: a) Quantum apertures; b) Smart optical materials; c) Micro spectrometer. III. Bio-template oriented materials: a) Bionanobattery; b) Bio-fuel cells; c) Energetic materials.

  4. Ranitidine Loaded Biopolymer Floats: Designing, Characterization, and Evaluation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdul Karim

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The float formulation is a strategy to improve the bioavailability of drugs by gastroretentive drug delivery system (GRDDS. A drug delivery model based on swellable and reswellable low density biopolymers has been designed to evaluate its drug release profile using ranitidine (RNT as a model drug and formulations have been prepared utilizing 32 factorial designs. The drug release (DR data has been subjected to various kinetic models to investigate the DR mechanism. A reduction in rate has been observed by expanding the amounts of PSG and LSG parts, while an expansion has been noted by increasing the concentration of tragacanth (TG and citric acid (CA with an increment in floating time. The stearic acid (SA has been used to decrease the lag time because a decrease in density of system was observed. The kinetic analysis showed that the optimized formulation (S4F3 followed zero-order kinetics and power law was found to be best fitted due to its minimum lag time and maximum floating ability. The resemblance of observed and predicted values indicated the validity of derived equations for evaluating the effect of independent variables while kinetic study demonstrated that the applied models are feasible for evaluating and developing float for RNT.

  5. Naval Research Laboratory Ecological -- Photochemical -- Bio-optical--Numerical Experiment (Neptune) Version 1: A Portable, Flexible Modeling Environment Designed to Resolve Time-dependent Feedbacks Between Upper Ocean Ecology, Photochemistry, and Optics

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Jolliff, Jason K; Kindle, John C

    2007-01-01

    A modeling system has been constructed that combines ecological element cycling, photochemical processes, and bio-optical processes into a single simulation that may be coupled to hydrodynamic models...

  6. 40 CFR 65.45 - External floating roof converted into an internal floating roof.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... External floating roof converted into an internal floating roof. The owner or operator who elects to... 40 Protection of Environment 15 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false External floating roof converted into an internal floating roof. 65.45 Section 65.45 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION...

  7. Spectral analysis of Floating Car Data

    OpenAIRE

    Gössel, F.; Michler, E.; Wrase, B.

    2003-01-01

    Floating Car Data (FCD) are one important data source in traffic telematic systems. The original variable in these systems is the vehicle velocity. The paper analyses the measured value “vehicle velocity" by methods of information technology. Consequences for processing, transmission and storage of FCD under condition of limited resources are discussed. Starting point of the investigation is the analysis of spectral characteristics of velocity-time-profiles. The spectra are determined by...

  8. Development and evaluation of new multiple-unit levodopa sustained-release floating dosage forms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goole, J; Vanderbist, F; Amighi, K

    2007-04-04

    This work relates to the development and the in vitro evaluation of sustained-release minitablets (MT), prepared by melt granulation and subsequent compression, which are designed to float over an extended period of time. Levodopa was used as a model drug. The importance of the composition and manufacturing parameters of the MT on their floating and dissolution properties was then examined. The investigation showed that MT composition and MT diameter had the greatest influence on drug release, which was sustained for more than 8h. By using the same formulation, the best floating properties were obtained with 3mm MT prepared at low compression forces ranging between 50 and 100N. Their resultant-weight (RW) values were always higher than those obtained with a marketed HBS dosage form within 13h. When they were filled into gelatin capsules, no sticking was observed. By evaluating the dissolution profiles of levodopa at different pH values, it was found that dissolution profiles depend more on the prolonged-release ability of Methocel K15M than on the pH-dependent solubility of levodopa. Finally, the robustness of the floating MT was assessed by testing the drug release variability in function of the stirring conditions during dissolution tests.

  9. Laser-optical methods and systems of computer-automated investigation of bio-objects (plants, seeds, food products, and others)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lisker, Joseph S.

    1999-01-01

    A new conception of the scientific problem of information exchange in the system plant-man-environment is developed. The laser-optical methods and the system are described which allow computer automated investigation of bio-objects without damaging their vital function. The results of investigation of optical-physiological features of plants and seeds are presented. The effects of chlorophyll well and IR beg are discovered for plants and also the effects os water pumping and protein transformations are shown for seeds. The perspectives of the use of the optical methods and equipment suggested to solve scientific problems of agriculture are discussed.

  10. Clinical application of bio ceramics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anu, Sharma, E-mail: issaranu@gmail.com; Gayatri, Sharma, E-mail: sharmagayatri@gmail.com [Department of Chemistry, Govt. College of Engineering & Technology, Bikaner, Rajasthan (India)

    2016-05-06

    Ceramics are the inorganic crystalline material. These are used in various field such as biomedical, electrical, electronics, aerospace, automotive and optical etc. Bio ceramics are the one of the most active areas of research. Bio ceramics are the ceramics which are biocompatible. The unique properties of bio ceramics make them an attractive option for medical applications and offer some potential advantages over other materials. During the past three decades, a number of major advances have been made in the field of bio ceramics. This review focuses on the use of these materials in variety of clinical scenarios.

  11. Clinical application of bio ceramics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anu, Sharma; Gayatri, Sharma

    2016-01-01

    Ceramics are the inorganic crystalline material. These are used in various field such as biomedical, electrical, electronics, aerospace, automotive and optical etc. Bio ceramics are the one of the most active areas of research. Bio ceramics are the ceramics which are biocompatible. The unique properties of bio ceramics make them an attractive option for medical applications and offer some potential advantages over other materials. During the past three decades, a number of major advances have been made in the field of bio ceramics. This review focuses on the use of these materials in variety of clinical scenarios.

  12. Use of multiple sensor technologies for quality control of in situ biogeochemical measurements: A SeaCycler case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atamanchuk, Dariia; Koelling, Jannes; Lai, Jeremy; Send, Uwe; Wallace, Douglas

    2017-04-01

    Over the last two decades observing capacity for the global ocean has increased dramatically. Emerging sensor technologies for dissolved gases, nutrients and bio-optical properties in seawater are allowing extension of in situ observations beyond the traditionally measured salinity, temperature and pressure (CTD). However the effort to extend observations using autonomous instruments and platforms carries the risk of losing the level of data quality achievable through conventional water sampling techniques. We will present results from a case study with the SeaCycler profiling winch focusing on quality control of the in-situ measurements. A total of 13 sensors were deployed from May 2016 to early 2017 on SeaCycler's profiling sensor float, including CTD, dissolved oxygen (O2, 3 sensors), carbon dioxide (pCO2, 2 sensors), nutrients, velocity sensors, fluorometer, transmissometer, single channel PAR sensor, and others. We will highlight how multiple measurement technologies (e.g. for O2 and CO2) complement each other and result in a high quality data product. We will also present an initial assessment of the bio-optical data, their implications for seasonal phytoplankton dynamics and comparisons to climatologies and ocean-color data products obtained from the MODIS satellite.

  13. Net community production at Ocean Station Papa observed with nitrate and oxygen sensors on profiling floats

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plant, Joshua N.; Johnson, Kenneth S.; Sakamoto, Carole M.; Jannasch, Hans W.; Coletti, Luke J.; Riser, Stephen C.; Swift, Dana D.

    2016-06-01

    Six profiling floats equipped with nitrate and oxygen sensors were deployed at Ocean Station P in the Gulf of Alaska. The resulting six calendar years and 10 float years of nitrate and oxygen data were used to determine an average annual cycle for net community production (NCP) in the top 35 m of the water column. NCP became positive in February as soon as the mixing activity in the surface layer began to weaken, but nearly 3 months before the traditionally defined mixed layer began to shoal from its winter time maximum. NCP displayed two maxima, one toward the end of May and another in August with a summertime minimum in June corresponding to the historical peak in mesozooplankton biomass. The average annual NCP was determined to be 1.5 ± 0.6 mol C m-2 yr-1 using nitrate and 1.5 ± 0.7 mol C m-2 yr-1 using oxygen. The results from oxygen data proved to be quite sensitive to the gas exchange model used as well as the accuracy of the oxygen measurement. Gas exchange models optimized for carbon dioxide flux generally ignore transport due to gas exchange through the injection of bubbles, and these models yield NCP values that are two to three time higher than the nitrate-based estimates. If nitrate and oxygen NCP rates are assumed to be related by the Redfield model, we show that the oxygen gas exchange model can be optimized by tuning the exchange terms to reproduce the nitrate NCP annual cycle.

  14. Formulation, release characteristics, and bioavailability study of gastroretentive floating matrix tablet and floating raft system of Mebeverine HCl.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Nabarawi, Mohamed A; Teaima, Mahmoud H; Abd El-Monem, Rehab A; El Nabarawy, Nagla A; Gaber, Dalia A

    2017-01-01

    To prolong the residence time of dosage forms within the gastrointestinal tract until all drug is released at the desired rate is one of the real challenges for oral controlled-release drug delivery systems. This study was designed to develop a controlled-release floating matrix tablet and floating raft system of Mebeverine HCl (MbH) and evaluate different excipients for their floating behavior and in vitro controlled-release profiles. Oral pharmacokinetics of the optimum matrix tablet, raft system formula, and marketed Duspatalin ® 200 mg retard as reference were studied in beagle dogs. The optimized tablet formula (FT-10) and raft system formula (FRS-11) were found to float within 34±5 sec and 15±7 sec, respectively, and both remain buoyant over a period of 12 h in simulated gastric fluid. FT-10 (Compritol/HPMC K100M 1:1) showed the slowest drug release among all prepared tablet formulations, releasing about 80.2% of MbH over 8 h. In contrast, FRS-11 (Sodium alginate 3%/HPMC K100M 1%/Precirol 2%) had the greatest retardation, providing sustained release of 82.1% within 8 h. Compared with the marketed MbH product, the C max of FT-10 was almost the same, while FRS-11 maximum concentration was higher. The t max was 3.33, 2.167, and 3.0 h for marketed MbH product, FT-10, and FRS-11, respectively. In addition, the oral bioavailability experiment showed that the relative bioavailability of the MbH was 104.76 and 116.01% after oral administration of FT-10 and FRS-11, respectively, compared to marketed product. These results demonstrated that both controlled-released floating matrix tablet and raft system would be promising gastroretentive delivery systems for prolonging drug action.

  15. A preliminary verification of the floating reference measurement method for non-invasive blood glucose sensing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Min, Xiaolin; Liu, Rong; Fu, Bo; Xu, Kexin

    2017-06-01

    In the non-invasive sensing of blood glucose by near-infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, the spectrum is highly susceptible to the unstable and complicated background variations from the human body and the environment. In in vitro analyses, background variations are usually corrected by the spectrum of a standard reference sample that has similar optical properties to the analyte of interest. However, it is hard to find a standard sample for the in vivo measurement. Therefore, the floating reference measurement method is proposed to enable relative measurements in vivo, where the spectra under some special source-detector distance, defined as the floating reference position, are insensitive to the changes in glucose concentration due to the absorption effect and scattering effect. Because the diffuse reflectance signals at the floating reference positions only reflect the information on background variations during the measurement, they can be used as the internal reference. In this paper, the theoretical basis of the floating reference positions in a semi-infinite turbid medium was discussed based on the steady-state diffusion equation and its analytical solutions in a semi-infinite turbid medium (under the extrapolated boundary conditions). Then, Monte-Carlo (MC) simulations and in vitro experiments based on a custom-built continuous-moving spatially resolving double-fiber NIR measurement system, configured with two types of light source, a super luminescent diode (SLD) and a super-continuum laser, were carried out to verify the existence of the floating reference position in 5%, 10% and 20% Intralipid solutions. The results showed that the simulation values of the floating reference positions are close to the theoretical results, with a maximum deviation of approximately 0.3 mm in 1100-1320 nm. Great differences can be observed in 1340-1400 nm because the optical properties of Intralipid in this region don not satisfy the conditions of the steady

  16. Ion induced optical emission for surface and depth profile analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    White, C.W.

    1977-01-01

    Low-energy ion bombardment of solid surfaces results in the emission of infrared, visible, and ultraviolet radiation produced by inelastic ion-solid collision processes. The emitted optical radiation provides important insight into low-energy particle-solid interactions and provides the basis for an analysis technique which can be used for surface and depth profile analysis with high sensitivity. The different kinds of collision induced optical radiation emitted as a result of low-energy particle-solid collisions are reviewed. Line radiation arising from excited states of sputtered atoms or molecules is shown to provide the basis for surface and depth profile analysis. The spectral characteristics of this type of radiation are discussed and applications of the ion induced optical emission technique are presented. These applications include measurements of ion implant profiles, detection sensitivities for submonolayer quantities of impurities on elemental surfaces, and the detection of elemental impurities on complex organic substrates

  17. Full area covered 3D profile measurement of special-shaped optics based on a new prototype non-contact profiler.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Du, Hui-Lin; Zhou, Zhao-Zhong; Sun, Ze-Qing; Ju, Bing-Feng; Xu, Shaoning; Sun, Anyu

    2017-06-01

    A new prototype non-contact profiler based on surface tracking has been specially developed. Surface tracking is carried out by a specially designed dual stage probe system with the aid of a four-Degree Of Freedom high-precision motion platform. The dual stage probe system keeps a short-range optical probe constantly tracking the surface by a self-developed voice coil motor servo, by which a wide measuring range of up to 10 mm is realized. The system performance evaluation including resolution, repeatability, and scanning speed proved the good capability of the new prototype non-contact profiler. To realize a full area covered 3D profile measurement of special-shaped optics within one scanning procedure, a signal intensity monitor integrated in the surface tracking controller is specially developed. In the experiment, a snip-single-corner-rectangular-shaped freeform surface was successfully measured over full area by the new non-contact profiler. This work provides an effective solution for 3D profile measurement of special-shaped optical surfaces over full reflecting area. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed measuring system is of great significance in quality evaluation of optical surfaces.

  18. An optical fiber expendable seawater temperature/depth profile sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Qiang; Chen, Shizhe; Zhang, Keke; Yan, Xingkui; Yang, Xianglong; Bai, Xuejiao; Liu, Shixuan

    2017-10-01

    Marine expendable temperature/depth profiler (XBT) is a disposable measuring instrument which can obtain temperature/depth profile data quickly in large area waters and mainly used for marine surveys, scientific research, military application. The temperature measuring device is a thermistor in the conventional XBT probe (CXBT)and the depth data is only a calculated value by speed and time depth calculation formula which is not an accurate measurement result. Firstly, an optical fiber expendable temperature/depth sensor based on the FBG-LPG cascaded structure is proposed to solve the problems of the CXBT, namely the use of LPG and FBG were used to detect the water temperature and depth, respectively. Secondly, the fiber end reflective mirror is used to simplify optical cascade structure and optimize the system performance. Finally, the optical path is designed and optimized using the reflective optical fiber end mirror. The experimental results show that the sensitivity of temperature and depth sensing based on FBG-LPG cascade structure is about 0.0030C and 0.1%F.S. respectively, which can meet the requirements of the sea water temperature/depth observation. The reflectivity of reflection mirror is in the range from 48.8% to 72.5%, the resonant peak of FBG and LPG are reasonable and the whole spectrum are suitable for demodulation. Through research on the optical fiber XBT (FXBT), the direct measurement of deep-sea temperature/depth profile data can be obtained simultaneously, quickly and accurately. The FXBT is a new all-optical seawater temperature/depth sensor, which has important academic value and broad application prospect and is expected to replace the CXBT in the future.

  19. Surface chemistry manipulation of gold nanorods preserves optical properties for bio-imaging applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Polito, Anthony B.; Maurer-Gardner, Elizabeth I.; Hussain, Saber M., E-mail: saber.hussain@us.af.mil [Air Force Research Laboratory, Molecular Bioeffects Branch, Bioeffects Division, Human Effectiveness Directorate (United States)

    2015-12-15

    Due to their anisotropic shape, gold nanorods (GNRs) possess a number of advantages for biosystem use including, enhanced surface area and tunable optical properties within the near-infrared (NIR) region. However, cetyl trimethylammonium bromide-related cytotoxicity, overall poor cellular uptake following surface chemistry modifications, and loss of NIR optical properties due to material intracellular aggregation in combination remain as obstacles for nanobased biomedical GNR applications. In this article, we report that tannic acid-coated 11-mercaptoundecyl trimethylammonium bromide (MTAB) GNRs (MTAB-TA) show no significant decrease in either in vitro cell viability or stress activation after exposures to A549 human alveolar epithelial cells. In addition, MTAB-TA GNRs demonstrate a substantial level of cellular uptake while displaying a unique intracellular clustering pattern. This clustering pattern significantly reduces intracellular aggregation, preserving the GNRs NIR optical properties, vital for biomedical imaging applications. These results demonstrate how surface chemistry modifications enhance biocompatibility, allow for higher rate of internalization with low intracellular aggregation of MTAB-TA GNRs, and identify them as prime candidates for use in nanobased bio-imaging applications.Graphical Abstract.

  20. Bio-Optical Data Assimilation With Observational Error Covariance Derived From an Ensemble of Satellite Images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shulman, Igor; Gould, Richard W.; Frolov, Sergey; McCarthy, Sean; Penta, Brad; Anderson, Stephanie; Sakalaukus, Peter

    2018-03-01

    An ensemble-based approach to specify observational error covariance in the data assimilation of satellite bio-optical properties is proposed. The observational error covariance is derived from statistical properties of the generated ensemble of satellite MODIS-Aqua chlorophyll (Chl) images. The proposed observational error covariance is used in the Optimal Interpolation scheme for the assimilation of MODIS-Aqua Chl observations. The forecast error covariance is specified in the subspace of the multivariate (bio-optical, physical) empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) estimated from a month-long model run. The assimilation of surface MODIS-Aqua Chl improved surface and subsurface model Chl predictions. Comparisons with surface and subsurface water samples demonstrate that data assimilation run with the proposed observational error covariance has higher RMSE than the data assimilation run with "optimistic" assumption about observational errors (10% of the ensemble mean), but has smaller or comparable RMSE than data assimilation run with an assumption that observational errors equal to 35% of the ensemble mean (the target error for satellite data product for chlorophyll). Also, with the assimilation of the MODIS-Aqua Chl data, the RMSE between observed and model-predicted fractions of diatoms to the total phytoplankton is reduced by a factor of two in comparison to the nonassimilative run.

  1. Mechanical and optical characterization of bio-nanocomposite from pineapple leaf fiber material for food packaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nikmatin, Siti; Rudwiyanti, Jerry R.; Prasetyo, Kurnia W.; Yedi, Dwi A.

    2015-01-01

    The utilization of Bio-nanocomposite material that was derived from pineapple leaf fiber as filler and tapioca starch with plasticizer glycerol as a matrix for food packaging can reduce the use of plastic that usually was made from petroleum materials. It is important to develop and producethis environmental friendly plastic because of limited availability of petroleum nowadays. The process of synthesize and characterization tapioca starch with the plasticizer glycerol bionanocomposites using print method had been conducted. There were 3 samples with different filler concentration variation; 3%, 4% and 5%.The results of mechanical test from each sample showed that bio-nanocomposite with 5% filler concentration was the optimum sample with 4.6320 MPa for tensile strength test and 24.87% for the elongation test. Based on the result of optical test for each sample was gained that along with the increasing of concentration filler would make the absorbance value of the sample became decreased, bio-nanocomposite with 5% filler concentration had several peaks with low absorbance values. The first peak was in 253 nm of wavelength regionwith absorbance of 0.131%, and the second peak was in 343 nmwavelength region and absorbance was 0.087%.

  2. FLOAT Project

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Eigil V.; Aarup, Bendt

    The objective of the FLOAT project is to study the reliability of high-performance fibre-reinforced concrete, also known as Compact Reinforced Composite (CRC), for the floats of wave energy converters. In order to reach a commercial breakthrough, wave energy converters need to achieve a lower price...

  3. Computer programs for optical dendrometer measurements of standing tree profiles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacob R. Beard; Thomas G. Matney; Emily B. Schultz

    2015-01-01

    Tree profile equations are effective volume predictors. Diameter data for building these equations are collected from felled trees using diameter tapes and calipers or from standing trees using optical dendrometers. Developing and implementing a profile function from the collected data is a tedious and error prone task. This study created a computer program, Profile...

  4. Lidar for Wind and Optical Turbulence Profiling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fastig Shlomo

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available A field campaign for the comparison investigation of systems to measure wind and optical turbulence profiles was conducted in northern Germany. The experimental effort was to compare the performance of the LIDAR, SODAR-RASS and ultrasonic anemometers for the measurement of the above mentioned atmospheric parameters. Soreq's LIDAR is a fiber laser based system demonstrator for the vertical profiling of the wind and turbulence, based on the correlation of aerosol density variations. It provides measurements up to 350m with 20m resolution.

  5. Towards Better Precision Medicine: PacBio Single-Molecule Long Reads Resolve the Interpretation of HIV Drug Resistant Mutation Profiles at Explicit Quasispecies (Haplotype) Level.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Da Wei; Raley, Castle; Jiang, Min Kang; Zheng, Xin; Liang, Dun; Rehman, M Tauseef; Highbarger, Helene C; Jiao, Xiaoli; Sherman, Brad; Ma, Liang; Chen, Xiaofeng; Skelly, Thomas; Troyer, Jennifer; Stephens, Robert; Imamichi, Tomozumi; Pau, Alice; Lempicki, Richard A; Tran, Bao; Nissley, Dwight; Lane, H Clifford; Dewar, Robin L

    2016-01-01

    Development of HIV-1 drug resistance mutations (HDRMs) is one of the major reasons for the clinical failure of antiretroviral therapy. Treatment success rates can be improved by applying personalized anti-HIV regimens based on a patient's HDRM profile. However, the sensitivity and specificity of the HDRM profile is limited by the methods used for detection. Sanger-based sequencing technology has traditionally been used for determining HDRM profiles at the single nucleotide variant (SNV) level, but with a sensitivity of only ≥ 20% in the HIV population of a patient. Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies offer greater detection sensitivity (~ 1%) and larger scope (hundreds of samples per run). However, NGS technologies produce reads that are too short to enable the detection of the physical linkages of individual SNVs across the haplotype of each HIV strain present. In this article, we demonstrate that the single-molecule long reads generated using the Third Generation Sequencer (TGS), PacBio RS II, along with the appropriate bioinformatics analysis method, can resolve the HDRM profile at a more advanced quasispecies level. The case studies on patients' HIV samples showed that the quasispecies view produced using the PacBio method offered greater detection sensitivity and was more comprehensive for understanding HDRM situations, which is complement to both Sanger and NGS technologies. In conclusion, the PacBio method, providing a promising new quasispecies level of HDRM profiling, may effect an important change in the field of HIV drug resistance research.

  6. Preparation and Characterization of a Gastric Floating Dosage Form of Capecitabine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ehsan Taghizadeh Davoudi

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Gastrointestinal disturbances, such as nausea and vomiting, are considered amongst the main adverse effects associated with oral anticancer drugs due to their fast release in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT. Sustained release formulations with proper release profiles can overcome some side effects of conventional formulations. The current study was designed to prepare sustained release tablets of Capecitabine, which is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA for the treatment of advanced breast cancer, using hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC, carbomer934P, sodium alginate, and sodium bicarbonate. Tablets were prepared using the wet granulation method and characterized such that floating lag time, total floating time, hardness, friability, drug content, weight uniformity, and in vitro drug release were investigated. The sustained release tablets showed good hardness and passed the friability test. The tablets’ floating lag time was determined to be 30–200 seconds, and it floated more than 24 hours and released the drug for 24 hours. Then, the stability test was done and compared with the initial samples. In conclusion, by adjusting the right ratios of the excipients including release-retarding gel-forming polymers like HPMC K4M, Na alginate, carbomer934P, and sodium bicarbonate, sustained release Capecitabine floating tablet was formulated.

  7. Preparation and characterization of a gastric floating dosage form of capecitabine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taghizadeh Davoudi, Ehsan; Ibrahim Noordin, Mohamed; Kadivar, Ali; Kamalidehghan, Behnam; Farjam, Abdoreza Soleimani; Akbari Javar, Hamid

    2013-01-01

    Gastrointestinal disturbances, such as nausea and vomiting, are considered amongst the main adverse effects associated with oral anticancer drugs due to their fast release in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Sustained release formulations with proper release profiles can overcome some side effects of conventional formulations. The current study was designed to prepare sustained release tablets of Capecitabine, which is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of advanced breast cancer, using hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), carbomer934P, sodium alginate, and sodium bicarbonate. Tablets were prepared using the wet granulation method and characterized such that floating lag time, total floating time, hardness, friability, drug content, weight uniformity, and in vitro drug release were investigated. The sustained release tablets showed good hardness and passed the friability test. The tablets' floating lag time was determined to be 30-200 seconds, and it floated more than 24 hours and released the drug for 24 hours. Then, the stability test was done and compared with the initial samples. In conclusion, by adjusting the right ratios of the excipients including release-retarding gel-forming polymers like HPMC K4M, Na alginate, carbomer934P, and sodium bicarbonate, sustained release Capecitabine floating tablet was formulated.

  8. A Study of Mach-Zehnder Interferometer Type Optical Modulator Applicable to an Accelerometer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suzuki, Masato; Takahashi, Tomokazu; Aoyagi, Seiji; Amemiya, Yoshiteru; Fukuyama, Masataka; Yokoyama, Shin

    2011-04-01

    A novel Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI)-type optical modulator based on micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) technology is developed in this study. In this optical modulator, one of two branched waveguides in the MZI has a floating beam structure (air-bridge type). Additionally, a cantilever supporting a proof mass intersects with the floating optical waveguide. When an inertial force due to acceleration is applied to the proof mass, the floating waveguide is expanded and the output of the MZI is modulated. Therefore, this optical modulator will be applicable to an accelerometer in the future. To decrease optical loss at the intersectional point between the floating waveguide and the cantilever in the MZI, the multi-mode interference (MMI) waveguide is serially connected with the floating waveguide and the cantilever crosses to the MMI waveguide. An optimization of the MMI waveguide and an estimation of deflection of the floating waveguide due to applying force are carried out by using optical and mechanical simulation, respectively. The proposed optical modulator is fabricated by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching of the top layer of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer, which is made of crystal Si. The floating waveguide in the modulator is formed by removal of its underlying buried oxide (BOX) layer of SOI. As a result of evaluation, we have succeeded in changing the output of the MZI by applying a force to the cantilever. However, the modulation is smaller than the expected value. Improvement of the modulation and detection of the inertial force due to the applied acceleration are future tasks.

  9. Floating dielectric slab optical interconnection between metal-dielectric interface surface plasmon polariton waveguides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Minsu; Park, Junghyun; Lee, Il-Min; Lee, Byoungho

    2009-01-19

    A simple and effective optical interconnection which connects two distanced single metal-dielectric interface surface plasmon waveguides by a floating dielectric slab waveguide (slab bridge) is proposed. Transmission characteristics of the suggested structure are numerically studied using rigorous coupled wave analysis, and design rules based on the study are given. In the wave-guiding part, if the slab bridge can support more than the fundamental mode, then the transmission efficiency of the interconnection shows strong periodic dependency on the length of the bridge, due to the multi-mode interference (MMI) effect. Otherwise, only small fluctuation occurs due to the Fabry-Pérot effect. In addition, light beating happens when the slab bridge is relatively short. In the wave-coupling part, on the other hand, gap-assisted transmission occurs at each overlapping region as a consequence of mode hybridization. Periodic dependency on the length of the overlap region also appears due to the MMI effect. According to these results, we propose design principles for achieving both high transmission efficiency and stability with respect to the variation of the interconnection distance, and we show how to obtain the transmission efficiency of 68.3% for the 1mm-long interconnection.

  10. Floating tablets for controlled release of ofloxacin via compression coating of hydroxypropyl cellulose combined with effervescent agent.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qi, Xiaole; Chen, Haiyan; Rui, Yao; Yang, Fengjiao; Ma, Ning; Wu, Zhenghong

    2015-07-15

    To prolong the residence time of dosage forms within gastrointestinal trace until all drug released at desired rate was one of the real challenges for oral controlled-release drug delivery system. Herein, we developed a fine floating tablet via compression coating of hydrophilic polymer (hydroxypropyl cellulose) combined with effervescent agent (sodium bicarbonate) to achieve simultaneous control of release rate and location of ofloxacin. Sodium alginate was also added in the coating layer to regulate the drug release rate. The effects of the weight ratio of drug and the viscosity of HPC on the release profile were investigated. The optimized formulations were found to immediately float within 30s and remain lastingly buoyant over a period of 12 h in simulated gastric fluid (SGF, pH 1.2) without pepsin, indicating a satisfactory floating and zero-order drug release profile. In addition, the oral bioavailability experiment in New Zealand rabbits showed that, the relative bioavailability of the ofloxacin after administrated of floating tablets was 172.19%, compared to marketed common release tablets TaiLiBiTuo(®). These results demonstrated that those controlled-released floating tables would be a promising gastro-retentive delivery system for drugs acting in stomach. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Design and in vitro evaluation of multiparticulate floating drug delivery system of zolpidem tartarate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amrutkar, P P; Chaudhari, P D; Patil, S B

    2012-01-01

    Zolpidem tartarate is a non-benzodiazepine, sedative-hypnotic, which finds its major use in various types of insomnia. The present work relates to development of multiparticulate floating drug delivery system based on gas generation technique to prolong the gastric residence time and to increase the overall bioavailability. Modified release dosage form of zolpidem tartarate adapted to release over a predetermined time period, according to biphasic profile of dissolution, where the first phase is immediate release phase for inducing the sleep and the second phase is modified release phase for maintaining the sleep up to 10 h. The system consists of zolpidem tartarate layered pellets coated with effervescent layer and polymeric membrane. The floating ability and in vitro drug release of the system were dependent on amount of the effervescent agent (sodium bicarbonate) layered onto the drug layered pellets, and coating level of the polymeric membrane (Eudragit(®) NE 30D). The system could float completely within 5 min and maintain the floating over a period of 10 h. The multiparticulate floating delivery system of zolpidem tartarate with rapid floating and modified drug release was obtained. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Offshore floating windmills

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-10-01

    The aim was to produce a general survey of the profitability of establishing floating offshore wind turbine arrays and to compare this with the cost and profitability of constructing offshore arrays with fixed foundations and arrays located on land sites. Aspects of design in all cases are described, also into relation to the special demands placed on dimensioning in relation to the types of location and foundation. The costs of the offshore arrays are evaluated in relation to capacity under conditions in Danish waters. The advantage of floating arrays is that they can be placed far out to sea where they can not be seen from the coast and thus not be considered to spoil the marine view. But as the water gets deeper the cost of floating foundations rises. It was found that it would not be technologically profitable to establish floating arrays at a depth of less than 30 - 40 meters which means that only the outer Danish waters can be taken into consideration. For depths of up to 70 meters, individual floating bases are more expensive than fixed ones but would be cheaper if a number of windmills could share the same anchor. For depths of more than 70 meters floating foundations would be the cheapest. The cost is dependent on the depth and distance from the coast and also on wind conditions. The main conclusion is that currently the cost of establishing wind turbine arrays in deeper outer waters on floating foundations is comparable to that of arrays sited at inner waters on solid foundations placed on the sea bed. (AB) (20 refs.)

  13. Comparison of bio-physical marine products from SeaWiFS, MODIS and a bio-optical model with in situ measurements from Northern European waters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blondeau-Patissier, D.; Tilstone, G. H.; Martinez-Vicente, V.; Moore, G. F.

    2004-09-01

    In this paper, we compare bio-physical marine products from SeaWiFS, MODIS and a novel bio-optical absorption model with in situ measurements of chlorophyll-a (Chla) concentrations, total suspended material (TSM) concentrations, normalized water-leaving radiances (nLw) and absorption coefficients of coloured dissolved organic matter (aCDOM), total particulate (atotal) and phytoplankton (aphy) for 26 satellite match-ups in three Northern European seas. Cruises were undertaken in 2002 and 2003 in phytoplankton dominated open ocean waters of the Celtic Sea and optically complex waters of the Western English Channel (WEC) and North Sea. For all environments, Chla concentrations varied from 0.4 to 7.8 mg m-3, TSM from 0.2 to 6.0 mg l-1 and aCDOM at 440 nm from 0.02 to 0.30 m-1. SeaWiFS OC4v4, with the Remote Sensing Data Analysis Service (RSDAS) atmospheric correction for turbid waters, showed the most accurate retrieval of in situ Chla (RMS = 0.24; n = 26), followed by MODIS chlor_a_3 (RMS = 0.40; n = 26). This suggested that improving the atmospheric correction over optically complex waters results in more accurate Chla concentrations compared to those obtained using more complicated Chla algorithms. We found that the SeaWiFS OC4v4 and the MODIS chlor_a_2 switching band ratio algorithms, which mainly use longer wavebands than 443 nm, were less affected by CDOM. They were both more accurate than chlor_MODIS in the higher CDOM waters of the North Sea. Compared to MODIS the absorption model was better at retrieving atotal (RMS = 0.39; n = 78) and aCDOM (RMS = 0.79; n = 12) in all study areas and TSM in the WEC (RMS = 0.04; n = 10) but it underestimated Chla concentrations (RMS = 0.45; n = 26). The results are discussed in terms of atmospheric correction, sensor characteristics and the functioning and performance of Chla algorithms. This paper was presented at the Institute of Physics Meeting on Underwater Optics held during Photonex 03 at Warwick, UK, in October 2003

  14. Decadal trends and common dynamics of the bio-optical and thermal characteristics of the African Great Lakes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Steven Loiselle

    Full Text Available The Great Lakes of East Africa are among the world's most important freshwater ecosystems. Despite their importance in providing vital resources and ecosystem services, the impact of regional and global environmental drivers on this lacustrine system remains only partially understood. We make a systematic comparison of the dynamics of the bio-optical and thermal properties of thirteen of the largest African lakes between 2002 and 2011. Lake surface temperatures had a positive trend in all Great Lakes outside the latitude of 0° to 8° south, while the dynamics of those lakes within this latitude range were highly sensitive to global inter-annual climate drivers (i.e. El Niño Southern Oscillation. Lake surface temperature dynamics in nearly all lakes were found to be sensitive to the latitudinal position of the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone. Phytoplankton dynamics varied considerably between lakes, with increasing and decreasing trends. Intra-lake differences in both surface temperature and phytoplankton dynamics occurred for many of the larger lakes. This inter-comparison of bio-optical and thermal dynamics provides new insights into the response of these ecosystems to global and regional drivers.

  15. R/V Seward Johnson Cruise Report (SJ-9807) ACCE S-PALACE Float Deployments

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Montgomery, Ellyn

    1999-01-01

    ...). These floats are neutrally buoyant and drift with the water in which they are deployed. They are programmed to obtain temperature and salinity profiles of the top 1000 meters of the ocean every ten days...

  16. Handbook of floating-point arithmetic

    CERN Document Server

    Muller, Jean-Michel; de Dinechin, Florent; Jeannerod, Claude-Pierre; Joldes, Mioara; Lefèvre, Vincent; Melquiond, Guillaume; Revol, Nathalie; Torres, Serge

    2018-01-01

    This handbook is a definitive guide to the effective use of modern floating-point arithmetic, which has considerably evolved, from the frequently inconsistent floating-point number systems of early computing to the recent IEEE 754-2008 standard. Most of computational mathematics depends on floating-point numbers, and understanding their various implementations will allow readers to develop programs specifically tailored for the standard’s technical features. Algorithms for floating-point arithmetic are presented throughout the book and illustrated where possible by example programs which show how these techniques appear in actual coding and design. The volume itself breaks its core topic into four parts: the basic concepts and history of floating-point arithmetic; methods of analyzing floating-point algorithms and optimizing them; implementations of IEEE 754-2008 in hardware and software; and useful extensions to the standard floating-point system, such as interval arithmetic, double- and triple-word arithm...

  17. Chlorophyll-a concentration estimation with three bio-optical algorithms: correction for the low concentration range for the Yiam Reservoir, Korea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bio-optical algorithms have been applied to monitor water quality in surface water systems. Empirical algorithms, such as Ritchie (2008), Gons (2008), and Gilerson (2010), have been applied to estimate the chlorophyll-a (chl-a) concentrations. However, the performance of each algorithm severely degr...

  18. Bio-optical characterization in an ultra-oligotrophic region: the North central Red Sea

    KAUST Repository

    Kheireddine, Malika

    2015-04-01

    Until recently, satellite-derived ocean color observations have been the only means of evaluating optical variability of the Red Sea. During a cruise in autumn 2014, we investigated the variability of Inherent Optical Properties (IOPs) in the North Central Red Sea (NCRS) with a particular focus on the particulate backscattering coefficient, bbp, and colored dissolved organic matter, CDOM, absorption. To our knowledge, these are some of the measurements of these properties in the Red Sea. The IOPs are derived from the concentration and physical properties of suspended particles in the ocean. They provide a simple description of the influence of these particles on the light within the water column. Bio-optical relationships found for ultra-oligotrophic waters of the six stations sampled significantly depart from the mean standard relationships provided for the global ocean, showing the peculiar character of the Red Sea. These optical anomalies relate to the specific biological and environmental conditions occurring in the Red Sea ecosystem. Specifically, the surface specific phytoplankton absorption coefficients are lower than the values predicted from the global relationships due to a high proportion of relatively large sized phytoplankton. Conversely, bbp values are much higher than the mean standard values for a given chlorophyll-a concentration, Chl a. This presumably results from the influence of highly refractive submicrometer particles of Saharan origin in the surface layer of the water column.

  19. Floating data acquisition system for microwave calorimeter measurements on MTX

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sewall, N.R.

    1989-01-01

    A microwave calorimeter has been designed for making 140-GHz absorption measurements on the MTX. Measurement of the intensity and spatial distribution of the FEL-generated microwave beam on the inner wall will indicate the absorption characteristics of the plasma when heated with a 140 GHz FEL pulse. The calorimeter works by monitoring changes of temperature in silicon carbide tiles located on the inner wall of the tokamak. Thermistors are used to measure the temperature of each tile. The tiles are located inside the tokamak about 1 cm outside of the limiter radius at machine potential. The success of this measurement depends on our ability to float the data acquisition system near machine potential and isolate it from the rest of the vault ground system. Our data acquisition system has 48 channels of thermistor signal conditioning, a multiplexer and digitizer section, a serial data formatter, and a fiber-optic transmitter to send the data out. Additionally, we bring timing signals to the interface through optical fibers to tell it when to begin measurement, while maintaining isolation. The receiver is an HP 200 Series computer with a serial data interface; the computer provides storage and local display for the shot temperature profile. Additionally, the computer provides temporary storage of the data until it can be passed to a shared resource management system for archiving. 2 refs., 6 figs

  20. Floating data acquisition system for microwave calorimeter measurements on MTX

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sewall, N.R.; Meassick, S.

    1989-01-01

    A microwave calorimeter has been designed for making 140-GHz absorption measurements on the MTX. Measurement of the intensity and spatial distribution of the FEL-generated microwave beam on the inner wall will indicate the absorption characteristics of the plasma when heated with a 140 GHz FEL pulse. The calorimeter works by monitoring changes of temperature in silicon carbide tiles located on the inner wall of the tokamak. Thermistors are used to measure the temperature of each tile. The tiles are located inside the tokamak about 1 cm outside of the limiter radius at machine potential. The success of this measurement depends on our ability to float the data acquisition system near machine potential and isolate it from the rest of the vault ground system. Our data acquisition system has 48 channels of thermistor signal conditioning, a multiplexer and digitizer section, a serial data formatter, and a fiber-optic transmitter to send the data out. Additionally, we bring timing signals to the interface through optical fibers to tell it when to begin measurement, while maintaining isolation. The receiver is an HP 200 series computer with a serial data interface; the computer provides storage and local display for the shot temperature profile. Additionally, the computer provides temporary storage of the data until it can be passed to a shared resource management system for archiving. 2 refs., 6 figs

  1. Improving the surface metrology accuracy of optical profilers by using multiple measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Xudong; Huang, Qiushi; Shen, Zhengxiang; Wang, Zhanshan

    2016-10-01

    The performance of high-resolution optical systems is affected by small angle scattering at the mid-spatial-frequency irregularities of the optical surface. Characterizing these irregularities is, therefore, important. However, surface measurements obtained with optical profilers are influenced by additive white noise, as indicated by the heavy-tail effect observable on their power spectral density (PSD). A multiple-measurement method is used to reduce the effects of white noise by averaging individual measurements. The intensity of white noise is determined using a model based on the theoretical PSD of fractal surface measurements with additive white noise. The intensity of white noise decreases as the number of times of multiple measurements increases. Using multiple measurements also increases the highest observed spatial frequency; this increase is derived and calculated. Additionally, the accuracy obtained using multiple measurements is carefully studied, with the analysis of both the residual reference error after calibration, and the random errors appearing in the range of measured spatial frequencies. The resulting insights on the effects of white noise in optical profiler measurements and the methods to mitigate them may prove invaluable to improve the quality of surface metrology with optical profilers.

  2. Steady-State Linear and Non-linear Optical Spectroscopy of Organic Chromophores and Bio-macromolecules.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marazzi, Marco; Gattuso, Hugo; Monari, Antonio; Assfeld, Xavier

    2018-01-01

    Bio-macromolecules as DNA, lipid membranes and (poly)peptides are essential compounds at the core of biological systems. The development of techniques and methodologies for their characterization is therefore necessary and of utmost interest, even though difficulties can be experienced due to their intrinsic complex nature. Among these methods, spectroscopies, relying on optical properties are especially important to determine their macromolecular structures and behaviors, as well as the possible interactions and reactivity with external dyes-often drugs or pollutants-that can (photo)sensitize the bio-macromolecule leading to eventual chemical modifications, thus damages. In this review, we will focus on the theoretical simulation of electronic spectroscopies of bio-macromolecules, considering their secondary structure and including their interaction with different kind of (photo)sensitizers. Namely, absorption, emission and electronic circular dichroism (CD) spectra are calculated and compared with the available experimental data. Non-linear properties will be also taken into account by two-photon absorption, a highly promising technique (i) to enhance absorption in the red and infra-red windows and (ii) to enhance spatial resolution. Methodologically, the implications of using implicit and explicit solvent, coupled to quantum and thermal samplings of the phase space, will be addressed. Especially, hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) methods are explored for a comparison with solely QM methods, in order to address the necessity to consider an accurate description of environmental effects on spectroscopic properties of biological systems.

  3. Steady-State Linear and Non-linear Optical Spectroscopy of Organic Chromophores and Bio-macromolecules

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marco Marazzi

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Bio-macromolecules as DNA, lipid membranes and (polypeptides are essential compounds at the core of biological systems. The development of techniques and methodologies for their characterization is therefore necessary and of utmost interest, even though difficulties can be experienced due to their intrinsic complex nature. Among these methods, spectroscopies, relying on optical properties are especially important to determine their macromolecular structures and behaviors, as well as the possible interactions and reactivity with external dyes—often drugs or pollutants—that can (photosensitize the bio-macromolecule leading to eventual chemical modifications, thus damages. In this review, we will focus on the theoretical simulation of electronic spectroscopies of bio-macromolecules, considering their secondary structure and including their interaction with different kind of (photosensitizers. Namely, absorption, emission and electronic circular dichroism (CD spectra are calculated and compared with the available experimental data. Non-linear properties will be also taken into account by two-photon absorption, a highly promising technique (i to enhance absorption in the red and infra-red windows and (ii to enhance spatial resolution. Methodologically, the implications of using implicit and explicit solvent, coupled to quantum and thermal samplings of the phase space, will be addressed. Especially, hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM methods are explored for a comparison with solely QM methods, in order to address the necessity to consider an accurate description of environmental effects on spectroscopic properties of biological systems.

  4. Steady-State Linear and Non-linear Optical Spectroscopy of Organic Chromophores and Bio-macromolecules

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marazzi, Marco; Gattuso, Hugo; Monari, Antonio; Assfeld, Xavier

    2018-04-01

    Bio-macromolecules as DNA, lipid membranes and (poly)peptides are essential compounds at the core of biological systems. The development of techniques and methodologies for their characterization is therefore necessary and of utmost interest, even though difficulties can be experienced due to their intrinsic complex nature. Among these methods, spectroscopies, relying on optical properties are especially important to determine their macromolecular structures and behaviors, as well as the possible interactions and reactivity with external dyes – often drugs or pollutants – that can (photo)sensitize the bio-macromolecule leading to eventual chemical modifications, thus damages. In this review, we will focus on the theoretical simulation of electronic spectroscopies of bio-macromolecules, considering their secondary structure and including their interaction with different kind of (photo)sensitizers. Namely, absorption, emission and electronic circular dichroism (CD) spectra are calculated and compared with the available experimental data. Non-linear properties will be also taken into account by two-photon absorption, a highly promising technique (i) to enhance absorption in the red and infra-red windows and (ii) to enhance spatial resolution. Methodologically, the implications of using implicit and explicit solvent, coupled to quantum and thermal samplings of the phase space, will be addressed. Especially, hybrid quantum mechanics/ molecular mechanics (QM/MM) methods are explored for a comparison with solely QM methods, in order to address the necessity to consider an accurate description of environmental effects on spectroscopic properties of biological systems.

  5. Bio-optical data integration based on a 4 D database system approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Imai, N. N.; Shimabukuro, M. H.; Carmo, A. F. C.; Alcantara, E. H.; Rodrigues, T. W. P.; Watanabe, F. S. Y.

    2015-04-01

    Bio-optical characterization of water bodies requires spatio-temporal data about Inherent Optical Properties and Apparent Optical Properties which allow the comprehension of underwater light field aiming at the development of models for monitoring water quality. Measurements are taken to represent optical properties along a column of water, and then the spectral data must be related to depth. However, the spatial positions of measurement may differ since collecting instruments vary. In addition, the records should not refer to the same wavelengths. Additional difficulty is that distinct instruments store data in different formats. A data integration approach is needed to make these large and multi source data sets suitable for analysis. Thus, it becomes possible, even automatically, semi-empirical models evaluation, preceded by preliminary tasks of quality control. In this work it is presented a solution, in the stated scenario, based on spatial - geographic - database approach with the adoption of an object relational Database Management System - DBMS - due to the possibilities to represent all data collected in the field, in conjunction with data obtained by laboratory analysis and Remote Sensing images that have been taken at the time of field data collection. This data integration approach leads to a 4D representation since that its coordinate system includes 3D spatial coordinates - planimetric and depth - and the time when each data was taken. It was adopted PostgreSQL DBMS extended by PostGIS module to provide abilities to manage spatial/geospatial data. It was developed a prototype which has the mainly tools an analyst needs to prepare the data sets for analysis.

  6. Floating offshore turbines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tande, John Olav Giæver; Merz, Karl; Schmidt Paulsen, Uwe

    2014-01-01

    metric of energy production per unit steel mass. Floating offshore wind turbines represent a promising technology. The successful operation of HyWind and WindFloat in full scale demonstrates a well advanced technology readiness level, where further development will go into refining the concepts, cost...

  7. Cascade Analysis of a Floating Wind Turbine Rotor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eliassen, Lene; Jakobsen, Jasna B; Knauer, Andreas; Nielsen, Finn Gunnar

    2014-01-01

    Mounting a wind turbine on a floating foundation introduces more complexity to the aerodynamic loading. The floater motion contains a wide range of frequencies. To study some of the basic dynamic load effect on the blades due to these motions, a two-dimensional cascade approach, combined with a potential vortex method, is used. This is an alternative method to study the aeroelastic behavior of wind turbines that is different from the traditional blade element momentum method. The analysis tool demands little computational power relative to a full three dimensional vortex method, and can handle unsteady flows. When using the cascade plane, a ''cut'' is made at a section of the wind turbine blade. The flow is viewed parallel to the blade axis at this cut. The cascade model is commonly used for analysis of turbo machineries. Due to the simplicity of the code it requires little computational resources, however it has limitations in its validity. It can only handle two-dimensional potential flow, i.e. including neither three-dimensional effects, such as the tip loss effect, nor boundary layers and stall effects are modeled. The computational tool can however be valuable in the overall analysis of floating wind turbines, and evaluation of the rotor control system. A check of the validity of the vortex panel code using an airfoil profile is performed, comparing the variation of the lift force, to the theoretically derived Wagner function. To analyse the floating wind turbine, a floating structure with hub height 90 m is chosen. An axial motion of the rotor is considered

  8. Observing Physical and Biological Drivers of pH and O2 in a Seasonal Ice Zone in the Ross Sea Using Profiling Float Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Briggs, E.; Martz, T. R.; Talley, L. D.; Mazloff, M. R.

    2015-12-01

    Ice cover has strong influence over gas exchange, vertical stability, and biological production which are critical to understanding the Southern Ocean's central role in oceanic biogeochemical cycling and heat and carbon uptake under a changing climate. However the relative influence of physical versus biological processes in this hard-to-study region is poorly understood due to limited observations. Here we present new findings from a profiling float equipped with biogeochemical sensors in the seasonal ice zone of the Ross Sea capturing, for the first time, under-ice pH profile data over a two year timespan from 2014 to the present. The relative influence of physical (e.g. vertical mixing and air-sea gas exchange) and biological (e.g. production and respiration) drivers of pH and O2 within the mixed layer are explored during the phases of ice formation, ice cover, and ice melt over the two seasonal cycles. During the austral fall just prior to and during ice formation, O2 increases as expected due to surface-layer undersaturation and enhanced gas exchange. A small increase in pH is also observed during this phase, but without a biological signal in accompanying profiling float chlorophyll data, which goes against common reasoning from both a biological and physical standpoint. During the phase of ice cover, gas exchange is inhibited and a clear respiration signal is observed in pH and O2 data from which respiration rates are calculated. In the austral spring, ice melt gives rise to substantial ice edge phytoplankton blooms indicated by O2 supersaturation and corresponding increase in pH and large chlorophyll signal. The influence of the duration of ice cover and mixed layer depth on the magnitude of the ice edge blooms is explored between the two seasonal cycles.

  9. Experiments in a floating water bridge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woisetschläger, Jakob; Gatterer, Karl; Fuchs, Elmar C.

    2010-01-01

    In a high-voltage direct-current experiment, a watery connection formed between two beakers filled with deionized water, giving the impression of a `floating water bridge'. Having a few millimeters diameter and up to 2.5 cm length, this watery connection reveals a number of interesting phenomena currently discussed in water science. Focusing on optical measurement techniques, the flow through the bridge was visualized and data were recorded such as flow velocity and directions, heat production, density fluctuations, pH values, drag force and mass transfer. To provide a better understanding of the basic phenomena involved the discussion references related literature.

  10. Single Mode SU8 Polymer Based Mach-Zehnder Interferometer for Bio-Sensing Application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boiragi, Indrajit; Kundu, Sushanta; Makkar, Roshan; Chalapathi, Krishnamurthy

    2011-10-01

    This paper explains the influence of different parameters to the sensitivity of an optical waveguide Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) for real time detection of biomolecules. The sensing principle is based on the interaction of evanescence field with the biomolecules that get immobilized on sensing arm. The sensitivity has been calculated by varying the sensing window length, wavelength and concentration of bio-analyte. The maximum attainable sensitivity for the preferred design is the order of 10-8 RIU at 840 nm wavelength with a sensing window length of 1cm. All the simulation work has been carried out with Opti-BPMCAD for the optimization of MZI device parameters. The SU8 polymers are used as a core and clad material to fabricate the waveguide. The refractive index of cladding layer is optimized by varying the curing temperature for a fixed time period and the achieved index difference between core and clad is Δn = 0.0151. The fabricated MZI device has been characterized with LASER beam profiler at 840 nm wavelength. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of the different parameter to the sensitivity of a single mode optical waveguide Mach-Zehnder Interferometer for bio-sensing application.

  11. Preparation and investigation of novel gastro-floating tablets with 3D extrusion-based printing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Qijun; Guan, Xiaoying; Cui, Mengsuo; Zhu, Zhihong; Chen, Kai; Wen, Haoyang; Jia, Danyang; Hou, Jian; Xu, Wenting; Yang, Xinggang; Pan, Weisan

    2018-01-15

    Three dimensional (3D) extrusion-based printing is a paste-based rapid prototyping process, which is capable of building complex 3D structures. The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of 3D extrusion-based printing as a pharmaceutical manufacture technique for the fabrication of gastro-floating tablets. Novel low-density lattice internal structure gastro-floating tablets of dipyridamole were developed to prolong the gastric residence time in order to improve drug release rate and consequently, improve bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy. Excipients commonly employed in the pharmaceutical study could be efficiently applied in the room temperature 3D extrusion-based printing process. The tablets were designed with three kinds of infill percentage and prepared by hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC K4M) and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC E15) as hydrophilic matrices and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC PH101) as extrusion molding agent. In vitro evaluation of the 3D printed gastro-floating tablets was performed by determining mechanical properties, content uniformity, and weight variation. Furthermore, re-floating ability, floating duration time, and drug release behavior were also evaluated. Dissolution profiles revealed the relationship between infill percentage and drug release behavior. The results of this study revealed the potential of 3D extrusion-based printing to fabricate gastro-floating tablets with more than 8h floating process with traditional pharmaceutical excipients and lattice internal structure design. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  12. Thermal, spectroscopic and laser properties of Nd3+ in gadolinium scandium gallium garnet crystal produced by optical floating zone method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, Li; Wang, Shuxian; Wu, Kui; Wang, Baolin; Yu, Haohai; Zhang, Huaijin; Cai, Huaqiang; Huang, Hui

    2013-12-01

    A neodymium-doped gadolinium scandium gallium garnet (Nd:GSGG) single crystal with dimensions of Φ 5 × 20 mm2 has been grown by means of optical floating zone (OFZ). X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) result shows that the as-grown Nd:GSGG crystal possesses a cubic structure with space group Ia3d and a cell parameter of a = 1.2561 nm. Effective elemental segregation coefficients of the Nd:GSGG as-grown crystal were calculated by using X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The thermal properties of the Nd:GSGG crystal were systematically studied by measuring the specific heat, thermal expansion and thermal diffusion coefficient, and the thermal conductivity of this crystal was calculated. The absorption and luminescence spectra of Nd:GSGG were measured at room temperature (RT). By using the Judd-Ofelt (J-O) theory, the theoretical radiative lifetime was calculated and compared with the experimental result. Continuous wave (CW) laser performance was achieved with the Nd:GSGG at the wavelength of 1062 nm when it was pumped by a laser diode (LD). A maximum output power of 0.792 W at 1062 nm was obtained with a slope efficiency of 11.89% under a pump power of 7.36 W, and an optical-optical conversion efficiency of 11.72%.

  13. Integrated dual-tomography for refractive index analysis of free-floating single living cell with isotropic superresolution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    B, Vinoth; Lai, Xin-Ji; Lin, Yu-Chih; Tu, Han-Yen; Cheng, Chau-Jern

    2018-04-13

    Digital holographic microtomography is a promising technique for three-dimensional (3D) measurement of the refractive index (RI) profiles of biological specimens. Measurement of the RI distribution of a free-floating single living cell with an isotropic superresolution had not previously been accomplished. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study focusing on the development of an integrated dual-tomographic (IDT) imaging system for RI measurement of an unlabelled free-floating single living cell with an isotropic superresolution by combining the spatial frequencies of full-angle specimen rotation with those of beam rotation. A novel 'UFO' (unidentified flying object) like shaped coherent transfer function is obtained. The IDT imaging system does not require any complex image-processing algorithm for 3D reconstruction. The working principle was successfully demonstrated and a 3D RI profile of a single living cell, Candida rugosa, was obtained with an isotropic superresolution. This technology is expected to set a benchmark for free-floating single live sample measurements without labeling or any special sample preparations for the experiments.

  14. 14 CFR 27.753 - Main float design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Main float design. 27.753 Section 27.753... STANDARDS: NORMAL CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Design and Construction Floats and Hulls § 27.753 Main float design. (a) Bag floats. Each bag float must be designed to withstand— (1) The maximum pressure differential...

  15. 14 CFR 29.753 - Main float design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Main float design. 29.753 Section 29.753... STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Design and Construction Floats and Hulls § 29.753 Main float design. (a) Bag floats. Each bag float must be designed to withstand— (1) The maximum pressure differential...

  16. A statistical method for correcting salinity observations from autonomous profiling floats: An ARGO perspective

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Durand, F.; Reverdin, G.

    the second consists of a least squares adjustment of the data of the various floats. The authors' method exhibits good skills to retrieve the proper hydrological structure of the case study area. It significantly improves the consistency of the PALACE dataset...

  17. Wave attenuation charcteristics of tethered float system

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Vethamony, P.

    incident wave height transmitted wave height G wave number float mass number of rows of floats drag power transmitted wave power incident wave power 111 112 P. Vethamony float radius wave period time velocity and acceleration of fluid... particles, respectively wave attenuation in percentage displacement, velocity and acceleration of float, respectively amplitude of float displacement added mass damping coefficient fluid particle displacement amplitude of fluid particle displacement...

  18. Biochemical gas sensor (bio-sniffer) for ultrahigh-sensitive gaseous formaldehyde monitoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kudo, Hiroyuki; Suzuki, Yuki; Gessei, Tomoko; Takahashi, Daishi; Arakawa, Takahiro; Mitsubayashi, Kohji

    2010-10-15

    An ultrahigh-sensitive fiber-optic biochemical gas sensor (bio-sniffer) for continuous monitoring of indoor formaldehyde was constructed and tested. The bio-sniffer measures gaseous formaldehyde as fluorescence of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), which is the product of formaldehyde dehydrogenase (FALDH) reaction. The bio-sniffer device was constructed by attaching a flow cell with a FALDH immobilized membrane onto a fiber-optic NADH measurement system. The NADH measurement system utilizes an ultraviolet-light emitting diode (UV-LED) with peak emission of 335 nm as an excitation light source. The excitation light was introduced to an optical fiber probe, and fluorescence emission of neighboring NADH, which was produced by applying formaldehyde vapor to the FALDH membrane, was concentrically measured with a photomultiplier tube. Assessment of the bio-sniffer was carried out using a standard gas generator. Response, calibration range and selectivity to other chemical substances were investigated. Circulating phosphate buffer, which contained NAD+, available for continuous monitoring of formaldehyde vapor. The calibration range of the bio-sniffer was 2.5 ppb to 10 ppm, which covers the guideline value of the World Health Organization (80 ppb). High selectivity to other gaseous substances due to specific activity of FALDH was also confirmed. Considering its high sensitivity, a possible application of the bio-sniffer is continuous indoor formaldehyde monitoring to provide healthy residential atmosphere. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Cefuroxime axetil loaded gastroretentive floating tabletsbased on hydrophilic polymers: preparation and in vitro evaluation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Snehamayee Mohapatra

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this work was to study the formulation and in vitro characterization of hydro dynamically balanced floating matrix tablets using Cefuroxime axetil (CA as model drug. Different excipients such as hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC K15M, E5LV (gelling agent, sodium bicarbonate (gas generating agent and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS (solubility enhancer were used in order to optimize the drug release profile as well as floating property. Decrease in release characteristics with high viscous polymer were observed due to increased gel strength, tortuosity and length of drug diffusion path. Significant difference (p<0.5 in release rate was found at different concentration of SLS. The release mechanisms were explored and explained with zero order, first order, Higuchi, Korsmeyer and Hixson-Crowell equations. The release rate, extent and mechanism were governed by the content of polymer. The polymer content and amount of floating agent significantly affected the time required for 50%of drug release (t50%, mean dissolution time (MDT, release rate constant, and diffusion exponent (n.Kinetic modeling of dissolution profile revealed that the drug release mechanism could range from diffusion controlled to case II transport, which was co-dominated by diffusion polymer erosion in the release mechanism.

  20. FLOAT Project - Task 1

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Marchalot, Tanguy; Kofoed, Jens Peter; Sørensen, Eigil V.

    .com, 2011). CRC floats could be a very cost-effective technology with enhanced loading capacity and environmental resistance, and very low maintenance requirements, affecting directly the final energy price. The project involves DEXA Wave Energy Ltd, Wave Star A/S, Aalborg University and Hi-Con A......The objective of the FLOAT project is to study the reliability of high-performance fibre-reinforced concrete, also known as Compact Reinforced Composite (CRC), for the floats of wave energy converters. In order to reach commercial breakthrough, wave energy converters need to achieve a lower price...

  1. BioSunMS: a plug-in-based software for the management of patients information and the analysis of peptide profiles from mass spectrometry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhang Xuemin

    2009-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background With wide applications of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS and surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS, statistical comparison of serum peptide profiles and management of patients information play an important role in clinical studies, such as early diagnosis, personalized medicine and biomarker discovery. However, current available software tools mainly focused on data analysis rather than providing a flexible platform for both the management of patients information and mass spectrometry (MS data analysis. Results Here we presented a plug-in-based software, BioSunMS, for both the management of patients information and serum peptide profiles-based statistical analysis. By integrating all functions into a user-friendly desktop application, BioSunMS provided a comprehensive solution for clinical researchers without any knowledge in programming, as well as a plug-in architecture platform with the possibility for developers to add or modify functions without need to recompile the entire application. Conclusion BioSunMS provides a plug-in-based solution for managing, analyzing, and sharing high volumes of MALDI-TOF or SELDI-TOF MS data. The software is freely distributed under GNU General Public License (GPL and can be downloaded from http://sourceforge.net/projects/biosunms/.

  2. A robust fibre laser system for electro-optic electron bunch profile measurements at FLASH

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wissmann, Laurens-Georg

    2012-08-15

    For the electro-optic measurement of electron bunch profiles at FLASH a robust ytterbium doped fibre laser (YDFL) system has been developed consisting of a laser oscillator and a two-staged amplifier. The oscillator is designed to meet the specifications of high reliability and low noise operation. The amplifier makes use of tailored nonlinearity to enhance the spectral bandwidth of the output laser pulses. Active repetition rate control enables sub-picosecond synchronisation of the laser to the accelerator reference RF. Using a two-stage gating scheme the output pulse train repetition rate is adopted to the accelerator repetition rate. An experimental site used for electro-optic electron bunch diagnostics has been redesigned to support single-shot bunch profile measurements based on spectral decoding. An existing bunch profile monitor with a similar laser system was upgraded and electro-optic bunch profile measurements were conducted, allowing for a comparison with measurements done with other longitudinal electron bunch diagnostics and with former measurements.

  3. A robust fibre laser system for electro-optic electron bunch profile measurements at FLASH

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wissmann, Laurens-Georg

    2012-08-01

    For the electro-optic measurement of electron bunch profiles at FLASH a robust ytterbium doped fibre laser (YDFL) system has been developed consisting of a laser oscillator and a two-staged amplifier. The oscillator is designed to meet the specifications of high reliability and low noise operation. The amplifier makes use of tailored nonlinearity to enhance the spectral bandwidth of the output laser pulses. Active repetition rate control enables sub-picosecond synchronisation of the laser to the accelerator reference RF. Using a two-stage gating scheme the output pulse train repetition rate is adopted to the accelerator repetition rate. An experimental site used for electro-optic electron bunch diagnostics has been redesigned to support single-shot bunch profile measurements based on spectral decoding. An existing bunch profile monitor with a similar laser system was upgraded and electro-optic bunch profile measurements were conducted, allowing for a comparison with measurements done with other longitudinal electron bunch diagnostics and with former measurements.

  4. Floating Microparticulate Oral Diltiazem Hydrochloride Delivery ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Purpose: To formulate and evaluate floating microparticulate oral diltiazem delivery system for possible delivery to the heart. Method: Floating microspheres were prepared using cellulose acetate and Eudragit RS100 polymers by emulsion solvent evaporation technique. The dried floating microspheres were evaluated for ...

  5. Growth, and magnetic study of Sm0.4Er0.6FeO3 single crystal grown by optical floating zone technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Anhua; Zhao, Xiangyang; Man, Peiwen; Su, Liangbi; Kalashnikova, A. M.; Pisarev, R. V.

    2018-03-01

    Sm0.4Er0.6FeO3 single crystals were successfully grown by optical floating zone method; high quality samples with various orientations were manufactured. Based on these samples, Magnetic property of Sm0.4Er0.6FeO3 single crystals were investigated systemically by means of the temperature dependence of magnetization. It indicated that compositional variations not only alter the spin reorientation temperature, but also the compensation temperature of the orthoferrites. Unlike single rare earth orthoferrites, the reversal transition temperature point of Sm0.4Er0.6FeO3 increases as magnetic field increases, which is positive for designing novel spin switching or magnetic sensor device.

  6. Variation of particulate organic carbon and its relationship with bio-optical properties during a phytoplankton bloom in the Pearl River estuary

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Guifen; Zhou Wen; Cao Wenxi; Yin Jianping; Yang Yuezhong; Sun Zhaohua; Zhang Yuanzhi; Zhao Jun

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → A study about relationship between POC and optical properties during a phytoplankton bloom. → Empirical algorithms for retrieving POC concentration from optical data were developed. → Phytoplankton carbon and it's ratio to Chl-a are estimated and discussed. → Demonstrates that marine optical buoy can be a new platform for monitoring biogeochemical cycle. - Abstract: In this study, variations in the particulate organic carbon (POC) were monitored during a phytoplankton bloom event, and the corresponding changes in bio-optical properties were tracked at one station (114.29 o E, 22.06 o N) located in the Pearl River estuary. A greater than 10-fold increase in POC (112.29-1173.36 mg m -3 ) was observed during the bloom, with the chlorophyll a concentration (Chl-a) varying from 0.984 to 25.941 mg m -3 . A power law function is used to describe the relationship between POC and Chl-a, and the POC:Chl-a ratio tends to change inversely with Chl-a. Phytoplankton carbon concentration is indirectly estimated using the conceptual model proposed by , and this carbon is found to contribute 47.21% (±10.65%) to total POC. The estimated carbon-to-chlorophyll ratio of phytoplankton in diatom-dominated waters is found to be comparable with results reported in the literature. Empirical algorithms for determining the concentrations of Chl-a and POC were developed based on the relationships of these variables with the blue-to-green reflectance ratio. With these bio-optical models, the levels of particulate organic carbon and Chl-a could be predicted from the radiometric data measured by a marine optical buoy, which showed much more detailed information about the variability in biogeochemical parameters during this bloom event.

  7. Optical escape factors for Doppler profiles in spherical, cylindrical and plane parallel geometries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Otsuka, Masamoto.

    1977-12-01

    Optical escape factors for Doppler profiles in spherical, cylindrical and plane parallel geometries are tabulated over the range of optical depths from 10 -3 to 10 5 . Relations with the known formulae are discussed also. (auth.)

  8. Electrically floating, near vertical incidence, skywave antenna

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Allen A.; Kaser, Timothy G.; Tremblay, Paul A.; Mays, Belva L.

    2014-07-08

    An Electrically Floating, Near Vertical Incidence, Skywave (NVIS) Antenna comprising an antenna element, a floating ground element, and a grounding element. At least part of said floating ground element is positioned between said antenna element and said grounding element. The antenna is separated from the floating ground element and the grounding element by one or more electrical insulators. The floating ground element is separated from said antenna and said grounding element by one or more electrical insulators.

  9. 14 CFR 23.753 - Main float design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Main float design. 23.753 Section 23.753... STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Design and Construction Floats and Hulls § 23.753 Main float design. Each seaplane main float must meet the requirements of § 23.521. [Doc...

  10. Beam profile measurements using nonimaging gamma optics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Norem, J.; Dawson, J.; Haberichter, W.; Lam, R.; Reed, L.; Yang, X.F.; Spencer, J.

    1995-01-01

    High energy photons produced from bremsstrahlung foils, Compton scattering or beamstrahlung from high energy e + e - collisions can be used to measure beam profiles using nonimaging optics. We describe the method and its limitations (resolution, backgrounds etc.), as well as the apparatus required to implement it. Data from a low energy test run is described as well as other possible applications, such as a 250+250 GeV linear collider and possible experiments with existing beams. (orig.)

  11. An optical water type framework for selecting and blending retrievals from bio-optical algorithms in lakes and coastal waters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, Timothy S; Dowell, Mark D; Bradt, Shane; Verdu, Antonio Ruiz

    2014-03-05

    Bio-optical models are based on relationships between the spectral remote sensing reflectance and optical properties of in-water constituents. The wavelength range where this information can be exploited changes depending on the water characteristics. In low chlorophyll- a waters, the blue/green region of the spectrum is more sensitive to changes in chlorophyll- a concentration, whereas the red/NIR region becomes more important in turbid and/or eutrophic waters. In this work we present an approach to manage the shift from blue/green ratios to red/NIR-based chlorophyll- a algorithms for optically complex waters. Based on a combined in situ data set of coastal and inland waters, measures of overall algorithm uncertainty were roughly equal for two chlorophyll- a algorithms-the standard NASA OC4 algorithm based on blue/green bands and a MERIS 3-band algorithm based on red/NIR bands-with RMS error of 0.416 and 0.437 for each in log chlorophyll- a units, respectively. However, it is clear that each algorithm performs better at different chlorophyll- a ranges. When a blending approach is used based on an optical water type classification, the overall RMS error was reduced to 0.320. Bias and relative error were also reduced when evaluating the blended chlorophyll- a product compared to either of the single algorithm products. As a demonstration for ocean color applications, the algorithm blending approach was applied to MERIS imagery over Lake Erie. We also examined the use of this approach in several coastal marine environments, and examined the long-term frequency of the OWTs to MODIS-Aqua imagery over Lake Erie.

  12. Floating polygon soup

    OpenAIRE

    Colleu , Thomas; Morin , Luce; Pateux , Stéphane; Labit , Claude

    2011-01-01

    International audience; This paper presents a new representation called floating polygon soup for applications like 3DTV and FTV (Free Viewpoint Television). This representation is based on 3D polygons and takes as input MVD data. It extends the previously proposed polygon soup representation which is appropriate for both compression, transmission and rendering stages. The floating polygon soup conserves these advantages while also taking into account misalignments at the view synthesis stage...

  13. Have Floating Rates Been a Success?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Higham, David

    1983-01-01

    Floating exchange rates have not lived up to all expectations, but neither have they performed as badly as some critics have suggested. Examined are the impact of floating rates on balance of payments adjustment, domestic economic policy, and inflation and the claim that floating rates have displayed excessive fluctuations. (Author/RM)

  14. Seasonal variability in bio-optical properties along the coastal waters off Cochin

    KAUST Repository

    Vishnu, P.S.; Shaju, S.S.; Tiwari, Surya Prakash; Menon, Nandini; Nashad, M.; Joseph, C. Ajith; Raman, Mini; Hatha, Mohamed; Prabhakaran, M.P.; Mohandas, A.

    2017-01-01

    Strong seasonal upwelling, downwelling, changes in current patterns and the volume of freshwater discharge from Cochin Estuary defines the coastal waters off Cochin. These coastal waters were investigated through monthly sampling efforts during March 2015 to February 2016 to study the seasonal and spatial variability in bio-optical properties for the four different seasons mainly Spring Inter Monsoon (SIM), South West Monsoon (SWM), Fall Inter Monsoon (FIM) and Winter Monsoon (WM). The Barmouth region is the meeting place where freshwater from Cochin Estuary directly enters to the sea through a single narrow outlet, was dominated by highly turbid waters during the entire period of study. Among the four seasons, chlorophyll a (Chl_a) concentration showed a high value during SWM, ranged from 2.90 to 11.66 mg m−3 with an average value of 6.56 ± 3.51 mg m−3. During SIM the distribution of coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) is controlled by decomposition of phytoplankton biomass and the river discharge, whereas during SWM the temporal distribution of CDOM is controlled only by river discharge. The highest value for CDOM spectral slope (SCDOM) was observed during SWM, ranged from 0.013 to 0.020 nm−1 with an average value of 0.015 ± 0.002 nm−1. During WM, the high SCDOM with lower aCDOM (443) indicates the photo-degradation affects the absorption characteristics of CDOM. The observed nonlinearity between Chl_a and the ratio of phytoplankton absorption aph (443)/aph (670) indicating the packaging effect and changes in the intercellular composition of pigments. During the study period, aph (670) was strongly correlated with Chl_a than aph (443), which explains the accessory pigment absorption dominating more than Chl_a in the blue part of the spectrum. Similarly, the results obtained from seasonal bio-optical data indicating that Chl_a significantly contributes light attenuation of the water column during SIM, whereas detritus (ad

  15. Seasonal variability in bio-optical properties along the coastal waters off Cochin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vishnu, P. S.; Shaju, S. S.; Tiwari, S. P.; Menon, Nandini; Nashad, M.; Joseph, C. Ajith; Raman, Mini; Hatha, Mohamed; Prabhakaran, M. P.; Mohandas, A.

    2018-04-01

    Strong seasonal upwelling, downwelling, changes in current patterns and the volume of freshwater discharge from Cochin Estuary defines the coastal waters off Cochin. These coastal waters were investigated through monthly sampling efforts during March 2015 to February 2016 to study the seasonal and spatial variability in bio-optical properties for the four different seasons mainly Spring Inter Monsoon (SIM), South West Monsoon (SWM), Fall Inter Monsoon (FIM) and Winter Monsoon (WM). The Barmouth region is the meeting place where freshwater from Cochin Estuary directly enters to the sea through a single narrow outlet, was dominated by highly turbid waters during the entire period of study. Among the four seasons, chlorophyll a (Chl_a) concentration showed a high value during SWM, ranged from 2.90 to 11.66 mg m-3 with an average value of 6.56 ± 3.51 mg m-3. During SIM the distribution of coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) is controlled by decomposition of phytoplankton biomass and the river discharge, whereas during SWM the temporal distribution of CDOM is controlled only by river discharge. The highest value for CDOM spectral slope (SCDOM) was observed during SWM, ranged from 0.013 to 0.020 nm-1 with an average value of 0.015 ± 0.002 nm-1. During WM, the high SCDOM with lower aCDOM (443) indicates the photo-degradation affects the absorption characteristics of CDOM. The observed nonlinearity between Chl_a and the ratio of phytoplankton absorption aph (443)/aph (670) indicating the packaging effect and changes in the intercellular composition of pigments. During the study period, aph (670) was strongly correlated with Chl_a than aph (443), which explains the accessory pigment absorption dominating more than Chl_a in the blue part of the spectrum. Similarly, the results obtained from seasonal bio-optical data indicating that Chl_a significantly contributes light attenuation of the water column during SIM, whereas detritus (ad) significantly contributes light

  16. Seasonal variability in bio-optical properties along the coastal waters off Cochin

    KAUST Repository

    Vishnu, P.S.

    2017-12-15

    Strong seasonal upwelling, downwelling, changes in current patterns and the volume of freshwater discharge from Cochin Estuary defines the coastal waters off Cochin. These coastal waters were investigated through monthly sampling efforts during March 2015 to February 2016 to study the seasonal and spatial variability in bio-optical properties for the four different seasons mainly Spring Inter Monsoon (SIM), South West Monsoon (SWM), Fall Inter Monsoon (FIM) and Winter Monsoon (WM). The Barmouth region is the meeting place where freshwater from Cochin Estuary directly enters to the sea through a single narrow outlet, was dominated by highly turbid waters during the entire period of study. Among the four seasons, chlorophyll a (Chl_a) concentration showed a high value during SWM, ranged from 2.90 to 11.66 mg m−3 with an average value of 6.56 ± 3.51 mg m−3. During SIM the distribution of coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) is controlled by decomposition of phytoplankton biomass and the river discharge, whereas during SWM the temporal distribution of CDOM is controlled only by river discharge. The highest value for CDOM spectral slope (SCDOM) was observed during SWM, ranged from 0.013 to 0.020 nm−1 with an average value of 0.015 ± 0.002 nm−1. During WM, the high SCDOM with lower aCDOM (443) indicates the photo-degradation affects the absorption characteristics of CDOM. The observed nonlinearity between Chl_a and the ratio of phytoplankton absorption aph (443)/aph (670) indicating the packaging effect and changes in the intercellular composition of pigments. During the study period, aph (670) was strongly correlated with Chl_a than aph (443), which explains the accessory pigment absorption dominating more than Chl_a in the blue part of the spectrum. Similarly, the results obtained from seasonal bio-optical data indicating that Chl_a significantly contributes light attenuation of the water column during SIM, whereas detritus (ad

  17. Bio-Photonic Detection of Various Cellular Cultures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hann, Patrick; Garzon, Maria; Pfeiffer, Erik; Lofland, Samuel; Knoesel, Ernst

    2008-03-01

    Since it is non-invasive, there has been increased research in the field of bio-optics. Many biological systems display an unusual phenomenon, delayed luminescence, produced by what is known as bio-photons. We present an apparatus and procedure for the detection of these ultra-weak photonic emissions using a single photon detection device. The results of bread yeast, saccramyces, and algae will be presented and compared to other reports in the literature

  18. A new assessment of floating exchange rates

    OpenAIRE

    Waimann, D. R.

    1981-01-01

    The switch to floating exchange rates during the 1970s has given economists the first comprehensive opportunity to assess the arguments for and against floating. Much new work has been done on various aspects of floating exchange rate behaviour. This article attempts a limited survey of the evidence concerning two important issues—whether floating exchange rates are inherently unstable and whether they harm international trade.

  19. Seven centuries of atmospheric Pb deposition recorded in a floating mire from Central Italy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaccone, Claudio; Lobianco, Daniela; D'Orazio, Valeria; Miano, Teodoro M.; Shotyk, William

    2016-04-01

    Floating mires generally consist of emergent vegetation rooted in highly organic buoyant mats that rise and fall with changes in water level. Generally speaking, the entire floating mass (mat) is divided into a mat root zone and an underlying mat peat zone. Floating mires are distributed world-wide; large areas of floating marsh occur along rivers and lakes in Africa, the Danube Delta in Romania, the Amazon River in South America, and in the Mississippi River delta in USA, whereas smaller areas occur also in The Netherlands, Australia and Canada. While peat cores from ombrotrophic bogs have been often (and successfully) used to reconstruct changes in the atmospheric deposition of several metals (including Pb), no studies are present in literature about the possibility to use peat profiles from floating mires. To test the hypothesis that peat-forming floating mires could provide an exceptional tool for environmental studies, a complete, 4-m deep peat profile was collected in July 2012 from the floating island of Posta Fibreno, a relic mire in the Central Italy. This floating island has a diameter of ca. 30 m, a submerged thickness of about 3 m, and the vegetation is organized in concentric belts, from the Carex paniculata palisade to the Sphagnum palustre centre. The whole core was frozen cut each 1-to-2 cm (n =231), and Pb determined by quadrupole ICP-MS (at the ultraclean SWAMP lab, University of Alberta, Canada) in each sample throughout the first 100 cm, and in each odd-numbered slice for the remaining 300 cm. The 14C age dating of organic sediments (silty peat) isolated from the sample at 385 cm of depth revealed that the island probably formed ca. 700 yrs ago. Lead concentration trend shows at least two main zones of interest, i.e., a clear peak (ranging from 200 to 1600 ppm) between 110-115 cm of depth, probably corresponding to early 1960's - late 1970's, and a broad band (80-160 ppm) between 295-320 cm of depth, corresponding to approximately AD 1480

  20. The floating knee

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Muñoz Vives, Josep; Bel, Jean-Christophe; Capel Agundez, Arantxa

    2016-01-01

    In 1975, Blake and McBryde established the concept of 'floating knee' to describe ipsilateral fractures of the femur and tibia.1This combination is much more than a bone lesion; the mechanism is usually a high-energy trauma in a patient with multiple injuries and a myriad of other lesions...... fixation when both fractures (femoral and tibial) are extra-articular.Plates are the 'standard of care' in cases with articular fractures.A combination of implants are required by 40% of floating knees.Associated ligamentous and meniscal lesions are common, but may be irrelevant in the case of an intra......-articular fracture which gives the worst prognosis for this type of lesion. Cite this article: Muñoz Vives K, Bel J-C, Capel Agundez A, Chana Rodríguez F, Palomo Traver J, Schultz-Larsen M, Tosounidis, T. The floating knee.EFORT Open Rev2016;1:375-382. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.1.000042....

  1. The relevance of light diffusion profiles for interstitial PDT using light-diffusing optical fibers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stringasci, Mirian D.; Fortunato, Thereza C.; Moriyama, Lilian T.; Vollet Filho, José Dirceu; Bagnato, Vanderlei S.; Kurachi, Cristina

    2017-02-01

    Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a technique used for several tumor types treatment. Light penetration on biological tissue is one limiting factor for PDT applied to large tumors. An alternative is using interstitial PDT, in which optical fibers are inserted into tumors. Cylindrical diffusers have been used in interstitial PDT. Light emission of different diffusers depends on the manufacturing process, size and optical properties of fibers, which make difficult to establish an adequate light dosimetry, since usually light profile is not designed for direct tissue-fiber contact. This study discusses the relevance of light distribution by a cylindrical diffuser into a turbid lipid emulsion solution, and how parts of a single diffuser contribute to illumination. A 2 cm-long cylindrical diffuser optical fiber was connected to a diode laser (630 nm), and the light spatial distribution was measured by scanning the solution with a collection probe. From the light field profile generated by a 1 mm-long intermediary element of a 20 mm-long cylindrical diffuser, recovery of light distribution for the entire diffuser was obtained. PDT was performed in rat healthy liver for a real treatment outcome analysis. By using computational tools, a typical necrosis profile generated by the irradiation with such a diffuser fiber was reconstructed. The results showed that it was possible predicting theoretically the shape of a necrosis profile in a healthy, homogeneous tissue with reasonable accuracy. The ability to predict the necrosis profile obtained from an interstitial illumination by optical diffusers has the potential improve light dosimetry for interstitial PDT.

  2. Control development for floating wind

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Savenije, Feike; Peeringa, Johan

    2014-01-01

    Control of a floating wind turbine has proven to be challenging, but essential for lowering the cost of floating wind energy. Topic of a recent joint R and D project by GustoMSC, MARIN and ECN, is the concept design and verification with coupled simulations and model tests of the GustoMSC Tri-Floater. Only using an integral design approach, including mooring and control design, a cost effective system can be obtained. In this project, ECN developed a general floating wind turbine control strategy and applied this in a case study to the GustoMSC Tri-Floater and the OC3Hywind spar, both equipped with the NREL 5MW RWT. The designed controller ensures stable operation, while maintaining proper speed and power regulation. The motions of the floating support are reduced and substantial load reduction has been achieved

  3. Fiber-Optic Chemical Sensors and Fiber-Optic Bio-Sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pospíšilová, Marie; Kuncová, Gabriela; Trögl, Josef

    2015-01-01

    This review summarizes principles and current stage of development of fiber-optic chemical sensors (FOCS) and biosensors (FOBS). Fiber optic sensor (FOS) systems use the ability of optical fibers (OF) to guide the light in the spectral range from ultraviolet (UV) (180 nm) up to middle infrared (IR) (10 µm) and modulation of guided light by the parameters of the surrounding environment of the OF core. The introduction of OF in the sensor systems has brought advantages such as measurement in flammable and explosive environments, immunity to electrical noises, miniaturization, geometrical flexibility, measurement of small sample volumes, remote sensing in inaccessible sites or harsh environments and multi-sensing. The review comprises briefly the theory of OF elaborated for sensors, techniques of fabrications and analytical results reached with fiber-optic chemical and biological sensors. PMID:26437407

  4. Fiber-Optic Chemical Sensors and Fiber-Optic Bio-Sensors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pospíšilová, Marie; Kuncová, Gabriela; Trögl, Josef

    2015-09-30

    This review summarizes principles and current stage of development of fiber-optic chemical sensors (FOCS) and biosensors (FOBS). Fiber optic sensor (FOS) systems use the ability of optical fibers (OF) to guide the light in the spectral range from ultraviolet (UV) (180 nm) up to middle infrared (IR) (10 μm) and modulation of guided light by the parameters of the surrounding environment of the OF core. The introduction of OF in the sensor systems has brought advantages such as measurement in flammable and explosive environments, immunity to electrical noises, miniaturization, geometrical flexibility, measurement of small sample volumes, remote sensing in inaccessible sites or harsh environments and multi-sensing. The review comprises briefly the theory of OF elaborated for sensors, techniques of fabrications and analytical results reached with fiber-optic chemical and biological sensors.

  5. 14 CFR 25.753 - Main float design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Main float design. 25.753 Section 25.753 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY AIRPLANES Design and Construction Floats and Hulls § 25.753 Main float design...

  6. Assessing biological and chemical signatures related to nutrient removal by floating islands in stormwater mesocosms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Ni-Bin; Islam, Kamrul; Marimon, Zachary; Wanielista, Martin P

    2012-07-01

    Aquatic floating plants on BioHaven mats were tested for their potential use as a Best Management Practice to be incorporated within existing stormwater detention ponds. Plants were analyzed for their capability to remove nutrient-pollution in parallel with the study of ecological dynamics. Experiments were carried out in cylindrical mesocosms of 5 m diameter and 1.2 m height, above-ground pools with a water volume of 14 m(3). The design parameters tested were for 5% and 10% vegetated floating island coverage of the mesocosm, both with and without shoreline plants called littoral zone. This littoral shelf was 0.5 m thick, graded at a downward slope of 1:5 toward the center using loamy soil with low organic matter content, excavated from below turf grass. Endemic plant species were chosen for the experimental location in central Florida based on a wetland identification manual by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to ensure the study was not compromised by unique climate requirements of the plants. Nutrient and aquatic chemical conditions such as pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, turbidity, and chlorophyll a were monitored to understand their relationships to the general wetland ecosystem. Real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis identified the microbial activity near the rhizospheric zone. Logistical placement considerations were made using spatial sampling across the horizontal plane of the mesocosms, beneath and around the root zone, to determine if nutrients tend to aggregate around the floating island. This study concluded that the application of floating islands as a stormwater technology can remove nutrients through plant uptake and biological activity. The most cost-effective size in the outdoor mesocosms was 5% surface area coverage of the mat. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Fiber-Optic Chemical Sensors and Fiber-Optic Bio-Sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marie Pospíšilová

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available This review summarizes principles and current stage of development of fiber-optic chemical sensors (FOCS and biosensors (FOBS. Fiber optic sensor (FOS systems use the ability of optical fibers (OF to guide the light in the spectral range from ultraviolet (UV (180 nm up to middle infrared (IR (10 μm and modulation of guided light by the parameters of the surrounding environment of the OF core. The introduction of OF in the sensor systems has brought advantages such as measurement in flammable and explosive environments, immunity to electrical noises, miniaturization, geometrical flexibility, measurement of small sample volumes, remote sensing in inaccessible sites or harsh environments and multi-sensing. The review comprises briefly the theory of OF elaborated for sensors, techniques of fabrications and analytical results reached with fiber-optic chemical and biological sensors.

  8. Bio-Photons of Various Cellular Cultures and Tissues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hann, Patrick; Knoesel, Ernst; Garzon, Maria; Lofland, Samuel; Pfieffer, Erik

    2008-04-01

    Since it is non-invasive, there has been increased research in the field of bio-optics. Many biological systems display an unusual phenomenon, delayed luminescence, produced by what is known as bio-photons. We present an apparatus and procedure for the detection of these ultra-weak photonic emissions using a single photon detection device. The results of bread yeast, saccramyces, and algae will be presented and compared to other reports in the literature.

  9. Raman scattering measurements on a floating water bridge

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ponterio, R C; Aliotta, F; Vasi, C; Fontanella, M E; Saija, F [CNR-Istituto per i Processi Chimico-Fisici, V.le F. D' Alcontres 37, 98158, Messina (Italy); Pochylski, M [Faculty of Physics, Adam Mickiewicz University, ul. Umultowska 85, 61-614 Poznan (Poland)

    2010-05-05

    It was observed that when polarized by an intense electric field, water is able to self-arrange into macroscopic cylindrical wires that can hang up and remain floating against gravity. This phenomenon is now known as a 'water bridge'. Several attempts have been made to give an explanation of this apparently unusual behaviour of water. A number of experiments have been performed with the aim of probing any possible structural change of bulk water, after application of the electric field. None of the available findings appear conclusive at the moment. Here we report the results of the first Raman scattering experiment on floating water bridges. The inter-molecular OH-stretching band has been investigated and the results have been compared with those from bulk water. Some changes in the scattering profiles after application of the electric field are shown to have a structural origin. The bridges have been obtained, for the first time, in a vertical geometry and under application of an alternating field. The adopted geometry has allowed us to reveal a clear asymmetry between opposite direct current biasing, which can be related to the nature of the charge carriers.

  10. Raman scattering measurements on a floating water bridge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ponterio, R C; Aliotta, F; Vasi, C; Fontanella, M E; Saija, F; Pochylski, M

    2010-01-01

    It was observed that when polarized by an intense electric field, water is able to self-arrange into macroscopic cylindrical wires that can hang up and remain floating against gravity. This phenomenon is now known as a 'water bridge'. Several attempts have been made to give an explanation of this apparently unusual behaviour of water. A number of experiments have been performed with the aim of probing any possible structural change of bulk water, after application of the electric field. None of the available findings appear conclusive at the moment. Here we report the results of the first Raman scattering experiment on floating water bridges. The inter-molecular OH-stretching band has been investigated and the results have been compared with those from bulk water. Some changes in the scattering profiles after application of the electric field are shown to have a structural origin. The bridges have been obtained, for the first time, in a vertical geometry and under application of an alternating field. The adopted geometry has allowed us to reveal a clear asymmetry between opposite direct current biasing, which can be related to the nature of the charge carriers.

  11. Raman scattering measurements on a floating water bridge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ponterio, R. C.; Pochylski, M.; Aliotta, F.; Vasi, C.; Fontanella, M. E.; Saija, F.

    2010-05-01

    It was observed that when polarized by an intense electric field, water is able to self-arrange into macroscopic cylindrical wires that can hang up and remain floating against gravity. This phenomenon is now known as a 'water bridge'. Several attempts have been made to give an explanation of this apparently unusual behaviour of water. A number of experiments have been performed with the aim of probing any possible structural change of bulk water, after application of the electric field. None of the available findings appear conclusive at the moment. Here we report the results of the first Raman scattering experiment on floating water bridges. The inter-molecular OH-stretching band has been investigated and the results have been compared with those from bulk water. Some changes in the scattering profiles after application of the electric field are shown to have a structural origin. The bridges have been obtained, for the first time, in a vertical geometry and under application of an alternating field. The adopted geometry has allowed us to reveal a clear asymmetry between opposite direct current biasing, which can be related to the nature of the charge carriers.

  12. The Ocean Colour Climate Change Initiative: III. A Round-Robin Comparison on In-Water Bio-Optical Algorithms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brewin, Robert J.W.; Sathyendranath, Shubha; Muller, Dagmar; Brockmann, Carsten; Deschamps, Pierre-Yves; Devred, Emmanuel; Doerffer, Roland; Fomferra, Norman; Franz, Bryan; Grant, Mike; hide

    2013-01-01

    Satellite-derived remote-sensing reflectance (Rrs) can be used for mapping biogeochemically relevant variables, such as the chlorophyll concentration and the Inherent Optical Properties (IOPs) of the water, at global scale for use in climate-change studies. Prior to generating such products, suitable algorithms have to be selected that are appropriate for the purpose. Algorithm selection needs to account for both qualitative and quantitative requirements. In this paper we develop an objective methodology designed to rank the quantitative performance of a suite of bio-optical models. The objective classification is applied using the NASA bio-Optical Marine Algorithm Dataset (NOMAD). Using in situ Rrs as input to the models, the performance of eleven semianalytical models, as well as five empirical chlorophyll algorithms and an empirical diffuse attenuation coefficient algorithm, is ranked for spectrally-resolved IOPs, chlorophyll concentration and the diffuse attenuation coefficient at 489 nm. The sensitivity of the objective classification and the uncertainty in the ranking are tested using a Monte-Carlo approach (bootstrapping). Results indicate that the performance of the semi-analytical models varies depending on the product and wavelength of interest. For chlorophyll retrieval, empirical algorithms perform better than semi-analytical models, in general. The performance of these empirical models reflects either their immunity to scale errors or instrument noise in Rrs data, or simply that the data used for model parameterisation were not independent of NOMAD. Nonetheless, uncertainty in the classification suggests that the performance of some semi-analytical algorithms at retrieving chlorophyll is comparable with the empirical algorithms. For phytoplankton absorption at 443 nm, some semi-analytical models also perform with similar accuracy to an empirical model. We discuss the potential biases, limitations and uncertainty in the approach, as well as additional

  13. Temperature and pressure data collected using drifting buoy and profiling floats from the North Atlantic Ocean in part of the IDOE/POLYMODE (International Decade of Ocean Exploration / combination of USSR POLYGON project and US MODE) from 1975-01-10 to 1981-05-31 (NODC Accession 8700121)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Temperature and pressure data were collected using drifting buoy and profiling floats from CHAIN, GILLISS, OCEANUS, and ENDEAVOR from the North Atlantic Ocean from...

  14. Multi-layer hierarchical array fabricated with diatom frustules for highly sensitive bio-detection applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Aobo; Cai, Jun; Pan, Junfeng; Wang, Yu; Yue, Yue; Zhang, Deyuan

    2014-01-01

    Diatoms have delicate porous structures which are very beneficial in improving the absorbing ability in the bio-detection field. In this study, multi-layered hierarchical arrays were fabricated by packing Nitzschia soratensis (N. soratensis) frustules into Cosinodiscus argus (C. argus) frustules to achieve advanced sensitivity in bio-detection chips. Photolithographic patterning was used to obtain N. soratensis frustule arrays, and the floating behavior of C. argus frustules was employed to control their postures for packing N. soratensis frustule array spots. The morphology of the multi-layer C. argus–N. soratensis package array was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, demonstrating that the overall and sub-structures of the diatom frustules were retained. The signal enhancing effect of multi-layer C. argus–N. soratensis packages was demonstrated by fluorescent antibody test results. The mechanism of the enhancement was also analyzed, indicating that both complex hierarchical frustule structures and optimized posture of C. argus frustules were important for improving bio-detection sensitivities. The technique for fabricating multi-layer diatom frustules arrays is also useful for making multi-functional biochips and controllable drug delivery systems. (paper)

  15. Mesoscale variability of water masses in the Arabian Sea as revealed by ARGO floats

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carton, X.; L'Hegaret, P.; Baraille, R.

    2012-03-01

    By analysing ARGO float data over the last four years, a few aspects of the mesoscale variability of water masses in the Arabian Sea are described. The Red Sea Outflow Water (RSOW) is concentrated in the Southwestern Gulf of Aden, in particular when a cyclonic gyre predominates in this region. Salinities of 36.5 and temperatures of 16 °C are found in this area at depths between 600 and 1000 m. RSOW is more dilute in the eastern part of the Gulf, where intense and relatively barotropic gyres mix it with Indian ocean Central Water. RSOW is also detected along the northeastern coast of Socotra, and fragments of RSOW are found between one and three degrees of latitude north of this island. In the whole Gulf of Aden, the correlation between the deep motions of the floats and the sea-level anomaly measured by altimetry is strong, at regional scale. The finer scale details of the float trajectories are not sampled by altimetry and are often related to the anomalous water masses that the floats encounter. The Persian Gulf Water (PGW) is found in the float profiles near Ras ash Sharbatat (near 57° E, 18° N), again with 36.5 in salinity and about 18-19 °C in temperature. These observations were achieved in winter when the southwestward monsoon currents can advect PGW along the South Arabian coast. Fragments of PGW were also observed in the Arabian Sea between 18 and 20° N and 63 and 65° E in summer, showing that this water mass can escape the Gulf of Oman southeastward, during that season. Kinetic energy distributions of floats with respect to distance or angle share common features between the two regions (Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea), in particular peaks at 30, 50 and 150 km scales and along the axis of monsoon currents. Hydrological measurements by floats are also influenced by the seasonal variations of PGW and RSOW in these regions.

  16. Mesoscale variability of water masses in the Arabian Sea as revealed by ARGO floats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    X. Carton

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available By analysing ARGO float data over the last four years, a few aspects of the mesoscale variability of water masses in the Arabian Sea are described.

    The Red Sea Outflow Water (RSOW is concentrated in the Southwestern Gulf of Aden, in particular when a cyclonic gyre predominates in this region. Salinities of 36.5 and temperatures of 16 °C are found in this area at depths between 600 and 1000 m. RSOW is more dilute in the eastern part of the Gulf, where intense and relatively barotropic gyres mix it with Indian ocean Central Water. RSOW is also detected along the northeastern coast of Socotra, and fragments of RSOW are found between one and three degrees of latitude north of this island. In the whole Gulf of Aden, the correlation between the deep motions of the floats and the sea-level anomaly measured by altimetry is strong, at regional scale. The finer scale details of the float trajectories are not sampled by altimetry and are often related to the anomalous water masses that the floats encounter.

    The Persian Gulf Water (PGW is found in the float profiles near Ras ash Sharbatat (near 57° E, 18° N, again with 36.5 in salinity and about 18–19 °C in temperature. These observations were achieved in winter when the southwestward monsoon currents can advect PGW along the South Arabian coast. Fragments of PGW were also observed in the Arabian Sea between 18 and 20° N and 63 and 65° E in summer, showing that this water mass can escape the Gulf of Oman southeastward, during that season.

    Kinetic energy distributions of floats with respect to distance or angle share common features between the two regions (Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea, in particular peaks at 30, 50 and 150 km scales and along the axis of monsoon currents. Hydrological measurements by floats are also influenced by the seasonal variations of PGW and RSOW in these regions.

  17. Soot and chemiluminescence in diesel combustion of bio-derived, oxygenated and reference fuels

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Klein-Douwel, R.J.H.; Donkerbroek, A.J.; Vliet, A.P. van; Boot, M.D.; Somers, L.M.T.; Baert, R.S.G.; Dam, N.J.; Meulen, J.J. ter

    2009-01-01

    High-speed imaging, spectroscopy and thermodynamical characterization are applied to an optically accessible, heavy-duty diesel engine in order to compare sooting and chemiluminescence behaviour of bio-derived, oxygenated fuels and various reference fuels. The fuels concerned include the bio-derived

  18. 14 CFR 29.757 - Hull and auxiliary float strength.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Hull and auxiliary float strength. 29.757... AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Design and Construction Floats and Hulls § 29.757 Hull and auxiliary float strength. The hull, and auxiliary floats if used, must withstand the...

  19. The use of Twitter´s Bio in radio programmes. From the profile´s presentation to the transmedia radio

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Teresa PIÑEIRO OTERO

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available The jump of conventional radio programs into social media has evolved in new spaces and interaction forms between radio broadcasters and radio listeners. Particularly, twitter community acquires a new dimension due to its public (non privacy status and shareability. From a transmedia perspective, this microblogging platform makes possible to the radio programs offering rich content (access to the tweets of radio show hosts or / and main collaborators, radio channel’s info... to the radio listeners. Although radio listeners can access those profiles on their own, or following real-time references of the program, it’s getting bigger the way radio show hosts use their profiles on twitter to improve synergies between multiple digital channels in order to increase the community engagement. Present article aims to analyze profile twitter bios of the bigger audience Spanish radio programs, in order to determine flow synergies between channels of the radio (brands and radio show hosts on twitter

  20. Beam profile measurements on the advanced test accelerator using optical techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chong, Y.P.; Kalibjian, R.; Cornish, J.P.; Kallman, J.S.; Donnelly, D.

    1986-01-01

    Beam current density profiles of ATA have been measured both spatially and temporally using a number of diagnostics. An extremely important technique involves measuring optical emissions from either a target foil inserted into the beam path or gas atoms and molecules excited by beam electrons. This paper describes the detection of the optical emission. A 2-D gated television camera with a single or dual micro-channel-plate (MCP) detector for high gain provides excellent spatial and temporal resolution. Measurements are routinely made with resolutions of 1 mm and 5 ns respectively. The optical line of sight allows splitting part of the signal to a streak camera or photometer for even higher time resolution

  1. Absorptive and dispersive optical profiles in fluctuating environments: A stochastic model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paz, J.L.; Mendoza-Garcia, A.; Mastrodomenico, A.

    2011-01-01

    In this study, we determined the absorptive and dispersive optical profiles of a molecular system coupled with a thermal bath. Solvent effects were explicitly considered by modelling the non-radiative interaction with the solute as a random variable. The optical stochastical Bloch equations (OSBE) were solved using a time-ordered cumulant expansion with white noise as a correlation function. We found a solution for the Fourier component of coherence at the third order of perturbation for the nonlinear Four-wave mixing signal and produced analytical expressions for the optical responses of the system. Finally, we examined the behaviour of these properties with respect to the noise parameter, frequency detuning of the dynamic perturbation, and relaxation times.

  2. Optical bi-sensorial measurement system for production control of extruded profiles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weckenmann, A.; Bernstein, J.

    2008-09-01

    Extruded profiles are semi-finished products (made out of steel, brass, aluminum, synthetics...) which are appointed for wide applications in manufacturing of technical products. As yet used optical sensors in process control working to the shading technology detect the object's shadow orthographically to the axis of illumination. As a consequence they record it unattached by the profiles coat in measurement range at any point of the measured profile with high precision. As a matter of fact, concave zones cannot be captured. Alternatively the measurement of concave zones can be arranged by light-section systems. These do not comply with the required accuracy, are comparatively slow and moreover affected by dislocations of the section of the profile. A measurement system including a light-section and a shading system combines the advantages of both optical systems. It is to serve with a reliable conception for the assembly of a bi-sensorial measurement system consisting of both systems as well as suitable methods of analysis for the in-line inspection of concave profiles. As a result it contains conclusions concerning requirements of the light source, the arrangement of this source and the cameras, obtainable precision and sampling rate as well as the essential synchronization of both systems. After designing an appropriate prototype, the selected light-section system and the shading system will be synchronized and aligned. Therefore, the metered geometrical data will be merged for the evaluation of form deviation. So, developed and adapted software supports and contains proposals to the uncertainty after successful tests. The system and a calibration method will be proved in production where robustness will be a most critical despite of heat, dust and vibrations. The target uncertainty of less than 0.1 mm at every section of the profiles coat has to be met.

  3. A novel liquid-filled microstructured polymer optical fiber as bio-sensing platform for Raman spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azkune, Mikel; Arrospide, Eneko; Berganza, Amaia; Bikandi, Iñaki; Aldabaldetreku, Gotzon; Durana, Gaizka; Zubia, Joseba

    2018-02-01

    One approach to overcome the poor efficiency of the Raman scattering as a sensing platform is to use microstructured optical fibers. In this type of fibers with a longitudinal holey structure, light interacts with the target sample, which is confined in the core, giving rise to a light intensity increase of the obtained Raman spectra due to the large interaction distances and the guidance of the scattered light. In this work, we present an ad-hoc fabricated liquid-core microstructured polymer optical fiber (LC-mPOF) as a bio-sensing platform for Raman Spectroscopy. Arising from an initial simulation stage, we create the desired preform using the drilling technique and afterwards the LC-mPOF is drawn in our fiber drawing tower. The guiding mechanism of the light through the solution has a major importance, being a key factor to obtain appreciable enhancements in Raman scattering. In this case, in order to optimize the Raman scattering signal of dissolved glucose (target molecule), we have filled the core with an aqueous solution of the target molecule, enabling in this way the modified total internal reflection mechanism. Experimental Raman measurements are performed and results are discussed.

  4. Peptide Integrated Optics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Handelman, Amir; Lapshina, Nadezda; Apter, Boris; Rosenman, Gil

    2018-02-01

    Bio-nanophotonics is a wide field in which advanced optical materials, biomedicine, fundamental optics, and nanotechnology are combined and result in the development of biomedical optical chips. Silk fibers or synthetic bioabsorbable polymers are the main light-guiding components. In this work, an advanced concept of integrated bio-optics is proposed, which is based on bioinspired peptide optical materials exhibiting wide optical transparency, nonlinear and electrooptical properties, and effective passive and active waveguiding. Developed new technology combining bottom-up controlled deposition of peptide planar wafers of a large area and top-down focus ion beam lithography provides direct fabrication of peptide optical integrated circuits. Finding a deep modification of peptide optical properties by reconformation of biological secondary structure from native phase to β-sheet architecture is followed by the appearance of visible fluorescence and unexpected transition from a native passive optical waveguiding to an active one. Original biocompatibility, switchable regimes of waveguiding, and multifunctional nonlinear optical properties make these new peptide planar optical materials attractive for application in emerging technology of lab-on-biochips, combining biomedical photonic and electronic circuits toward medical diagnosis, light-activated therapy, and health monitoring. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. All-solid tellurite optical fiber with transversely disordered refractive index profile and its optical image transport performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tong, Hoang Tuan; Kuroyanagi, Shunei; Suzuki, Takenobu; Ohishi, Yasutake

    2018-02-01

    All-solid tellurite-glass optical rod and fiber with transversely-disordered refractive index profile were successfully fabricated to study the transport of infrared images by using transverse localization of light. The fabrication was carried out by using stack-and-draw and rod-in-tube techniques. The fabricated tellurite optical rod and fiber were composed of high-index and low-index units which were arranged randomly in the transverse plane but were invariant in the longitudinal direction. The diameter of each unit was approximately 1.0 μm. The high-index and low-index materials were TeO2-Li2O-WO3-MoO3-Nb2O5 (TLWMN) glass and TeO2-ZnO-Na2O-La2O3 (TZNL) glass, respectively. At 1550 nm, their refractive index difference Δn is 0.096. To investigate the optical image transport capability, A CW laser light at 1550 nm was used as an input probe beam and the 1951 U.S. Air Force test target was installed in front of 10-cm-long segments of the fabricated rod and fiber in the experimental setup. The output signal was recorded by a beam profiler. As a result, clear transported images of numbers and lines on the test target were obtained.

  6. Strength Tests on Hulls and Floats

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matthaes, K

    1942-01-01

    The present report deals with strength tests on hulls and floats intended in part for the collection of construction data for the design of these components and in part for the stress analysis of the finished hulls and floats.

  7. LIBS: study of elemental profile of different layers of the optical window of Tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maurya, Gulab Singh; Jyotsna, Aradhana; Rai, Awadhesh Kumar; Ajai Kumar

    2012-01-01

    In the Tokamak, during confinement of plasma, impurities are deposited on optical window, mirror, limiters, etc. of the tokamak. Thus a layer of impurity on the surface of the optical window causes less visibility which creates problem in the study of plasma parameters and other diagnostics of the plasma generated in the tokamak. Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is a useful atomic spectroscopic technique for analysis of materials in any phase (Solid, Liquid, Gas etc). LIBS spectra of optical window have been recorded in the spectral range of 200-500 nm. In present study we have focused laser on the surface of the window, to study the layer-wise elemental profile of optical window, we have recorded the LIBS spectra with increasing number of laser shots on the same point of the window. In first laser shot, spectral signature of Cr, Fe, and Ni etc. are present in the LIBS spectra, which is related with the impurity but after five to six laser shots at the same point of the optical window spectral signature Si, B are observed which is related to the glass material. Thus our study demonstrates the capability of LIBS as an in-situ monitoring tool for detection of elemental profile in different layers of optical window of the Tokamak. (author)

  8. WindWaveFloat (WWF): Final Scientific Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weinstein, Alla; Roddier, Dominique; Banister, Kevin

    2012-03-30

    Principle Power Inc. and National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) have completed a contract to assess the technical and economic feasibility of integrating wave energy converters into the WindFloat, resulting in a new concept called the WindWaveFloat (WWF). The concentration of several devices on one platform could offer a potential for both economic and operational advantages. Wind and wave energy converters can share the electrical cable and power transfer equipment to transport the electricity to shore. Access to multiple generation devices could be simplified, resulting in cost saving at the operational level. Overall capital costs may also be reduced, provided that the design of the foundation can be adapted to multiple devices with minimum modifications. Finally, the WindWaveFloat confers the ability to increase energy production from individual floating support structures, potentially leading to a reduction in levelized energy costs, an increase in the overall capacity factor, and greater stability of the electrical power delivered to the grid. The research conducted under this grant investigated the integration of several wave energy device types into the WindFloat platform. Several of the resulting system designs demonstrated technical feasibility, but the size and design constraints of the wave energy converters (technical and economic) make the WindWaveFloat concept economically unfeasible at this time. Not enough additional generation could be produced to make the additional expense associated with wave energy conversion integration into the WindFloat worthwhile.

  9. Comparing life cycle energy and GHG emissions of bio-based PET, recycled PET, PLA and man-made cellulosics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Shen, L.; Worrell, E.; Patel, M.K.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to review the environmental profiles of petrochemical PET, (partially) bio-based PET, recycled PET, and recycled (partially) bio-based PET, and compare them with other bio-based materials, namely PLA (polylactic acid, a bio-based polyester) and man-made cellulose

  10. Stress analysis and mitigation measures for floating pipeline

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wenpeng, Guo; Yuqing, Liu; Chao, Li

    2017-03-01

    Pipeline-floating is a kind of accident with contingency and uncertainty associated to natural gas pipeline occurring during rainy season, which is significantly harmful to the safety of pipeline. Treatment measures against pipeline floating accident are summarized in this paper on the basis of practical project cases. Stress states of pipeline upon floating are analyzed by means of Finite Element Calculation method. The effectiveness of prevention ways and subsequent mitigation measures upon pipeline-floating are verified for giving guidance to the mitigation of such accidents.

  11. Entropie analysis of floating car data systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Gössel

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available The knowledge of the actual traffic state is a basic prerequisite of modern traffic telematic systems. Floating Car Data (FCD systems are becoming more and more important for the provision of actual and reliable traffic data. In these systems the vehicle velocity is the original variable for the evaluation of the current traffic condition. As real FCDsystems are operating under conditions of limited transmission and processing capacity the analysis of the original variable vehicle speed is of special interest. Entropy considerations are especially useful for the deduction of fundamental restrictions and limitations. The paper analyses velocity-time profiles by means of information entropy. It emphasises in quantification of the information content of velocity-time profiles and the discussion of entropy dynamic in velocity-time profiles. Investigations are based on empirical data derived during field trials. The analysis of entropy dynamic is carried out in two different ways. On one hand velocity differences within a certain interval of time are used, on the other hand the transinformation between velocities in certain time distances was evaluated. One important result is an optimal sample-rate for the detection of velocity data in FCD-systems. The influence of spatial segmentation and of different states of traffic was discussed.

  12. Development and evaluation of alginate-chitosan gastric floating beads loading with oxymatrine solid dispersion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yanhua; Chen, Lihong; Zhou, Chengming; Yang, Jianhong; Hou, Yanhui; Wang, Wenping

    2016-01-01

    Oxymatrine (OM) can be metabolized to matrine in gastrointestinal ileocecal valve after oral administration, which affects pharmacological activity and reduce bioavailability of OM. A type of multiple-unit alginate-chitosan (Alg-Cs) floating beads was prepared by the ionotropic gelation method for gastroretention delivery of OM. A solid dispersion technique was applied and incorporated into beads to enhance the OM encapsulation efficiency (EE) and sustain the drug release. The surface morphology and internal hollow structure of beads were evaluated using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The developed Alg-Cs beads were spherical in shape with hollow internal structure and had particle size of 3.49 ± 0.09 mm and 1.33 ± 0.09 mm for wet and dried beads. Over 84% of the optimized OM solid dispersion-loaded Alg-Cs beads were able to continuously float over the simulated gastric fluid for 12 h in vitro. The OM solid dispersion-loaded Alg-Cs beads showed drug EE of 67.07%, which was much higher than that of beads loading with pure OM. Compared with the immediate release of OM capsules and pure OM-loaded beads, the release of OM from solid dispersion-loaded Alg-Cs beads was in a sustained-release manner for 12 h. Prolonged gastric retention time of over 8.5 h was achieved for OM solid dispersion-loaded Alg-Cs floating beads in healthy rabbit in in vivo floating ability evaluated by X-ray imaging. The developed Alg-Cs beads loading with OM solid dispersion displayed excellent performance features characterized by excellent gastric floating ability, high drug EE and sustained-release pattern. The study illustrated the potential use of Alg-Cs floating beads combined with the solid dispersion technique for prolonging gastric retention and sustaining release of OM, which could provide a promising drug delivery system for gastric-specific delivery of OM for bioavailability enhancement.

  13. Floating Chip Mounting System Driven by Repulsive Force of Permanent Magnets for Multiple On-Site SPR Immunoassay Measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horiuchi, Tsutomu; Tobita, Tatsuya; Miura, Toru; Iwasaki, Yuzuru; Seyama, Michiko; Inoue, Suzuyo; Takahashi, Jun-ichi; Haga, Tsuneyuki; Tamechika, Emi

    2012-01-01

    We have developed a measurement chip installation/removal mechanism for a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) immunoassay analysis instrument designed for frequent testing, which requires a rapid and easy technique for changing chips. The key components of the mechanism are refractive index matching gel coated on the rear of the SPR chip and a float that presses the chip down. The refractive index matching gel made it possible to optically couple the chip and the prism of the SPR instrument easily via elastic deformation with no air bubbles. The float has an autonomous attitude control function that keeps the chip parallel in relation to the SPR instrument by employing the repulsive force of permanent magnets between the float and a float guide located in the SPR instrument. This function is realized by balancing the upward elastic force of the gel and the downward force of the float, which experiences a leveling force from the float guide. This system makes it possible to start an SPR measurement immediately after chip installation and to remove the chip immediately after the measurement with a simple and easy method that does not require any fine adjustment. Our sensor chip, which we installed using this mounting system, successfully performed an immunoassay measurement on a model antigen (spiked human-IgG) in a model real sample (non-homogenized milk) that included many kinds of interfering foreign substances without any sample pre-treatment. The ease of the chip installation/removal operation and simple measurement procedure are suitable for frequent on-site agricultural, environmental and medical testing. PMID:23202030

  14. Thermogravimetric investigation on the degradation properties and combustion performance of bio-oils.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Xueyong; Meng, Jiajia; Moore, Andrew M; Chang, Jianmin; Gou, Jinsheng; Park, Sunkyu

    2014-01-01

    The degradation properties and combustion performance of raw bio-oil, aged bio-oil, and bio-oil from torrefied wood were investigated through thermogravimetric analysis. A three-stage process was observed for the degradation of bio-oils, including devolatilization of the aqueous fraction and light compounds, transition of the heavy faction to solid, and combustion of carbonaceous residues. Pyrolysis kinetics parameters were calculated via the reaction order model and 3D-diffusion model, and combustion indexes were used to qualitatively evaluate the thermal profiles of tested bio-oils for comparison with commercial oils such as fuel oils. It was found that aged bio-oil was more thermally instable and produced more combustion-detrimental carbonaceous solid. Raw bio-oil and bio-oil from torrefied wood had comparable combustion performance to fuel oils. It was considered that bio-oil has a potential to be mixed with or totally replace the fuel oils in boilers. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Bio energy: Bio fuel - Properties and Production

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilhelmsen, Gunnar; Martinsen, Arnold Kyrre; Sandberg, Eiliv; Fladset, Per Olav; Kjerschow, Einar; Teslo, Einar

    2001-01-01

    This is Chapter 3 of the book ''Bio energy - Environment, technique and market''. Its main sections are: (1) Definitions and properties, (2) Bio fuel from the forest, (3) Processed bio fuel - briquettes, pellets and powder, (4) Bio fuel from agriculture, (5) Bio fuel from agro industry, (6) Bio fuel from lakes and sea, (7) Bio fuel from aquaculture, (8) Bio fuel from wastes and (9) Hydrogen as a fuel. The exposition largely describes the conditions in Norway. The chapter on energy from the forest includes products from the timber and sawmill industry, the pulp and paper industry, furniture factories etc. Among agricultural sources are straw, energy forests, vegetable oil, bio ethanol, manure

  16. Dispersion measurements from Sofar floats on the Iberian Abyssal plain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rees, J.M.; Gmitrowicz, M.

    1989-01-01

    Tracks of SOFAR floats launched on the Iberian Abyssal Plain are presented. The floats were launched in two groups in early October 1984 and mid-February 1985 to a nominal depth of 2500 m. Of these floats, 4 from the first deployment and 2 from the second functioned properly. Float signals were recorded by four autonomous listening stations at a depth of 1900 m. These preliminary results show the tracks of floats up to July 1986 and represent 3600 float days of information. The main task of the experiment was to especially study the dispersion of radioactive substances

  17. Net community production from autonomous oxygen observations in the Sargasso Sea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feen, M.; Estapa, M. L.

    2016-02-01

    Optical sensors on autonomous floats provide high-resolution profiles of oxygen concentration over time. Improved spatiotemporal resolution in our measurements of oxygen will allow for better estimates of net community production and a greater understanding of the biological pump. Two autonomous profiling floats (NAVIS BGCi, Sea-Bird) equipped with SBE-63 optodes to measure dissolved oxygen were deployed in the Sargasso Sea on a series of five Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) cruises from July 2013 to April 2014. In situ calibration of the oxygen sensors to Winkler titration bottle samples at BATS did not show systematic drift in the oxygen sensors over time. Calibrations were applied to determine oxygen concentrations in profiles collected in the Sargasso Sea at 1.5 to 2.5 day intervals over a year. Oxygen concentrations were used to quantify sub-mixed layer net community production. Changes in production rates from this study were compared with upper water column biology and particle flux measurements obtained independently from optical sensors on the profiling floats, allowing us to examine processes controlling carbon export into the deep ocean.

  18. Introducing Magneto-Optical Functions into Soft Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-05-03

    including organic and bio materials by using magnetic nanomaterials. This final report includes the successful developments of magneto-optical... successful developments of magneto-optical properties in both organic and bio magnetic nanocomposites during the project period of three years...proteins on the photoluminescence of nanodiamond. J. Appl . Phys. 2011, 109 (3), 034704. 7, Xu, H.; Hung, C.E.; Cheng, C.L.; Hu, B., Magneto-electric

  19. Validation of salinity data from ARGO floats: Comparison between the older ARGO floats and that of later deployments

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Youn, Y.-H.; Lee, H.; Chang, Y.-S.; Pankajakshan, T.

    Continued observation of ARGO floats or years (about 4 years) makes the conductivity sensor more vulnerable to fouling by marine life and associated drift in salinity measurements. In this paper, we address this issue by making use of floats...

  20. Direct probing of electron and hole trapping into nano-floating-gate in organic field-effect transistor nonvolatile memories

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cui, Ze-Qun; Wang, Shun; Chen, Jian-Mei; Gao, Xu; Dong, Bin, E-mail: wangsd@suda.edu.cn, E-mail: chilf@suda.edu.cn, E-mail: bdong@suda.edu.cn; Chi, Li-Feng, E-mail: wangsd@suda.edu.cn, E-mail: chilf@suda.edu.cn, E-mail: bdong@suda.edu.cn; Wang, Sui-Dong, E-mail: wangsd@suda.edu.cn, E-mail: chilf@suda.edu.cn, E-mail: bdong@suda.edu.cn [Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123 (China)

    2015-03-23

    Electron and hole trapping into the nano-floating-gate of a pentacene-based organic field-effect transistor nonvolatile memory is directly probed by Kelvin probe force microscopy. The probing is straightforward and non-destructive. The measured surface potential change can quantitatively profile the charge trapping, and the surface characterization results are in good accord with the corresponding device behavior. Both electrons and holes can be trapped into the nano-floating-gate, with a preference of electron trapping than hole trapping. The trapped charge quantity has an approximately linear relation with the programming/erasing gate bias, indicating that the charge trapping in the device is a field-controlled process.

  1. Direct probing of electron and hole trapping into nano-floating-gate in organic field-effect transistor nonvolatile memories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cui, Ze-Qun; Wang, Shun; Chen, Jian-Mei; Gao, Xu; Dong, Bin; Chi, Li-Feng; Wang, Sui-Dong

    2015-01-01

    Electron and hole trapping into the nano-floating-gate of a pentacene-based organic field-effect transistor nonvolatile memory is directly probed by Kelvin probe force microscopy. The probing is straightforward and non-destructive. The measured surface potential change can quantitatively profile the charge trapping, and the surface characterization results are in good accord with the corresponding device behavior. Both electrons and holes can be trapped into the nano-floating-gate, with a preference of electron trapping than hole trapping. The trapped charge quantity has an approximately linear relation with the programming/erasing gate bias, indicating that the charge trapping in the device is a field-controlled process

  2. Engineering BioBrick vectors from BioBrick parts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Knight Thomas F

    2008-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The underlying goal of synthetic biology is to make the process of engineering biological systems easier. Recent work has focused on defining and developing standard biological parts. The technical standard that has gained the most traction in the synthetic biology community is the BioBrick standard for physical composition of genetic parts. Parts that conform to the BioBrick assembly standard are BioBrick standard biological parts. To date, over 2,000 BioBrick parts have been contributed to, and are available from, the Registry of Standard Biological Parts. Results Here we extended the same advantages of BioBrick standard biological parts to the plasmid-based vectors that are used to provide and propagate BioBrick parts. We developed a process for engineering BioBrick vectors from BioBrick parts. We designed a new set of BioBrick parts that encode many useful vector functions. We combined the new parts to make a BioBrick base vector that facilitates BioBrick vector construction. We demonstrated the utility of the process by constructing seven new BioBrick vectors. We also successfully used the resulting vectors to assemble and propagate other BioBrick standard biological parts. Conclusion We extended the principles of part reuse and standardization to BioBrick vectors. As a result, myriad new BioBrick vectors can be readily produced from all existing and newly designed BioBrick parts. We invite the synthetic biology community to (1 use the process to make and share new BioBrick vectors; (2 expand the current collection of BioBrick vector parts; and (3 characterize and improve the available collection of BioBrick vector parts.

  3. Large floating structures technological advances

    CERN Document Server

    Wang, BT

    2015-01-01

    This book surveys key projects that have seen the construction of large floating structures or have attained detailed conceptual designs. This compilation of key floating structures in a single volume captures the innovative features that mark the technological advances made in this field of engineering, and will provide a useful reference for ideas, analysis, design, and construction of these unique and emerging urban projects to offshore and marine engineers, urban planners, architects and students.

  4. BioPhotonics Workstation: a university tech transfer challenge

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Glückstad, Jesper; Bañas, Andrew Rafael; Tauro, Sandeep

    2011-01-01

    Conventional optical trapping or tweezing is often limited in the achievable trapping range because of high numerical aperture and imaging requirements. To circumvent this, we are developing a next generation BioPhotonics Workstation platform that supports extension modules through a long working...

  5. Influence of different types of low substituted hydroxypropyl cellulose on tableting, disintegration, and floating behaviour of floating drug delivery systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diós, Péter; Pernecker, Tivadar; Nagy, Sándor; Pál, Szilárd; Dévay, Attila

    2015-11-01

    The object of the present study is to evaluate the effect of application of low-substituted hydroxypropyl cellulose (L-HPC) 11 and B1 as excipients promoting floating in gastroretentive tablets. Directly compressed tablets were formed based on experimental design. Face-centred central composite design was applied with two factors and 3 levels, where amount of sodium alginate (X 1) and L-HPC (X2 ) were the numerical factors. Applied types of L-HPCs and their 1:1 mixture were included in a categorical factor (X 3). Studied parameters were floating lag time, floating time, floating force, swelling behaviour of tablets and dissolution of paracetamol, which was used as a model active substance. Due to their physical character, L-HPCs had different water uptake and flowability. Lower flowability and lower water uptake was observed after 60 min at L-HPC 11 compared to L-HPC B1. Shorter floating times were detected at L-HPC 11 and L-HPC mixtures with 0.5% content of sodium alginate, whereas alginate was the only significant factor. Evaluating results of drug release and swelling studies on floating tablets revealed correlation, which can serve to help to understand the mechanism of action of L-HPCs in the field development of gastroretentive dosage forms.

  6. Floating on the margins [Environmental issues for floating production platforms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grimshaw, R.

    1997-01-01

    The main environmental issues challenging oilfield development using floating production platforms in harsh environments such as the Atlantic frontier are discussed. These fall into two broad categories -operating conditions and biological disturbance. Particular combinations of wind and currents can lead to extremely difficult operating conditions through which floating units are expected to maintain production for economic reasons. This imposes stringent conditions on the design and construction of tanker hulls and of risers to enable them to remain connected at all times. Prediction of wind and wave forces is a crucial element of operational and safety planning. Fauna in seabed sediments disturbed by pipeline laying often relocate but some seeding back of colonies may be required in hard rock areas. Migration routes for cetaceans and the feeding grounds of marine birds must be considered and the potential long and short term damage to commercial fisheries through discharges need to be assessed. A significant risk is the interaction of sub-sea facilities and fishing gear and oil spills. Operational and accidental discharges of production chemicals, produced water containing oil, deck drainage and treated sewage, and discharges to air from flaring and utility exhausts are of major environmental concern calling for mitigation and protection measures and contingency plans. Some of the environmental issues associated with decommissioning are reduced by the use of floating platforms but there are global and national regulations governing the process. (UK)

  7. Interactive microbial distribution analysis using BioAtlas

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lund, Jesper; List, Markus; Baumbach, Jan

    2017-01-01

    body maps and (iii) user-defined maps. It further allows for (iv) uploading of own sample data, which can be placed on existing maps to (v) browse the distribution of the associated taxonomies. Finally, BioAtlas enables users to (vi) contribute custom maps (e.g. for plants or animals) and to map...... to analyze microbial distribution in a location-specific context. BioAtlas is an interactive web application that closes this gap between sequence databases, taxonomy profiling and geo/body-location information. It enables users to browse taxonomically annotated sequences across (i) the world map, (ii) human...

  8. Nano-arrays of SAM by dip-pen nanowriting (DPN) technique for futuristic bio-electronic and bio-sensor applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agarwal, Pankaj B.; Kumar, A.; Saravanan, R.; Sharma, A.K.; Shekhar, Chandra

    2010-01-01

    Nano-arrays of bio-molecules have potential applications in many areas namely, bio-sensors, bio/molecular electronics and virus detection. Spot array, micro-contact printing and photolithography are used for micron size array fabrications while Dip-Pen Nanowriting (DPN) is employed for submicron/nano size arrays. We have fabricated nano-dots of 16-MHA (16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid) self-assembled monolayer (SAM) on gold substrate by DPN technique with different dwell time under varying relative humidity. These patterns were imaged in the same system in LFM (Lateral Force Microscopy) mode with fast scanning speed (5 Hz). The effect of humidity on size variation of nano-dots has been studied. During experiments, relative humidity (RH) was varied from 20% to 60%, while the temperature was kept constant ∼ 25 o C. The minimum measured diameter of the dot is ∼ 294 nm at RH = 20% for a dwell time of 2 s. The thickness of the 16-MHA dots, estimated in NanoRule image analysis software is ∼ 2 nm, which agrees well with the length of single MHA molecule (2.2 nm). The line profile has been used to estimate the size and thickness of dots. The obtained results will be useful in further development of nano-array based bio-sensors and bio-electronic devices.

  9. Bio-Optical Properties of the Inner Continental Shelf off Santos Estuarine System, Southeastern Brazil, and their Implications for Ocean Color Algorithm Performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melissa Carvalho

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Optical characterizations of coastal water masses are important tools for a better understanding of physical and biochemical processes and aid the optimization of ocean color algorithms. In this study we present three optical classes of water observed during October/2005 and March/2006 on the inner continental shelf adjacent to Santos Bay (Brazil, based on remote sensing reflectance. ANOVA indicated a crescent estuarine influence in classes 1 to 3. Class 3 presented the highest chlorophyll-a and nutrient concentration and highest light absorption coefficients. Colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM dominated the light absorption in all classes and was strongly correlated to salinity in October/2005 due to the influence of the La Plata plume. The results indicated that CDOM dynamics in the Santos inner shelf are very complex. The performance of global chlorophyll algorithms was significantly smaller for October/2005 than for March/2006. As inconsistent changes in light absorption spectra by phytoplankton were detected between samplings, the results show that future bio-optical algorithms for this region must be optimized preferentially considering CDOM optical parameters.

  10. Investigation of Tank 241-AW-104 Composite Floating Layer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meznarich, H. K. [Washington River Protection Solutions LLC (WRPS), Richland, WA (United States); Bolling, S. D. [Washington River Protection Solutions LLC (WRPS), Richland, WA (United States); Lachut, J. S. [Washington River Protection Solutions LLC (WRPS), Richland, WA (United States); Cooke, G. A. [Washington River Protection Solutions LLC (WRPS), Richland, WA (United States)

    2018-02-27

    Seven grab samples and one field blank were taken from Tank 241-AW-104 (AW-104) on June 2, 2017, and received at 222-S Laboratory on June 5, 2017. A visible layer with brown solids was observed floating on the top of two surface tank waste samples (4AW-17-02 and 4AW 17 02DUP). The floating layer from both samples was collected, composited, and submitted for chemical analyses and solid phase characterization in order to understand the composition of the floating layer. Tributyl phosphate and tridecane were higher in the floating layer than in the aqueous phase. Density in the floating layer was slightly lower than the mean density of all grab samples. Sodium nitrate and sodium carbonate were major components with a trace of gibbsite and very small size agglomerates were present in the solids of the floating layer. The supernate consisted of organics, soluble salt, and particulates.

  11. Deconvolution of H-alpha profiles measured by Thompson scattering collecting optics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    LeBlanc, B.; Grek, B.

    1986-01-01

    This paper discusses that optically fast multichannel Thomson scattering optics that can be used for H-alpha emission profile measurement. A technique based on the fact that a particular volume element of the overall field of view can be seen by many channels, depending on its location, is discussed. It is applied to measurement made on PDX with the vertically viewing TVTS collecting optics (56 channels). The authors found that for this case, about 28 Fourier modes are optimum to represent the spatial behavior of the plasma emissivity. The coefficients for these modes are obtained by doing a least-square-fit to the data subjet to certain constraints. The important constraints are non-negative emissivity, the assumed up and down symmetry and zero emissivity beyond the liners. H-alpha deconvolutions are presented for diverted and circular discharges

  12. Microstructure of laser floating zone (LFZ) textured (Bi,Pb)-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconductor composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fuente, G.F. de la; Ruiz, M.T.; Sotelo, A.; Larrea, A.; Navarro, R.

    1993-01-01

    Directionally solidified high temperature superconducting (Bi,Pb)-Sr-Ca-Cu-O pure ceramics and composites were obtained using a laser floating zone (LFZ) apparatus. The presence of secondary non-superconducting and metallic phases as well as their solidification habit have been analysed. The influence of the LFZ growth conditions and the precursor composition on the microstructure of the final products was studied using optical and electron microscopies. (orig.)

  13. Floating venous thrombi: diagnosis with spiral-CT-venography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gartenschlaeger, M.; Schmidt, J.A.

    1996-01-01

    Local application of contrast agent into an ipsilateral dorsal foot vein and spiral CT were used to examine 16 consecutive cases with deep venous thrombosis proven at conventional venography; in addition, colour Doppler flow imaging was performed. At conventional venography, 8/16 thrombi appeared to be floating and the remaining 8/16 were adherent to the vessel wall. Spiral-CT showed 15/16 thrombi to be adherent to the vessel wall; the floating thrombus correlated with findings in conventional venography. At colour Doppler flow imaging 3/16 thrombi were considered floating, one of them was discordant to conventional venography. The comparison of conventional venography to spiral-CT demonstrates complete agreement for adherence to vessel wall seen in conventional venography (p=1,0) and significant discordance in cases with free-floating appearance in conventional venography. Adherence of thrombi to the wall of the vessel at conventional venography is in agreement with computed tomography. Conventional venography probably overestimates the prevalence of free floating thrombi. (orig./MG) [de

  14. Combined Atmospheric and Ocean Profiling from an Airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hair Johnathan

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available First of its kind combined atmospheric and ocean profile data were collected by the recently upgraded NASA Langley Research Center’s (LaRC High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL-1 during the 17 July – 7 August 2014 Ship-Aircraft Bio-Optical Research Experiment (SABOR. This mission sampled over a region that covered the Gulf of Maine, open-ocean near Bermuda, and coastal waters from Virginia to Rhode Island. The HSRL-1 and the Research Scanning Polarimeter from NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies collected data onboard the NASA LaRC King Air aircraft and flight operations were closely coordinated with the Research Vessel Endeavor that made in situ ocean optical measurements. The lidar measurements provided profiles of atmospheric backscatter and particulate depolarization at 532nm, 1064nm, and extinction (532nm from approximately 9km altitude. In addition, for the first time HSRL seawater backscatter, depolarization, and diffuse attenuation data at 532nm were collected and compared to both the ship measurements and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (NASA MODIS-Aqua satellite ocean retrievals.

  15. Herbal carrier-based floating microparticles of diltiazem ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Purpose: To formulate and characterize a gastroretentive floating drug delivery system for diltiazem hydrochloride using psyllium husk and sodium alginate as natural herbal carriers to improve the therapeutic effect of the drug in cardiac patients. Methods: Floating microparticles containing diltiazem hydrochloride were ...

  16. Measurement of temperature profiles in process-applications using fibre-optical methods; Prozessgeeignete Temperaturprofilmessungen mit faseroptischen Methoden

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seefeld, P. [Endress und Hauser Wetzer GmbH und Co.KG, Nesselwang (Germany)

    2008-07-01

    Fibre-optical temperature measuring methods are offering an approach to detect temperature profiles. According to the NAMUR-Technology-Roadmap the detection of temperature profiles is representing an increased benefit. Intrinsic fibre-optical temperature measuring techniques are presented, known as OTDRmethod (Optical tine domain reflectometry) facilitating a distributed temperature measurement method that allows a resolution in the range of decimetres. For the purpose of such applications a suitable photoncounting device comprises mechanical robust fibre-optical components, 3 db Coupler, referenced Laser- Diode, Y-Coupler with integrated band-filter and APD (Avalanche Diode) used in a detection module. A VHDL-coded FBGA-board provides a basic control-device for - a Laser-Driver to generate adjustable exiting-pulses in the range of nanoseconds at rates up to 100 kHz. - a Photon-Counting module with a minimum opening width in the range of one nanosecond - that permits the co-addition of the photon-counts derived from the spectral resolved Stokes and Anti-Stokes band. (orig.)

  17. Cholecystosonographic findings of clonorchiasis: Floating echogenic foci

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Ho Kyun [Choong Joo X-ray Clinic, Choongjoo (Korea, Republic of)

    1989-06-15

    Author analysed cholecystosonographic findings in 22 patients with clonorchiasis, suspected prospectively by ultrasound and proved subsequently by demonstration of eggs in the stools. Fifteen gallbladders had nonshadowing, fusiform, discrete echogenic foci measuring 3{approx}6 mm in the lumen. Among these, the echogenic foci floated spontaneously in three cases, while in twelve cases they floated by position change or a light blow by the transducer. In the rest of the seven gallbladders, the echogenic foci were at the dependent portion. In the in vitro study with a worm suspension in saline in a surgical glove, the same echogenic foci as those seen in the gallbladders were demonstrated. The echogenic foci were precipitated in the dependent portion but float with a light blow on the glove. Author conclude that the floating echogenic foci in the lumen of the gallbladder are due to adult worms of clonorchis sinensis.

  18. Cholecystosonographic findings of clonorchiasis: Floating echogenic foci

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Ho Kyun

    1989-01-01

    Author analysed cholecystosonographic findings in 22 patients with clonorchiasis, suspected prospectively by ultrasound and proved subsequently by demonstration of eggs in the stools. Fifteen gallbladders had nonshadowing, fusiform, discrete echogenic foci measuring 3∼6 mm in the lumen. Among these, the echogenic foci floated spontaneously in three cases, while in twelve cases they floated by position change or a light blow by the transducer. In the rest of the seven gallbladders, the echogenic foci were at the dependent portion. In the in vitro study with a worm suspension in saline in a surgical glove, the same echogenic foci as those seen in the gallbladders were demonstrated. The echogenic foci were precipitated in the dependent portion but float with a light blow on the glove. Author conclude that the floating echogenic foci in the lumen of the gallbladder are due to adult worms of clonorchis sinensis

  19. Sensitivity analysis of floating offshore wind farms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Castro-Santos, Laura; Diaz-Casas, Vicente

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Develop a sensitivity analysis of a floating offshore wind farm. • Influence on the life-cycle costs involved in a floating offshore wind farm. • Influence on IRR, NPV, pay-back period, LCOE and cost of power. • Important variables: distance, wind resource, electric tariff, etc. • It helps to investors to take decisions in the future. - Abstract: The future of offshore wind energy will be in deep waters. In this context, the main objective of the present paper is to develop a sensitivity analysis of a floating offshore wind farm. It will show how much the output variables can vary when the input variables are changing. For this purpose two different scenarios will be taken into account: the life-cycle costs involved in a floating offshore wind farm (cost of conception and definition, cost of design and development, cost of manufacturing, cost of installation, cost of exploitation and cost of dismantling) and the most important economic indexes in terms of economic feasibility of a floating offshore wind farm (internal rate of return, net present value, discounted pay-back period, levelized cost of energy and cost of power). Results indicate that the most important variables in economic terms are the number of wind turbines and the distance from farm to shore in the costs’ scenario, and the wind scale parameter and the electric tariff for the economic indexes. This study will help investors to take into account these variables in the development of floating offshore wind farms in the future

  20. Effects of pore forming agents on chitosan-graft-poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) hydrogel properties for use as a matrix for floating drug delivery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Budianto, E.; Al-Shidqi, M. F.; Cahyana, A. H.

    2017-07-01

    Eradicating H. pylori-based infection by using conventional oral dosage form of amoxicillin trihydrate finds difficulties to overcome rapid gastric retention time. Encapsulating amoxicillin trihydrate in floating drug delivery system may solve the problem. In this research, the floating drug delivery system of amoxicillin trihydrate encapsulated in floating chitosan-graft-poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) hydrogels containing CaCO3 and NaHCO3 as pore forming agents has been successfully prepared. Pore forming agents used was varied with the ratio of 10 to 25% pore forming agents to total mass of the used materials. The hydrogel were characterizedusing FTIR spectrophotometer and stereo microscope. As pore forming agents compositions increased, the porosity (%) and floating properties increased but followed by decrease in drug entrapment efficiency. Most of the floating hydrogels possessed floating ability longer than 180 min and the highest porosity was found in hydrogel containing 25% NaHCO3. Hydrogel containing CaCO3 showed sustained drug release profile than hydrogel containing NaHCO3. However, the optimum formulation was achieved at composition of 10% NaHCO3 with 57% of drug entrapped within the hydrogel and 43% drug released. The results of these studies show that NaHCO3 is an effective pore forming agents for chitosan-graft-poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) hydrogel preparation as compare to CaCO3.

  1. Bio-functionalization of silicon nitride-based piezo-resistive ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Methods of bio-functionalize silicon nitride involve process steps to ... substance in applications such as clinical analysis, environmental control and industrial pro- ... anisms could be optical (measure the deflection), or measurement of a change in ... point of care (PoC), and the instrumentation involved is quite sophisticated.

  2. Hemispheric aerosol vertical profiles: anthropogenic impacts on optical depth and cloud nuclei.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clarke, Antony; Kapustin, Vladimir

    2010-09-17

    Understanding the effect of anthropogenic combustion upon aerosol optical depth (AOD), clouds, and their radiative forcing requires regionally representative aerosol profiles. In this work, we examine more than 1000 vertical profiles from 11 major airborne campaigns in the Pacific hemisphere and confirm that regional enhancements in aerosol light scattering, mass, and number are associated with carbon monoxide from combustion and can exceed values in unperturbed regions by more than one order of magnitude. Related regional increases in a proxy for cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and AOD imply that direct and indirect aerosol radiative effects are coupled issues linked globally to aged combustion. These profiles constrain the influence of combustion on regional AOD and CCN suitable for challenging climate model performance and informing satellite retrievals.

  3. Potential of water surface-floating microalgae for biodiesel production: Floating-biomass and lipid productivities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muto, Masaki; Nojima, Daisuke; Yue, Liang; Kanehara, Hideyuki; Naruse, Hideaki; Ujiro, Asuka; Yoshino, Tomoko; Matsunaga, Tadashi; Tanaka, Tsuyoshi

    2017-03-01

    Microalgae have been accepted as a promising feedstock for biodiesel production owing to their capability of converting solar energy into lipids through photosynthesis. However, the high capital and operating costs, and high energy consumption, are hampering commercialization of microalgal biodiesel. In this study, the surface-floating microalga, strain AVFF007 (tentatively identified as Botryosphaerella sudetica), which naturally forms a biofilm on surfaces, was characterized for use in biodiesel production. The biofilm could be conveniently harvested from the surface of the water by adsorbing onto a polyethylene film. The lipid productivity of strain AVFF007 was 46.3 mg/L/day, allowing direct comparison to lipid productivities of other microalgal species. The moisture content of the surface-floating biomass was 86.0 ± 1.2%, which was much lower than that of the biomass harvested using centrifugation. These results reveal the potential of this surface-floating microalgal species as a biodiesel producer, employing a novel biomass harvesting and dewatering strategy. Copyright © 2016 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Floating seal system for rotary devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banasiuk, H.A.

    1983-08-23

    This invention relates to a floating seal system for rotary devices to reduce gas leakage around the rotary device in a duct and across the face of the rotary device to an adjacent duct. The peripheral seal bodies are made of resilient material having a generally U-shaped cross section wherein one of the legs is secured to a support member and the other of the legs forms a contacting seal against the rotary device. The legs of the peripheral seal form an extended angle of intersection of about 10[degree] to about 30[degree] in the unloaded condition to provide even sealing forces around the periphery of the rotary device. The peripheral seal extends around the periphery of the support member except where intersected by radial seals which reduce gas leakage across the face of the rotary device and between adjacent duct portions. The radial seal assembly is fabricated from channel bars, the smaller channel bar being secured to the divider of the support member and a larger inverted rigid floating channel bar having its legs freely movable over the legs of the smaller channel bar forming therewith a tubular channel. A resilient flexible tube is positioned within the tubular channel for substantially its full length to reduce gas leakage across the tubular channel. A spacer extends beyond the face of the floating channel near each end of the floating channel a distance to provide desired clearance between the floating channel and the face of the rotary device. 5 figs.

  5. An Asynchronous IEEE Floating-Point Arithmetic Unit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joel R. Noche

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available An asynchronous floating-point arithmetic unit is designed and tested at the transistor level usingCadence software. It uses CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor and DCVS (differentialcascode voltage switch logic in a 0.35 µm process using a 3.3 V supply voltage, with dual-rail data andsingle-rail control signals using four-phase handshaking.Using 17,085 transistors, the unit handles single-precision (32-bit addition/subtraction, multiplication,division, and remainder using the IEEE 754-1985 Standard for Binary Floating-Point Arithmetic, withrounding and other operations to be handled by separate hardware or software. Division and remainderare done using a restoring subtractive algorithm; multiplication uses an additive algorithm. Exceptionsare noted by flags (and not trap handlers and the output is in single-precision.Previous work on asynchronous floating-point arithmetic units have mostly focused on single operationssuch as division. This is the first work to the authors' knowledge that can perform floating-point addition,multiplication, division, and remainder using a common datapath.

  6. Locomotion Dynamics for Bio-inspired Robots with Soft Appendages: Application to Flapping Flight and Passive Swimming

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boyer, Frédéric; Porez, Mathieu; Morsli, Ferhat; Morel, Yannick

    2017-08-01

    In animal locomotion, either in fish or flying insects, the use of flexible terminal organs or appendages greatly improves the performance of locomotion (thrust and lift). In this article, we propose a general unified framework for modeling and simulating the (bio-inspired) locomotion of robots using soft organs. The proposed approach is based on the model of Mobile Multibody Systems (MMS). The distributed flexibilities are modeled according to two major approaches: the Floating Frame Approach (FFA) and the Geometrically Exact Approach (GEA). Encompassing these two approaches in the Newton-Euler modeling formalism of robotics, this article proposes a unique modeling framework suited to the fast numerical integration of the dynamics of a MMS in both the FFA and the GEA. This general framework is applied on two illustrative examples drawn from bio-inspired locomotion: the passive swimming in von Karman Vortex Street, and the hovering flight with flexible flapping wings.

  7. Aerodynamics and Motion Performance of the H-Type Floating Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ying Guo

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Aerodynamics and motion performance of the floating vertical wind turbine (VAWT were studied in this paper, where the wind turbine was H-type and the floating foundation was truss spar type. Based on the double-multiple-stream-tube theory, the formulae were deduced to calculate the aerodynamic loads acting on the wind turbine considering the motions of the floating foundation. The surge-heave-pitch nonlinear coupling equations of the H-type floating VAWT were established. Aerodynamics and motion performance of a 5 MW H-type floating VAWT was studied, and the effect of the floating foundation motions on the aerodynamic loads was analyzed. It is shown that the motions of the floating foundation on the aerodynamics cannot be ignored. The motion of the H-type floating VAWT was also compared with that of the Φ-type floating VAWT: they have the same floating foundation, rated output power, mooring system and total displacement. The results show that the H-type floating VAWT has better motion performance, and the mean values of surge, heave and pitch of the H-type floating VAWT are much smaller comparing with the Φ-type floating VAWT.

  8. An Aeroelastic Perspective of Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Wake Formation and Instability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodriguez, Steven N.; Jaworski, Justin W.

    2015-11-01

    The wake formation and wake stability of floating offshore wind turbines are investigated from an aeroelastic perspective. The aeroelastic model is composed of the Sebastian-Lackner free-vortex wake aerodynamic model coupled to the nonlinear Hodges-Dowell beam equations, which are extended to include the effects of blade profile asymmetry, higher-order torsional effects, and kinetic energy components associated with periodic rigid-body motions of floating platforms. Rigid-body platform motions are also assigned to the aerodynamic model as varying inflow conditions to emulate operational rotor-wake interactions. Careful attention is given to the wake formation within operational states where the ratio of inflow velocity to induced velocity is over 50%. These states are most susceptible to aerodynamic instabilities, and provide a range of states about which a wake stability analysis can be performed. In addition, the stability analysis used for the numerical framework is implemented into a standalone free-vortex wake aerodynamic model. Both aeroelastic and standalone aerodynamic results are compared to evaluate the level of impact that flexible blades have on the wake formation and wake stability.

  9. Design and verification of the miniature optical system for small object surface profile fast scanning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chi, Sheng; Lee, Shu-Sheng; Huang, Jen, Jen-Yu; Lai, Ti-Yu; Jan, Chia-Ming; Hu, Po-Chi

    2016-04-01

    As the progress of optical technologies, different commercial 3D surface contour scanners are on the market nowadays. Most of them are used for reconstructing the surface profile of mold or mechanical objects which are larger than 50 mm×50 mm× 50 mm, and the scanning system size is about 300 mm×300 mm×100 mm. There are seldom optical systems commercialized for surface profile fast scanning for small object size less than 10 mm×10 mm×10 mm. Therefore, a miniature optical system has been designed and developed in this research work for this purpose. Since the most used scanning method of such system is line scan technology, we have developed pseudo-phase shifting digital projection technology by adopting projecting fringes and phase reconstruction method. A projector was used to project a digital fringe patterns on the object, and the fringes intensity images of the reference plane and of the sample object were recorded by a CMOS camera. The phase difference between the plane and object can be calculated from the fringes images, and the surface profile of the object was reconstructed by using the phase differences. The traditional phase shifting method was accomplished by using PZT actuator or precisely controlled motor to adjust the light source or grating and this is one of the limitations for high speed scanning. Compared with the traditional optical setup, we utilized a micro projector to project the digital fringe patterns on the sample. This diminished the phase shifting processing time and the controlled phase differences between the shifted phases become more precise. Besides, the optical path design based on a portable device scanning system was used to minimize the size and reduce the number of the system components. A screwdriver section about 7mm×5mm×5mm has been scanned and its surface profile was successfully restored. The experimental results showed that the measurement area of our system can be smaller than 10mm×10mm, the precision reached to

  10. Position control of a floating nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Motohashi, K.; Hamamoto, T.; Sasaki, R.; Kojima, M.

    1993-01-01

    In spite of the increasing demand of electricity in Japan, the sites of nuclear power plants suitable for conventional seismic regulations become severely limited. Under these circumstances, several types of advanced siting technology have been developed. Among them, floating power plants have a great advantage of seismic isolation that leads to the seismic design standardization and factory fabrication. The feasibility studies or preliminary designs of floating power plants enclosed by breakwaters in the shallow sea have been carried out last two decades in U.S. and Japan. On the other hand, there are few investigations on the dynamic behavior of floating power plants in the deep sea. The offshore floating nuclear power plants have an additional advantage in that large breakwaters are not required, although the safety checking is inevitable against wind-induced waves. The tension-leg platforms which have been constructed for oil drilling in the deep sea seem to be a promising offshore siting technology of nuclear power plants. The tension-leg mooring system can considerably restrain the heave and pitch of a floating power plant because of significant stiffness in the vertical direction. Different from seismic effects, wind-induced waves may be predicted in advance by making use of ocean weather forecasts using artificial satellites. According to the wave prediction, the position of the floating plant may be controlled by adjusting the water content in ballast tanks and the length of tension-legs before the expected load arrives. The position control system can reduce the wave force acting on the plant and to avoid the unfavorable response behavior of the plant. In this study a semi-submerged circular cylinder with tension-legs is considered as a mathematical model. The configuration of circular cylinder is effective because the dynamic behavior does not depend on incident wave directions. It is also unique in that it can obtain the closed-form solution of

  11. A Gold Nanoparticle Bio-Optical Transponder to Dynamically Monitor Intracellular pH.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carnevale, Kate J F; Riskowski, Ryan A; Strouse, Geoffrey F

    2018-06-13

    A pH-sensitive bio-optical transponder (pH-BOT) capable of simultaneously reporting the timing of intracellular DNA cargo release from a gold nanoparticle (AuNP) and the evolving intracellular pH (pH i) during endosomal maturation is demonstrated. The pH-BOT is designed with a triple-dye-labeled duplex DNA appended to a 6.6 nm AuNP, utilizing pH-responsive fluorescein paired with DyLight405 as a surface energy transfer (SET) coupled dye pair to ratiometrically report the pH at and after cargo release. A non-SET-coupled dye, DyLight 700, is used to provide dynamic tracking throughout the experiment. The pH-BOT beacon of the cargo uptake, release, and processing was visualized using live-cell confocal fluorescent microscopy in Chinese hamster ovary cells, and it was observed that while maturation of endosomes carrying pH-BOT is slowed significantly, the pH-BOT is distributed throughout the endolysosomal system while remaining at pH ∼6. This observed decoupling of endosomal maturation from acidification lends support to those models that propose that pH alone is not sufficient to explain endosomal maturation and may enable greater insight into our understanding of the fundamental processes of biology.

  12. Floating arterial thrombus related stroke treated by intravenous thrombolysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vanacker, P; Cordier, M; Janbieh, J; Federau, C; Michel, P

    2014-01-01

    The effects of intravenous thrombolysis on floating thrombi in cervical and intracranial arteries of acute ischemic stroke patients are unknown. Similarly, the best prevention methods of early recurrences remain controversial. This study aimed to describe the clinical and radiological outcome of thrombolyzed strokes with floating thrombi. We retrospectively analyzed all thrombolyzed stroke patients in our institution between 2003 and 2010 with floating thrombi on acute CT-angiography before the intravenous thrombolysis. The floating thrombus was diagnosed if an elongated thrombus of at least 5 mm length, completely surrounded by contrast on supra-aortic neck or intracerebral arteries, was present on CT-angiography. Demographics, vascular risk factors, and comorbidities were recorded and stroke etiology was determined after a standardized workup. Repeat arterial imaging was performed by CTA at 24 h or before if clinical worsening was noted and then by Doppler and MRA during the first week and at four months. Of 409 thrombolyzed stroke patients undergoing acute CT Angiography, seven (1.7%) had a floating thrombus; of these seven, six had it in the anterior circulation. Demographics, risk factors and stroke severity of these patients were comparable to the other thrombolyzed patients. After intravenous thrombolysis, the floating thrombi resolved completely at 24 h in four of the patients, whereas one had an early recurrent stroke and one developed progressive worsening. One patient developed early occlusion of the carotid artery with floating thrombus and subsequently a TIA. The two patients with a stable floating thrombus had no clinical recurrences. In the literature, only one of four reported cases were found to have a thrombolysis-related early recurrence. Long-term outcome seemed similar in thrombolyzed patients with floating thrombus, despite a possible increase of very early recurrence. It remains to be established whether acute mechanical thrombectomy could be

  13. Profile measurements in the plasma edge of mega amp spherical tokamak using a ball pen probe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walkden, N. R.; Adamek, J.; Komm, M.; Allan, S.; Elmore, S.; Fishpool, G.; Harrison, J.; Kirk, A.; Dudson, B. D.

    2015-01-01

    The ball pen probe (BPP) technique is used successfully to make profile measurements of plasma potential, electron temperature, and radial electric field on the Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak. The potential profile measured by the BPP is shown to significantly differ from the floating potential both in polarity and profile shape. By combining the BPP potential and the floating potential, the electron temperature can be measured, which is compared with the Thomson scattering (TS) diagnostic. Excellent agreement between the two diagnostics is obtained when secondary electron emission is accounted for in the floating potential. From the BPP profile, an estimate of the radial electric field is extracted which is shown to be of the order ∼1 kV/m and increases with plasma current. Corrections to the BPP measurement, constrained by the TS comparison, introduce uncertainty into the E R measurements. The uncertainty is most significant in the electric field well inside the separatrix. The electric field is used to estimate toroidal and poloidal rotation velocities from E × B motion. This paper further demonstrates the ability of the ball pen probe to make valuable and important measurements in the boundary plasma of a tokamak

  14. Profile measurements in the plasma edge of mega amp spherical tokamak using a ball pen probe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walkden, N. R.; Adamek, J.; Allan, S.; Dudson, B. D.; Elmore, S.; Fishpool, G.; Harrison, J.; Kirk, A.; Komm, M.

    2015-02-01

    The ball pen probe (BPP) technique is used successfully to make profile measurements of plasma potential, electron temperature, and radial electric field on the Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak. The potential profile measured by the BPP is shown to significantly differ from the floating potential both in polarity and profile shape. By combining the BPP potential and the floating potential, the electron temperature can be measured, which is compared with the Thomson scattering (TS) diagnostic. Excellent agreement between the two diagnostics is obtained when secondary electron emission is accounted for in the floating potential. From the BPP profile, an estimate of the radial electric field is extracted which is shown to be of the order ˜1 kV/m and increases with plasma current. Corrections to the BPP measurement, constrained by the TS comparison, introduce uncertainty into the ER measurements. The uncertainty is most significant in the electric field well inside the separatrix. The electric field is used to estimate toroidal and poloidal rotation velocities from E × B motion. This paper further demonstrates the ability of the ball pen probe to make valuable and important measurements in the boundary plasma of a tokamak.

  15. Profile measurements in the plasma edge of mega amp spherical tokamak using a ball pen probe

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Walkden, N. R., E-mail: nrw504@york.ac.uk [CCFE, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon,Oxon OX14 3DB (United Kingdom); Department of Physics, York Plasma Institute, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD (United Kingdom); Adamek, J.; Komm, M. [Institute of Plasma Physics of AS CR, v. v. i., Za Slovankou 3, 182 00 Praha 8 (Czech Republic); Allan, S.; Elmore, S.; Fishpool, G.; Harrison, J.; Kirk, A. [CCFE, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon,Oxon OX14 3DB (United Kingdom); Dudson, B. D. [Department of Physics, York Plasma Institute, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD (United Kingdom)

    2015-02-15

    The ball pen probe (BPP) technique is used successfully to make profile measurements of plasma potential, electron temperature, and radial electric field on the Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak. The potential profile measured by the BPP is shown to significantly differ from the floating potential both in polarity and profile shape. By combining the BPP potential and the floating potential, the electron temperature can be measured, which is compared with the Thomson scattering (TS) diagnostic. Excellent agreement between the two diagnostics is obtained when secondary electron emission is accounted for in the floating potential. From the BPP profile, an estimate of the radial electric field is extracted which is shown to be of the order ∼1 kV/m and increases with plasma current. Corrections to the BPP measurement, constrained by the TS comparison, introduce uncertainty into the E{sub R} measurements. The uncertainty is most significant in the electric field well inside the separatrix. The electric field is used to estimate toroidal and poloidal rotation velocities from E × B motion. This paper further demonstrates the ability of the ball pen probe to make valuable and important measurements in the boundary plasma of a tokamak.

  16. Can flexibility help you float?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burton, L. J.; Bush, J. W. M.

    2012-10-01

    We consider the role of flexibility in the weight-bearing characteristics of bodies floating at an interface. Specifically, we develop a theoretical model for a two-dimensional thin floating plate that yields the maximum stable plate load and optimal stiffness for weight support. Plates small relative to the capillary length are primarily supported by surface tension, and their weight-bearing potential does not benefit from flexibility. Above a critical size comparable to the capillary length, flexibility assists interfacial flotation. For plates on the order of and larger than the capillary length, deflection from an initially flat shape increases the force resulting from hydrostatic pressure, allowing the plate to support a greater load. In this large plate limit, the shape that bears the most weight is a semicircle, which displaces the most fluid above the plate for a fixed plate length. Exact results for maximum weight-bearing plate shapes are compared to analytic approximations made in the limits of large and small plate sizes. The value of flexibility for floating to a number of biological organisms is discussed in light of our study.

  17. BioCreative V BioC track overview: collaborative biocurator assistant task for BioGRID.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Sun; Islamaj Doğan, Rezarta; Chatr-Aryamontri, Andrew; Chang, Christie S; Oughtred, Rose; Rust, Jennifer; Batista-Navarro, Riza; Carter, Jacob; Ananiadou, Sophia; Matos, Sérgio; Santos, André; Campos, David; Oliveira, José Luís; Singh, Onkar; Jonnagaddala, Jitendra; Dai, Hong-Jie; Su, Emily Chia-Yu; Chang, Yung-Chun; Su, Yu-Chen; Chu, Chun-Han; Chen, Chien Chin; Hsu, Wen-Lian; Peng, Yifan; Arighi, Cecilia; Wu, Cathy H; Vijay-Shanker, K; Aydın, Ferhat; Hüsünbeyi, Zehra Melce; Özgür, Arzucan; Shin, Soo-Yong; Kwon, Dongseop; Dolinski, Kara; Tyers, Mike; Wilbur, W John; Comeau, Donald C

    2016-01-01

    BioC is a simple XML format for text, annotations and relations, and was developed to achieve interoperability for biomedical text processing. Following the success of BioC in BioCreative IV, the BioCreative V BioC track addressed a collaborative task to build an assistant system for BioGRID curation. In this paper, we describe the framework of the collaborative BioC task and discuss our findings based on the user survey. This track consisted of eight subtasks including gene/protein/organism named entity recognition, protein-protein/genetic interaction passage identification and annotation visualization. Using BioC as their data-sharing and communication medium, nine teams, world-wide, participated and contributed either new methods or improvements of existing tools to address different subtasks of the BioC track. Results from different teams were shared in BioC and made available to other teams as they addressed different subtasks of the track. In the end, all submitted runs were merged using a machine learning classifier to produce an optimized output. The biocurator assistant system was evaluated by four BioGRID curators in terms of practical usability. The curators' feedback was overall positive and highlighted the user-friendly design and the convenient gene/protein curation tool based on text mining.Database URL: http://www.biocreative.org/tasks/biocreative-v/track-1-bioc/. Published by Oxford University Press 2016. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.

  18. Bio politics - The bio-environment - bio-culture of the Danube

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vlavianos-Arvanitis, A.

    1997-01-01

    The bio-environment has been the single most important correlation in human history and can successfully promote international co-operational co-operation and understanding. With the construction of a network for collaboration, the 'Danube Countries' can come together in celebration of their culture and heritage. As the Danube flows from the Black Forest to the Black Sea, it carries messages of peace, hope and co-operation. Applying these messages to every endeavour can improve our quality of life and lead to a brighter future. Since its inception in 1985, the Bio politics International Organization (B.I.O.) has been labouring to raise awareness of the urgent need to instate a new system of norms and principles, compatible with sound environmental management and with the most important task of ensuring global literacy on environmental issues. Along with critically re-assessing the concept of profit, the goal is to adopt a system of bio centric values, where respect for the bio-environment will govern our every action and thought

  19. 14 CFR 25.533 - Hull and main float bottom pressures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Hull and main float bottom pressures. 25... AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY AIRPLANES Structure Water Loads § 25.533 Hull and main float bottom pressures. (a) General. The hull and main float structure, including frames and bulkheads...

  20. Development and evaluation of gastroretentive floating tablets of an antidepressant drug by thermoplastic granulation technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harshal Ashok Pawar

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available The present study was undertaken with an aim to formulate, develop and evaluate gastroretentive floating tablets of an antidepressant drug, Venlafaxine HCl (hydrochloride, which release the drug in a sustained manner over a period of 24 h. Three different hydrophobic retardants namely hydrogenated cottonseed oil, carnauba wax, cetyl alcohol and a hydrophilic polymer Methocel® (hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC K15M were used in different combinations at different ratios for the preparation of tablets. The tablets were prepared by Hot Melt or Thermoplastic granulation method and evaluated for tablet thickness, hardness, weight variation, friability, floating lag time and in vitro drug release. Formulation F8 with hydrophilic polymer (Methocel® K15M and hydrophobic retardant (carnauba wax in the ratio 1:2.6 (approx. was considered as an optimized formulation. The optimized formulation showed satisfactory sustained drug release and remained buoyant on the surface of the medium for more than 24 h and its release profile was comparable with the marketed formulation (VENTAB-XL 37.5. It can also be concluded that floating drug delivery system of Venlafaxine HCl can be successfully formulated as an approach to increase gastric residence time and thereby improving its bioavailability.

  1. Transfer characteristics of optical profilers with respect to rectangular edge and step height measurement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Weichang; Hagemeier, Sebastian; Bischoff, Jörg; Mastylo, Rostyslav; Manske, Eberhard; Lehmann, Peter

    2017-06-01

    Optical profilers are mature instruments used in research and industry to study surface topography features. Although the corresponding standards are based on simple step height measurements, in practical applications these instruments are often used to study the fidelity of surface topography. In this context it is well-known that in certain situations a surface profile obtained by an optical profiler will differ from the real profile. With respect to practical applications such deviations often occur in the vicinity of steep walls and in cases of high aspect ratio. In this contribution we compare the transfer characteristics of different 3D optical profiler principles, namely white-light interferometry, focus sensing, and confocal microscopy. Experimental results demonstrate that the transfer characteristics do not only depend on the parameters of the optical measurement system (e. g. wavelength and coherence of light, numerical aperture, evaluated signal feature, polarization) but also on the properties of the measuring object such as step height, aspect ratio, material properties and homogeneity, rounding and steepness of the edges, surface roughness. As a result, typical artefacts such as batwings occur for certain parameter combinations, particularly at certain height-to-wavelength ratio (HWR) values. Understanding of the mechanisms behind these phenomena enables to reduce them by an appropriate parameter adaption. However, it is not only the edge artefacts, but also the position of an edge that may be changed due to the properties of the measuring object. In order to investigate the relevant effects theoretically, several models are introduced. These are based on either an extension of Richards-Wolf modeling or rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA). Although these models explain the experimental effects quite well they suffer from different limitations, so that a quantitative correspondence of theoretical modeling and experimental results is hard to achieve

  2. 14 CFR 23.529 - Hull and main float landing conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Hull and main float landing conditions. 23... Water Loads § 23.529 Hull and main float landing conditions. (a) Symmetrical step, bow, and stern... directed perpendicularly to the keel line. (b) Unsymmetrical landing for hull and single float seaplanes...

  3. Development and Evaluation of Floating Microspheres of Curcumin ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Purpose: To prepare and evaluate floating microspheres of curcumin for prolonged gastric residence time and increased drug bioavailability. Methods: Floating microsphere were prepared by emulsion solvent diffusion method, using hydroxylpropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), ethyl cellulose (EC), Eudragit S 100 polymer in ...

  4. Vertical pump with free floating check valve

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lindsay, M.

    1980-01-01

    A vertical pump is described which has a bottom discharge with a free floating check valve disposed in the outlet plenum thereof. The free floating check valve comprises a spherical member with a hemispherical cage-like member attached thereto which is capable of allowing forward or reverse flow under appropriate conditions while preventing reverse flow under inappropriate conditions

  5. Development of floating strip micromegas detectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bortfeldt, Jonathan

    2014-04-28

    Micromegas are high-rate capable, high-resolution micro-pattern gaseous detectors. Square meter sized resistive strip Micromegas are foreseen as replacement of the currently used precision tracking detectors in the Small Wheel, which is part of the forward region of the ATLAS muon spectrometer. The replacement is necessary to ensure tracking and triggering performance of the muon spectrometer after the luminosity increase of the Large Hadron Collider beyond its design value of 10{sup 34} cm{sup -2}s{sup -1} around 2020. In this thesis a novel discharge tolerant floating strip Micromegas detector is presented and described. By individually powering copper anode strips, the effects of a discharge are confined to a small region of the detector. This reduces the impact of discharges on the efficiency by three orders of magnitude, compared to a standard Micromegas. The physics of the detector is studied and discussed in detail. Several detectors are developed: A 6.4 x 6.4 cm{sup 2} floating strip Micromegas with exchangeable SMD capacitors and resistors allows for an optimization of the floating strip principle. The discharge behavior is investigated on this device in depth. The microscopic structure of discharges is quantitatively explained by a detailed detector simulation. A 48 x 50 cm{sup 2} floating strip Micromegas is studied in high energy pion beams. Its homogeneity with respect to pulse height, efficiency and spatial resolution is investigated. The good performance in high-rate background environments is demonstrated in cosmic muon tracking measurements with a 6.4 x 6.4 cm{sup 2} floating strip Micromegas under lateral irradiation with 550 kHz 20 MeV proton beams. A floating strip Micromegas doublet with low material budget is developed for ion tracking without limitations from multiple scattering in imaging applications during medical ion therapy. Highly efficient tracking of 20 MeV protons at particle rates of 550 kHz is possible. The reconstruction of the

  6. Development of floating strip micromegas detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bortfeldt, Jonathan

    2014-01-01

    Micromegas are high-rate capable, high-resolution micro-pattern gaseous detectors. Square meter sized resistive strip Micromegas are foreseen as replacement of the currently used precision tracking detectors in the Small Wheel, which is part of the forward region of the ATLAS muon spectrometer. The replacement is necessary to ensure tracking and triggering performance of the muon spectrometer after the luminosity increase of the Large Hadron Collider beyond its design value of 10 34 cm -2 s -1 around 2020. In this thesis a novel discharge tolerant floating strip Micromegas detector is presented and described. By individually powering copper anode strips, the effects of a discharge are confined to a small region of the detector. This reduces the impact of discharges on the efficiency by three orders of magnitude, compared to a standard Micromegas. The physics of the detector is studied and discussed in detail. Several detectors are developed: A 6.4 x 6.4 cm 2 floating strip Micromegas with exchangeable SMD capacitors and resistors allows for an optimization of the floating strip principle. The discharge behavior is investigated on this device in depth. The microscopic structure of discharges is quantitatively explained by a detailed detector simulation. A 48 x 50 cm 2 floating strip Micromegas is studied in high energy pion beams. Its homogeneity with respect to pulse height, efficiency and spatial resolution is investigated. The good performance in high-rate background environments is demonstrated in cosmic muon tracking measurements with a 6.4 x 6.4 cm 2 floating strip Micromegas under lateral irradiation with 550 kHz 20 MeV proton beams. A floating strip Micromegas doublet with low material budget is developed for ion tracking without limitations from multiple scattering in imaging applications during medical ion therapy. Highly efficient tracking of 20 MeV protons at particle rates of 550 kHz is possible. The reconstruction of the track inclination in a single

  7. Floating barrier

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1968-05-06

    This floating barrier consists of relatively long elements which can be connected to form a practically continuous assembly. Each element consists of an inflatable tube with an apron of certain height, made of impregnated fabric which is resistant to ocean water and also to hydrocarbons. Means for connecting one element to the following one, and means for attaching ballast to the apron are also provided.

  8. Fiber-Optic Chemical Sensors and Fiber-Optic Bio-Sensors

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Pospíšilová, M.; Kuncová, Gabriela; Trögl, J.

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 15, č. 10 (2015), s. 25208-25259 ISSN 1424-8220 Institutional support: RVO:67985858 Keywords : fiber-optic sensor * chemical sensors * enzymatic sensor Subject RIV: JB - Sensors, Measurment, Regulation Impact factor: 2.033, year: 2015

  9. Micromechanisms with floating pivot

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia, Ernest J.

    2001-03-06

    A new class of tilting micromechanical mechanisms have been developed. These new mechanisms use floating pivot structures to relieve some of the problems encountered in the use of solid flexible pivots.

  10. New insights on poly(vinyl acetate)-based coated floating tablets: characterisation of hydration and CO2 generation by benchtop MRI and its relation to drug release and floating strength.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strübing, Sandra; Abboud, Tâmara; Contri, Renata Vidor; Metz, Hendrik; Mäder, Karsten

    2008-06-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanism of floating and drug release behaviour of poly(vinyl acetate)-based floating tablets with membrane controlled drug delivery. Propranolol HCl containing tablets with Kollidon SR as an excipient for direct compression and different Kollicoat SR 30 D/Kollicoat IR coats varying from 10 to 20mg polymer/cm2 were investigated regarding drug release in 0.1N HCl. Furthermore, the onset of floating, the floating duration and the floating strength of the device were determined. In addition, benchtop MRI studies of selected samples were performed. Coated tablets with 10mg polymer/cm2 SR/IR, 8.5:1.5 coat exhibited the shortest lag times prior to drug release and floating onset, the fastest increase in and highest maximum values of floating strength. The drug release was delayed efficiently within a time interval of 24 h by showing linear drug release characteristics. Poly(vinyl acetate) proved to be an appropriate excipient to ensure safe and reliable drug release. Floating strength measurements offered the possibility to quantify the floating ability of the developed systems and thus to compare different formulations more efficiently. Benchtop MRI studies allowed a deeper insight into drug release and floating mechanisms noninvasively and continuously.

  11. Pengaruh Frekuensi Melihat Iklan Floating terhadap Tingkat Kesadaran Merek

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Forddhanto Bimantoro

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract: Floating ad  is online advertisement aiming to stimulate brand awareness by increasing familiarity through reexposing advertisement. This research examines the influence of ARCO Depok members’ exposure of floating ad at www.detik.com to their brand awareness about Samsung LED TV. The frequency of consuming the advertisement is differentiated into three categories, namely three times, five times and never. The result shows that the respondents’ exposure of floating ad could influence the level of brand awareness as much as 40.7%. However, this tendency was not represented in the category of five times. The result also shows that the only control variable which was able to significantly influence the level of brand awareness was the variable of respondents’ visitation to the site of detik.com. Abstrak: Iklan floating merupakan iklan di media internet yang bertujuan mencapai kesadaran merek dengan cara meningkatkan familiarity melalui frekuensi pengulangan iklan. Frekuensi melihat iklan floating dibedakan  dengan memilah kelompok responden yang dikenai frekuensi melihat iklan 3 kali, 5 kali dan tidak melihat iklan. Penelitian ini menguji pengaruh frekuensi melihat iklan floating di www.detik.com terhadap tingkat kesadaran merek Samsung LED TV pada warga ARCO Depok, Jawa Barat. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa frekuensi melihat iklan floating dapat mempengaruhi tingkat kesadaran merek sebesar 40,7%; namun tidak terbukti pada kelompok yang melihat iklan sebanyak lima kali. Variabel kontrol yang mampu mempengaruhi tingkat kesadaran merek secara signifikan hanya variabel kunjungan responden ke detik.com.Â

  12. A Novel Bio-carrier Fabricated Using 3D Printing Technique for Wastewater Treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Yang; Fan, Shu-Qian; Shen, Yu; Yang, Ji-Xiang; Yan, Peng; Chen, You-Peng; Li, Jing; Guo, Jin-Song; Duan, Xuan-Ming; Fang, Fang; Liu, Shao-Yang

    2015-01-01

    The structure of bio-carriers is one of the key operational characteristics of a biofilm reactor. The goal of this study is to develop a series of novel fullerene-type bio-carriers using the three-dimensional printing (3DP) technique. 3DP can fabricate bio-carriers with more specialized structures compared with traditional fabrication processes. In this research, three types of fullerene-type bio-carriers were fabricated using the 3DP technique and then compared with bio-carrier K3 (from AnoxKaldnes) in the areas of physicochemical properties and biofilm growth. Images acquired by 3D profiling and SEM indicated that the surface roughness of the 3DP bio-carrier was greater than that of K3. Furthermore, contact angle data indicated that the 3DP bio-carriers were more hydrophilic than K3. The biofilm on the 3DP bio-carriers exhibited higher microbial activity and stronger adhesion ability. These findings were attributed to excellent mass transfer of the substrate (and oxygen) between the vapour-liquid-solid tri-phase system and to the surface characteristics. It is concluded that the novel 3DP fullerene-type bio-carriers are ideal carriers for biofilm adherence and growth. PMID:26202477

  13. Capture of free-floating planets by planetary systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goulinski, Nadav; Ribak, Erez N.

    2018-01-01

    Evidence of exoplanets with orbits that are misaligned with the spin of the host star may suggest that not all bound planets were born in the protoplanetary disc of their current planetary system. Observations have shown that free-floating Jupiter-mass objects can exceed the number of stars in our Galaxy, implying that capture scenarios may not be so rare. To address this issue, we construct a three-dimensional simulation of a three-body scattering between a free-floating planet and a star accompanied by a Jupiter-mass bound planet. We distinguish between three different possible scattering outcomes, where the free-floating planet may get weakly captured after the brief interaction with the binary, remain unbound or 'kick out' the bound planet and replace it. The simulation was performed for different masses of the free-floating planets and stars, as well as different impact parameters, inclination angles and approach velocities. The outcome statistics are used to construct an analytical approximation of the cross-section for capturing a free-floating planet by fitting their dependence on the tested variables. The analytically approximated cross-section is used to predict the capture rate for these kinds of objects, and to estimate that about 1 per cent of all stars are expected to experience a temporary capture of a free-floating planet during their lifetime. Finally, we propose additional physical processes that may increase the capture statistics and whose contribution should be considered in future simulations in order to determine the fate of the temporarily captured planets.

  14. Numerical study on aerodynamic damping of floating vertical axis wind turbines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Zhengshun; Aagaard Madsen, Helge; Gao, Zhen; Moan, Torgeir

    2016-09-01

    Harvesting offshore wind energy resources using floating vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) has attracted an increasing interest in recent years. Due to its potential impact on fatigue damage, the aerodynamic damping should be considered in the preliminary design of a floating VAWT based on the frequency domain method. However, currently the study on aerodynamic damping of floating VAWTs is very limited. Due to the essential difference in aerodynamic load characteristics, the aerodynamic damping of a floating VAWT could be different from that of a floating horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT). In this study, the aerodynamic damping of floating VAWTs was studied in a fully coupled manner, and its influential factors and its effects on the motions, especially the pitch motion, were demonstrated. Three straight-bladed floating VAWTs with identical solidity and with a blade number varying from two to four were considered. The aerodynamic damping under steady and turbulent wind conditions were estimated using fully coupled aero-hydro-servo-elastic time domain simulations. It is found that the aerodynamic damping ratio of the considered floating VAWTs ranges from 1.8% to 5.3%. Moreover, the aerodynamic damping is almost independent of the rotor azimuth angle, and is to some extent sensitive to the blade number.

  15. Optical design and testing: introduction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Chao-Wen; Koshel, John; Sasian, Jose; Breault, Robert; Wang, Yongtian; Fang, Yi Chin

    2014-10-10

    Optical design and testing has numerous applications in industrial, military, consumer, and medical settings. Assembling a complete imaging or nonimage optical system may require the integration of optics, mechatronics, lighting technology, optimization, ray tracing, aberration analysis, image processing, tolerance compensation, and display rendering. This issue features original research ranging from the optical design of image and nonimage optical stimuli for human perception, optics applications, bio-optics applications, 3D display, solar energy system, opto-mechatronics to novel imaging or nonimage modalities in visible and infrared spectral imaging, modulation transfer function measurement, and innovative interferometry.

  16. Numerical study on aerodynamic damping of floating vertical axis wind turbines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cheng, Zhengshun; Aagaard Madsen, Helge; Gao, Zhen

    2016-01-01

    Harvesting offshore wind energy resources using floating vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) has attracted an increasing interest in recent years. Due to its potential impact on fatigue damage, the aerodynamic damping should be considered in the preliminary design of a floating VAWT based...... on the frequency domain method. However, currently the study on aerodynamic damping of floating VAWTs is very limited. Due to the essential difference in aerodynamic load characteristics, the aerodynamic damping of a floating VAWT could be different from that of a floating horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT...... to four were considered. The aerodynamic damping under steady and turbulent wind conditions were estimated using fully coupled aero-hydro-servo-elastic time domain simulations. It is found that the aerodynamic damping ratio of the considered floating VAWTs ranges from 1.8% to 5.3%. Moreover...

  17. A review on design and study of floating plant mooring systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakamura, Hideharu; Kashima, Ryoichi; Hagiwara, Yutaka; Matsuura, Shinichi; Shiojiri, Hiroo

    1985-01-01

    There exists a widespread anticipation among nuclear power engineers that a floating nuclear power plant (NPP) may have a couple of advantages over other types; such as seismic isolation, standardizations of design and manufacturing etc. However, it also seems that a number of problems still remain to be clarified to adopt the floating NPP in Japan. One of them is magnitude of external forces acting on floating structure, which depend on mooring system. The purpose of the present report is to survey various kinds of mooring systems, structural analyses and design criteria, and examples of the same scale floating structures taking into consideration of the floating NPP which displaces 300,000 Ton, and furthermore, to discuss the future problems in regard to the mooring system still to be investigated before the floating plants can be constructed. (author)

  18. 14 CFR 23.533 - Hull and main float bottom pressures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Hull and main float bottom pressures. 23... Water Loads § 23.533 Hull and main float bottom pressures. (a) General. The hull and main float....00213; K2=hull station weighing factor, in accordance with figure 2 of appendix I of this part; VS1...

  19. Multifractal analysis of managed and independent float exchange rates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stošić, Darko; Stošić, Dusan; Stošić, Tatijana; Stanley, H. Eugene

    2015-06-01

    We investigate multifractal properties of daily price changes in currency rates using the multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MF-DFA). We analyze managed and independent floating currency rates in eight countries, and determine the changes in multifractal spectrum when transitioning between the two regimes. We find that after the transition from managed to independent float regime the changes in multifractal spectrum (position of maximum and width) indicate an increase in market efficiency. The observed changes are more pronounced for developed countries that have a well established trading market. After shuffling the series, we find that the multifractality is due to both probability density function and long term correlations for managed float regime, while for independent float regime multifractality is in most cases caused by broad probability density function.

  20. WindFloat Pacific Project, Final Scientific and Technical Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Banister, Kevin [Principle Power, Inc., Emeryville, CA (United States)

    2017-01-17

    PPI’s WindFloat Pacific project (WFP) was an up to 30 MW floating offshore wind demonstration project proposed off the Coast of Oregon. The project was to be sited approximately 18 miles due west of Coos Bay, in over 1000 ft. of water, and is the first floating offshore wind array proposed in the United States, and the first offshore wind project of any kind proposed off the West Coast. PPI’s WindFloat, a semi-submersible foundation designed for high-capacity (6MW+) offshore wind turbines, is at the heart of the proposed project, and enables access to the world class wind resource at the project site and, equally, to other deep water, high wind resource areas around the country.

  1. Bio Optofluidics Cell Sorter – cell-BOCS Concept and Applications

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Roth, Tue; Glückstad, Jesper

    2012-01-01

    The cell-BOCS is a novel microfluidics based cell-sorting instrument utilizing next generation optical trapping technology developed at the Technical University of Denmark. It is targeted emerging bio-medical research and diagnostics markets where it for certain applications offers a number...

  2. A novel grounded to floating admittance converter with electronic control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prasad, Dinesh; Ahmad, Javed; Srivastava, Mayank

    2018-01-01

    This article suggests a new grounded to floating admittance convertor employing only two voltage differencing transconductance amplifiers (VDTAs). The proposed circuit can convert any arbitrary grounded admittance into floating admittance with electronically controllable scaling factor. The presented converter enjoys the following beneficial: (1) no requirement of any additional passive element (2) scaling factor can be tuned electronically through bias currents of VDTAs (3) no matching constraint required (4) low values of active/passive sensitivity indexes and (5) excellent non ideal behavior that indicates no deviation in circuit behavior even under non ideal environment. Application of the proposed configuration in realization of floating resistor and floating capacitor has been presented and the workability of these floating elements has been confirmed by active filter design examples. SPICE simulations have been performed to demonstrate the performance of the proposed circuits.

  3. Nano technologies for Biosensor and Bio chip

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, I.M.; Park, T.J.; Paskaleva, E.E.; Sun, F.; Seo, J.W.; Mehta, K.K.

    2015-01-01

    The bio sensing devices are characterized by their biological receptors, which have specificity to their corresponding analytes. These analytes are a vast and diverse group of biological molecules, DNAs, proteins (such as antibodies), fatty acids, or entire biological systems, such as pathogenic bacteria, viruses, cancerous cells, or other living organisms. A main challenge in the development of biosensor applications is the efficient recognition of a biological signal in a low signal-to-noise ratio environment, and its transduction into an electrochemical, optical, or other signals. The advent of nano material technology greatly increased the potential for achieving exquisite sensitivity of such devises, due to the innate high surface-to-volume ratio and high reactivity of the nano material. The second major challenge facing the biosensor application, that of sca lability, is addressed by multiplexing and miniaturizing of the biosensor devises into a bio chip. In recent years, biosensor and bio chip technologies have made significant progress by taking advantages of diverse kinds of nano materials that are derived from nano technology

  4. A handheld optical device for skin profile measurement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Jiuai; Liu, Xiaojin

    2018-04-01

    This paper describes a portable optical scanning device designed for skin surface measurement on both colour and 3D geometry through a relative easy and cost effective multiple light source photometric stereo method. The validation of colour recovered had been verified through its application on skin lesion segmentation in our early work. This paper focuses on the reconstructed topographic data which are subject to further evaluation and advancement. The evaluation work takes the skin in vitro as an application scenario and compares the experimental result to that obtained by using a commercial product. The experiments show that this handheld device can measure the skin profile significantly closer to that of the ground truth and have the additional function of skin colour recovery.

  5. Bio-films and processes of bio-corrosion and bio-deterioration in oil-and gas-processing industry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kholodenko, V.P.; Irkhina, I.A.; Chugunov, V.A.; Rodin, V.B.; Zhigletsova, S.K.; Yermolenko, Z.M.; Rudavin, V.V. [State Research Center for Applied Microbiology, Obolensk, Moscow region (Russian Federation)

    2004-07-01

    As a rule, oil- and gas-processing equipment and pipelines are attacked by different microorganisms. Their vital ability determines processes of bio-deterioration and bio-corrosion that lead often to technological accidents and severe environmental contamination. Bio-films presenting a complex association of different microorganisms and their metabolites are responsible for most of damages. In this context, to study the role bio-films may play in processes of bio-damages and in efficacy of protective measures is important. We have developed method of culturing bio-films on the surface of metal coupons by using a natural microbial association isolated from oil-processing sites. Simple and informative methods of determining microbiological parameters of bio-films required to study bio-corrosion processes are also developed. In addition, a method of electron microscopic analysis of bio-films and pitting corrosion is offered. Using these methods, we conducted model experiments to determine the dynamics of corrosion processes depending on qualitative and quantitative composition of bio-films, aeration conditions and duration of the experiment. A harmful effect of soil bacteria and micro-mycetes on different pipeline coatings was also investigated. Experiments were conducted within 3-6 months and revealed degrading action of microorganisms. This was confirmed by axial tension testing of coatings. All these approaches will be used for further development of measures to protect gas- and oil-processing equipment and pipelines against bio-corrosion and bio-damages (first of all biocides). (authors)

  6. Floating liquid bridge tensile behavior: Electric-field-induced Young's modulus measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teschke, Omar; Mendez Soares, David; Valente Filho, Juracyr Ferraz

    2013-12-01

    A floating bridge is formed spontaneously when high voltage is applied to polar fluids in two capillary tubes that were in contact and then separated. This bridge bends under its own weight, and its bending profile was used to calculate its Young's modulus. For electric field intensities of ˜106 V/m, water bridges exhibit viscoelastic behavior, with Young's moduli of ˜24 MPa; dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) bridges exhibited Young's moduli of ˜60 kPa. The scheme devised to measure the voltage drop across the water bridge for high voltages applied between the electrodes shows that the bulk water resistance decreases with increasing voltage.

  7. Chem/bio sensing with non-classical light and integrated photonics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haas, J; Schwartz, M; Rengstl, U; Jetter, M; Michler, P; Mizaikoff, B

    2018-01-29

    Modern quantum technology currently experiences extensive advances in applicability in communications, cryptography, computing, metrology and lithography. Harnessing this technology platform for chem/bio sensing scenarios is an appealing opportunity enabling ultra-sensitive detection schemes. This is further facilliated by the progress in fabrication, miniaturization and integration of visible and infrared quantum photonics. Especially, the combination of efficient single-photon sources together with waveguiding/sensing structures, serving as active optical transducer, as well as advanced detector materials is promising integrated quantum photonic chem/bio sensors. Besides the intrinsic molecular selectivity and non-destructive character of visible and infrared light based sensing schemes, chem/bio sensors taking advantage of non-classical light sources promise sensitivities beyond the standard quantum limit. In the present review, recent achievements towards on-chip chem/bio quantum photonic sensing platforms based on N00N states are discussed along with appropriate recognition chemistries, facilitating the detection of relevant (bio)analytes at ultra-trace concentration levels. After evaluating recent developments in this field, a perspective for a potentially promising sensor testbed is discussed for reaching integrated quantum sensing with two fiber-coupled GaAs chips together with semiconductor quantum dots serving as single-photon sources.

  8. Ocean Optics Protocols for Satellite Ocean Color Sensor Validation, Revision 4, Volume IV: Inherent Optical Properties: Instruments, Characterizations, Field Measurements and Data Analysis Protocols

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mueller, J. L.; Fargion, G. S.; McClain, C. R. (Editor); Pegau, S.; Zanefeld, J. R. V.; Mitchell, B. G.; Kahru, M.; Wieland, J.; Stramska, M.

    2003-01-01

    This document stipulates protocols for measuring bio-optical and radiometric data for the Sensor Intercomparision and Merger for Biological and Interdisciplinary Oceanic Studies (SIMBIOS) Project activities and algorithm development. The document is organized into 6 separate volumes as Ocean Optics Protocols for Satellite Ocean Color Sensor Validation, Revision 4. Volume I: Introduction, Background, and Conventions; Volume II: Instrument Specifications, Characterization and Calibration; Volume III: Radiometric Measurements and Data Analysis Methods; Volume IV: Inherent Optical Properties: Instruments, Characterization, Field Measurements and Data Analysis Protocols; Volume V: Biogeochemical and Bio-Optical Measurements and Data Analysis Methods; Volume VI: Special Topics in Ocean Optics Protocols and Appendices. The earlier version of Ocean Optics Protocols for Satellite Ocean Color Sensor Validation, Revision 3 is entirely superseded by the six volumes of Revision 4 listed above.

  9. Mode profiling of optical fibers at high laser powers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Peter Carøe; Pedersen, David Bue; Simonsen, R.B.

    2008-01-01

    of the focused spot can be determined. The analyser is based on the principle of a rotating wire being swept though the laser beam, while the reflected signal is recorded [1]. By changing the incident angle of the rotating rod from 0° to 360° in relation to the fiber, the full profile of the laser beam...... is obtained. Choosing a highly reflective rod material and a sufficiently high rotation speed, these measurements can be done with high laser powers, without any additional optical elements between the fiber and analyzer. The performance of the analyzer was evaluated by coupling laser light into different...

  10. Information Optics and Photonics Algorithms, Systems, and Applications

    CERN Document Server

    Javidi, Bahram

    2010-01-01

    This book addresses applications, recent advances, and emerging areas in fields with applications in information optics and photonics systems. The objective of this book is to illustrate and discuss novel approaches, analytical techniques, models, and technologies that enhance sensing, measurement, processing, interpretation, and visualization of information using free space optics and photonics. The material in this book concentrates on integration of diverse fields for cross-disciplinary applications including bio-photonics, digitally enhanced sensing and imaging systems, multi-dimensional optical imaging and image processing, bio-inspired imaging, 3D visualization, 3D displays, imaging on the nano-scale, quantum optics, super resolution imaging, photonics for biological applications, and holographic information systems. As a result, this book is a useful resource for researchers, engineers, and graduate students who work in the diverse fields comprising information optics and photonics.

  11. Floating Inductance and FDNR Using Positive Polarity Current Conveyors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Pal

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available A generalized circuit based on five positive polarity second-generation current conveyors is introduced. The circuit simulates a floating inductance, capacitor floatation circuit and floating fdnr. All these circuits use grounded capacitors.

  12. Sabrewing: A lightweight architecture for combined floating-point and integer arithmetic

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bruintjes, Tom; Walters, K.H.G.; Gerez, Sabih H.; Molenkamp, Egbert; Smit, Gerardus Johannes Maria

    In spite of the fact that floating-point arithmetic is costly in terms of silicon area, the joint design of hardware for floating-point and integer arithmetic is seldom considered. While components like multipliers and adders can potentially be shared, floating-point and integer units in

  13. Production of floating pellets using appropriate methods | Suleiman ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The study investigated into the use of floating materials like candle wax, yeast and baking powder to achieve pellet buoyancy. Ten diets were formulated with incorporation of floating agents; Diet I-YBCT- (yeast-baking powder in cold water -toasted), Diet II-YBCU- (yeast-baking powder in cold water -untoasted) Diet III ...

  14. Vertical profiles of aerosol optical properties and the solar heating rate estimated by combining sky radiometer and lidar measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kudo, Rei; Nishizawa, Tomoaki; Aoyagi, Toshinori

    2016-07-01

    The SKYLIDAR algorithm was developed to estimate vertical profiles of aerosol optical properties from sky radiometer (SKYNET) and lidar (AD-Net) measurements. The solar heating rate was also estimated from the SKYLIDAR retrievals. The algorithm consists of two retrieval steps: (1) columnar properties are retrieved from the sky radiometer measurements and the vertically mean depolarization ratio obtained from the lidar measurements and (2) vertical profiles are retrieved from the lidar measurements and the results of the first step. The derived parameters are the vertical profiles of the size distribution, refractive index (real and imaginary parts), extinction coefficient, single-scattering albedo, and asymmetry factor. Sensitivity tests were conducted by applying the SKYLIDAR algorithm to the simulated sky radiometer and lidar data for vertical profiles of three different aerosols, continental average, transported dust, and pollution aerosols. The vertical profiles of the size distribution, extinction coefficient, and asymmetry factor were well estimated in all cases. The vertical profiles of the refractive index and single-scattering albedo of transported dust, but not those of transported pollution aerosol, were well estimated. To demonstrate the performance and validity of the SKYLIDAR algorithm, we applied the SKYLIDAR algorithm to the actual measurements at Tsukuba, Japan. The detailed vertical structures of the aerosol optical properties and solar heating rate of transported dust and smoke were investigated. Examination of the relationship between the solar heating rate and the aerosol optical properties showed that the vertical profile of the asymmetry factor played an important role in creating vertical variation in the solar heating rate. We then compared the columnar optical properties retrieved with the SKYLIDAR algorithm to those produced with the more established scheme SKYRAD.PACK, and the surface solar irradiance calculated from the SKYLIDAR

  15. Bio-prospecting of distillery yeasts as bio-control and bio-remediation agents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ubeda, Juan F; Maldonado, María; Briones, Ana I; Francisco, J Fernández; González, Francisco J

    2014-05-01

    This work constitutes a preliminary study in which the capacity of non-Saccharomyces yeasts isolated from ancient distilleries as bio-control agents against moulds and in the treatment of waste waters contaminated by heavy metals-i.e. bio-remediation-is shown. In the first control assays, antagonist effect between non-Saccharomyces yeasts, their extracts and supernatants against some moulds, analysing the plausible (not exhaustive) involved factors were qualitatively verified. In addition, two enzymatic degrading properties of cell wall plant polymers, quitinolitic and pectinolitic, were screened. Finally, their use as agents of bio-remediation of three heavy metals (cadmium, chromium and lead) was analysed semi-quantitatively. The results showed that all isolates belonging to Pichia species effectively inhibited all moulds assayed. Moreover, P. kudriavzevii is a good candidate for both bio-control and bio-remediation because it inhibited moulds and accumulated the major proportion of the three tested metals.

  16. On the nature of the Madagascar dipoles: An analysis from Argo profiling floats and altimetry measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aguiar-González, Borja; Ponsoni, Leandro; Ridderinkhof, Herman; de Ruijter, Will P. M.; Maas, Leo R. M.

    2016-04-01

    The South East Madagascar Current (SEMC) flows poleward along the eastern coast of Madagascar as a western boundary current which further south provides some of the source waters of the Agulhas Current, either directly or in the form of eddies. We investigate the region of dipole formation south of Madagascar combining vertical T/S profiles from Argo floats, altimetry measurements and an existing eddy detection algorithm. Results from our analysis show that the dipole consists of an anticyclonic intrathermocline eddy (ITE) formed on its southern flank and a cyclonic ITE formed on its northern flank. Both lobes of the dipole exhibit similar T/S properties throughout the water column, although vertically shifted within the thermocline depending on its nature: upward in a cyclonic ITE and downward in an anticyclonic ITE. A subsurface salinity maximum of about 35.5 psu characterizes the upper layers with Subtropical Surface Water (STSW). At intermediate levels, a well defined path of South Indian Central Water (SICW) extends throughout the water column up to reach a minimum in salinity of 34.5 psu, corresponding to Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW). Below, at deep layers, the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) is found. The intrathermocline nature of the Madagascar dipoles has not been previously reported and represents an important feature to be considered when assessing the heat and salt fluxes driven by eddy movement and contributing to the Agulhas Current. Unlike surface eddies, intrathermocline eddies strongly influence the intermediate/deeper layers in the oceans and, hence, may have a larger contribution in the spreading rates and pathways of water masses. Because the intrathermocline nature of eddies is invisible to altimetry measurements, these results stress the importance of combining altimetry with historical records of Argo profiles which uncover eddy dynamics below the sea surface. Lastly, we further investigate from altimetry the area of dipole formation

  17. A techno-economic evaluation of two non-edible vegetable oil based bio diesel in Pakistan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chakrabarti, M.H.; Ali, M.

    2010-01-01

    Technical evaluation of Bio diesel, produced from various non-edible oils, was carried out on the basis of emission profile, torque, engine brake power and exhaust temperatures at 10% blend ratio (by volume) with mineral diesel. The performance of engine parameters showed that the castor oil based bio diesel gave the best results. Economic feasibility for bio diesel production was carried out based on available data on cultivation of necessary plants on marginal lands. This economic analysis also included the value of by-products which would be available during the chemical process for the production of bio diesel. It was found that jatropha bio diesel could be produced at a comparable cost to mineral diesel, however, castor bio diesel required substantial subsidies or mass cultivation of plants on marginal lands to enable it to compete economically with mineral diesel. (author)

  18. Paramagnetic resonance of LaGaO3: Mn single crystals grown by floating zone melting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vazhenin, V. A.; Potapov, A. P.; Artyomov, M. Yu.; Salosin, M. A.; Fokin, A. V.; Gil'mutdinov, I. F.; Mukhamedshin, I. R.

    2016-02-01

    The EPR spectrum of Mn-doped lanthanum gallate single crystals grown by floating zone melting with optical heating has been studied. In contrast to the crystals grown according to the Czochralski method, no manganese is found in these crystals even after high-temperature annealing in air. The spectral characteristics of Fe3+ and Gd3+ centers in crystals prepared by various methods have been compared in the rhombohedral phase, and the fourth-rank nondiagonal parameters of the Fe3+ trigonal centers have been determined, as well.

  19. Towards Interactive Steering of a Very Large Floating Structure Code by Using HPC Parallelisation Strategies

    KAUST Repository

    Frisch, Jerome; Gao, Ruiping; Mundani, Ralf-Peter; Wang, Chien Ming; Rank, Ernst

    2012-01-01

    Very large floating structures (VLFSs) have been used for broad applications such as floating storage facilities, floating piers, floating bridges, floating airports, entertainment facilities, even habitation, and other purposes. Owing to its small

  20. The BioPhotonics Workstation: from university research to commercial prototype

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Glückstad, Jesper

    I will outline the specifications of the compact BioPhotonics Workstation we recently have developed that utilizes high-speed spatial light modulation to generate an array of reconfigurable laser-traps making 3D real-time optical manipulation of advanced structures possible with the use of joysti...

  1. [Treatment of Persistent Somatoform Pain Disorder by Floating Needle Therapy and Duloxetine].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Wan-wen; Zhou, Zhi-ying; Xu, Mi-mi; Long, Sen; Tang, Guang-zheng; Mao, Hong-jing; Chen, Shu-lin

    2016-02-01

    To evaluate clinical effect and safety of floating needle therapy and duloxetine in treating patients with persistent somatoform pain disorder (PSPD). Totally 108 PSPD patients were randomly assigned to the floating needle treatment group, the duloxetine treatment group, and the placebo treatment group, 36 in each group. Patients in the floating needle treatment group received floating needle therapy and placebo. Those in the duloxetine treatment group received duloxetine and simulated floating needle therapy. Those in the placebo treatment group received the placebo and simulated floating needle therapy. All treatment lasted for six weeks. Efficacy and adverse reactions were evaluated using Simple McGill pain scale (SF-MPQ) and Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS) before treatment and immediately after treatment, as well as at the end of 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 6th week of treatment, respectively. Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD, 17 items), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) were assessed before treatment and at the end of 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 6th week of treatment, respectively. Patients in the floating needle treatment group and the duloxetine treatment group with the total reducing score rate of SF-MPQ in Pain Rating index (PRI) ≥ 50% after 6 weeks' treatment were involved in the follow-up study. (1) Compared with the same group before treatment, SF-MPQ score, HAMD score and HAMA total scores all decreased in all the three groups at the end of 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 6th week of treatment (P floating needle treatment group (P floating needle treatment group significantly decreased after 1, 2, 4, and 6 weeks of treatment (P floating needle treatment group, 17 (50.0%) in the duloxetine treatment group, and 7 (21.2%) in the placebo treatment group. Compared with the placebo treatment group, the incidence of adverse reaction increased in the duloxetine treatment group (χ² = 6.04, P floating needle treatment group (χ² = 14.9, P floating needle treatment group and 17

  2. Development and Characterization of Novel Floating-Mucoadhesive Tablets Bearing Venlafaxine Hydrochloride

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raghvendra Misra

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The present investigation is concerned about the development of floating bioadhesive drug delivery system of venlafaxine hydrochloride which after oral administration exhibits a unique combination of floating and bioadhesion to prolong gastric residence time and increase drug bioavailability within the stomach. The floating bioadhesive tablets were prepared by the wet granulation method using different ratios of hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC K4MCR and Carbopol 934PNF as polymers. Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3 and citric acid were used as gas (CO2 generating agents. Tablets were characterized for floating properties, in vitro drug release, detachment force, and swelling index. The concentration of hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose and Carbopol 934PNF significantly affects the in vitro drug release, floating properties, detachment force, and swelling properties of the tablets. The optimized formulation showed the floating lag time 72±2.49 seconds and duration of floating 24.50±0.74 hr. The in vitro release studies and floating behavior were studied in simulated gastric fluid (SGF at pH 1.2. Different drug release kinetics models were also applied. The in vitro drug release from tablets was sufficiently sustained (more than 18 hr and the Fickian transports of the drug from the tablets were confirmed. The radiological evidence suggests that the tablets remained buoyant and altered position in the stomach of albino rabbit and mean gastric residence time was prolonged (more than > 6 hr.

  3. Catastrophe Optics Method to Determine the Micro-Nano Size Profiles at TPL of Liquid Films on a Solid Surface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chao, David F.; McQuillen, J. B.; Sankovic, J. M.; Zhang, Nengli

    2009-01-01

    As discovered by recent studies, what directly affects the wetting and spreading is curvature in micro-region rather than the macroscopic contact angle. Measuring the profile of the micro-region becomes an important research topic. Recently, catastrophe optics has been applied to this kind of measurements. Optical catastrophe occurring in far field of waves of liquid-refracted laser beam implies a wealth of information about the liquid spreading not only for liquid drops but also for films. When a parallel laser beam passes through a liquid film on a slide glass at three-phase-line (TPL), very interesting optical image patterns occur on a screen far from the film. An analysis based on catastrophe optics discloses and interprets the formation of these optical image patterns. The analysis reveals that the caustic line manifested as the bright-thick line on the screen implies the lowest hierarchy of optical catastrophes, called fold caustic. This optical catastrophe is produced by the inflexion line on liquid surface at the liquid foot, which is formed not only in the spreading of drops but also in spreading of films. The generalized catastrophe optics method enables to identify the edge profiles and determine the edge foot height of liquid films. Keywords: Crossover region, Inflexion line, liquid edge foot, Catastrophe optics, Caustic and diffraction

  4. Optical bio-sensors in microfluidic chips

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pollnau, Markus; Dongre, C.; Pham Van So, P.V.S.; Bernhardi, Edward; Worhoff, Kerstin; de Ridder, R.M.; Hoekstra, Hugo

    2012-01-01

    Direct femtosecond laser writing is used to integrate optical waveguides that intersect the microfluidic channels in a commercial optofluidic chip. With laser excitation, fluorescently labeled DNA molecules of different sizes are separated by capillary electrophoresis with high operating speed and

  5. Floating cultivation of marine cyanobacteria using coal fly ash

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Matsumoto, M.; Yoshida, E.; Takeyama, H.; Matsunaga, T. [Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo (Japan). Dept. of Biotetechnology

    2000-07-01

    The aim was to develop improved methodologies for bulk culturing of biotechnologically useful marine cyanobacteria in the open ocean. The viability of using coal fly ash (CFA) blocks as the support medium in a novel floating culture system for marine microalgae was investigated. The marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. NKBC 040607 was found to adhere to floating CFA blocks in liquid culture medium. The marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. NKBG 042902 weakly adhered to floating CFA blocks in BG-11 medium. Increasing the concentration of calcium ion in the culture medium enhanced adherence to CFA blocks.

  6. Free-Floating Iris Cyst in a Patient with Recurrent Iritis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joanne M.Y. Teong

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: We describe an unusual clinical finding of a free-floating iris cyst in a patient with recurrent iritis. Method: The clinical finding of a free-floating iris cyst was recorded using slit-lamp photography. Results: A 39-year-old male with a 5-year history of recurrent right iritis was found to have a small mobile iris cyst within his right anterior chamber, first identified 3 years ago. The patient did not experience any discomfort or visual symptoms resulting from the cyst. Conclusion: Surgical removal is not indicated for asymptomatic non-progressive free-floating iris cysts. The significance of a free-floating iris cyst in the setting of recurrent iritis remains unknown.

  7. Impact of associated injuries in the Floating knee: A retrospective study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rethnam, Ulfin; Yesupalan, Rajam S; Nair, Rajagopalan

    2009-01-01

    Background Floating knee injuries are usually associated with other significant injuries. Do these injuries have implications on the management of the floating knee and the final outcome of patients? Our study aims to assess the implications of associated injuries in the management and final outcome of floating knee. Methods 29 patients with floating knees were assessed in our institution. A retrospective analysis of medical records and radiographs were done and all associated injuries were identified. The impact of associated injuries on delay in initial surgical management, delay in rehabilitation & final outcome of the floating knee were assessed. Results 38 associated injuries were noted. 7 were associated with ipsilateral knee injuries. Lower limb injuries were most commonly associated with the floating knee. Patients with some associated injuries had a delay in surgical management and others a delay in post-operative rehabilitation. Knee ligament and vascular injuries were associated with poor outcome. Conclusion The associated injuries were quite frequent with the floating knee. Some of the associated injuries caused a delay in surgical management and post-operative rehabilitation. In assessment of the final outcome, patients with associated knee and vascular injuries had a poor prognosis. Majority of the patients with associated injuries had a good or excellent outcome. PMID:19144197

  8. Floating Collection in an Academic Library: An Audacious Experiment That Succeeded

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coopey, Barbara; Eshbach, Barbara; Notartomas, Trish

    2016-01-01

    Can a floating collection thrive in a large multicampus academic research library? Floating collections have been successful in public libraries for some time, but it is uncommon for academic libraries and unheard of for a large academic library system. This article will discuss the investigation into the feasibility of a floating collection at…

  9. Empirical Algorithms to Predict pH and Aragonite Saturation State on SOCCOM Biogeochemical Argo Floats in the Pacific Sector of the Southern Ocean

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, N. L.; Juranek, L. W.; Feely, R. A.; Johnson, K. S.; Russell, J. L.

    2016-02-01

    The Southern Ocean plays a major role in the global uptake, transport, and storage of both heat and carbon, yet it remains one of the least-sampled regions of the ocean. The Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling (SOCCOM) project aims to fill the observational gaps by deploying over 200 autonomous profiling floats in the Southern Ocean over the next several years. Initial float deployments have greatly expanded our observational capability to include wintertime measurements as well as under-ice measurements, and many of these floats include novel biogeochemical sensors (pH, nitrate, oxygen). Here we present empirical algorithms that can be used to predict pH and ΩAragonite from other float-measured parameters (temperature, salinity, pressure, nitrate, oxygen). These algorithms were trained using bottle measurements from high-quality repeat hydrographic GO-SHIP cruises. We obtained R2 values of 0.98 (pH) and 0.99 (ΩAragonite) and RMS errors of 0.007 (pH) and 0.052 (ΩAragonite) for data between 100-1500 m. These algorithms will allow us to both validate pH data from these sensors, as well as predict ΩAragonite and pH on floats that do not have pH sensors. Here we present estimated pH and ΩAragonite over 20 months of deployment for several SOCCOM floats in the Pacific Sector of the Southern Ocean. The results show seasonal ranges in surface pH and ΩAragonite of 0.05 and 0.1, respectively.

  10. X-ray beam-shaping via deformable mirrors: surface profile and point spread function computation for Gaussian beams using physical optics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spiga, D

    2018-01-01

    X-ray mirrors with high focusing performances are commonly used in different sectors of science, such as X-ray astronomy, medical imaging and synchrotron/free-electron laser beamlines. While deformations of the mirror profile may cause degradation of the focus sharpness, a deliberate deformation of the mirror can be made to endow the focus with a desired size and distribution, via piezo actuators. The resulting profile can be characterized with suitable metrology tools and correlated with the expected optical quality via a wavefront propagation code or, sometimes, predicted using geometric optics. In the latter case and for the special class of profile deformations with monotonically increasing derivative, i.e. concave upwards, the point spread function (PSF) can even be predicted analytically. Moreover, under these assumptions, the relation can also be reversed: from the desired PSF the required profile deformation can be computed analytically, avoiding the use of trial-and-error search codes. However, the computation has been so far limited to geometric optics, which entailed some limitations: for example, mirror diffraction effects and the size of the coherent X-ray source were not considered. In this paper, the beam-shaping formalism in the framework of physical optics is reviewed, in the limit of small light wavelengths and in the case of Gaussian intensity wavefronts. Some examples of shaped profiles are also shown, aiming at turning a Gaussian intensity distribution into a top-hat one, and checks of the shaping performances computing the at-wavelength PSF by means of the WISE code are made.

  11. Performance of operational satellite bio-optical algorithms in different water types in the southeastern Arabian Sea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Minu

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available The in situ remote sensing reflectance (Rrs and optically active substances (OAS measured using hyperspectral radiometer, were used for optical classification of coastal waters in the southeastern Arabian Sea. The spectral Rrs showed three distinct water types, that were associated with the variability in OAS such as chlorophyll-a (chl-a, chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM and volume scattering function at 650 nm (β650. The water types were classified as Type-I, Type-II and Type-III respectively for the three Rrs spectra. The Type-I waters showed the peak Rrs in the blue band (470 nm, whereas in the case of Type-II and III waters the peak Rrs was at 560 and 570 nm respectively. The shifting of the peak Rrs at the longer wavelength was due to an increase in concentration of OAS. Further, we evaluated six bio-optical algorithms (OC3C, OC4O, OC4, OC4E, OC3M and OC4O2 used operationally to retrieve chl-a from Coastal Zone Colour Scanner (CZCS, Ocean Colour Temperature Scanner (OCTS, Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS, MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS and Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM2. For chl-a concentration greater than 1.0 mg m−3, algorithms based on the reference band ratios 488/510/520 nm to 547/550/555/560/565 nm have to be considered. The assessment of algorithms showed better performance of OC3M and OC4. All the algorithms exhibited better performance in Type-I waters. However, the performance was poor in Type-II and Type-III waters which could be attributed to the significant co-variance of chl-a with CDOM.

  12. Functional mesoporous silica nanoparticles for bio-imaging applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cha, Bong Geun; Kim, Jaeyun

    2018-03-22

    Biomedical investigations using mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have received significant attention because of their unique properties including controllable mesoporous structure, high specific surface area, large pore volume, and tunable particle size. These unique features make MSNs suitable for simultaneous diagnosis and therapy with unique advantages to encapsulate and load a variety of therapeutic agents, deliver these agents to the desired location, and release the drugs in a controlled manner. Among various clinical areas, nanomaterials-based bio-imaging techniques have advanced rapidly with the development of diverse functional nanoparticles. Due to the unique features of MSNs, an imaging agent supported by MSNs can be a promising system for developing targeted bio-imaging contrast agents with high structural stability and enhanced functionality that enable imaging of various modalities. Here, we review the recent achievements on the development of functional MSNs for bio-imaging applications, including optical imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), computed tomography (CT), ultrasound imaging, and multimodal imaging for early diagnosis. With further improvement in noninvasive bio-imaging techniques, the MSN-supported imaging agent systems are expected to contribute to clinical applications in the future. This article is categorized under: Diagnostic Tools > In vivo Nanodiagnostics and Imaging Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in Biology. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Bio-fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2008-01-01

    This report presents an overview of the technologies which are currently used or presently developed for the production of bio-fuels in Europe and more particularly in France. After a brief history of this production since the beginning of the 20. century, the authors describe the support to agriculture and the influence of the Common Agricultural Policy, outline the influence of the present context of struggle against the greenhouse effect, and present the European legislative context. Data on the bio-fuels consumption in the European Union in 2006 are discussed. An overview of the evolution of the activity related to bio-fuels in France, indicating the locations of ethanol and bio-diesel production facilities, and the evolution of bio-fuel consumption, is given. The German situation is briefly presented. Production of ethanol by fermentation, the manufacturing of ETBE, the bio-diesel production from vegetable oils are discussed. Second generation bio-fuels are then presented (cellulose enzymatic processing), together with studies on thermochemical processes and available biomass resources

  14. Measuring the Coefficient of Friction of a Small Floating Liquid Marble.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ooi, Chin Hong; Nguyen, Anh Van; Evans, Geoffrey M; Dao, Dzung Viet; Nguyen, Nam-Trung

    2016-12-02

    This paper investigates the friction coefficient of a moving liquid marble, a small liquid droplet coated with hydrophobic powder and floating on another liquid surface. A floating marble can easily move across water surface due to the low friction, allowing for the transport of aqueous solutions with minimal energy input. However, the motion of a floating marble has yet to be systematically characterised due to the lack of insight into key parameters such as the coefficient of friction between the floating marble and the carrier liquid. We measured the coefficient of friction of a small floating marble using a novel experimental setup that exploits the non-wetting properties of a liquid marble. A floating liquid marble pair containing a minute amount magnetite particles were immobilised and then released in a controlled manner using permanent magnets. The capillarity-driven motion was analysed to determine the coefficient of friction of the liquid marbles. The "capillary charge" model was used to fit the experimental results. We varied the marble content and carrier liquid to establish a relationship between the friction correction factor and the meniscus angle.

  15. The floating knee: epidemiology, prognostic indicators & outcome following surgical management

    OpenAIRE

    Yesupalan Rajam S; Rethnam Ulfin; Nair Rajagopalan

    2007-01-01

    Abstract Background Floating Knee injuries are complex injuries. The type of fractures, soft tissue and associated injuries make this a challenging problem to manage. We present the outcome of these injuries after surgical management. Methods 29 patients with floating knee injuries were managed over a 3 year period. This was a prospective study were both fractures of the floating knee injury were surgically fixed using different modalities. The associated injuries were managed appropriately. ...

  16. Broadband polarization-independent and low-profile optically transparent metamaterial absorber

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Long; Xi, Rui; Liu, Haixia; Lv, Zhiyong

    2018-05-01

    A transparent metamaterial absorber with simultaneously high optical transparency and broadband microwave absorption is presented in this paper. Consisting of a two-layer soda-lime glass substrate and three-layer patch-shaped indium tin oxide (ITO) films, the proposed absorber has advantages of broadband absorption with an absorptivity higher than 85% in the range from 6.1 to 22.1 GHz, good polarization insensitiveness, a high transparency, a low profile, and wide-incident-angle stability. A prototype of the proposed absorber is fabricated and experimentally measured to demonstrate its excellent performance. The measured results agree well with the theoretical design and numerical simulations.

  17. High voltage switches having one or more floating conductor layers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Werne, Roger W.; Sampayan, Stephen; Harris, John Richardson

    2015-11-24

    This patent document discloses high voltage switches that include one or more electrically floating conductor layers that are isolated from one another in the dielectric medium between the top and bottom switch electrodes. The presence of the one or more electrically floating conductor layers between the top and bottom switch electrodes allow the dielectric medium between the top and bottom switch electrodes to exhibit a higher breakdown voltage than the breakdown voltage when the one or more electrically floating conductor layers are not present between the top and bottom switch electrodes. This increased breakdown voltage in the presence of one or more electrically floating conductor layers in a dielectric medium enables the switch to supply a higher voltage for various high voltage circuits and electric systems.

  18. Fear of Floating: Exchange Rate Flexibility Indices

    OpenAIRE

    Reinhart, Carmen

    2001-01-01

    Many emerging market countries have suffered financial crises. One view blames soft pegs for these crises. Adherents to that view suggest that countries move to corner solutions--hard pegs or floating exchange rates. We analyze the behavior of exchange rates, reserves, and interest rates to assess whether there is evidence that country practice is moving toward corner solutions. We focus on whether countries that claim they are floating are indeed doing so. We find that countries that say th...

  19. Dynamic Response of a Floating Bridge Structure

    OpenAIRE

    Viuff, Thomas; Leira, Bernt Johan; Øiseth, Ole; Xiang, Xu

    2016-01-01

    A theoretical overview of the stochastic dynamic analysis of a floating bridge structure is presented. Emphasis is on the wave-induced response and the waves on the sea surface are idealized as a zero mean stationary Gaussian process. The first-order wave load processes are derived using linear potential theory and the structural idealization is based on the Finite Element Method. A frequency response calculation is presented for a simplified floating bridge structure example emphasising the ...

  20. Development and evaluation of floating microspheres of curcumin in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Purpose: To prepare and evaluate floating microspheres of curcumin for prolonged gastric residence and to study their effect on alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Methods: Floating microsphere were prepared by emulsion-solvent diffusion method, using hydroxylpropyl methylcellulose, chitosan and Eudragit S 100 polymer in ...

  1. Economic Floating Waste Detectionfor Surface Cleaning Robots

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sumroengrit Jakkrit

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Removing waste out of water surface is a routine task and can be operated by using autonomous surface cleaning robots. This paper presents amethodoflaser-based floating waste detection for surface robot guidance when waste positions are unknown beforehand. Basing on concept of refraction and reflection of laser ray, the proposed laser-based technique is proven to be applicable on floating waste detection. The economic waste detector is constructed and mounted on the robot. Five DOF equations of motion are formulated for calculation of waste position incorporating distance measured by the laser and also the robot motion caused by external wind force as well as water surface tension. Experiments were conducted on a pond with calm water and results show that the presented economic waste detection successfully identify and locate position of plastic bottles floating on water surface within the range of 5 meters.

  2. A Bio-Realistic Analog CMOS Cochlea Filter With High Tunability and Ultra-Steep Roll-Off.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Shiwei; Koickal, Thomas Jacob; Hamilton, Alister; Cheung, Rebecca; Smith, Leslie S

    2015-06-01

    This paper presents the design and experimental results of a cochlea filter in analog very large scale integration (VLSI) which highly resembles physiologically measured response of the mammalian cochlea. The filter consists of three specialized sub-filter stages which respectively provide passive response in low frequencies, actively tunable response in mid-band frequencies and ultra-steep roll-off at transition frequencies from pass-band to stop-band. The sub-filters are implemented in balanced ladder topology using floating active inductors. Measured results from the fabricated chip show that wide range of mid-band tuning including gain tuning of over 20 dB, Q factor tuning from 2 to 19 as well as the bio-realistic center frequency shift are achieved by adjusting only one circuit parameter. Besides, the filter has an ultra-steep roll-off reaching over 300 dB/dec. By changing biasing currents, the filter can be configured to operate with center frequencies from 31 Hz to 8 kHz. The filter is 9th order, consumes 59.5 ∼ 90.0 μW power and occupies 0.9 mm2 chip area. A parallel bank of the proposed filter can be used as the front-end in hearing prosthesis devices, speech processors as well as other bio-inspired auditory systems owing to its bio-realistic behavior, low power consumption and small size.

  3. Combining Bio-inspired Sensing with Bio-inspired Locomotion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Shaikh, Danish; Hallam, John; Christensen-Dalsgaard, Jakob

    In this paper we present a preliminary Braitenberg vehicle–like approach to combine bio-inspired audition with bio-inspired quadruped locomotion in simulation. Locomotion gaits of the salamander–like robot Salamandra robotica are modified by a lizard’s peripheral auditory system model that modula......In this paper we present a preliminary Braitenberg vehicle–like approach to combine bio-inspired audition with bio-inspired quadruped locomotion in simulation. Locomotion gaits of the salamander–like robot Salamandra robotica are modified by a lizard’s peripheral auditory system model...

  4. Effects of atmospheric pressure plasma jet with floating electrode on murine melanoma and fibroblast cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, G.; Liu, J.; Yao, C.; Chen, S.; Lin, F.; Li, P.; Shi, X.; Zhang, Guan-Jun

    2017-08-01

    Atmospheric pressure cold plasma jets have been recently shown as a highly promising tool in certain cancer therapies. In this paper, an atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) with a one inner floating and two outer electrode configuration using helium gas for medical applications is developed. Subjected to a range of applied voltages with a frequency of 19.8 kHz at a fixed rate of gas flow (i.e., 3 l/min), electrical and optical characteristics of the APPJ are investigated. Compared with the device only with two outer electrodes, higher discharge current, longer jet, and more active species in the plasma plume at the same applied voltage together with the lower gas breakdown voltage can be achieved through embedding a floating inner electrode. Employing the APPJ with a floating electrode, the effects of identical plasma treatment time durations on murine melanoma cancer and normal fibroblast cells cultured in vitro are evaluated. The results of cell viability, cell apoptosis, and DNA damage detection show that the plasma can inactivate melanoma cells in a time-dependent manner from 10 s to 60 s compared with the control group (p cells compared with their control group, the plasma with treatment time from 30 s to 60 s can induce significant changes (p cells at the same treatment time. The different basal reactive oxygen species level and antioxidant superoxide dismutase level of two kinds of cells may account for their different responses towards the identical plasma exposure.

  5. Compound floating pivot micromechanisms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia, Ernest J.

    2001-04-24

    A new class of tilting micromechanical mechanisms have been developed. These new mechanisms use compound floating pivot structures to attain far greater tilt angles than are practical using other micromechanical techniques. The new mechanisms are also capable of bi-directional tilt about multiple axes.

  6. Selective individual primary cell capture using locally bio-functionalized micropores.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jie Liu

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Solid-state micropores have been widely employed for 6 decades to recognize and size flowing unlabeled cells. However, the resistive-pulse technique presents limitations when the cells to be differentiated have overlapping dimension ranges such as B and T lymphocytes. An alternative approach would be to specifically capture cells by solid-state micropores. Here, the inner wall of 15-µm pores made in 10 µm-thick silicon membranes was covered with antibodies specific to cell surface proteins of B or T lymphocytes. The selective trapping of individual unlabeled cells in a bio-functionalized micropore makes them recognizable just using optical microscopy. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We locally deposited oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN and ODN-conjugated antibody probes on the inner wall of the micropores by forming thin films of polypyrrole-ODN copolymers using contactless electro-functionalization. The trapping capabilities of the bio-functionalized micropores were validated using optical microscopy and the resistive-pulse technique by selectively capturing polystyrene microbeads coated with complementary ODN. B or T lymphocytes from a mouse splenocyte suspension were specifically immobilized on micropore walls functionalized with complementary ODN-conjugated antibodies targeting cell surface proteins. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The results showed that locally bio-functionalized micropores can isolate target cells from a suspension during their translocation throughout the pore, including among cells of similar dimensions in complex mixtures.

  7. Selective Individual Primary Cell Capture Using Locally Bio-Functionalized Micropores

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jie; Bombera, Radoslaw; Leroy, Loïc; Roupioz, Yoann; Baganizi, Dieudonné R.; Marche, Patrice N.; Haguet, Vincent; Mailley, Pascal; Livache, Thierry

    2013-01-01

    Background Solid-state micropores have been widely employed for 6 decades to recognize and size flowing unlabeled cells. However, the resistive-pulse technique presents limitations when the cells to be differentiated have overlapping dimension ranges such as B and T lymphocytes. An alternative approach would be to specifically capture cells by solid-state micropores. Here, the inner wall of 15-µm pores made in 10 µm-thick silicon membranes was covered with antibodies specific to cell surface proteins of B or T lymphocytes. The selective trapping of individual unlabeled cells in a bio-functionalized micropore makes them recognizable just using optical microscopy. Methodology/Principal Findings We locally deposited oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) and ODN-conjugated antibody probes on the inner wall of the micropores by forming thin films of polypyrrole-ODN copolymers using contactless electro-functionalization. The trapping capabilities of the bio-functionalized micropores were validated using optical microscopy and the resistive-pulse technique by selectively capturing polystyrene microbeads coated with complementary ODN. B or T lymphocytes from a mouse splenocyte suspension were specifically immobilized on micropore walls functionalized with complementary ODN-conjugated antibodies targeting cell surface proteins. Conclusions/Significance The results showed that locally bio-functionalized micropores can isolate target cells from a suspension during their translocation throughout the pore, including among cells of similar dimensions in complex mixtures. PMID:23469221

  8. Optical switches based on surface plasmons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Cong; Wang Pei; Yuan Guanghui; Wang Xiaolei; Min Changjun; Deng Yan; Lu Yonghua; Ming Hai

    2008-01-01

    Great attention is being paid to surface plasmons (SPs) because of their potential applications in sensors, data storage and bio-photonics. Recently, more and more optical switches based on surface plasmon effects have been demonstrated either by simulation or experimentally. This article describes the principles, advantages and disadvantages of various types of optical switches based on SPs, in particular the all-optical switches. (authors)

  9. Formulation and evaluation of glipizide floating-bioadhesive tablets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jayvadan K. Patel

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was formulation and in vitro evaluation of floating-bioadhesive tablets to lengthen the stay of glipizide in its absorption area. Effervescent tablets were made using chitosan (CH, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC, carbopolP934 (CP, polymethacrylic acid (PMA, citric acid, and sodium bicarbonate. Tablets with 5% effervescent base had longer lag time than 10%. The type of polymer had no significant effect on the floating lag time. All tablets floated atop the medium for 23-24 hr. Increasing carbopolP934 caused higher bioadhesion than chitosan (p < 0.05. All formulations showed a Higuchi, non-Fickian release mechanism. Tablets with 10% effervescent base, 80% CH/20% HPMC, or 80% CP/20% PMA seemed desirable.

  10. Bio-compatibility, surface and chemical characterization of glow discharge plasma modified ZnO nanocomposite polycarbonate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bagra, Bhawna, E-mail: bhawnacct@gmail.com; Pimpliskar, Prashant, E-mail: bhawnacct@gmail.com [Centre for Converging Technologies, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur-302004 (India); Agrawal, Narendra Kumar [Department of Physics, Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur-302004 (India)

    2014-04-24

    Bio compatibility is an important issue for synthesis of biomedical devices, which can be tested by bioadoptability and creations of active site to enhance the bacterial/cell growth in biomedical devices. Hence a systematic study was carried out to characterize the effects of Nitrogen ion plasma for creations of active site in nano composite polymer membrane. Nano particles of ZnO are synthesized by chemical root, using solution casting nano composite polymeric membranes were prepared and treated with Nitrogen ion plasma. These membranes were characterized by different technique such as optical microscopy, SEM- Scanning electron microscope, optical transmittance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Then biocompatibility for membranes was tested by testing of bio-adoptability of membrane.

  11. Material requirements for bio-inspired sensing systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biggins, Peter; Lloyd, Peter; Salmond, David; Kusterbeck, Anne

    2008-10-01

    The aim of developing bio-inspired sensing systems is to try and emulate the amazing sensitivity and specificity observed in the natural world. These capabilities have evolved, often for specific tasks, which provide the organism with an advantage in its fight to survive and prosper. Capabilities cover a wide range of sensing functions including vision, temperature, hearing, touch, taste and smell. For some functions, the capabilities of natural systems are still greater than that achieved by traditional engineering solutions; a good example being a dog's sense of smell. Furthermore, attempting to emulate aspects of biological optics, processing and guidance may lead to more simple and effective devices. A bio-inspired sensing system is much more than the sensory mechanism. A system will need to collect samples, especially if pathogens or chemicals are of interest. Other functions could include the provision of power, surfaces and receptors, structure, locomotion and control. In fact it is possible to conceive of a complete bio-inspired system concept which is likely to be radically different from more conventional approaches. This concept will be described and individual component technologies considered.

  12. Bio-oil from fast pyrolysis of lignin: Effects of process and upgrading parameters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Liangliang; Zhang, Yaning; Liu, Shiyu; Zhou, Nan; Chen, Paul; Cheng, Yanling; Addy, Min; Lu, Qian; Omar, Muhammad Mubashar; Liu, Yuhuan; Wang, Yunpu; Dai, Leilei; Anderson, Erik; Peng, Peng; Lei, Hanwu; Ruan, Roger

    2017-10-01

    Effects of process parameters on the yield and chemical profile of bio-oil from fast pyrolysis of lignin and the processes for lignin-derived bio-oil upgrading were reviewed. Various process parameters including pyrolysis temperature, reactor types, lignin characteristics, residence time, and feeding rate were discussed and the optimal parameter conditions for improved bio-oil yield and quality were concluded. In terms of lignin-derived bio-oil upgrading, three routes including pretreatment of lignin, catalytic upgrading, and co-pyrolysis of hydrogen-rich materials have been investigated. Zeolite cracking and hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) treatment are two main methods for catalytic upgrading of lignin-derived bio-oil. Factors affecting zeolite activity and the main zeolite catalytic mechanisms for lignin conversion were analyzed. Noble metal-based catalysts and metal sulfide catalysts are normally used as the HDO catalysts and the conversion mechanisms associated with a series of reactions have been proposed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Floating Solar Photovoltaics Gaining Ground | State, Local, and Tribal

    Science.gov (United States)

    flotovoltaics (a trademarked term) or floating solar, represent an emerging application in which PV panels are , including efficiency gains (due to water cooling the panels), reductions in unwanted algae growth, slower 994 panels floating on 130 foam-filled pontoons atop the winery's irrigation pond and an additional

  14. Contributed Review: A review of the investigation of rare-earth dopant profiles in optical fibers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sidiroglou, F.; Baxter, G. [Optical Technology Research Laboratory, College of Engineering and Science, Victoria University, P.O. Box 14428, Melbourne, VIC 8001 (Australia); Roberts, A. [School of Physics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010 (Australia)

    2016-04-15

    Rare-earth doped optical fibers have captivated the interest of many researchers around the world across the past three decades. The growth of this research field has been stimulated primarily through their application in optical communications as fiber lasers and amplifiers, although rare-earth doped optical fiber based devices are now finding important uses in many other scientific and industrial areas (for example, medicine, sensing, the military, and material processing). Such wide commercial interest has provided a strong incentive for innovative fiber designs, alternative glass compositions, and novel fabrication processes. A prerequisite for the ongoing progress of this research field is developing the capacity to provide high resolution information about the rare-earth dopant distribution profiles within the optical fibers. This paper constitutes a comprehensive review of the imaging techniques that have been utilized in the analysis of the distribution of the rare-earth ion erbium within the core of optical fibers.

  15. New twist in the optical schematic of surface slope measuring long trace profiler

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nikitin, Sergey M.; Gevorkyan, Gevork S.; McKinney, Wayne R.; Lacey, Ian; Takacs, Peter Z.; Yashchuk, Valeriy V.

    2017-09-01

    The advents of fully coherent free electron lasers and diffraction limited synchrotron storage ring sources of x-rays are catalyzing the development of new, ultra-high accuracy metrology methods. To fully exploit the potential of these sources, metrology needs to be capable of determining the figure of an optical element with sub-nanometer height accuracy. Currently, the two most prevalent slope measuring instruments used for characterization of x-ray optics are the auto-collimator based nanometer optical measuring device (NOM) and the long trace profiler (LTP) using pencil beam interferometry (PBI). These devices have been consistently improved upon by the x-ray optics metrology community, but appear to be approaching their metrological limits. Here, we revise the traditional optical schematic of the LTP. We experimentally show that, for the level of accuracy desired for metrology with state-of-the-art x-ray optics, the Dove prism in the LTP reference channel appears to be one of the major sources of instrumental error. Therefore, we suggest returning back to the original PBI LTP schematics with no Dove prism in the reference channel. In this case, the optimal scanning strategies [Yashchuk, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 80, 115101 (2009)] used to suppress the instrumental drift error have to be used to suppress a possible drift error associated with laser beam pointing instability. We experimentally and by numerical simulation demonstrate the usefulness of the suggested approach for measurements with x-ray optics with both face up and face down orientations.

  16. Bio-fuel barometer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2015-01-01

    After a year of doubt and decline the consumption of bio-fuel resumed a growth in 2014 in Europe: +6.1% compared to 2013, to reach 14 millions tep (Mtep) that is just below the 2012 peak. This increase was mainly due to bio-diesel. By taking into account the energy content and not the volume, the consumption of bio-diesel represented 79.7% of bio-fuel consumption in 2014, that of bio-ethanol only 19.1% and that of biogas 1%. The incorporating rate of bio-fuels in fuels used for transport were 4.6% in 2013 and 4.9% in 2014. The trend is good and the future of bio-fuel seems clearer as the European Union has set a not-so-bad limit of 7% for first generation bio-fuels in order to take into account the CASI effect. The CASI effect shows that an increase of the consumption of first generation bio-fuels (it means bio-fuels produced from food crops like rape, soy, cereals, sugar beet,...) implies in fact a global increase in greenhouse gas release that is due to a compensation phenomenon. More uncultivated lands (like forests, grasslands, bogs are turned into cultivated lands in order to compensate lands used for bio-fuel production. In most European countries the consumption of bio-diesel increased in 2014 while it was a bad year for the European industry of ethanol because ethanol prices dropped by 16 %. Oil companies are now among the most important producers of bio-diesel in Europe.

  17. Thermodynamic phase profiles of optically thin midlatitude cloud and their relation to temperature

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Naud, C. M.; Del Genio, Anthony D.; Haeffelin, M.; Morille, Y.; Noel, V.; Dupont, Jean-Charles; Turner, David D.; Lo, Chaomei; Comstock, Jennifer M.

    2010-06-03

    Winter cloud phase and temperature profiles derived from ground-based lidar depolarization and radiosonde measurements are analyzed for two midlatitude locations: the United States Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Southern Great Plains (SGP) site and the Site Instrumental de Recherche par Télédétection Atmosphérique (SIRTA) in France. Because lidars are attenuated in optically thick clouds, the dataset only includes optically thin clouds (optical thickness < 3). At SGP, 57% of the clouds observed with the lidar in the temperature range 233-273 K are either completely liquid or completely glaciated, while at SIRTA only 42% of the observed clouds are single phase, based on a depolarization ratio threshold of 11% for differentiating liquid from ice. Most optically thin mixed phase clouds show an ice layer at cloud top, and clouds with liquid at cloud top are less frequent. The relationship between ice phase occurrence and temperature only slightly changes between cloud base and top. At both sites liquid is more prevalent at colder temperatures than has been found previously in aircraft flights through frontal clouds of greater optical thicknesses. Liquid in clouds persists to colder temperatures at SGP than SIRTA. This information on the average temperatures of mixed phase clouds at both locations complements earlier passive satellite remote sensing measurements that sample cloud phase near cloud top and for a wider range of cloud optical thicknesses.

  18. Multi-span Suspension Bridge with Floating Towers

    OpenAIRE

    Brunstad, Orjan

    2013-01-01

    The Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA) is currently conducting a feasible study of crossing 8 fjords on the west coast of Norway. The most challenging crossing is the 3700 m wide Sognefjord. Three main concepts are under development, and one of the concepts of this crossing is a three span suspension bridge on floating towers. The floating foundation suggested is a multi-column pontoon with mooring lines to seabed. The object of this thesis was to study this bridge concept with resp...

  19. Current-Sensitive Path Planning for an Underactuated Free-Floating Ocean Sensorweb

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dahl, Kristen P.; Thompson, David R.; McLaren, David; Chao, Yi; Chien, Steve

    2011-01-01

    This work investigates multi-agent path planning in strong, dynamic currents using thousands of highly under-actuated vehicles. We address the specific task of path planning for a global network of ocean-observing floats. These submersibles are typified by the Argo global network consisting of over 3000 sensor platforms. They can control their buoyancy to float at depth for data collection or rise to the surface for satellite communications. Currently, floats drift at a constant depth regardless of the local currents. However, accurate current forecasts have become available which present the possibility of intentionally controlling floats' motion by dynamically commanding them to linger at different depths. This project explores the use of these current predictions to direct float networks to some desired final formation or position. It presents multiple algorithms for such path optimization and demonstrates their advantage over the standard approach of constant-depth drifting.

  20. Hywind floating wind turbine project

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Crome, Tim

    2010-07-01

    The Hywind floating wind turbine concept was developed by StatoilHydro. Technip was awarded the contract for engineering, fabrication and installation of a demonstration unit in May 2008 and the completed wind turbine was installed mid June 2009 at the west coast of Norway on 220 m water depth. The demonstration unit will generate 2,3 MW and is equipped with instrumentation for monitoring mooring forces, strains and motions. The fabrication of the SPAR type steel substructure was performed at Technip Offshore Finland facilities in Pori and was towed horizontally from Finland to Norway, where it was upended to a vertical position by water filling. The completed floating wind turbine was towed vertically to the final location west of Karmoey and connected to the pre-installed three legged anchor system using an Anchor Handling Tug type vessel. The wind turbine test period is scheduled to start in September 2009. Statoil will monitor the performance of the system for two years before decision will be taken for further development. The paper will present the main challenges and lessons learned through design, fabrication and installation of this first of its kind structure. Main emphasis will be on the special challenges experienced for this floating, catenary moored, slender unit which is highly exposed for wind induced forces in addition to current and waves in hostile North Sea environments. (Author)

  1. Extended onshore control of a floating wind turbine with wave disturbance reduction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christiansen, S.; Knudsen, T.; Bak, Thomas

    2014-01-01

    Reaching for higher wind resources floating wind turbines are being investigated. Wave induced loads significantly increase for floating wind turbines, and applying conventional onshore control strategies to floating wind turbines has been shown to impose negative damped oscillations in fore......-aft due to the low natural frequency of the floating structure. We suggest a control loop extension of the onshore controller which stabilizes the system and reduces the wave disturbance. The result is improved performance in power fluctuations, blade pitch activity, and platform oscillations...

  2. Bio-analytical applications of mid-infrared spectroscopy using silver halide fiber-optic probes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heise, H.M.; Kuepper, L.; Butvina, L.N.

    2002-01-01

    Infrared-spectroscopy has proved to be a powerful method for the study of various biomedical samples, in particular for in-vitro analysis in the clinical laboratory and for non-invasive diagnostics. In general, the analysis of biofluids such as whole blood, urine, microdialysates and bioreactor broth media takes advantage of the fact that a multitude of analytes can be quantified simultaneously and rapidly without the need for reagents. Progress in the quality of infrared silver halide fibers enabled us to construct several flexible fiber-optic probes of different geometries, which are particularly suitable for the measurement of small biosamples. Recent trends show that dry film measurements by mid-infrared spectroscopy could revolutionize analytical tools in the clinical chemistry laboratory, and an example is given. Infrared diagnostic tools show a promising potential for patients, and minimal-invasive blood glucose assays or skin tissue pathology in particular cannot be left out using mid-infrared fiber-based probes. Other applications include the measurement of skin samples including penetration studies of vitamins and constituents of cosmetic cream formulations. A further field is the micro-domain analysis of biopsy samples from bog mummified corpses, and recent results on the chemistry of dermis and hair samples are reported. Another field of application, for which results are reported, is food analysis and bio-reactor monitoring

  3. Floating Oil-Spill Containment Device

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Jack A.

    2012-01-01

    Previous oil containment booms have an open top that allows natural gas to escape, and have significant oil leakage due to wave action. Also, a subsea pyramid oil trap exists, but cannot move relative to moving oil plumes from deepsea oil leaks. The solution is to have large, moveable oil traps. One version floats on the sea surface and has a flexible tarp cover and a lower weighted skirt to completely entrap the floating oil and natural gas. The device must have at least three sides with boats pulling at each apex, and sonar or other system to track the slowly moving oil plume, so that the boats can properly locate the booms. The oil trap device must also have a means for removal of the oil and the natural gas. A second design version has a flexible pyramid cover that is attached by lines to ballast on the ocean floor. This is similar to fixed, metal pyramid oil capture devices in the Santa Barbara Channel off the coast of California. The ballast lines for the improved design, however, would have winches that can move the pyramid to always be located above the oil and gas plume. A third design is a combination of the first two. It uses a submerged pyramid to trap oil, but has no anchor and uses boats to locate the trap. It has ballast weights located along the bottom of the tarp and/or at the corners of the trap. The improved floating oil-spill containment device has a large floating boom and weighted skirt surrounding the oil and gas entrapment area. The device is triangular (or more than three sides) and has a flexible tarp cover with a raised gas vent area. Boats pull on the apex of the triangles to maintain tension and to allow the device to move to optimum locations to trap oil and gas. The gas is retrieved from a higher buoyant part of the tarp, and oil is retrieved from the floating oil layer contained in the device. These devices can be operated in relatively severe weather, since waves will break over the devices without causing oil leaking. Also, natural

  4. Optical linear algebra processors - Architectures and algorithms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Casasent, David

    1986-01-01

    Attention is given to the component design and optical configuration features of a generic optical linear algebra processor (OLAP) architecture, as well as the large number of OLAP architectures, number representations, algorithms and applications encountered in current literature. Number-representation issues associated with bipolar and complex-valued data representations, high-accuracy (including floating point) performance, and the base or radix to be employed, are discussed, together with case studies on a space-integrating frequency-multiplexed architecture and a hybrid space-integrating and time-integrating multichannel architecture.

  5. FLOAT2 WP4: Development of Materials

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Esteves, Luis Pedro; Aarup, Bendt

    This report refers to complementary material testing to support the design and production of UHPC floaters for installation in the Wave Star Machine under FLOAT2 project. The main objective of WP4 is the characterization of mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced UHPC.......This report refers to complementary material testing to support the design and production of UHPC floaters for installation in the Wave Star Machine under FLOAT2 project. The main objective of WP4 is the characterization of mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced UHPC....

  6. Effects of Electrolyte on Floating Water Bridge

    OpenAIRE

    Hideo Nishiumi; Fumitaka Honda

    2009-01-01

    Fuchs found phenomena that when high voltage is applied to deionized water filled in two contacted beakers, a floating water bridge forms spontaneously. In this paper, we examined flow direction of water bridge and what effects the addition of electrolytes such as NaCl, NaOH, and N H 4 C l to the floating water bridge would give. We found that ionization degree reduced the length of water bridge though insoluble electrolyte A l 2 O 3 had no effect on the length of water bridge.

  7. The study to estimate the floating population in Seoul, Korea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Geon Woo; Lee, Yong Jin; Kim, Youngeun; Hong, Seung-Han; Kim, Soohwaun; Kim, Jeong Soo; Lee, Jong Tae; Shin, Dong Chun; Lim, Youngwook

    2017-01-01

    Traffic-related pollutants have been reported to increase the morbidity of respiratory diseases. In order to apply management policies related to motor vehicles, studies of the floating population living in cities are important. The rate of metro rail transit system use by passengers residing in Seoul is about 54% of total public transportation use. Through the rate of metro use, the people-flow ratios in each administrative area were calculated. By applying a people-flow ratio based on the official census count, the floating population in 25 regions was calculated. The reduced level of deaths among the floating population in 14 regions having the roadside monitoring station was calculated as assuming a 20% reduction of mobile emission based on the policy. The hourly floating population size was calculated by applying the hourly population ratio to the regional population size as specified in the official census count. The number of people moving from 5 a.m. to next day 1 a.m. could not be precisely calculated when the population size was applied, but no issue was observed that would trigger a sizable shift in the rate of population change. The three patterns of increase, decrease, and no change of population in work hours were analyzed. When the concentration of particulate matter less than 10 μm in aerodynamic diameter was reduced by 20%, the number of excess deaths varied according to the difference of the floating population. The effective establishment of directions to manage the pollutants in cities should be carried out by considering the floating population. Although the number of people using the metro system is only an estimate, this disadvantage was supplemented by calculating inflow and outflow ratio of metro users per time in the total floating population in each region. Especially, 54% of metro usage in public transport causes high reliability in application.

  8. The study to estimate the floating population in Seoul, Korea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Geon Woo Lee

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Traffic-related pollutants have been reported to increase the morbidity of respiratory diseases. In order to apply management policies related to motor vehicles, studies of the floating population living in cities are important. The rate of metro rail transit system use by passengers residing in Seoul is about 54% of total public transportation use. Through the rate of metro use, the people-flow ratios in each administrative area were calculated. By applying a people-flow ratio based on the official census count, the floating population in 25 regions was calculated. The reduced level of deaths among the floating population in 14 regions having the roadside monitoring station was calculated as assuming a 20% reduction of mobile emission based on the policy. The hourly floating population size was calculated by applying the hourly population ratio to the regional population size as specified in the official census count. The number of people moving from 5 a.m. to next day 1 a.m. could not be precisely calculated when the population size was applied, but no issue was observed that would trigger a sizable shift in the rate of population change. The three patterns of increase, decrease, and no change of population in work hours were analyzed. When the concentration of particulate matter less than 10 μm in aerodynamic diameter was reduced by 20%, the number of excess deaths varied according to the difference of the floating population. The effective establishment of directions to manage the pollutants in cities should be carried out by considering the floating population. Although the number of people using the metro system is only an estimate, this disadvantage was supplemented by calculating inflow and outflow ratio of metro users per time in the total floating population in each region. Especially, 54% of metro usage in public transport causes high reliability in application.

  9. Bio-functional subwavelength optical waveguides for biodetection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sirbuly, D J; Fischer, N; Huang, S; Artyukhin, A

    2007-07-10

    We report a versatile biofunctional subwavelength photonic device platform for real-time detection of biological molecules. Our devices contain lipid bilayer membranes fused onto metal oxide nanowire waveguides stretched across polymeric flow channels. The lipid bilayers incorporating target receptors are submersed in the propagating evanescent field of the optical cavity. We show that the lipid bilayers in our devices are continuous, have very high mobile fraction, and are resistant to fouling. We also demonstrate that our platform allows rapid membrane exchange. Finally we use this device for detection of specific DNA sequences in solution by anchoring complementary DNA target strands in the lipid bilayer. This evanescent wave sensing architecture holds great potential for portable, all-optical detection systems.

  10. Bio-oils and other bio fuels used in heat- and power generation; Flytande biobraenslen foer el- och vaermeproduktion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sandgren, Annamaria; Ekdahl, Emma; Sernhed, Kerstin; Lindstroem, Erica

    2010-05-15

    The purpose of this study was to assemble and disseminate knowledge about bio-oils and other bio fuels which are used for heat- and power generation or liquid bio fuels/oils that may become interesting in the future. One aim of this study was to give an updated picture of the Swedish market for bio-oils and to provide an overview of practical experience on the usage of bio-oils in the Swedish heat and power industry. In order to show a green profile, bio-oils can be used in the heat and power generation. However, not all bio-oils can be viewed as climate friendly. Some production of bio-oils may actually - if a lifecycle perspective is considered - lead to increased emissions of greenhouse gases, and there are also ethical issues that need to be considered. The data collection was carried out in three different fields. The objective of the first part was to create an overview of the Swedish market for liquid bio fuels/oils for heat and power production. The second part of the study aimed to clarify the issues surrounding environmental and ethical issues associated with the use of different bio-oils. A selection of oil crops for a closer study was made based on production volume (soybean, palm oil and rapeseed) and expected future potential (jatropha). This part of the study was based on a literature review. In the third part of the study technical and practical experiences from using bio-oils in heat and power production were studied. The interviews made with purchasing managers in the second part gave valuable information on which utilities would be the most interesting to interview for the study of technical and practical experiences, where interviews were carried out with persons familiar with the daily operation of the plant. The use of liquid bio fuels was about 4.3 % of total fuel use in Swedish district heating production in 2007 (1.2 % pine oil and 3.0 % other bio-oil). In other words, it is mainly bio-oils that have been used and not other types of liquid

  11. Bio-oils and other bio fuels used in heat- and power generation; Flytande biobraenslen foer el- och vaermeproduktion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sandgren, Annamaria; Ekdahl, Emma; Sernhed, Kerstin; Lindstroem, Erica

    2010-05-15

    The purpose of this study was to assemble and disseminate knowledge about bio-oils and other bio fuels which are used for heat- and power generation or liquid bio fuels/oils that may become interesting in the future. One aim of this study was to give an updated picture of the Swedish market for bio-oils and to provide an overview of practical experience on the usage of bio-oils in the Swedish heat and power industry. In order to show a green profile, bio-oils can be used in the heat and power generation. However, not all bio-oils can be viewed as climate friendly. Some production of bio-oils may actually - if a lifecycle perspective is considered - lead to increased emissions of greenhouse gases, and there are also ethical issues that need to be considered. The data collection was carried out in three different fields. The objective of the first part was to create an overview of the Swedish market for liquid bio fuels/oils for heat and power production. The second part of the study aimed to clarify the issues surrounding environmental and ethical issues associated with the use of different bio-oils. A selection of oil crops for a closer study was made based on production volume (soybean, palm oil and rapeseed) and expected future potential (jatropha). This part of the study was based on a literature review. In the third part of the study technical and practical experiences from using bio-oils in heat and power production were studied. The interviews made with purchasing managers in the second part gave valuable information on which utilities would be the most interesting to interview for the study of technical and practical experiences, where interviews were carried out with persons familiar with the daily operation of the plant. The use of liquid bio fuels was about 4.3 % of total fuel use in Swedish district heating production in 2007 (1.2 % pine oil and 3.0 % other bio-oil). In other words, it is mainly bio-oils that have been used and not other types of liquid

  12. 14 CFR 136.11 - Helicopter floats for over water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Helicopter floats for over water. 136.11... TOURS AND NATIONAL PARKS AIR TOUR MANAGEMENT National Air Tour Safety Standards § 136.11 Helicopter floats for over water. (a) A helicopter used in commercial air tours over water beyond the shoreline must...

  13. A Method for Modeling of Floating Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wang, Kai; Hansen, Martin Otto Laver; Moan, Torgeir

    2013-01-01

    It is of interest to investigate the potential advantages of floating vertical axis wind turbine (FVAWT) due to its economical installation and maintenance. A novel 5MW vertical axis wind turbine concept with a Darrieus rotor mounted on a semi-submersible support structure is proposed in this paper....... In order to assess the technical and economic feasibility of this novel concept, a comprehensive simulation tool for modeling of the floating vertical axis wind turbine is needed. This work presents the development of a coupled method for modeling of the dynamics of a floating vertical axis wind turbine....... This integrated dynamic model takes into account the wind inflow, aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, structural dynamics (wind turbine, floating platform and the mooring lines) and a generator control. This approach calculates dynamic equilibrium at each time step and takes account of the interaction between the rotor...

  14. Functionalized 2PP structures for the BioPhotonics Workstation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Matsuoka, Tomoyo; Nishi, Masayuki; Sakakura, Masaaki

    2011-01-01

    In its standard version, our BioPhotonics Workstation (BWS) can generate multiple controllable counter-propagating beams to create real-time user-programmable optical traps for stable three-dimensional control and manipulation of a plurality of particles. The combination of the platform with micr...... on the BWS platform by functionalizing them with silica-based sol-gel materials inside which dyes can be entrapped....

  15. The floating water bridge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fuchs, Elmar C; Woisetschlaeger, Jakob; Gatterer, Karl; Maier, Eugen; Pecnik, Rene; Holler, Gert; Eisenkoelbl, Helmut

    2007-01-01

    When high voltage is applied to distilled water filled in two glass beakers which are in contact, a stable water connection forms spontaneously, giving the impression of a floating water bridge. A detailed experimental analysis reveals static and dynamic structures as well as heat and mass transfer through this bridge

  16. Float level indicator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grishchuk, M.Kh.; Laptev, A.G.; Pashkov, V.A.

    1980-01-01

    Specially developed level indicator is suggested with differential to-transformer converter of the float motion, operating in line with a movable electronic block, intended for indicating the level of the dissociating nitrogen tetroxide liquid phase. On the basis of the indicator elements the device is realized to measure the time of calibrated volume fillino. in by liquid nitrogen tetroxide in steady state operation of the experimental bench-marks [ru

  17. High power beam profile monitor with optical transition radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Denard, J.C.; Piot, P.; Capek, K.; Feldl, E.

    1997-01-01

    A simple monitor has been built to measure the profile of the high power beam (800 kW) delivered by the CEBAF accelerator at Jefferson Lab. The monitor uses the optical part of the forward transition radiation emitted from a thin carbon foil. The small beam size to be measured, about 100 μm, is challenging not only for the power density involved but also for the resolution the instrument must achieve. An important part of the beam instrumentation community believes the radiation being emitted into a cone of characteristic angle 1/γ is originated from a region of transverse dimension roughly λγ; thus the apparent size of the source of transition radiation would become very large for highly relativistic particles. This monitor measures 100 μm beam sizes that are much smaller than the 3.2 mm λγ limit; it confirms the statement of Rule and Fiorito that optical transition radiation can be used to image small beams at high energy. The present paper describes the instrument and its performance. The authors tested the foil in, up to 180 μA of CW beam without causing noticeable beam loss, even at 800 MeV, the lowest CEBAF energy

  18. Guided-Wave Optical Biosensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Passaro, Vittorio M. N.; Dell'Olio, Francesco; Casamassima, Biagio; De Leonardis, Francesco

    2007-01-01

    Guided-wave optical biosensors are reviewed in this paper. Advantages related to optical technologies are presented and integrated architectures are investigated in detail. Main classes of bio receptors and the most attractive optical transduction mechanisms are discussed. The possibility to use Mach-Zehnder and Young interferometers, microdisk and microring resonators, surface plasmon resonance, hollow and antiresonant waveguides, and Bragg gratings to realize very sensitive and selective, ultra-compact and fast biosensors is discussed. Finally, CMOS-compatible technologies are proved to be the most attractive for fabrication of guided-wave photonic biosensors.

  19. Methodology to Calculate the Costs of a Floating Offshore Renewable Energy Farm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Castro-Santos

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper establishes a general methodology to calculate the life-cycle cost of floating offshore renewable energy devices, applying it to wave energy and wind energy devices. It is accounts for the contributions of the six main phases of their life-cycle: concept definition, design and development, manufacturing, installation, exploitation and dismantling, the costs of which have been defined. Moreover, the energy produced is also taken into account to calculate the Levelized Cost of Energy of a floating offshore renewable energy farm. The methodology proposed has been applied to two renewable energy devices: a floating offshore wave energy device and a floating offshore wind energy device. Two locations have been considered: Aguçadoura and São Pedro de Moel, both in Portugal. Results indicate that the most important cost in terms of the life-cycle of a floating offshore renewable energy farm is the exploitation cost, followed by the manufacturing and the installation cost. In addition, the best area in terms of costs is the same independently of the type of floating offshore renewable energy considered: Aguçadoura. However, the results in terms of Levelized Cost of Energy are different: Aguçadoura is better when considering wave energy technology and the São Pedro de Moel region is the best option when considering floating wind energy technology. The method proposed aims to give a direct approach to calculate the main life-cycle cost of a floating offshore renewable energy farm. It helps to assess its feasibility and evaluating the relevant characteristics that influence it the most.

  20. Floating cultivation of marine cyanobacteria using coal fly ash.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsumoto, M; Yoshida, E; Takeyama, H; Matsunaga, T

    2000-01-01

    The aim of this study was to develop improved methodologies for bulk culturing of biotechnologically useful marine cyanobacteria in the open ocean. We have investigated the viability of using coal fly ash (CFA) blocks as the support medium in a novel floating culture system for marine micro-algae. The marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. NKBG 040607 was found to adhere to floating CFA blocks in liquid culture medium. Maximum density of attached cells of 2.0 x 10(8) cells/cm2 was achieved using seawater. The marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. NKBG 042902 weakly adhered to floating CFA blocks in BG-11 medium. Increasing the concentration of calcium ion in the culture medium enhanced adherence to CFA blocks.

  1. Oxygen Distribution and Potential Ammonia Oxidation in Floating, Liquid Manure Crusts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Daniel Aagren; Nielsen, Lars Peter; Schramm, Andreas

    2010-01-01

    Floating, organic crusts on liquid manure, stored as a result of animal production, reduce emission of ammonia (NH3) and other volatile compounds during storage. The occurrence of NO2- and NO3- in the crusts indicate the presence of actively metabolizing NH3 oxidizing bacteria (AOB) which may...... be partly responsible for this mitigation effect. Six manure tanks with organic covers (straw and natural) were surveyed to investigate the prevalence and potential activity of AOB and its dependence on the O2 availability in the crust matrix as studied by electrochemical profiling. Oxygen penetration...... microorganisms, including AOB. The microbial activity may thus contribute to a considerable reduction of ammonia emissions from slurry tanks with well-developed crusts....

  2. Response estimation for a floating bridge using acceleration output only

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Petersen, Øyvind Wiig; Øiseth, Ole; Nord, Torodd Skjerve; Lourens, E.; Sas, P.; Moens, D.; van de Walle, A.

    2016-01-01

    The Norwegian Public Roads Administration is reviewing the possibility of using floating bridges as fjord crossings. The dynamic behaviour of very long floating bridges with novel designs are prone to uncertainties. Studying the dynamic behaviour of existing bridges is valuable for understanding

  3. Floating Microparticulate Oral Diltiazem Hydrochloride Delivery ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Delivery System for Improved Delivery to Heart ... Conclusion: Microparticulate floating (gastroretentive) oral drug delivery system of diltiazem prepared ..... treatment of cardiac disease. ... hydrochloride-loaded mucoadhesive microspheres.

  4. Measuring centimeter-resolution air temperature profiles above land and water using fiber-optic Distributed Temperature Sensing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sigmund, Armin; Pfister, Lena; Olesch, Johannes; Thomas, Christoph K.

    2016-04-01

    The precise determination of near-surface air temperature profiles is of special importance for the characterization of airflows (e.g. cold air) and the quantification of sensible heat fluxes according to the flux-gradient similarity approach. In contrast to conventional multi-sensor techniques, measuring temperature profiles using fiber-optic Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) provides thousands of measurements referenced to a single calibration standard at much reduced costs. The aim of this work was to enhance the vertical resolution of Raman scatter DTS measurements up to the centimeter-scale using a novel approach for atmospheric applications: the optical fiber was helically coiled around a meshed fabric. In addition to testing the new fiber geometry, we quantified the measurement uncertainty and demonstrated the benefits of the enhanced-resolution profiles. The fiber-optic cable was coiled around a hollow column consisting of white reinforcing fabric supported by plexiglass rings every meter. Data from two columns of this type were collected for 47 days to measure air temperature vertically over 3.0 and 5.1 m over a gently inclined meadow and over and in a small lake, respectively. Both profiles had a vertical resolution of 1 cm in the lower section near the surface and 5 cm in the upper section with an along-fiber instrument-specific averaging of 1.0 m and a temporal resolution of 30 s. Measurement uncertainties, especially from conduction between reinforcing fabric and fiber-optic cable, were estimated by modeling the fiber temperature via a detailed energy balance approach. Air temperature, wind velocity and radiation components were needed as input data and measured separately. The temperature profiles revealed valuable details, especially in the lowest 1 m above surface. This was best demonstrated for nighttime observations when artefacts due to solar heating did not occur. For example, the dynamics of a cold air layer was detected in a clear night

  5. BIOS Security Analysis and a Kind of Trusted BIOS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Zhenliu; Xu, Rongsheng

    The BIOS's security threats to computer system are analyzed and security requirements for firmware BIOS are summarized in this paper. Through discussion about TCG's trust transitivity, a new approach about CRTM implementation based on BIOS is developed. In this paper, we also put forward a new trusted BIOS architecture-UTBIOS which is built on Intel Framework for EFI/UEFI. The trustworthiness of UTBIOS is based on trusted hardware TPM. In UTBIOS, trust encapsulation and trust measurement are used to construct pre-OS trust chain. Performance of trust measurement is also analyzed in the end.

  6. EcAMSat and BioSentinel: Autonomous Bio Nanosatellites Addressing Strategic Knowledge Gaps for Manned Spaceflight Beyond LEO

    Science.gov (United States)

    Padgen, Mike

    2017-01-01

    Manned missions beyond low Earth orbit (LEO) require that several strategic knowledge gaps about the effects of space travel on the human body be addressed. NASA Ames Research Center has been the leader in developing autonomous bio nanosatellites, including past successful missions for GeneSat, PharmaSat, and OOREOS, that tackled some of these issues. These nanosatellites provide in situ measurements, which deliver insight into the dynamic changes in cell behavior in microgravity. In this talk, two upcoming bio nanosatellites developed at Ames, the E. coli Antimicrobial Satellite (EcAMSat) and BioSentinel, will be discussed. Both satellites contain microfluidic systems that precisely deliver nutrients to the microorganisms stored within wells of fluidic cards. Each well, in turn, has its own 3-color LED and detector system which is used to monitor changes in metabolic activity with alamarBlue, a redox indicator, and the optical density of the cells. EcAMSat investigates the effects of microgravity on bacterial resistance to antimicrobial drugs, vital knowledge for understanding how to maintain the health of astronauts in long-term and beyond LEO spaceflight. The behavior of wild type and mutant uropathic E. coli will be compared in microgravity and with ground data to help understand the molecular mechanisms behind antibiotic resistance and how these phenotypes might change in space. BioSentinel seeks to directly measure the effects of space radiation on budding yeast S. cerevisiae, particularly double strand breaks (DSB). While hitching a ride on the SLS EM-1 mission (Orions first unmanned mission to the moon) in 2018, BioSentinel will be kicked off and enter into a heliocentric orbit, becoming the first study of the effects of radiation on living organisms outside LEO since the Apollo program. The yeast are stored in eighteen independent 16-well microfluidic cards, which will be individually activated over the 12 month mission duration. In addition to the wild

  7. Bio-functions and molecular carbohydrate structure association study in forage with different source origins revealed using non-destructive vibrational molecular spectroscopy techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ji, Cuiying; Zhang, Xuewei; Yan, Xiaogang; Mostafizar Rahman, M; Prates, Luciana L; Yu, Peiqiang

    2017-08-05

    The objectives of this study were to: 1) investigate forage carbohydrate molecular structure profiles; 2) bio-functions in terms of CHO rumen degradation characteristics and hourly effective degradation ratio of N to OM (HED N/OM ), and 3) quantify interactive association between molecular structures, bio-functions and nutrient availability. The vibrational molecular spectroscopy was applied to investigate the structure feature on a molecular basis. Two sourced-origin alfalfa forages were used as modeled forages. The results showed that the carbohydrate molecular structure profiles were highly linked to the bio-functions in terms of rumen degradation characteristics and hourly effective degradation ratio. The molecular spectroscopic technique can be used to detect forage carbohydrate structure features on a molecular basis and can be used to study interactive association between forage molecular structure and bio-functions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Photo- and bio-reactivity patterns of dissolved organic matter from biomass and soil leachates and surface waters in a subtropical wetland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Meilian; Jaffé, Rudolf

    2014-09-15

    Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) measurements and optical properties were applied to assess the photo- and bio-reactivity of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from different sources, including biomass leaching, soil leaching and surface waters in a subtropical wetland ecosystem. Samples were exposed to light and/or dark incubated through controlled laboratory experiments. Changes in DOC, ultraviolet (UV-Vis) visible absorbance, and excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence combined with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) were performed to assess sample degradation. Degradation experiments showed that while significant amounts of DOC were consumed during bio-incubation for biomass leachates, a higher degree of bio-recalcitrance for soil leachate and particularly surface waters was displayed. Photo- and bio-humification transformations were suggested for sawgrass, mangrove, and seagrass leachates, as compared to substantial photo-degradation and very little to almost no change after bio-incubation for the other samples. During photo-degradation in most cases the EEM-PARAFAC components displayed photo-decay as compared to a few cases which featured photo-production. In contrast during bio-incubation most EEM-PARAFAC components proved to be mostly bio-refractory although some increases and decreases in abundance were also observed. Furthermore, the sequential photo- followed by bio-degradation showed, with some exceptions, a "priming effect" of light exposure on the bio-degradation of DOM, and the combination of these two processes resulted in a DOM composition more similar to that of the natural surface water for the different sub-environments. In addition, for leachate samples there was a general enrichment of one of the EEM-PARAFAC humic-like component (Ex/Em: bio-degradation process. This study exemplifies the effectiveness of optical property and EEM-PARAFAC in the assessment of DOM reactivity and highlights the importance of the coupling of photo- and bio

  9. Bio-effectors from waste materials as growth promoters, an agronomic and metabolomic study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alwanney, Deaa; Chami, Ziad Al; Angelica De Pascali, Sandra; Cavoski, Ivana; Fanizzi, Francesco Paolo

    2014-05-01

    Nowadays, improving plant performance by providing growth promoters is a main concern of the organic agriculture. As a consequence of increased food demands, more efficient and alternatives of the current plant nutrition strategies are becoming urgent. Recently, a novel concept "bio-effectors" raised on to describe a group of products that are able to improve plant performance and do not belong to fertilizers or pesticides. Agro-Food processing residues are promising materials as bio-effector. Three plant-derived materials: brewers' spent grain (BSG), fennel processing residues (FPR) and lemon processing residues (LPR) were chosen as bio-effector candidates. Plant-derived materials were characterized in term of total macro and micronutrients content. Green extraction methodology and solvent choice (aqueous; ethanol; and aqueous: ethanol mixture 1:1) was based on the extraction yield as main factor. Optimum extracts, to be used on the tomato test plant, were determined using phytotoxicity test (seed germination test) as main constraint. Thereafter, selected extracts were characterized and secondary metabolites profiling were detected by NMR technique. Selected extracts were applied on tomato in a growth chamber at different doses in comparison to humic-like substances as positive control (Ctrl+) and to a Hoagland solution as negative control (Ctrl-). At the end of the experiment, agronomical parameters were determined and NMR-metabolomic profiling were conducted on tomato seedlings. Results are summarized as follow: (i) raw showed an interesting content, either at nutritional or biological level; (ii) aqueous extraction resulted higher yield than other used solvent; (iii) at high extraction ratio (1:25 for BSG; 1:100 for FPR; and 1:200 for LPR) aqueous extracts were not phytotoxic on the tomato test plant; (iv) all aqueous extract are differently rich in nutrients, aminoacids, sugars and low molecular weight molecules; (v) all extract exhibited a growth promotion at

  10. Collector floating potentials in a discharge plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cercek, M.; Gyergyek, T.

    1999-01-01

    We present the results of a study on electrode floating potential formation in a hot-cathode discharge plasma. The electron component of the plasma is composed from two populations. The high temperature component develops from primary electrons and the cool component from secondary electrons born by ionisation of cold neutral gas. A static, kinetic plasma-sheath model is use to calculate the pre-sheath potential and the floating potential of the electrode. For hot primary electrons a truncated Maxwellian distribution is assumed. The plasma system is also modelled numerically with a dynamic, electrostatic particle simulation. The plasma source injects temporally equal fluxes of ions and electrons with half-Maxwellian velocities. Again, the hot electron distribution is truncated in the high velocity tail. The plasma parameters, such as ion temperature and mass, electron temperatures, discharge voltages, etc. correspond to experimental values. The experimental measurements of the electrode floating potential are performed in weakly magnetised plasma produced with hot cathode discharge in argon gas. Theoretical, simulation and experimental results are compared and they agree very well.(author)

  11. a Design of the Driver Airbag Module with Floating Horn Assembly

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suh, Chang-Min; Lee, Young-Hoon; Suh, Duck-Young

    The driver airbag system is designed as a supplemental restraint system in addition to the seatbelt, and is designed to protect the driver's head and chest against severe injury by a device that is actuated in case of vehicle's fronted impact. Deployment of an airbag module with floating horn assembly is a highly dynamic process. The concept of driver airbag module with floating horn assembly and aluminum emblem is presented as a useful parameter when the airbag deploys and the energy is evaluated as performance factor in airbag module. Floating horn assembly is also one of the major factors for driver airbag module design to perform its horn function and check the package between driver airbag module and steering wheel. This study on the design of driver airbag module with floating horn assembly proved the feasibility as a new safety device. However, the system level study is needed for decrease of passenger injury. This study can be used for the implementation of a prototype of DABM with floating horn device.

  12. The capture rate of free-floating planets in our galaxy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goulinski, N.; Ribak, E. N.

    2017-09-01

    We propose that planetary nebulae and supernova remnants may constitute a significant source of free-floating planets. With a large population of free-floating planets, the rate at which these planets get captured by planetary systems may be non-negligible. We predict that about one out of every 100 sub-solar stars are expected to experience a capture of a free-floating planet during their lifetime. The capture cross section calculated through three-body scattering simulations in vacuum conditions. Since planetary systems usually contain multiple planets, and dissipation processes where not included in the simulation, the capture rate may be higher.

  13. Turbomachinery systems for floating production applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Windt, Jonathan P.; Kurz, Rainer [Solar Turbines Incorporated, San Diego, CA (United States)

    2008-07-01

    Since 1995 there has been a dramatic increase in oil and gas exploration and production using floating platforms in deeper waters located further offshore. This exploration started with tension leg platforms, progressed through SPARs and Semi-Submersibles, and later evolved into Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels. Turbomachinery equipment installed on a floating platform or vessel will be expected to operate in the same manner as a land based machine, but in a variety of climate and environmental conditions that now includes motion. To operate successfully, specific design considerations for the turbo-machinery packages are required. It is critical to take into account the type of vessel, the expected list, trim and dynamic motion angles, the dynamic forces applied, the expected deck deflection as a result of those forces, understand the applicable class requirement, and where the equipment will be located on the vessel. This information is then translated into the design conditions to determine the type of mounting method to be used to attach the turbo-machinery package to the deck, the expected accelerations for structural analysis, and oil tank and system designs for fluid management. Furthermore, compressor designs need to allow utmost flexibility to adapt to changing operating conditions. (author)

  14. Natural product derivative BIO promotes recovery after myocardial infarction via unique modulation of the cardiac microenvironment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Yong Sook; Jeong, Hye-yun; Kim, Ah Ra; Kim, Woong-Hee; Cho, Haaglim; Um, JungIn; Seo, Youngha; Kang, Wan Seok; Jin, Suk-Won; Kim, Min Chul; Kim, Yong-Chul; Jung, Da-Woon; Williams, Darren R.; Ahn, Youngkeun

    2016-01-01

    The cardiac microenvironment includes cardiomyocytes, fibroblasts and macrophages, which regulate remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI). Targeting this microenvironment is a novel therapeutic approach for MI. We found that the natural compound derivative, BIO ((2′Z,3′E)-6-Bromoindirubin-3′-oxime) modulated the cardiac microenvironment to exert a therapeutic effect on MI. Using a series of co-culture studies, BIO induced proliferation in cardiomyocytes and inhibited proliferation in cardiac fibroblasts. BIO produced multiple anti-fibrotic effects in cardiac fibroblasts. In macrophages, BIO inhibited the expression of pro-inflammatory factors. Significantly, BIO modulated the molecular crosstalk between cardiac fibroblasts and differentiating macrophages to induce polarization to the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype. In the optically transparent zebrafish-based heart failure model, BIO induced cardiomyocyte proliferation and completely recovered survival rate. BIO is a known glycogen synthase kinase-3β inhibitor, but these effects could not be recapitulated using the classical inhibitor, lithium chloride; indicating novel therapeutic effects of BIO. We identified the mechanism of BIO as differential modulation of p27 protein expression and potent induction of anti-inflammatory interleukin-10. In a rat MI model, BIO reduced fibrosis and improved cardiac performance. Histological analysis revealed modulation of the cardiac microenvironment by BIO, with increased presence of anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages. Our results demonstrate that BIO produces unique effects in the cardiac microenvironment to promote recovery post-MI. PMID:27510556

  15. Structure of the floating water bridge and water in an electric field.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skinner, Lawrie B; Benmore, Chris J; Shyam, Badri; Weber, J K R; Parise, John B

    2012-10-09

    The floating water bridge phenomenon is a freestanding rope-shaped connection of pure liquid water, formed under the influence of a high potential difference (approximately 15 kV). Several recent spectroscopic, optical, and neutron scattering studies have suggested that the origin of the bridge is associated with the formation of anisotropic chains of water molecules in the liquid. In this work, high energy X-ray diffraction experiments have been performed on a series of floating water bridges as a function of applied voltage, bridge length, and position within the bridge. The two-dimensional X-ray scattering data showed no direction-dependence, indicating that the bulk water molecules do not exhibit any significant preferred orientation along the electric field. The only structural changes observed were those due to heating, and these effects were found to be the same as for bulk water. These X-ray scattering measurements are supported by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations which were performed under electric fields of 10(6) V/m and 10(9) V/m. Directional structure factor calculations were made from these simulations parallel and perpendicular to the E-field. The 10(6) V/m model showed no significant directional-dependence (anisotropy) in the structure factors. The 10(9) V/m model however, contained molecules aligned by the E-field, and had significant structural anisotropy.

  16. Customization of Protein Single Nanowires for Optical Biosensing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Yun-Lu; Sun, Si-Ming; Wang, Pan; Dong, Wen-Fei; Zhang, Lei; Xu, Bin-Bin; Chen, Qi-Dai; Tong, Li-Min; Sun, Hong-Bo

    2015-06-24

    An all-protein single-nanowire optical biosensor is constructed by a facile and general femtosecond laser direct writing approach with nanoscale structural customization. As-formed protein single nanowires show excellent optical properties (fine waveguiding performance and bio-applicable transmission windows), and are utilized as evanescent optical nanobiosensors for label-free biotin detection. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. Research on heat transfer characteristic of crude oil during the tubular heating process in the floating roof tank

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jian Zhao

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available By means of finite volume method, the heat transfer characteristic of crude oil under the tubular heating in the floating roof tank is investigated by numerical simulation. The evolution of temperature profile and its relationship with the flow pattern is presented in detail. A noticeable finding is that there exists the transformation of the flow pattern which affects the temperature profile apparently during the heating process. Special concern is taken on the evolution of temperature distribution on the interface between oil and the inner wall of the tank. The temperature profile on the top wall, sidewall and base wall of the tank is investigated. It is concluded that the plume induced by natural convection takes most responsibility for the formation of temperature field in the tank. The second factor is the boundary condition of the tank.

  18. Cooperative control system of the floating cranes for the dual lifting

    OpenAIRE

    Mihee Nam; Jinbeom Kim; Jaechang Lee; Daekyung Kim; Donghyuk Lee; Jangmyung Lee

    2018-01-01

    This paper proposes a dual lifting and its cooperative control system with two different kinds of floating cranes. The Mega-erection and Giga-erection in the ship building are used to handle heavier and wider blocks and modules as ships and off-shore platforms are enlarged. However, there is no equipment to handle such Tera-blocks. In order to overcome the limit on performance of existing floating cranes, the dual lifting is proposed in this research. In the dual lifting, two floating cranes ...

  19. Cooperative control system of the floating cranes for the dual lifting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mihee Nam

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper proposes a dual lifting and its cooperative control system with two different kinds of floating cranes. The Mega-erection and Giga-erection in the ship building are used to handle heavier and wider blocks and modules as ships and off-shore platforms are enlarged. However, there is no equipment to handle such Tera-blocks. In order to overcome the limit on performance of existing floating cranes, the dual lifting is proposed in this research. In the dual lifting, two floating cranes are well-coordinated to add up the lift capabilities of both cranes without any loss such that virtually a single crane is lifting, maneuvering and unloading. Two main constraints for the dual lifting are as follows: First, two barges of floating cranes should be constrained as a rigid body not to cause a relative motion between two barges and main hooks of the two cranes should be controlled as main hooks of a single crane. In order words, it is necessary to develop the cooperative control of two floating cranes in order to sustain a center of gravity of the module and minimize the tilting angle during the lifting and unloading by the two floating cranes. Two floating cranes are handled as a master-slave system. The master crane is able to gather information about all working conditions and make a decision to control the individual hook speed, which communicates the slave crane by TCP/IP. The developed control system has been embedded in the real floating crane systems and the dual lifting has been demonstrated five times at SHI shipyard in 2015. The moving angles of the lifting module are analyzed and verified to be suitable for hoisting control. It is verified that the dual lifting can be applied for many heavier and wider blocks and modules to shorten the construction time of ships and off-shore platforms.

  20. Can Heavier Liquid Float on Top of a Lighter One?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ayyad, A. H.; Takrori, F.

    2011-01-01

    We report on a first observation of a floating spherical Hg (density 13 g/cm 3 ) drop on top of a glycerin (density 1.26 g/cm 3 ) drop, the latter is hemispherical and about four times larger in volume. This observation is clearly against nature's gravity law and has never been reported before. Here we present spectacular high resolution photos that clearly demonstrate this remarkable floating phenomenon. Using milli-Q water, the Hg drop would stay down adhered at the triple line. Instead, the coincidental use of tap water displays the same phenomenon. Increasing the volume of the supporting liquid to a certain value causes the Hg drop to sink. A 5-M NaCl aqueous solution is found enough to show the same floating phenomenon. This floating mercury as a phenomenon is puzzling. On this length scale it seems that surface tension and curvature dominate over gravity. (fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications))

  1. Atomic force microscopy for the determination of refractive index profiles of optical fibres and waveguides: a quantitative study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huntington, S.T.; Mulvaney, P.; Roberts, K.A.

    1997-01-01

    The use of preferential etching and atomic force microscopy to measure refractive index profiles of optical fibres is investigated. Both the etch rate and the position of lateral features are shown to be independent of etch time. An elliptical core fibre has been studied and the resultant profile found to be in qualitative agreement with the preform index profile. It is shown, however, that the ellipticity of the core has changed during the drawing process. The method has been extended to fluorine and germanium doped planar waveguides and the results correlated with the fabrication process

  2. A miniaturized near infrared spectrometer for non-invasive sensing of bio-markers as a wearable healthcare solution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bae, Jungmok; Druzhin, Vladislav V.; Anikanov, Alexey G.; Afanasyev, Sergey V.; Shchekin, Alexey; Medvedev, Anton S.; Morozov, Alexander V.; Kim, Dongho; Kim, Sang Kyu; Moon, Hyunseok; Jang, Hyeongseok; Shim, Jaewook; Park, Jongae

    2017-02-01

    A novel miniaturized near-infrared spectrometer readily mountable to wearable devices for continuous monitoring of individual's key bio-markers was proposed. Spectrum is measured by sequential illuminations with LED's, having independent spectrum profiles and a continuous detection of light radiations from the skin tissue with a single cell PD. Based on Tikhonov regularization with singular value decomposition, a spectrum resolution less than 10nm was reconstructed based on experimentally measured LED profiles. A prototype covering first overtone band (1500-1800nm) where bio-markers have pronounced absorption peaks was fabricated and verified of its performance. Reconstructed spectrum shows that the novel concept of miniaturized spectrometer is valid.

  3. Hydroelasticity of a Floating Plate

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chen, X.; Jensen, Jørgen Juncher; Cui, W.

    2003-01-01

    The membrane forces are included in the hydroelastic analysis of a floating plate undergoing large vertical deflections in regular monochromatic multidirectional waves. The first-order vertical displacements induced by the linear wave exciting forces are calculated by the mode expansion method in...

  4. The impact of the night float system on internal medicine residency programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trontell, M C; Carson, J L; Taragin, M I; Duff, A

    1991-01-01

    To study the design, method of implementation, perceived benefits, and problems associated with a night float system. Self-administered questionnaire completed by program directors, which included both structured and open-ended questions. The answers reflect resident and student opinions as well as those of the program directors, since program directors regularly obtain feedback from these groups. The 442 accredited internal medicine residency programs listed in the 1988-89 Directory of Graduate Medical Education Programs. Of the 442 programs, 79% responded, and 30% had experience with a night float system. The most frequent methods for initiating a night float system included: decreasing elective time (42.3%), hiring more residents (26.9%), creating a non-teaching service (12.5%), and reallocating housestaff time (9.6%). Positive effects cited include decreased fatigue, improved housestaff morale, improved recruiting, and better attitude toward internal medicine training. The quality of medical care was considered the same or better by most programs using it. The most commonly cited problems were decreased continuity of care, inadequate teaching of the night float team, and miscommunication. Residency programs using a night float system usually observe a positive effect on housestaff morale, recruitment, and working hours and no detrimental effect on the quality of patient care. Miscommunication and inadequate learning experience for the night float team are important potential problems. This survey suggests that the night float represents one solution to reducing resident working hours.

  5. Design and Evaluation of an Oral Floating Matrix Tablet of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Purpose: To develop floating matrix tablets of salbutamol sulphate using ethyl cellulose and acrycoat S-100 as polymers, and sodium bicarbonate, citric acid and tartaric acid as gas generating agents. Methods: Twenty four formulations were prepared and segregated into four major categories, A to D. The floating tablets ...

  6. 14 CFR 25.529 - Hull and main float landing conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Hull and main float landing conditions. 25... AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY AIRPLANES Structure Water Loads § 25.529 Hull and main.... (b) Unsymmetrical landing for hull and single float seaplanes. Unsymmetrical step, bow, and stern...

  7. Dynamic modeling of a spar-type floating offshore wind turbine

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Savenije, L.B.; Ashuri, T.; Van Bussel, G.J.W.; Staerdahl, J.W.

    2010-01-01

    The installation of floating wind farms in deeper water is encouraged by the stronger and steadier wind, the lower visibility and noise impact, the absence of road restrictions, but also the absence or shortage of shallow water. In the summer of 2009, the first large-scale floating wind turbine

  8. Estimation of Structure-Borne Noise Reduction Effect of Steel Railway Bridge Equipped with Floating Ladder Track and Floating Reinforced-Concrete Deck

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watanabe, Tsutomu; Sogabe, Masamichi; Asanuma, Kiyoshi; Wakui, Hajime

    A number of steel railway bridges have been constructed in Japan. Thin steel members used for the bridges easily tend to vibrate and generate structure-borne noise. Accordingly, the number of constructions of steel railway bridges tends to decrease in the urban areas from a viewpoint of environmental preservation. Then, as a countermeasure against structure-borne noise generated from steel railway bridges, we have developed a new type of the steel railway bridge equipped with a floating-ladder track and a floating reinforced-concrete (RC) deck. As a result of train-running experiment, it became apparent that the new steel railway bridge installed by double floating system has reduced a vibration velocity level by 10.5 dB(A) at main girder web as compared with a steel railway bridge installed by directly fastened track. This reduction effect was achieved by the ladder track and RC deck supported by resilient materials.

  9. Nano-bio-sensing

    CERN Document Server

    Carrara, Sandro

    2011-01-01

    This book examines state-of-the-art applications of nano-bio-sensing. It brings together researchers from nano-electronics and bio-technology, providing multidisciplinary content from nano-structures fabrication to bio-sensing applications.

  10. Life cycle assessment of a floating offshore wind turbine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weinzettel, Jan [Department of Electrotechnology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Technicka 2, Praha 166 27 (Czech Republic); Charles University in Prague Environment Center, U Krize 8, Prague 158 00 (Czech Republic); Reenaas, Marte; Solli, Christian [Industrial Ecology Programme, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7491 Trondheim (Norway); Hertwich, Edgar G. [Industrial Ecology Programme, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7491 Trondheim (Norway); Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7491 Trondheim (Norway)

    2009-03-15

    A development in wind energy technology towards higher nominal power of the wind turbines is related to the shift of the turbines to better wind conditions. After the shift from onshore to offshore areas, there has been an effort to move further from the sea coast to the deep water areas, which requires floating windmills. Such a concept brings additional environmental impact through higher material demand. To evaluate additional environmental burdens and to find out whether they can be rebalanced or even offset by better wind conditions, a prospective life cycle assessment (LCA) study of one floating concept has been performed and the results are presented in this paper. A comparison with existing LCA studies of conventional offshore wind power and electricity from a natural gas combined cycle is presented. The results indicate similar environmental impacts of electricity production using floating wind power plants as using non-floating offshore wind power plants. The most important stage in the life cycle of the wind power plants is the production of materials. Credits that are connected to recycling these materials at the end-of-life of the power plant are substantial. (author)

  11. Study of bio-oil and bio-char production from algae by slow pyrolysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chaiwong, K.; Kiatsiriroat, T.; Vorayos, N.; Thararax, C.

    2013-01-01

    This study examined bio-oil and bio-char fuel produced from Spirulina Sp. by slow pyrolysis. A thermogravimetric analyser (TGA) was used to investigate the pyrolytic characteristics and essential components of algae. It was found that the temperature for the maximum degradation, 322 °C, is lower than that of other biomass. With our fixed-bed reactor, 125 g of dried Spirulina Sp. algae was fed under a nitrogen atmosphere until the temperature reached a set temperature between 450 and 600 °C. It was found that the suitable temperature to obtain bio-char and bio-oil were at approximately 500 and 550 °C respectively. The bio-oil components were identified by a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The saturated functional carbon of the bio-oil was in a range of heavy naphtha, kerosene and diesel oil. The energy consumption ratio (ECR) of bio-oil and bio-char was calculated, and the net energy output was positive. The ECR had an average value of 0.49. -- Highlights: •Bio-oil and bio-char fuel produced from Spirulina Sp. by slow pyrolysis. •Suitable temperature to obtained bio-oil and bio-char were at about 550 and 500 °C. •Saturated functional carbon of bio-oil was heavy naphtha, kerosene, diesel oil. •ECR had an average value of 0.49

  12. The 14th Hoyt Lecture: Ischemic Optic Neuropathy: The Evolving Profile, 1966-2015.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnold, Anthony C

    2016-06-01

    Since the first English language description by Miller and Smith in 1966 of ischemic optic neuropathy as a distinct ophthalmic syndrome, a long series of studies has refined the clinical profile to what we consider to be accurate today. From the specifics of pathogenesis to the clinical appearance to the effect of therapy, the basic tenets of diagnosis and management have evolved over 5 decades. What we thought we knew about the following topics has changed: location of vasculopathy; incidence; age at onset; optic disc appearance; risk factors for development; natural history; rate of fellow eye involvement; ischemia as an all-or-none phenomenon; and treatment. A look back at these discoveries shows both how far we have come and how far we have to go in managing this disorder.

  13. From marine bio-corrosion to new bio-processes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bergel, A.; Dasilva, S.; Basseguy, R.; Feron, D.; Mollica, A.

    2004-01-01

    Full text of publication follows: From the middle of the last century it has been observed that the development of marine bio-films on the surface of stainless steels and different metallic materials induces the ennoblement of their free corrosion potential. A main step in deciphering the mechanisms of aerobic marine bio-corrosion has been achieved around 1976 with the demonstration that the potential ennoblement was due to the modification of the cathodic process. Since this date, the catalysis of oxygen reduction by marine bio-films has been the topic of numerous controversies, but it is now commonly agreed as a basic phenomena in aerobic corrosion. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the fine mechanisms of the bio-film-catalysed reduction of oxygen: intermediate formation of hydrogen peroxide, modification of the oxide layer on the stainless steel surface, involvement of manganese species and manganese oxidising bacteria, catalysis by proteins produced by the micro-organisms... Recent results may confirm the possible involvement of hemic enzymes or proteins. Whatever the mechanisms, very promising results have been obtained with the possible application of bio-film-catalysed oxygen reduction to conceive innovative biofuel cells with stainless steel electrodes. Actually, the catalysis of oxygen reduction is a key step that still drastically hinders the development of economically efficient hydrogen/oxygen fuel cells. The current technology requires high amounts of platinum or platinum-based materials to catalyze oxygen reduction on the cathode of these cells. The prohibitive cost of platinum is a main obstacle to the commercialization of low-cost fuel cells. Unpublished results recently showed that adapting the enzyme-catalysed reaction that was assumed for bio-corrosion on the cathode of hydrogen/oxygen fuel cells may lead to a significant decrease in the charge of platinum. Moreover, it was demonstrated on a laboratory-scale fuel cell pilot that

  14. Development of feature extraction analysis for a multi-functional optical profiling device applied to field engineering applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Xu; Xie, Guangping; Laflen, Brandon; Jia, Ming; Song, Guiju; Harding, Kevin G.

    2015-05-01

    In the real application environment of field engineering, a large variety of metrology tools are required by the technician to inspect part profile features. However, some of these tools are burdensome and only address a sole application or measurement. In other cases, standard tools lack the capability of accessing irregular profile features. Customers of field engineering want the next generation metrology devices to have the ability to replace the many current tools with one single device. This paper will describe a method based on the ring optical gage concept to the measurement of numerous kinds of profile features useful for the field technician. The ring optical system is composed of a collimated laser, a conical mirror and a CCD camera. To be useful for a wide range of applications, the ring optical system requires profile feature extraction algorithms and data manipulation directed toward real world applications in field operation. The paper will discuss such practical applications as measuring the non-ideal round hole with both off-centered and oblique axes. The algorithms needed to analyze other features such as measuring the width of gaps, radius of transition fillets, fall of step surfaces, and surface parallelism will also be discussed in this paper. With the assistance of image processing and geometric algorithms, these features can be extracted with a reasonable performance. Tailoring the feature extraction analysis to this specific gage offers the potential for a wider application base beyond simple inner diameter measurements. The paper will present experimental results that are compared with standard gages to prove the performance and feasibility of the analysis in real world field engineering. Potential accuracy improvement methods, a new dual ring design and future work will be discussed at the end of this paper.

  15. Growth of multiferroic Gd1-xYxMnO3 single crystals by optical floating zone technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sarguna, R.M.; Ganesamoorthy, S.; Sridharan, V.; Subramanian, N.

    2014-01-01

    Rare earth manganites RMnO 3 with distorted perovskite structure are excellent multiferroic materials. The discovery of magnetic spin driven ferroelectricity in orthorhombic manganites (TbMnO 3 ) has sparked a surge in research into understanding the fundamental mechanism of multiferroic behavior. These systems fall under the category of type-2 multiferroics, the change of spatially modulated magnetic moment from sinusoidal to cycloidal gives rise to electric polarization. The magnetic structure depends upon the Mn-O-Mn bond angle. GdMnO 3 shows multiferroic properties only in the presence of applied magnetic field. When a magnetic field is applied along the b-axis, GdMnO 3 enters a ferroelectric state with an electric polarisation along the c-axis. By altering the Mn-O-Mn angle it is expected that GdMnO 3 will show multiferroic property even in the absence of magnetic field like TbMnO 3 . To alter the Mn-O-Mn bond angle GdMnO 3 was substituted with Y having lower ionic radius at Gd site. The effect of Y doping at the rare-earth site in GdMnO 3 investigated on polycrystalline samples of Gd 1-x Y x MnO 3 demonstrated a magneto-electric coupling in x=0.1-0.4. Single crystals are expected to give much amplified signal in respect of ferroelectric and magnetic properties. In this work we have grown Y substituted Gd 1-x Y x MnO 3 (x = 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4) by optical floating zone technique under different gas atmosphere. Growth rate of 1-2 mm/h yielded crack free crystals. Quality of the crystals was checked using Laue diffraction. Effect of growth rate and atmosphere pressure will be presented in this talk. (author)

  16. Modelling and Simulation of Free Floating Pig for Different Pipeline Inclination Angles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Woldemichael Dereje Engida

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a modelling and simulation of free floating pig to determine the flow parameters to avoid pig stalling in pigging operation. A free floating spherical shaped pig was design and equipped with necessary sensors to detect leak along the pipeline. The free floating pig does not have internal or external power supply to navigate through the pipeline. Instead, it is being driven by the flowing medium. In order to avoid stalling of the pig, it is essential to conduct simulation to determine the necessary flow parameters for different inclination angles. Accordingly, a pipeline section with inclination of 0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75°, and 90° were modelled and simulated using ANSYS FLUENT 15.0 with water and oil as working medium. For each case, the minimum velocity required to propel the free floating pig through the inclination were determined. In addition, the trajectory of the free floating pig has been visualized in the simulation.

  17. Float level switch for a nuclear power plant containment vessel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Powell, J.G.

    1993-01-01

    This invention is a float level switch used to sense rise or drop in water level in a containment vessel of a nuclear power plant during a loss of coolant accident. The essential components of the device are a guide tube, a reed switch inside the guide tube, a float containing a magnetic portion that activates a reed switch, and metal-sheathed, ceramic-insulated conductors connecting the reed switch to a monitoring system outside the containment vessel. Special materials and special sealing techniques prevent failure of components and allow the float level switch to be connected to a monitoring system outside the containment vessel. 1 figures

  18. Float level switch for a nuclear power plant containment vessel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Powell, James G.

    1993-01-01

    This invention is a float level switch used to sense rise or drop in water level in a containment vessel of a nuclear power plant during a loss of coolant accident. The essential components of the device are a guide tube, a reed switch inside the guide tube, a float containing a magnetic portion that activates a reed switch, and metal-sheathed, ceramic-insulated conductors connecting the reed switch to a monitoring system outside the containment vessel. Special materials and special sealing techniques prevent failure of components and allow the float level switch to be connected to a monitoring system outside the containment vessel.

  19. CLINICAL OUTCOME AFTER OPERATIVE TREATMENT IN FLOATING SHOULDER- A PROSPECTIVE STUDY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nabarun Saha

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND The ‘floating shoulder’ is a rare injury consisting of ipsilateral fractures of the clavicle and glenoid neck. Although it may appear to be bony injury, studies suggest that ligamentous disruption associated with ipsilateral clavicle fracture and scapular neck fracture contributes to such entity. More commonly floating shoulder is defined as double disruption of the superior shoulder suspensory complex. Open reduction and internal fixation of both the fractures is the treatment of choice. We have made this study to assess clinical outcome after operative treatment of floating shoulder by DASH score. MATERIALS AND METHODS This is a study of 10 cases of floating shoulder injury operated in the same sitting by anterior approach for fracture clavicle and Judet’s posterior approach for scapula fracture from Jan 2014 to Oct 2016. All cases were assessed with DASH score at the end of six months. RESULTS Results of our study shows that majority of patients had excellent to good results with improvement in DASH score from 92.8 to 16.8 at final follow up. No major complications. All patients had radiological signs of union at the end of 1 year. CONCLUSION Surgical intervention should be considered for all floating shoulder injuries. open reduction and internal fixation not only increases stability but also to improves functional outcome of the patient. DASH score is an effective method to assess clinicofunctional outcome in post-operative cases of floating shoulder.

  20. Differential Response of Floating and Submerged Leaves of Longleaf Pondweed to Silver Ions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nisha Shabnam

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available In this study, we have investigated variations in the potential of floating and submerged leaves of longleaf pondweed (Potamogeton nodosus to withstand silver ion (Ag+-toxicity. Both floating and submerged leaves changed clear colorless AgNO3 solutions to colloidal brown in the presence of light. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the presence of distinct crystalline Ag-nanoparticles (Ag-NPs in these brown solutions. Powder X-ray diffraction pattern showed that Ag-NPs were composed of Ag0 and Ag2O. Photosystem (PS II efficiency of leaves declined upon exposure to Ag+ with a significantly higher decline in the submerged leaves than in the floating leaves. Similarly, Ag+ treatment caused a significant reduction in the carboxylase activity of the ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase in leaves. The reduction in this carboxylase activity was significantly higher in the submerged than in the floating leaves. Ag+ treatment also resulted in a significant decline in the levels of non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidants; the decline was significantly lower in the floating than in submerged leaves. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed the presence of Ag2O in these leaves. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis revealed a three-fold higher Ag content in the submerged than in floating leaves. Our study demonstrates that floating leaves of longleaf pondweed have a superior potential to counter Ag+-toxicity compared with submerged leaves, which could be due to superior potential of floating leaves to reduce Ag+ to less/non-toxic Ag0/Ag2O-nanoparticles/nanocomplexes. We suggest that modulating the genotype of longleaf pondweed to bear higher proportion of floating leaves would help in cleaning fresh water bodies contaminated with ionic forms of heavy metals.

  1. Investigation of Tank 241-AN-101 Floating Solids

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kraft, Douglas P. [Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC, Richland, VA (United States); Meznarich, H. K. [Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC, Richland, VA (United States)

    2017-10-30

    Tank 241-AN-101 is the receiver tank for retrieval of several C-Farms waste tanks, including Tanks 241-C-102 and 241-C-111. Tank 241 C 111 received first-cycle decontamination waste from the bismuth phosphate process and Plutonium and Uranium Extraction cladding waste, as well as hydraulic fluid. Three grab samples, 1AN-16-01, 1AN-16-01A, and 1AN-16-01B, were collected at the surface of Tank 241-AN-101 on April 25, 2016, after Tank 241-C-111 retrieval was completed. Floating solids were observed in the three grab samples in the 11A hot cell after the samples were received at the 222-S Laboratory. Routine chemical analyses, solid phase characterization on the floating and settled solids, semivolatile organic analysis mainly on the aqueous phase for identification of degradation products of hydraulic fluids were performed. Investigation of the floating solids is reported.

  2. Modulating drug release from gastric-floating microcapsules through spray-coating layers.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei Li Lee

    Full Text Available Floating dosage forms with prolonged gastric residence time have garnered much interest in the field of oral delivery. However, studies had shown that slow and incomplete release of hydrophobic drugs during gastric residence period would reduce drug absorption and cause drug wastage. Herein, a spray-coated floating microcapsule system was developed to encapsulate fenofibrate and piroxicam, as model hydrophobic drugs, into the coating layers with the aim of enhancing and tuning drug release rates. Incorporating fenofibrate into rubbery poly(caprolactone (PCL coating layer resulted in a complete and sustained release for up to 8 h, with outermost non-drug-holding PCL coating layer serving as a rate-controlling membrane. To realize a multidrug-loaded system, both hydrophilic metformin HCl and hydrophobic fenofibrate were simultaneously incorporated into these spray-coated microcapsules, with metformin HCl and fenofibrate localized within the hollow cavity of the capsule and coating layer, respectively. Both drugs were observed to be completely released from these coated microcapsules in a sustained manner. Through specific tailoring of coating polymers and their configurations, piroxicam loaded in both the outer polyethylene glycol and inner PCL coating layers was released in a double-profile manner (i.e. an immediate burst release as the loading dose, followed by a sustained release as the maintenance dose. The fabricated microcapsules exhibited excellent buoyancy in simulated gastric fluid, and provided controlled and sustained release, thus revealing its potential as a rate-controlled oral drug delivery system.

  3. (Bio)hybrid materials based on optically active particles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reitzig, Manuela; Härtling, Thomas; Opitz, Jörg

    2014-03-01

    In this contribution we provide an overview of current investigations on optically active particles (nanodiamonds, upconversion phospors) for biohybrid and sensing applications. Due to their outstanding properties nanodiamonds gain attention in various application elds such as microelectronics, optical monitoring, medicine, and biotechnology. Beyond the typical diamond properties such as high thermal conductivity and extreme hardness, the carbon surface and its various functional groups enable diverse chemical and biological surface functionalization. At Fraunhofer IKTS-MD we develop a customization of material surfaces via integration of chemically modi ed nanodiamonds at variable surfaces, e.g bone implants and pipelines. For the rst purpose, nanodiamonds are covalently modi ed at their surface with amino or phosphate functionalities that are known to increase adhesion to bone or titanium alloys. The second type of surface is approached via mechanical implementation into coatings. Besides nanodiamonds, we also investigate the properties of upconversion phosphors. In our contribution we show how upconversion phosphors are used to verify sterilization processes via a change of optical properties due to sterilizing electron beam exposure.

  4. 14 CFR 23.531 - Hull and main float takeoff condition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Hull and main float takeoff condition. 23.531 Section 23.531 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION... Water Loads § 23.531 Hull and main float takeoff condition. For the wing and its attachment to the hull...

  5. 14 CFR 25.531 - Hull and main float takeoff condition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Hull and main float takeoff condition. 25... AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY AIRPLANES Structure Water Loads § 25.531 Hull and main float takeoff condition. For the wing and its attachment to the hull or main float— (a) The aerodynamic...

  6. Non-uniformly polarized beams across their transverse profiles: an introductory study for undergraduate optics courses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Piquero, Gemma; Vargas-Balbuena, Javier

    2004-01-01

    We provide a simple theoretical study of beams non-uniformly polarized across their transverse sections which can be introduced in undergraduate optics courses. In order to generate such beams we propose to use a slightly convergent (or divergent) linearly and uniformly polarized beam impinging on an anisotropic uniaxial material with the beam propagation direction along the optic axis. Analytical expressions for the Jones vector, Stokes parameters, ellipticity and azimuth at each point of the transverse section, perpendicular to the propagation direction, are obtained at the output of this system. By means of these parameters a detailed description of the state of polarization across the transverse profile is given

  7. A new bio-optical algorithm for the remote sensing of algal blooms in complex ocean waters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shanmugam, Palanisamy

    2011-04-01

    A new bio-optical algorithm has been developed to provide accurate assessments of chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentration for detection and mapping of algal blooms from satellite data in optically complex waters, where the presence of suspended sediments and dissolved substances can interfere with phytoplankton signal and thus confound conventional band ratio algorithms. A global data set of concurrent measurements of pigment concentration and radiometric reflectance was compiled and used to develop this algorithm that uses the normalized water-leaving radiance ratios along with an algal bloom index (ABI) between three visible bands to determine Chl a concentrations. The algorithm is derived using Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor bands, and it is subsequently tuned to be applicable to Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)/Aqua data. When compared with large in situ data sets and satellite matchups in a variety of coastal and ocean waters the present algorithm makes good retrievals of the Chl a concentration and shows statistically significant improvement over current global algorithms (e.g., OC3 and OC4v4). An examination of the performance of these algorithms on several MODIS/Aqua images in complex waters of the Arabian Sea and west Florida shelf shows that the new algorithm provides a better means for detecting and differentiating algal blooms from other turbid features, whereas the OC3 algorithm has significant errors although yielding relatively consistent results in clear waters. These findings imply that, provided that an accurate atmospheric correction scheme is available to deal with complex waters, the current MODIS/Aqua, MERIS and OCM data could be extensively used for quantitative and operational monitoring of algal blooms in various regional and global waters.

  8. Dynamic of bio-geometric profile indicators of children’s with functionally one ventricle posture at stage of physical rehabilitation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V.V. Vitomskiy

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: to assess dynamic of bio-geometric profile quantitative indicators in children with functionally one ventricular at stages of physical rehabilitation. Material: 35 patients were examined during hospital stay and when leaving hospital. Indicators were registered with the help of photo metering and program Ergotherapy. Results: in children we registered great number of posture disorders in frontal (94.3% and sagittal planes (97.1%. In frontal plane the angles, pointing at significant asymmetry of upper limbs in respect to horizontal plane, were increased. In sagittal plane we received angles, which pointed at presence of thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis. After surgery and stationary stage of rehabilitation static changes were registered in insignificant quantity of the studied angles. After post-clinical physical rehabilitation stage we registered reduction of angles’ values and their approaching to norm. Conclusions: physical rehabilitation at stationary and port clinical stages with the help of correcting exercises positively influence on restoration of posture after surgery and its improvement in the future.

  9. Wave energy absorption by a submerged air bag connected to a rigid float

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kurniawan, Adi; Chaplin, J. R.; Hann, M. R.

    2017-01-01

    A new wave energy device features a submerged ballasted air bag connected at the top to a rigid float. Under wave action, the bag expands and contracts, creating a reciprocating air flow through a turbine between the bag and another volume housed within the float. Laboratory measurements are gene......A new wave energy device features a submerged ballasted air bag connected at the top to a rigid float. Under wave action, the bag expands and contracts, creating a reciprocating air flow through a turbine between the bag and another volume housed within the float. Laboratory measurements...

  10. Functionalizing 2PP-fabricated microtools for optical manipulation on the BioPhotonics Workstation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Matsuoka, Tomoyo; Nishi, Masayuki; Sakakura, Masaaki

    Functionalization of the structures fabricated by two-photon polymerization was achieved by coating them with sol-gel materials, which contain calcium indicators. The structures are expected to work potentially as nano-sensors on the BioPhotonics Workstation....

  11. Resident perceptions of the educational value of night float rotations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luks, Andrew M; Smith, C Scott; Robins, Lynne; Wipf, Joyce E

    2010-07-01

    Night float rotations are being increasingly used in the era of resident physician work-hour regulations, but their impact on resident education is not clear. Our objective was to clarify resident perceptions of the educational aspects of night float rotations. An anonymous survey of internal medicine residents at a university-based residency program was completed. Responses were received from 116 of 163 surveyed residents (71%). Residents attended less residents' report (0.10 +/- .43 vs. 2.70 + 0.93 sessions/week, peducational value of night float, sleep cycle adjustment issues, and impact on their personal lives, which correlated with resident evaluations from the regular program evaluation process. In free responses, residents commented that they liked the autonomy and opportunity to improve triage skills on these rotations and confirmed their negative opinions about the sleep-wake cycle and interference with personal lives. Internal medicine residents at a university-based program have negative opinions regarding the educational value of night float rotations. Further work is necessary to determine whether problems exist across programs and specialties.

  12. Effect analysis of geometric parameters of floating raft on isolation performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    LI Shangda

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available [Objectives] This paper focuses on the effects of the geometric parameters of a floating raft on isolation performance.[Methods] Based on the idea that the weight of a floating raft remains constant, a parametric finite element model is established using geometric parameters, and the effects of the geometric parameters when isolation performance is measured by vibration level difference are discussed.[Results] The effects of the geometric parameters of a floating raft on isolation performance are mainly reflected in the middle and high frequency areas. The most important geometric parameters which have an impact on isolation performance are the raft's height, length to width ratio and number of ribs. Adjusting the geometric parameters of the raft is one effective way to avoid the vibration frequency of mechanical equipment.[Conclusions] This paper has some practical value for the engineering design of floating raft isolation systems.

  13. Optics and Fluid Dynamics Department annual progress report for 2000

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hanson, S.G.; Johansen, P.M.; Lynov, J.P.; Skaarup, B.

    2001-05-01

    The Optics and Fluid Dynamics Department performs basic and applied research within three scientific programmes: (1) optical materials, (2) optical diagnostics and information processing and (3) plasma and fluid dynamics. The department has core competence in: optical sensors, optical materials, optical storage, bio-optics, numerical modelling and information processing, non-linear dynamics and fusion plasma physics. The research is supported by several EU programmes, including EURATOM, by Danish research councils and by industry. A summary of the activities in 2000 is presented. (au)

  14. Real-time video compressing under DSP/BIOS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Qiu-ping; Li, Gui-ju

    2009-10-01

    This paper presents real-time MPEG-4 Simple Profile video compressing based on the DSP processor. The programming framework of video compressing is constructed using TMS320C6416 Microprocessor, TDS510 simulator and PC. It uses embedded real-time operating system DSP/BIOS and the API functions to build periodic function, tasks and interruptions etcs. Realize real-time video compressing. To the questions of data transferring among the system. Based on the architecture of the C64x DSP, utilized double buffer switched and EDMA data transfer controller to transit data from external memory to internal, and realize data transition and processing at the same time; the architecture level optimizations are used to improve software pipeline. The system used DSP/BIOS to realize multi-thread scheduling. The whole system realizes high speed transition of a great deal of data. Experimental results show the encoder can realize real-time encoding of 768*576, 25 frame/s video images.

  15. 14 CFR 23.527 - Hull and main float load factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Hull and main float load factors. 23.527... Water Loads § 23.527 Hull and main float load factors. (a) Water reaction load factors nw must be...=seaplane landing weight in pounds. (6) K1=empirical hull station weighing factor, in accordance with figure...

  16. Lossy/Lossless Floating/Grounded Inductance Simulation Using One DDCC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. A. Ibrahim

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available In this work, we present new topologies for realizing one lossless grounded inductor and two floating, one lossless and one lossy, inductors employing a single differential difference current conveyor (DDCC and a minimum number of passive components, two resistors, and one grounded capacitor. The floating inductors are based on ordinary dual-output differential difference current conveyor (DO-DDCC while the grounded lossless inductor is based one a modified dual-output differential difference current conveyor (MDO-DDCC. The proposed lossless floating inductor is obtained from the lossy one by employing a negative impedance converter (NIC. The non-ideality effects of the active element on the simulated inductors are investigated. To demonstrate the performance of the proposed grounded inductance simulator as an example, it is used to construct a parallel resonant circuit. SPICE simulation results are given to confirm the theoretical analysis.

  17. Optimal Control of a Ballast-Stabilized Floating Wind Turbine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christiansen, Søren; Knudsen, Torben; Bak, Thomas

    2011-01-01

    Offshore wind energy capitalizes on the higher and less turbulent wind speeds at sea. The use of floating structures for deeper waters is being explored. The control objective is a tradeoff between power capture and fatigue, especially that produced by the oscillations caused by the reduced...... structural stiffness of a floating installation in combination with a coupling between the fore–aft motion of the tower and the blade pitch. To address this problem, the present paper models a ballast-stabilized floating wind turbine, and suggests a linear quadratic regulator (LQR) in combination with a wind...... estimator and a state observer. The results are simulated using aero elastic code and analysed in terms of damage equivalent loads. When compared to a baseline controller, this controller clearly demonstrates better generator speed and power tracking while reducing fatigue loads....

  18. Genetics Home Reference: Floating-Harbor syndrome

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Patton MA, Hurst J, Donnai D, McKeown CM, Cole T, Goodship J. Floating-Harbor syndrome. J Med ... medicine? What is newborn screening? New Pages Lyme disease Fibromyalgia White-Sutton syndrome All New & Updated Pages ...

  19. Dynamic analysis of maritime gasbag-type floating bridge subjected to moving loads

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huan-huan Wang

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper studied the dynamic response of a new gasbag-type floating bridge under the effect of a moving load. The arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE method was used to simulate the movement of seawater and air, and the penalty-based method was used to study the coupling between gasbags and fluid. A three-dimensional finite element model of the floating bridge was established, and the numerical model was verified by comparing with the experimental results. In order to prevent resonance, the natural frequencies and flexural mode shapes were analyzed. Based on the initial state analysis, the dynamic responses of the floating bridge subjected to different moving loads were investigated. Vertical displacements and radial deformations of gasbags under different loads were compared, and principal stress distributions of gasbags were researched while driving. The hinge forces between adjacent modules were calculated to ensure the connection strength. Besides, the floating bridge under wave impacting was analyzed. Those results can provide references for the analysis and design of this new floating bridge.

  20. Wake Influence on Dynamic Load Characteristics of Offshore Floating Wind Turbines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jeon, Minu; Lee, Soogab; Kim, Taeseong

    2016-01-01

    Because the flow conditions of an offshore floating wind turbine and onshore fixed wind turbine differ, it is debatable whether the aerodynamic load predictions of an offshore floating wind turbine using the conventional blade-element momentum theory, which does not consider the dynamic wake effe...

  1. Lagrangian current measurements and large-scale long-term dispersion rates (Sofar float experiment)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gurbutt, F.A.

    1984-01-01

    Activity entering the water from a deep-sea disposal of radioactive waste package will be dispersed through the ocean both by the long-term circulation pattern and the eddy (mixing) motions. Sofar floats are thought to be the most cost-effective way of obtaining direct information on the circulation over a few years and the only way to obtain information, in the Lagrangian framework, on the statistics of the eddy movements. The Sofar float experiment seeks to answer questions including: (a) What is the magnitude of space and time variability of the horizontal eddy kinetic energy in the eastern bassin and is it consistent with that found in the western basin of the North Atlantic. (b) Is the deep flow inferred from incoherent arrays of moored current meters correct. The report covers the preparation stage for the Sofar float experiment whick takes place from autumn 1984 to 1986. It describes the recent results from the western North Atlantic, the design of the new deep Sofar float, the testing of the float including the range at which these new floats can be heard, the experimental design and expected results

  2. On the proposed second law paradox in a nonzero floating potential

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cruden, Brett A.

    2001-01-01

    A second law paradox was previously proposed for a plasma contained within an infinite blackbody. The proposed second law paradox was dependent on the plasma having a nonzero floating potential [D. P. Sheehan and J. D. Means, Phys. Plasmas 5, 2469 (1998)]. This work demonstrates that a nonzero floating potential is indicative of some energy contained within the plasma that can be withdrawn from the plasma without violation of the second law. Furthermore, it is shown from the probe theory that the plasma in this hypothetical configuration must have a floating potential of zero at steady state

  3. In Situ Generated Colloid Transport of Cu and Zn in Reclaimed Mine Soil Profiles Associated with Bio solids Application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, J.O.; Karathanasis, A.D.; Matocha, C.J.

    2011-01-01

    Areas reclaimed for agricultural uses following coal mining often receive bio solids applications to increase organic matter and fertility. Transport of heavy metals within these soils may be enhanced by the additional presence of bio solids colloids. Intact monoliths from reclaimed and undisturbed soils in Virginia and Kentucky were leached to observe Cu and Zn mobility with and without bio solids application. Transport of Cu and Zn was observed in both solution and colloid associated phases in reclaimed and undisturbed forest soils, where the presence of unweathered spoil material and bio solids amendments contributed to higher metal release in solution fractions. Up to 81% of mobile Cu was associated with the colloid fraction, particularly when gabbiest was present, while only up to 18% of mobile Zn was associated with the colloid fraction. The colloid bound Cu was exchangeable by ammonium acetate, suggesting that it will release into groundwater resources.

  4. In Situ Generated Colloid Transport of Cu and Zn in Reclaimed Mine Soil Profiles Associated with Bio solids Application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, J.O.; Karathanasis, A.D.; Matocha, C.J.

    2011-01-01

    Areas reclaimed for agricultural uses following coal mining often receive bio solids applications to increase organic matter and fertility. Transport of heavy metals within these soils may be enhanced by the additional presence of bio solids colloids. Intact monoliths from reclaimed and undisturbed soils in Virginia and Kentucky were leached to observe Cu and Zn mobility with and without bio solids application. Transport of Cu and Zn was observed in both solution and colloid associated phases in reclaimed and undisturbed forest soils, where the presence of unweathered spoil material and bio solids amendments contributed to higher metal release in solution fractions. Up to 81% of mobile Cu was associated with the colloid fraction, particularly when gibbsite was present, while only up to 18% of mobile Zn was associated with the colloid fraction. The colloid bound Cu was exchangeable by ammonium acetate, suggesting that it will release into groundwater resources.

  5. Comparative techno-economic analysis of biohydrogen production via bio-oil gasification and bio-oil reforming

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Yanan; Brown, Tristan R.; Hu, Guiping; Brown, Robert C.

    2013-01-01

    This paper evaluates the economic feasibility of biohydrogen production via two bio-oil processing pathways: bio-oil gasification and bio-oil reforming. Both pathways employ fast pyrolysis to produce bio-oil from biomass stock. The two pathways are modeled using Aspen Plus ® for a 2000 t d −1 facility. Equipment sizing and cost calculations are based on Aspen Economic Evaluation® software. Biohydrogen production capacity at the facility is 147 t d −1 for the bio-oil gasification pathway and 160 t d −1 for the bio-oil reforming pathway. The biomass-to-fuel energy efficiencies are 47% and 84% for the bio-oil gasification and bio-oil reforming pathways, respectively. Total capital investment (TCI) is 435 million dollars for the bio-oil gasification pathway and is 333 million dollars for the bio-oil reforming pathway. Internal rates of return (IRR) are 8.4% and 18.6% for facilities employing the bio-oil gasification and bio-oil reforming pathways, respectively. Sensitivity analysis demonstrates that biohydrogen price, biohydrogen yield, fixed capital investment (FCI), bio-oil yield, and biomass cost have the greatest impacts on facility IRR. Monte-Carlo analysis shows that bio-oil reforming is more economically attractive than bio-oil gasification for biohydrogen production. -- Highlights: ► Biohydrogen production via bio-oil reforming has higher energy efficiency compared to gasification. ► Hydrogen price, fixed capital cost, and feedstock cost most strongly affect IRR. ► Lower risk investment is biohydrogen production via bio-oil reforming

  6. D-Amino acid oxidase bio-functionalized platforms: Toward an enhanced enzymatic bio-activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herrera, Elisa; Valdez Taubas, Javier; Giacomelli, Carla E.

    2015-11-01

    The purpose of this work is to study the adsorption process and surface bio-activity of His-tagged D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) from Rhodotorula gracilis (His6-RgDAAO) as the first step for the development of an electrochemical bio-functionalized platform. With such a purpose this work comprises: (a) the His6-RgDAAO bio-activity in solution determined by amperometry, (b) the adsorption mechanism of His6-RgDAAO on bare gold and carboxylated modified substrates in the absence (substrate/COO-) and presence of Ni(II) (substrate/COO- + Ni(II)) determined by reflectometry, and (c) the bio-activity of the His6-RgDAAO bio-functionalized platforms determined by amperometry. Comparing the adsorption behavior and bio-activity of His6-RgDAAO on these different solid substrates allows understanding the contribution of the diverse interactions responsible for the platform performance. His6-RgDAAO enzymatic performance in solution is highly improved when compared to the previously used pig kidney (pk) DAAO. His6-RgDAAO exhibits an amperometrically detectable bio-activity at concentrations as low as those expected on a bio-functional platform; hence, it is a viable bio-recognition element of D-amino acids to be coupled to electrochemical platforms. Moreover, His6-RgDAAO bio-functionalized platforms exhibit a higher surface activity than pkDAAO physically adsorbed on gold. The platform built on Ni(II) modified substrates present enhanced bio-activity because the surface complexes histidine-Ni(II) provide with site-oriented, native-like enzymes. The adsorption mechanism responsible of the excellent performance of the bio-functionalized platform takes place in two steps involving electrostatic and bio-affinity interactions whose prevalence depends on the degree of surface coverage.

  7. Motion Performance and Mooring System of a Floating Offshore Wind Turbine

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Jing Zhao; Liang Zhang; Haitao Wu

    2012-01-01

    The development of offshore wind farms was originally carried out in shallow water areas with fixed (seabed mounted) structures.However,countries with limited shallow water areas require innovative floating platforms to deploy wind turbines offshore in order to harness wind energy to generate electricity in deep seas.The performances of motion and mooring system dynamics are vital to designing a cost effective and durable floating platform.This paper describes a numerical model to simulate dynamic behavior of a new semi-submersible type floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) system.The wind turbine was modeled as a wind block with a certain thrust coefficient,and the hydrodynamics and mooring system dynamics of the platform were calculated by SESAM software.The effect of change in environmental conditions on the dynamic response of the system under wave and wind loading was examined.The results indicate that the semi-submersible concept has excellent performance and SESAM could be an effective tool for floating wind turbine design and analysis.

  8. Motion performance and mooring system of a floating offshore wind turbine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Jing; Zhang, Liang; Wu, Haitao

    2012-09-01

    The development of offshore wind farms was originally carried out in shallow water areas with fixed (seabed mounted) structures. However, countries with limited shallow water areas require innovative floating platforms to deploy wind turbines offshore in order to harness wind energy to generate electricity in deep seas. The performances of motion and mooring system dynamics are vital to designing a cost effective and durable floating platform. This paper describes a numerical model to simulate dynamic behavior of a new semi-submersible type floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) system. The wind turbine was modeled as a wind block with a certain thrust coefficient, and the hydrodynamics and mooring system dynamics of the platform were calculated by SESAM software. The effect of change in environmental conditions on the dynamic response of the system under wave and wind loading was examined. The results indicate that the semi-submersible concept has excellent performance and SESAM could be an effective tool for floating wind turbine design and analysis.

  9. Localized surface plasmon resonance with five-branched gold nanostars in a plastic optical fiber for bio-chemical sensor implementation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cennamo, Nunzio; D'Agostino, Girolamo; Donà, Alice; Dacarro, Giacomo; Pallavicini, Piersandro; Pesavento, Maria; Zeni, Luigi

    2013-10-29

    In this paper a refractive index sensor based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in a Plastic Optical Fiber (POF), is presented and experimentally tested. LSPR is achieved exploiting five-branched gold nanostars (GNS) obtained using Triton X-100 in a seed-growth synthesis. They have the uncommon feature of three localized surface plasmon resonances. The strongest LSPRs fall in two ranges, one in the 600-900 nm range (LSPR 2) and the other one in the 1,100-1,600 nm range (LSPR 3), both sensible to refractive index changes. Anyway, due to the extremely strong attenuation (>10(2) dB/m) of the employed POF in the 1,100-1,600 nm range, only LSPR 2 will be exploited for refractive index change measurements, useful for bio-chemical sensing applications, as a proof of principle of the possibility of realizing a compact, low cost and easy-to-use GNS based device.

  10. Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance with Five-Branched Gold Nanostars in a Plastic Optical Fiber for Bio-Chemical Sensor Implementation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cennamo, Nunzio; D'Agostino, Girolamo; Donà, Alice; Dacarro, Giacomo; Pallavicini, Piersandro; Pesavento, Maria; Zeni, Luigi

    2013-01-01

    In this paper a refractive index sensor based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in a Plastic Optical Fiber (POF), is presented and experimentally tested. LSPR is achieved exploiting five-branched gold nanostars (GNS) obtained using Triton X-100 in a seed-growth synthesis. They have the uncommon feature of three localized surface plasmon resonances. The strongest LSPRs fall in two ranges, one in the 600–900 nm range (LSPR 2) and the other one in the 1,100–1,600 nm range (LSPR 3), both sensible to refractive index changes. Anyway, due to the extremely strong attenuation (>102 dB/m) of the employed POF in the 1,100–1,600 nm range, only LSPR 2 will be exploited for refractive index change measurements, useful for bio-chemical sensing applications, as a proof of principle of the possibility of realizing a compact, low cost and easy-to-use GNS based device. PMID:24172284

  11. Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance with Five-Branched Gold Nanostars in a Plastic Optical Fiber for Bio-Chemical Sensor Implementation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luigi Zeni

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available In this paper a refractive index sensor based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR in a Plastic Optical Fiber (POF, is presented and experimentally tested. LSPR is achieved exploiting five-branched gold nanostars (GNS obtained using Triton X-100 in a seed-growth synthesis. They have the uncommon feature of three localized surface plasmon resonances. The strongest LSPRs fall in two ranges, one in the 600–900 nm range (LSPR 2 and the other one in the 1,100–1,600 nm range (LSPR 3, both sensible to refractive index changes. Anyway, due to the extremely strong attenuation (>102 dB/m of the employed POF in the 1,100–1,600 nm range, only LSPR 2 will be exploited for refractive index change measurements, useful for bio-chemical sensing applications, as a proof of principle of the possibility of realizing a compact, low cost and easy-to-use GNS based device.

  12. Optics and Fluid Dynamics Department. Annual progress report for 2001

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bindslev, H.; Hanson, S.G.; Lynov, J.P.; Petersen, P.M.; Skaarup, B.

    2002-03-01

    The Optics and Fluid Dynamics Department performs basic and applied research within three scientific programmes: 1) laser systems and optical materials, 2) optical diagnostics and information processing and 3) plasma and fluid dynamics. The department has core competence in: optical sensors, optical materials, optical storage, bio-optics, numerical modelling and information processing, non-linear dynamics and fusion plasma physics. The research is supported by several EU programmes, including EURATOM, by Danish research councils and by industry. A summary of the activities in 2001 is presented. (au)

  13. Water Pressure Distribution on a Twin-Float Seaplane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, F L

    1930-01-01

    This is the second of a series of investigations to determine water pressure distribution on various types of seaplane floats and hulls, and was conducted on a twin-float seaplane. It consisted of measuring water pressures and accelerations on a TS-1 seaplane during numerous landing and taxiing maneuvers at various speeds and angles. The results show that water pressures as great as 10 lbs. per sq. in.may occur at the step in various maneuvers and that pressures of approximately the same magnitude occur at the stern and near the bow in hard pancake landings with the stern way down. At the other parts of the float the pressures are less and are usually zero or slightly negative for some distance abaft the step. A maximum negative pressure of 0.87 lb. Per square inch was measured immediately abaft the step. The maximum positive pressures have a duration of approximately one-twentieth to one-hundredth second at any given location and are distributed over a very limited area at any particular instant.

  14. Floating Gate CMOS Dosimeter With Frequency Output

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia-Moreno, E.; Isern, E.; Roca, M.; Picos, R.; Font, J.; Cesari, J.; Pineda, A.

    2012-04-01

    This paper presents a gamma radiation dosimeter based on a floating gate sensor. The sensor is coupled with a signal processing circuitry, which furnishes a square wave output signal, the frequency of which depends on the total dose. Like any other floating gate dosimeter, it exhibits zero bias operation and reprogramming capabilities. The dosimeter has been designed in a standard 0.6 m CMOS technology. The whole dosimeter occupies a silicon area of 450 m250 m. The initial sensitivity to a radiation dose is Hz/rad, and to temperature and supply voltage is kHz/°C and 0.067 kHz/mV, respectively. The lowest detectable dose is less than 1 rad.

  15. FLOAT - development of new flexible UHPC. Final report. [Ultra High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2012-11-01

    The current project is a preliminary study intended to clarify the background and give a better basis for an evaluation of the risks and possible rewards of funding a full project with the overall purpose of developing and testing a new concept for wave energy floaters, made of Ultra High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete (UHPC), as an enabling technology for the establishment of competitive wave energy production (FLOAT). As an initial step for this preliminary study of FLOAT an investigation has been undertaken in relation to preliminary design of 2 types of floaters, essential properties of UHPFRC - and identification of necessary developments, compilation of existing data from off shore applications and analysis of effect on Cost Of Energy. Preliminary float design and economical considerations - is a theoretical and numerical study including preliminary float designs and cost estimates. It aims at making a first comparison between the different materials options for DEXA and Wave Star floats and giving a first judgement about the suitability of CRC concrete. This is done through a qualitative assessment of pros and cons of different materials for both types of floats and a design study of the Dexa Wave float. It is concluded that the requirements for the Dexa Wave float are so that CRC is not able to compete with conventional concrete for the best and most cost effective solution. The good durability (leading to low maintenance costs), the mechanical properties and the ductility of CRC are not important enough to offset the increased cost for this float. For Wave Star on the other hand, there are significant advantages in using CRC as the only other option in this case is fibre glass, which is a much more expensive product. An investigation was made of methods of optimizing the properties of CRC - customizing them for particular applications in WEC's. The method of optimization has been to change the types of fibres in the mix, and it is demonstrated

  16. tmBioC: improving interoperability of text-mining tools with BioC.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khare, Ritu; Wei, Chih-Hsuan; Mao, Yuqing; Leaman, Robert; Lu, Zhiyong

    2014-01-01

    The lack of interoperability among biomedical text-mining tools is a major bottleneck in creating more complex applications. Despite the availability of numerous methods and techniques for various text-mining tasks, combining different tools requires substantial efforts and time owing to heterogeneity and variety in data formats. In response, BioC is a recent proposal that offers a minimalistic approach to tool interoperability by stipulating minimal changes to existing tools and applications. BioC is a family of XML formats that define how to present text documents and annotations, and also provides easy-to-use functions to read/write documents in the BioC format. In this study, we introduce our text-mining toolkit, which is designed to perform several challenging and significant tasks in the biomedical domain, and repackage the toolkit into BioC to enhance its interoperability. Our toolkit consists of six state-of-the-art tools for named-entity recognition, normalization and annotation (PubTator) of genes (GenNorm), diseases (DNorm), mutations (tmVar), species (SR4GN) and chemicals (tmChem). Although developed within the same group, each tool is designed to process input articles and output annotations in a different format. We modify these tools and enable them to read/write data in the proposed BioC format. We find that, using the BioC family of formats and functions, only minimal changes were required to build the newer versions of the tools. The resulting BioC wrapped toolkit, which we have named tmBioC, consists of our tools in BioC, an annotated full-text corpus in BioC, and a format detection and conversion tool. Furthermore, through participation in the 2013 BioCreative IV Interoperability Track, we empirically demonstrate that the tools in tmBioC can be more efficiently integrated with each other as well as with external tools: Our experimental results show that using BioC reduces >60% in lines of code for text-mining tool integration. The tmBioC toolkit

  17. Mathematical modeling of large floating roof reservoir temperature arena

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liu Yang

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The current study is a simplification of related components of large floating roof tank and modeling for three dimensional temperature field of large floating roof tank. The heat transfer involves its transfer between the hot fluid in the oil tank, between the hot fluid and the tank wall and between the tank wall and the external environment. The mathematical model of heat transfer and flow of oil in the tank simulates the temperature field of oil in tank. Oil temperature field of large floating roof tank is obtained by numerical simulation, map the curve of central temperature dynamics with time and analyze axial and radial temperature of storage tank. It determines the distribution of low temperature storage tank location based on the thickness of the reservoir temperature. Finally, it compared the calculated results and the field test data; eventually validated the calculated results based on the experimental results.

  18. Profiles of inconsistent knowledge in children's pathways of conceptual change.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schneider, Michael; Hardy, Ilonca

    2013-09-01

    Conceptual change requires learners to restructure parts of their conceptual knowledge base. Prior research has identified the fragmentation and the integration of knowledge as 2 important component processes of knowledge restructuring but remains unclear as to their relative importance and the time of their occurrence during development. Previous studies mostly were based on the categorization of answers in interview studies and led to mixed empirical results, suggesting that methodological improvements might be helpful. We assessed 161 third-graders' knowledge about floating and sinking of objects in liquids at 3 measurement points by means of multiple-choice tests. The tests assessed how strongly the children agreed with commonly found but mutually incompatible statements about floating and sinking. A latent profile transition analysis of the test scores revealed 5 profiles, some of which indicated the coexistence of inconsistent pieces of knowledge in learners. The majority of students (63%) were on 1 of 7 developmental pathways between these profiles. Thus, a child's knowledge profile at a point in time can be used to predict further development. The degree of knowledge integration decreased on some individual developmental paths, increased on others, and remained stable on still others. The study demonstrates the usefulness of explicit quantitative models of conceptual change. The results support a constructivist perspective on conceptual development, in which developmental changes of a learner's knowledge base result from idiosyncratic, yet systematic knowledge-construction processes. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

  19. Enhancement of Biomass and Lipid Productivities of Water Surface-Floating Microalgae by Chemical Mutagenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nojima, Daisuke; Ishizuka, Yuki; Muto, Masaki; Ujiro, Asuka; Kodama, Fumito; Yoshino, Tomoko; Maeda, Yoshiaki; Matsunaga, Tadashi; Tanaka, Tsuyoshi

    2017-05-27

    Water surface-floating microalgae have great potential for biofuel applications due to the ease of the harvesting process, which is one of the most problematic steps in conventional microalgal biofuel production. We have collected promising water surface-floating microalgae and characterized their capacity for biomass and lipid production. In this study, we performed chemical mutagenesis of two water surface-floating microalgae to elevate productivity. Floating microalgal strains AVFF007 and FFG039 (tentatively identified as Botryosphaerella sp. and Chlorococcum sp., respectively) were exposed to ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) or 1-methyl-3-nitro-1-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), and pale green mutants (PMs) were obtained. The most promising FFG039 PM formed robust biofilms on the surface of the culture medium, similar to those formed by wild type strains, and it exhibited 1.7-fold and 1.9-fold higher biomass and lipid productivities than those of the wild type. This study indicates that the chemical mutation strategy improves the lipid productivity of water surface-floating microalgae without inhibiting biofilm formation and floating ability.

  20. Ambipolar organic thin-film transistor-based nano-floating-gate nonvolatile memory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, Jinhua; Wang, Wei; Ying, Jun; Xie, Wenfa

    2014-01-01

    An ambipolar organic thin-film transistor-based nano-floating-gate nonvolatile memory was demonstrated, with discrete distributed gold nanoparticles, tetratetracontane (TTC), pentacene as the floating-gate layer, tunneling layer, and active layer, respectively. The electron traps at the TTC/pentacene interface were significantly suppressed, which resulted in an ambipolar operation in present memory. As both electrons and holes were supplied in the channel and trapped in the floating-gate by programming/erasing operations, respectively, i.e., one type of charge carriers was used to overwrite the other, trapped, one, a large memory window, extending on both sides of the initial threshold voltage, was realized

  1. Ambipolar organic thin-film transistor-based nano-floating-gate nonvolatile memory

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Han, Jinhua; Wang, Wei, E-mail: wwei99@jlu.edu.cn; Ying, Jun; Xie, Wenfa [State Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun 130012 (China)

    2014-01-06

    An ambipolar organic thin-film transistor-based nano-floating-gate nonvolatile memory was demonstrated, with discrete distributed gold nanoparticles, tetratetracontane (TTC), pentacene as the floating-gate layer, tunneling layer, and active layer, respectively. The electron traps at the TTC/pentacene interface were significantly suppressed, which resulted in an ambipolar operation in present memory. As both electrons and holes were supplied in the channel and trapped in the floating-gate by programming/erasing operations, respectively, i.e., one type of charge carriers was used to overwrite the other, trapped, one, a large memory window, extending on both sides of the initial threshold voltage, was realized.

  2. Estimating Wind and Wave Induced Forces On a Floating Wind Turbine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henriksen, Lars Christian; Natarajan, Anand; Kim, Taeseong

    2013-01-01

    -principles derived state space model of the floating wind turbine. The ability to estimate aero- and hydrodynamic states could prove crucial for the performance of model-based control methods applied on floating wind turbines. Furthermore, two types of water kinematics have been compared two determine whether......In this work, the basic model for a spar buoy floating wind turbine [1], used by an extended Kalman filter, is presented and results concerning wind speed and wave force estimations are shown. The wind speed and aerodynamic forces are estimated using an extended Kalman filter based on a first...... or not linear and nonlinear water kinematics lead to significantly different loads....

  3. Plant traits and environment: floating leaf blade production and turnover of waterlilies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klok, Peter F; van der Velde, Gerard

    2017-01-01

    Floating leaf blades of waterlilies fulfill several functions in wetland ecosystems by production, decomposition and turnover as well as exchange processes. Production and turnover rates of floating leaf blades of three waterlily species, Nuphar lutea (L.) Sm., Nymphaea alba L. and Nymphaea candida Presl, were studied in three freshwater bodies, differing in trophic status, pH and alkalinity. Length and percentages of leaf loss of marked leaf blades were measured weekly during the growing season. Area and biomass were calculated based on leaf length and were used to calculate the turnover rate of floating leaf blades. Seasonal changes in floating leaf production showed that values decreased in the order: Nymphaea alba , Nuphar lutea , Nymphaea candida . The highest production was reached for Nuphar lutea and Nymphaea alba in alkaline, eutrophic water bodies. The production per leaf was relatively high for both species in the acid water body. Nymphaea candida showed a very short vegetation period and low turnover rates. The ratio Total potential leaf biomass/Maximum potential leaf biomass (P/B max ) of the three species ranged from 1.35-2.25. The ratio Vegetation period (Period with floating leaves)/Mean leaf life span ranged from 2.94-4.63, the ratio Growth period (Period with appearance of new floating leaves)/Vegetation period from 0.53-0.73. The clear differences between Nymphaea candida versus Nuphar lutea and Nymphaea alba , may be due to adaptations of Nymphaea candida to an Euro-Siberic climate with short-lasting summer conditions.

  4. Characterization of airborne float coal dust emitted during continuous mining, longwall mining and belt transport.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shahan, M R; Seaman, C E; Beck, T W; Colinet, J F; Mischler, S E

    2017-09-01

    Float coal dust is produced by various mining methods, carried by ventilating air and deposited on the floor, roof and ribs of mine airways. If deposited, float dust is re-entrained during a methane explosion. Without sufficient inert rock dust quantities, this float coal dust can propagate an explosion throughout mining entries. Consequently, controlling float coal dust is of critical interest to mining operations. Rock dusting, which is the adding of inert material to airway surfaces, is the main control technique currently used by the coal mining industry to reduce the float coal dust explosion hazard. To assist the industry in reducing this hazard, the Pittsburgh Mining Research Division of the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health initiated a project to investigate methods and technologies to reduce float coal dust in underground coal mines through prevention, capture and suppression prior to deposition. Field characterization studies were performed to determine quantitatively the sources, types and amounts of dust produced during various coal mining processes. The operations chosen for study were a continuous miner section, a longwall section and a coal-handling facility. For each of these operations, the primary dust sources were confirmed to be the continuous mining machine, longwall shearer and conveyor belt transfer points, respectively. Respirable and total airborne float dust samples were collected and analyzed for each operation, and the ratio of total airborne float coal dust to respirable dust was calculated. During the continuous mining process, the ratio of total airborne float coal dust to respirable dust ranged from 10.3 to 13.8. The ratios measured on the longwall face were between 18.5 and 21.5. The total airborne float coal dust to respirable dust ratio observed during belt transport ranged between 7.5 and 21.8.

  5. The OCT-ORION Study: A Randomized Optical Coherence Tomography Study Comparing Resolute Integrity to Biomatrix Drug-Eluting Stent on the Degree of Early Stent Healing and Late Lumen Loss.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Stephen W L; Tam, Frankie C C; Lam, Simon C C; Kong, Shun-Ling; Shea, Catherine P; Chan, Kelvin K W; Wong, Michael K L; Chan, Michael P H; Wong, Anthony Y T; Yung, Arthur S Y; Lam, Yui-Ming; Zhang, Lei-Wei; Wu, Karl K Y; Mintz, Gary S; Maehara, Akiko

    2018-04-01

    Durable polymers used in drug-eluting stents are considered a potential cause of hypersensitivity inflammatory response adversely affecting stent healing. Using a sequential follow-up with optical coherence tomography, we compared the differences in healing profiles of 2 drug-eluting stents with a biodegradable or durable polymer. Sixty patients with multivessel disease were prospectively enrolled to receive both study stents, which were randomly assigned to 2 individual vessels, a Resolute Integrity zotarolimus-eluting stent with a durable BioLinx polymer and a BioMatrix NeoFlex Biolimus A9-eluting stent with a biodegradable polylactic acid polymer. Optical coherence tomography was performed at baseline, then in 5 randomly assigned monthly groups at 2 to 6 months, and at 9 months in all patients. The primary end point was the difference in optical coherence tomography strut coverage at 9 months. Key secondary end points included angiographic late lumen loss and composite major adverse cardiac events (cardiac death, myocardial infarction, target lesion revascularization, and definite or probable stent thrombosis) at 9 months. Resolute Integrity zotarolimus-eluting stent showed significantly better strut coverage than BioMatrix NeoFlex Biolimus A9-eluting stent at 2 to 6 months ( P <0.001) and less variance of percent coverage at 9 months, 99.7% (interquartile range, 99.1-100) versus 99.6% (interquartile range, 96.8-99.9; difference, 0.10; 95% confidence interval, 0.00-1.05; P <0.001). No significant difference was observed in major adverse cardiac events or angiographic end points. Despite having a durable polymer, Resolute Integrity zotarolimus-eluting stent exhibited better strut coverage than BioMatrix NeoFlex Biolimus A9-eluting stent having a biodegradable polymer; both showed similar antiproliferative efficacy. This novel, longitudinal, sequential optical coherence tomography protocol using each patient as own control could achieve conclusive results in small

  6. Particle-in-Cell Simulation Study on the Floating Potential of Spacecraft in the Low Earth Orbit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang Daotan; Yang Shengsheng; Zheng Kuohai; Qin Xiaogang; Li Detian; Liu Qing; Zhao Chengxuan; Du Shanshan

    2015-01-01

    In order to further understand the characteristics of the floating potential of low earth orbit spacecraft, the effects of the electron current collection area, background electron temperature, photocurrent emission, spacecraft wake, and the shape of spacecraft on spacecraft floating potential were studied here by particle-in-cell simulation in the low earth orbit. The simulation results show that the electron current collection area and background electron temperature impact on the floating potential by changing the electron current collection of spacecraft. By increasing the electron current collection area or background electron temperature, the spacecraft will float at a lower electric potential with respect to the surrounding plasma. However, the spacecraft wake affects the floating potential by increasing the ion current collected by spacecraft. The emission of the photocurrent from the spacecraft surface, which compensates for the electrons collected from background plasma, causes the floating potential to increase. The shape of the spacecraft is also an important factor influencing the floating potential. (paper)

  7. Bio-oil fractionation and condensation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Robert C; Jones, Samuel T; Pollard, Anthony

    2013-07-02

    A method of fractionating bio-oil vapors which involves providing bio-oil vapors comprising bio-oil constituents is described. The bio-oil vapors are cooled in a first stage which comprises a condenser having passages for the bio-oil separated by a heat conducting wall from passages for a coolant. The coolant in the condenser of the first stage is maintained at a substantially constant temperature, set at a temperature in the range of 75 to 100.degree. C., to condense a first liquid fraction of liquefied bio-oil constituents in the condenser of the first stage. The first liquid fraction of liquified bio-oil constituents from the condenser in the first stage is collected. Also described are steps for subsequently recovering further liquid fractions of liquefied bio-oil constituents. Particular compositions of bio-oil condensation products are also described.

  8. Floating point only SIMD instruction set architecture including compare, select, Boolean, and alignment operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gschwind, Michael K [Chappaqua, NY

    2011-03-01

    Mechanisms for implementing a floating point only single instruction multiple data instruction set architecture are provided. A processor is provided that comprises an issue unit, an execution unit coupled to the issue unit, and a vector register file coupled to the execution unit. The execution unit has logic that implements a floating point (FP) only single instruction multiple data (SIMD) instruction set architecture (ISA). The floating point vector registers of the vector register file store both scalar and floating point values as vectors having a plurality of vector elements. The processor may be part of a data processing system.

  9. Inspection of float glass using a novel retroreflective laser scanning system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holmes, Jonathan D.

    1997-07-01

    Since 1988, Image Automation has marketed a float glass inspection system using a novel retro-reflective laser scanning system. The (patented) instrument scans a laser beam by use of a polygon through the glass onto a retro-reflective screen, and collects the retro-reflected light off the polygon, such that a stationary image of the moving spot on the screen is produced. The spot image is then analyzed for optical effects introduced by defects within the glass, which typically distort and attenuate the scanned laser beam, by use of suitable detectors. The inspection system processing provides output of defect size, shape and severity, to the factory network for use in rejection or sorting of glass plates to the end customer. This paper briefly describes the principles of operation, the system architecture, and limitations to sensitivity and measurement repeatability. New instruments based on the retro-reflective scanning method have recently been developed. The principles and implementation are described. They include: (1) Simultaneous detection of defects within the glass and defects in a mirror coating on the glass surface using polarized light. (2) A novel distortion detector for very dark glass. (3) Measurement of optical quality (flatness/refractive homogeneity) of the glass using a position sensitive detector.

  10. Design and preparation of controlled floating gastroretentive ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    gastroretentive delivery systems for enhanced fexofenadine ... Abstract. Purpose: To design and prepare effervescent floating gastroretentive tablets for controlled fexofenadine ..... Complex of Carbopol with Polyvinylpyrrolidone as a. Matrix for ...

  11. Sustainability and the future of managed floating in China

    OpenAIRE

    Švarc, Jiří

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this thesis is to study the Balance of Payments and the Exchange Rate of the People's Republic of China, and it aims to assess whether the current performance of their Managed Floating Exchange Rate is sustainable in the future (given the equilibrium of China's Balance of Payments) and examine what effect would a Free Floating Renminbi Exchange Rate have on the Chinese economy. The work uses the method of compilation - gathering and organizing information on the development of ...

  12. Combinatorial Nano-Bio Interfaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Pingqiang; Zhang, Xiaoqian; Wang, Ming; Wu, Yun-Long; Chen, Xiaodong

    2018-06-08

    Nano-bio interfaces are emerging from the convergence of engineered nanomaterials and biological entities. Despite rapid growth, clinical translation of biomedical nanomaterials is heavily compromised by the lack of comprehensive understanding of biophysicochemical interactions at nano-bio interfaces. In the past decade, a few investigations have adopted a combinatorial approach toward decoding nano-bio interfaces. Combinatorial nano-bio interfaces comprise the design of nanocombinatorial libraries and high-throughput bioevaluation. In this Perspective, we address challenges in combinatorial nano-bio interfaces and call for multiparametric nanocombinatorics (composition, morphology, mechanics, surface chemistry), multiscale bioevaluation (biomolecules, organelles, cells, tissues/organs), and the recruitment of computational modeling and artificial intelligence. Leveraging combinatorial nano-bio interfaces will shed light on precision nanomedicine and its potential applications.

  13. On the warm pool dynamics in the southeastern Arabian Sea during April – May 2005 based on the satellite remote sensing and ARGO float data

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Murty, V.S.N.; Krishna, S.M.; Nagaraju, A.; Somayajulu, Y.K.; RameshBabu, V.; Sengupta, D; Sindu, P.R.; Ravichandran, M.; Rajesh, G.

    profiles from an ARGO float (ID No. 2900345) in a 3°x1° box closer to ARMEX-II buoy (8.3°N, 72.68°E) in the SEAS during January – September 2005 revealed evolution of warm pool (SST>28°C) in spring 2005. The Argo data derived D20 (depth of 20°C isotherm...

  14. Nuclear floating power desalination complexes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Panov, Y.K.; Polunichev, V.I.; Zverev, K.V.

    1998-01-01

    Russia is a single country in the world which possesses a powerful ice-breaker transport fleet that allows a solution of important social-economic tasks of the country's northern regions by maintaining a year-round navigation along the Arctic sea route. A total operating record of the marine nuclear reactors up until till now exceeds 150 reactor-years, with their main equipment operating life reacting 120 thousand hours. Design and constructional progresses have been made continuously during forty years of nuclear-powered ships construction in Russia. Well proven technology of all components experienced in the marine nuclear reactors give grounds to recommend marine NSSSs of KLT-40 type as energy sources for the heat and power co-generation plants and the sea water desalination complexes, particularly as a floating installation. Co-generation stations are considered for deployment in the extreme Northern Region of Russia. Nuclear floating desalination complexes can be used for drinkable water production in the coastal regions of Northern Africa, the Near East, India etc. (author)

  15. Ultra-bright emission from hexagonal boron nitride defects as a new platform for bio-imaging and bio-labelling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elbadawi, Christopher; Tran, Trong Toan; Shimoni, Olga; Totonjian, Daniel; Lobo, Charlene J.; Grosso, Gabriele; Moon, Hyowan; Englund, Dirk R.; Ford, Michael J.; Aharonovich, Igor; Toth, Milos

    2016-12-01

    Bio-imaging requires robust ultra-bright probes without causing any toxicity to the cellular environment, maintain their stability and are chemically inert. In this work we present hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) nanoflakes which exhibit narrowband ultra-bright single photon emitters1. The emitters are optically stable at room temperature and under ambient environment. hBN has also been noted to be noncytotoxic and seen significant advances in functionalization with biomolecules2,3. We further demonstrate two methods of engineering this new range of extremely robust multicolour emitters across the visible and near infrared spectral ranges for large scale sensing and biolabeling applications.

  16. Micro benchtop optics by bulk silicon micromachining

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Abraham P.; Pocha, Michael D.; McConaghy, Charles F.; Deri, Robert J.

    2000-01-01

    Micromachining of bulk silicon utilizing the parallel etching characteristics of bulk silicon and integrating the parallel etch planes of silicon with silicon wafer bonding and impurity doping, enables the fabrication of on-chip optics with in situ aligned etched grooves for optical fibers, micro-lenses, photodiodes, and laser diodes. Other optical components that can be microfabricated and integrated include semi-transparent beam splitters, micro-optical scanners, pinholes, optical gratings, micro-optical filters, etc. Micromachining of bulk silicon utilizing the parallel etching characteristics thereof can be utilized to develop miniaturization of bio-instrumentation such as wavelength monitoring by fluorescence spectrometers, and other miniaturized optical systems such as Fabry-Perot interferometry for filtering of wavelengths, tunable cavity lasers, micro-holography modules, and wavelength splitters for optical communication systems.

  17. 2010 World bio-energy conference

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2010-01-01

    After having evoked the bio-energy price awarded to a Brazilian for his works on the use of eucalyptus as energy source, this report proposes a synthesis of the highlights of the conference: discussions about sustainability, bio-energies as an opportunity for developing countries, the success of bio-energies in Sweden, and more particularly some technological advances in the field of biofuels: a bio-LPG by Biofuel-solution AB, catalysis, bio-diesel from different products in a Swedish farm, a second generation ethanol by the Danish company Inbicon, a large scale methanization in Goteborg, a bio-refinery concept in Sweden, bio-gases

  18. Development of Optical Molecular Imaging System for the Acquisition of Bioluminescence Signals from Small Animals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Byeong Il; Kim, Hyeon Sik; Jeong, Hye Jin; Lee, Hyung Jae; Moon, Seung Min; Kwon, Seung Young; Jeong, Shin Young; Bom, Hee Seung; Min, Jung Joon; Choi, Eun Seo

    2009-01-01

    Optical imaging is providing great advance and improvement in genetic and molecular imaging of animals and humans. Optical imaging system consists of optical imaging devices, which carry out major function for monitoring, tracing, and imaging in most of molecular in-vivo researches. In bio-luminescent imaging, small animals containing luciferase gene locally irradiate light, and emitted photons transmitted through skin of the small animals are imaged by using a high sensitive charged coupled device (CCD) camera. In this paper, we introduced optical imaging system for the image acquisition of bio-luminescent signals emitted from small animals. In the system, Nikon lens and four LED light sources were mounted at the inside of a dark box. A cooled CCD camera equipped with a control module was used. We tested the performance of the optical imaging system using effendorf tube and light emitting bacteria which injected intravenously into CT26 tumor bearing nude mouse. The performance of implemented optical imaging system for bio-luminescence imaging was demonstrated and the feasibility of the system in small animal imaging application was proved. We anticipate this system could be a useful tool for the molecular imaging of small animals adaptable for various experimental conditions in future

  19. Asymptotic solutions of glass temperature profiles during steady optical fibre drawing

    KAUST Repository

    Taroni, M.

    2013-03-12

    In this paper we derive realistic simplified models for the high-speed drawing of glass optical fibres via the downdraw method that capture the fluid dynamics and heat transport in the fibre via conduction, convection and radiative heating. We exploit the small aspect ratio of the fibre and the relative orders of magnitude of the dimensionless parameters that characterize the heat transfer to reduce the problem to one- or two-dimensional systems via asymptotic analysis. The resulting equations may be readily solved numerically and in many cases admit exact analytic solutions. The systematic asymptotic breakdown presented is used to elucidate the relative importance of furnace temperature profile, convection, surface radiation and conduction in each portion of the furnace and the role of each in controlling the glass temperature. The models derived predict many of the qualitative features observed in real industrial processes, such as the glass temperature profile within the furnace and the sharp transition in fibre thickness. The models thus offer a desirable route to quick scenario testing, providing valuable practical information about the dependencies of the solution on the parameters and the dominant heat-transport mechanism. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

  20. Dental optical coherence domain reflectometry explorer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Everett, Matthew J. (Livermore, CA); Colston, Jr., Billy W. (Livermore, CA); Sathyam, Ujwal S. (Livermore, CA); Da Silva, Luiz B. (Pleasanton, CA)

    2001-01-01

    A hand-held, fiber optic based dental device with optical coherence domain reflectometry (OCDR) sensing capabilities provides a profile of optical scattering as a function of depth in the tissue at the point where the tip of the dental explorer touches the tissue. This system provides information on the internal structure of the dental tissue, which is then used to detect caries and periodontal disease. A series of profiles of optical scattering or tissue microstructure are generated by moving the explorer across the tooth or other tissue. The profiles are combined to form a cross-sectional, or optical coherence tomography (OCT), image.

  1. Numerical modelling of floating debris in the world's oceans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lebreton, L C-M; Greer, S D; Borrero, J C

    2012-03-01

    A global ocean circulation model is coupled to a Lagrangian particle tracking model to simulate 30 years of input, transport and accumulation of floating debris in the world ocean. Using both terrestrial and maritime inputs, the modelling results clearly show the formation of five accumulation zones in the subtropical latitudes of the major ocean basins. The relative size and concentration of each clearly illustrate the dominance of the accumulation zones in the northern hemisphere, while smaller seas surrounded by densely populated areas are also shown to have a high concentration of floating debris. We also determine the relative contribution of different source regions to the total amount of material in a particular accumulation zone. This study provides a framework for describing the transport, distribution and accumulation of floating marine debris and can be continuously updated and adapted to assess scenarios reflecting changes in the production and disposal of plastic worldwide. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Optical Finite Element Processor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Casasent, David; Taylor, Bradley K.

    1986-01-01

    A new high-accuracy optical linear algebra processor (OLAP) with many advantageous features is described. It achieves floating point accuracy, handles bipolar data by sign-magnitude representation, performs LU decomposition using only one channel, easily partitions and considers data flow. A new application (finite element (FE) structural analysis) for OLAPs is introduced and the results of a case study presented. Error sources in encoded OLAPs are addressed for the first time. Their modeling and simulation are discussed and quantitative data are presented. Dominant error sources and the effects of composite error sources are analyzed.

  3. Fresh water generators onboard a floating platform

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tewari, P.K.; Verma, R.K.; Misra, B.M.; Sadhulkan, H.K.

    1997-01-01

    A dependable supply of fresh water is essential for any ocean going vessel. The operating and maintenance personnel on offshore platforms and marine structures also require a constant and regular supply of fresh water to meet their essential daily needs. A seawater thermal desalination unit onboard delivers good quality fresh water from seawater. The desalination units developed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) suitable for ocean going vessels and offshore platforms have been discussed. Design considerations of such units with reference to floating platforms and corrosive environments have been presented. The feasibility of coupling a low temperature vacuum evaporation (LTVE) desalination plant suitable for an onboard floating platform to a PHWR nuclear power plant has also been discussed. (author). 1 ref., 3 figs, 2 tabs

  4. Stress and deflection analyses of floating roofs based on a load-modifying method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Xiushan; Liu Yinghua; Wang Jianbin; Cen Zhangzhi

    2008-01-01

    This paper proposes a load-modifying method for the stress and deflection analyses of floating roofs used in cylindrical oil storage tanks. The formulations of loads and deformations are derived according to the equilibrium analysis of floating roofs. Based on these formulations, the load-modifying method is developed to conduct a geometrically nonlinear analysis of floating roofs with the finite element (FE) simulation. In the procedure with the load-modifying method, the analysis is carried out through a series of iterative computations until a convergence is achieved within the error tolerance. Numerical examples are given to demonstrate the validity and reliability of the proposed method, which provides an effective and practical numerical solution to the design and analysis of floating roofs

  5. Biologically active compounds to develop bioelectronics and bio photonics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mishra, Ashok Kumar; Tiwari, Satya Prakash

    2018-05-01

    Recent reports on biomaterials and biological systems at nano scale provide researchers with a fertile ground with regard to materials, enabling bioelectronics, bio sensing and new nanotechnologies that cover a wide range of applications. The signal transductions have been reported for many biological phenomenons and new field of biophysics namely Biosensors and Bioelectronics have been emerged out. The advances in the study of various aspects of bio molecules like electrical, optical, thermal etc has established the interesting area of research like biophotonics, nanobiotechnology, molecular solid, molecular liquids, bio instrumentation etc. The present study discusses the some aspects and applications of the bioprocess yields nanostructures that are nearly flawless in composition, stereo specific in structure, and flexible. Furthermore, these biomaterials are environment friendly because they are biodegradable in nature. Biological compounds are self assembled into complex nanostructures and behave like a system possessing long range hierarchical nanoscale order. In addition, chemical modification and genetic engineering can be used to modify bio materials to enhance a specific property. Various biomaterials have been reported which allow nanostructure control for nano photonic applications. The dielectric and conduction properties of the bio molecules have been the subject of many investigations. As a result, there exist a wealth of valuable information on the charge transport and rotational properties of many bio molecules. Amino acids and proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, cell and tissues have been characterized over a wide frequency spectrum ranging from a few hertz to Giga hertz. In certain cases, dielectric measurements have been exploited to probe the physical changes taking place in biologically important structures, for example, in lipid phase transition process in membrane. The phase transition in membrane may be analyzed by applying the theory for

  6. Implementing floating-point DSP

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kadlec, Jiří; Chappel, S.

    2006-01-01

    Roč. 2, č. 3 (2006), s. 12-14 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR 1ET400750406; GA MŠk 1M0567 EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 027611 - AETHER Program:FP6 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10750506 Keywords : PicoBlaze * floating point * FPGA Subject RIV: JC - Computer Hardware ; Software http://www.xilinx.com/publications/ magazines /emb_03/xc_pdf/p12-14_3emb-point.pdf

  7. Inversion of In Situ Light Absorption and Attenuation Measurements to Estimate Constituent Concentrations in Optically Complex Shelf Seas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramírez-Pérez, M.; Twardowski, M.; Trees, C.; Piera, J.; McKee, D.

    2018-01-01

    A deconvolution approach is presented to use spectral light absorption and attenuation data to estimate the concentration of the major nonwater compounds in complex shelf sea waters. The inversion procedure requires knowledge of local material-specific inherent optical properties (SIOPs) which are determined from natural samples using a bio-optical model that differentiates between Case I and Case II waters and uses least squares linear regression analysis to provide optimal SIOP values. A synthetic data set is used to demonstrate that the approach is fundamentally consistent and to test the sensitivity to injection of controlled levels of artificial noise into the input data. Self-consistency of the approach is further demonstrated by application to field data collected in the Ligurian Sea, with chlorophyll (Chl), the nonbiogenic component of total suspended solids (TSSnd), and colored dissolved organic material (CDOM) retrieved with RMSE of 0.61 mg m-3, 0.35 g m-3, and 0.02 m-1, respectively. The utility of the approach is finally demonstrated by application to depth profiles of in situ absorption and attenuation data resulting in profiles of optically significant constituents with associated error bar estimates. The advantages of this procedure lie in the simple input requirements, the avoidance of error amplification, full exploitation of the available spectral information from both absorption and attenuation channels, and the reasonably successful retrieval of constituent concentrations in an optically complex shelf sea.

  8. Enhancing thermal reliability of fiber-optic sensors for bio-inspired applications at ultra-high temperatures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Donghoon; Kim, Heon-Young; Kim, Dae-Hyun

    2014-07-01

    The rapid growth of bio-(inspired) sensors has led to an improvement in modern healthcare and human-robot systems in recent years. Higher levels of reliability and better flexibility, essential features of these sensors, are very much required in many application fields (e.g. applications at ultra-high temperatures). Fiber-optic sensors, and fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors in particular, are being widely studied as suitable sensors for improved structural health monitoring (SHM) due to their many merits. To enhance the thermal reliability of FBG sensors, thermal sensitivity, generally expressed as αf + ξf and considered a constant, should be investigated more precisely. For this purpose, the governing equation of FBG sensors is modified using differential derivatives between the wavelength shift and the temperature change in this study. Through a thermal test ranging from RT to 900 °C, the thermal sensitivity of FBG sensors is successfully examined and this guarantees thermal reliability of FBG sensors at ultra-high temperatures. In detail, αf + ξf has a non-linear dependence on temperature and varies from 6.0 × 10-6 °C-1 (20 °C) to 10.6 × 10-6 °C-1 (650 °C). Also, FBGs should be carefully used for applications at ultra-high temperatures due to signal disappearance near 900 °C.

  9. Model predictive control for a dual active bridge inverter with a floating bridge

    OpenAIRE

    Chowdhury, Shajjad; Wheeler, Patrick W.; Gerada, C.; Patel, Chintan

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents a Model Predictive Control technique applied to a dual active bridge inverter where one of the bridges is floating. The proposed floating bridge topology eliminates the need for isolation transformer in a dual inverter system and therefore reduces the size, weight and losses in the system. To achieve multilevel output voltage waveforms the floating inverter DC link capacitor is charged to the half of the main DC link voltage. A finite-set Model Predictive Control technique...

  10. Low Noise Bias Current/Voltage References Based on Floating-Gate MOS Transistors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Igor, Mucha

    1997-01-01

    The exploitation of floating-gate MOS transistors as reference current and voltage sources is investigated. Test structures of common source and common drain floating-gate devices have been implemented in a commercially available 0.8 micron double-poly CMOS process. The measurements performed...

  11. The mechanism of the photoluminescence changes in bio-conjugated CdSe/ZnS quantum dots

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borkovska, L.; Korsunska, N.; Stara, T.; Kolomys, O.; Strelchuk, V.; Rachkov, O.; Kryshtab, T.

    2013-09-01

    The change of the photoluminescence (PL) and optical characteristics in non-conjugated and conjugated with S6K2 antibody CdSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots (QDs) during storage in air has been studied by the conventional PL, micro-PL and micro-Raman techniques. The QDs dried on a crystalline Si substrate were kept in the darkness and under illumination. In the PL spectra, the storage resulted in a blue shift of PL peak position, in the increasing of the full width at a half maximum (FWHM) of the PL band and in the decreasing of the PL intensity. In the Raman spectra, the shift of the CdSe LO peak position to the low frequency region and the increasing of its FWHM were observed. The transformations in the PL and optical characteristics correlate with each other and are found to be the largest in bio-conjugated QDs stored under illumination. The increase of the light intensity accelerated the changes occurred during storage. An oxidation of the QD core, which decreases the QD size, is supposed to be responsible for observed transformations. The bio-conjugation is assumed to promote QD oxidation that results in different PL peak position in stored non-conjugated and bio-conjugated QDs. The mechanism of the effect is discussed.

  12. An Integrated Structural Strength Analysis Method for Spar Type Floating Wind Turbine

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    胡志强; 刘毅; 王晋

    2016-01-01

    An integrated structural strength analysis method for a Spar type floating wind turbine is proposed in this paper, and technical issues related to turbine structure modeling and stress combination are also addressed. The NREL-5MW “Hywind” Spar type wind turbine is adopted as study object. Time-domain dynamic coupled simulations are performed by a fully-coupled aero-hydro-servo-elastic tool, FAST, on the purpose of obtaining the dynamic characteristics of the floating wind turbine, and determining parameters for design load cases of finite element calculation. Then design load cases are identified, and finite element analyses are performed for these design load cases. The structural stresses due to wave-induced loads and wind-induced loads are calculated, and then combined to assess the structural strength of the floating wind turbine. The feasibility of the proposed structural strength analysis method for floating wind turbines is then validated.

  13. Ichtyofauna associated with drifting floating objects in the Balearic Islands (Western Mediterranean

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco Riera

    1999-12-01

    Full Text Available Species composition, size range and some behavioral notes about drifting flotsam associated fish of the Balearic Islands are presented, and more detailed observations on Seriola dumerili, Naucrates ductor, Coryphaena hippurus and Scomberesox saurus are also given. 25 fish species belonging to 18 families were identified, 12 of these species and the individuals of the family Mugilidae were recorded for the first time associated with floating objects in the western Mediterranean. Most of the specimens collected were juveniles, which suggests the importance of floating objects as a nursery, and thus in the recruitment and redistribution of fishes. Analisis of two drift floating material samples show that objects of anthropogenic origin were most abundant (83.5% and 63.5% and suggests that at present, human refuse may have taken over the role of the floating remains of marine plants for fishes in the western Mediterranean pelagic environment.

  14. Application of a movable active vibration control system on a floating raft

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhen; Mak, Cheuk Ming

    2018-02-01

    This paper presents a theoretical study of an inertial actuator connected to an accelerometer by a local feedback loop for active vibration control on a floating raft. On the criterion of the minimum power transmission from the vibratory machines to the flexible foundation in the floating raft, the best mounting positions for the inertial actuator on the intermediate mass of the floating raft are investigated. Simulation results indicate that the best mounting positions for the inertial actuator vary with frequency. To control time-varying excitations of vibratory machines on a floating raft effectively, an automatic control system based on real-time measurement of a cost function and automatically searching the best mounting position of the inertial actuator is proposed. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time that an automatic control system is proposed to move an actuator automatically for controlling a time-varying excitation.

  15. Isosorbide as the structural component of bio-based unsaturated polyesters for use as thermosetting resins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadler, Joshua M; Toulan, Faye R; Nguyen, Anh-Phuong T; Kayea, Ronald V; Ziaee, Saeed; Palmese, Giuseppe R; La Scala, John J

    2014-01-16

    In recent years, the development of renewable bio-based resins has gained interest as potential replacements for petroleum based resins. Modified carbohydrate-based derivatives have favorable structural features such as fused bicyclic rings that offer promising candidates for the development of novel renewable polymers with improved thermomechanical properties when compared to early bio-based resins. Isosorbide is one such compound and has been utilized as the stiffness component for the synthesis of novel unsaturated polyesters (UPE) resins. Resin blends of BioUPE systems with styrene were shown to possess viscosities (120-2200 cP) amenable to a variety of liquid molding techniques, and after cure had Tgs (53-107 °C) and storage moduli (430-1650 MPa) that are in the desired range for composite materials. These investigations show that BioUPEs containing isosorbide can be tailored during synthesis of the prepolymer to meet the needs of different property profiles. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Bio-Optical sensors on Argo Floats. Reports of the international ocean-colour coordinating group

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Bernard, S

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The International Ocean-Colour Coordinating Group (IOCCG) is an international group of experts in the field of satellite ocean colour, acting as a liaison and communication channel between users, managers and agencies in the ocean-colour arena...

  17. RESEARCH OF USING OPEN DOUBLE T BEAMS FOR SPANS IN FLOATING BRIDGES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    YU. M. Gorbatiuk

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. The publication presents the results of calculations of spans for floating bridges with open double T beams. The purpose of research is to analyze the suitability of spans from open double T beams for floating bridges with minimum weight under loads, which is provided by standards for modern floating bridges designing. Methodology. Comparative method, analytical calculation methods (influence lines methodology, strength calculations, endurance, maximum shear stress are used in this paper. Findings. Current loads for bridges calculations are 75% more than those, for which the spans of floating bridge from NZhM-56 property are designed. The use of open double T beams that is formed with double T beam no. 70 (the height of the open one is 104 cm reduces the cross sectional area in a weakened spot, but virtually it does not influence the strength and durability of the material. The use of open double T beams for spans of floating bridges saves up to 22 % of metal that means one in five spans will made of saved metal. Savings on each spans, such as CRP, will be 33.6 - 263 thous. grn. (considering the price of 1 ton of final product 29 thous. grn.. Originality. Research allows making next step in material saving and use of open double T beams for spans in the whole. Practical value. The obtained results give us possibility to make a number of conclusions that allow us to become more familiar and more practical with the use of open double T beams for spans of floating bridges.

  18. Plant traits and environment: floating leaf blade production and turnover of waterlilies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter F. Klok

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Floating leaf blades of waterlilies fulfill several functions in wetland ecosystems by production, decomposition and turnover as well as exchange processes. Production and turnover rates of floating leaf blades of three waterlily species, Nuphar lutea (L. Sm., Nymphaea alba L. and Nymphaea candida Presl, were studied in three freshwater bodies, differing in trophic status, pH and alkalinity. Length and percentages of leaf loss of marked leaf blades were measured weekly during the growing season. Area and biomass were calculated based on leaf length and were used to calculate the turnover rate of floating leaf blades. Seasonal changes in floating leaf production showed that values decreased in the order: Nymphaea alba, Nuphar lutea, Nymphaea candida. The highest production was reached for Nuphar lutea and Nymphaea alba in alkaline, eutrophic water bodies. The production per leaf was relatively high for both species in the acid water body. Nymphaea candida showed a very short vegetation period and low turnover rates. The ratio Total potential leaf biomass/Maximum potential leaf biomass (P/Bmax of the three species ranged from 1.35–2.25. The ratio Vegetation period (Period with floating leaves/Mean leaf life span ranged from 2.94–4.63, the ratio Growth period (Period with appearance of new floating leaves/Vegetation period from 0.53–0.73. The clear differences between Nymphaea candida versus Nuphar lutea and Nymphaea alba, may be due to adaptations of Nymphaea candida to an Euro-Siberic climate with short-lasting summer conditions.

  19. Progress in surface plasmon subwavelength optics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Douguo; Wang Pei; Jiao Xiaojin; Tang Lin; Lu Yonghua; Ming Hai

    2005-01-01

    Now great attention is being paid to the potential applications of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) in data storage, light generation, microscopy and bio-photonics. The authors review the properties of SPPs and topics of recent interest in surface plasmon subwavelength optics. (author)

  20. Bio-oil and bio-char production from biomass and their structural analyses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kilic, Murat; Özsin, Gamzenur; Pütün, Ayşe E.; Pütün, Ersan

    2015-01-01

    Energy demand is increasing day by day because of the rapid developments in the population, industrialization and urbanisation. Since, fossil fuels will be at the verge of getting extinct, researches are mostly focused on the renewable sources, such as biomass, in recent years. This paper provides an environmentally friendly process to convert waste biomass samples to bio-oil and bio-char by pyrolysis. For this purpose, pyrolysis characteristics of pomegranate peels under inert atmosphere were studied by using both TGA to analysis decomposition behaviour and a batch reactor to investigate product yields and properties. The properties of bio-oil and bio-char were investigated by different analytical techniques such as GC-MS, FT-IR, SEM, He pycnometry and elemental analysis. As a consequence, it is possible to obtain bio-oil, which has similar properties like petroleum hydrocarbons, and to obtain bio-char, which can be further used as a solid fuel or a carbonaceous adsorbent material via pyrolysis process. (full text)

  1. Optical rectification, circular photogalvanic effect, and five-wave mixing in optically active liquids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koroteev, Nikolai I.

    1996-05-01

    A phenomenological analysis is carried out of novel nonlinear optical processes taking place in macroscopically noncentrosymmetric isotropic solutions of chiral (lift-ring mirror asymmetric) macromolecules, which are the primary elements of living organisms and their metabolic products. Among the most interesting and potentially useful for spectroscopic purposes are: optical rectification/photogalvanic effects consisting in electrostatic field/direct electrical current generation in such liquids under irradiation with the intense circularly polarized laser beam and the five-wave mixing phase-matched process of BioCARS to selectively record, background-free, vibrational spectra of chiral molecules.

  2. Underwater and Floating-Leaved Plants of the United States and Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hotchkiss, Neil

    This is the third in a series of guides to the field identification of North American marsh and water plants. Described are plants which have foliage habitually under water or floating, or which have underwater or floating forms, and which have characteristics by which they can be distinguished with the naked eye. Where genera or species cannot be…

  3. Study on the beam transport from the Bio-Nano ECRIS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Uchida, T. [Bio-Nano Electronics Research Centre, Toyo University, 2100, Kujirai, Kawagoe, Saitama 350-8585 (Japan); Minezaki, H.; Yoshida, Y. [Bio-Nano Electronics Research Centre, Toyo University, 2100, Kujirai, Kawagoe, Saitama 350-8585 (Japan); Graduate School of Engineering, Toyo University, 2100, Kujirai, Kawagoe, Saitama 350-8585 (Japan); Oshima, K. [Graduate School of Engineering, Toyo University, 2100, Kujirai, Kawagoe, Saitama 350-8585 (Japan); Racz, R.; Biri, S. [Institute of Nuclear Research (ATOMKI), H-4026 Debrecen, Bem ter 18/c (Hungary); Muramatsu, M.; Kitagawa, A. [National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS), 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Asaji, T. [Tateyama Machine Co., Ltd., 30 Shimonoban, Toyama-shi, Toyama 930-1305 (Japan); Kato, Y. [Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita-shi, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan)

    2012-02-15

    The beam transport of N{sup +} ion and C{sub 60}{sup +} ion in the Bio-Nano ECRIS with min-B configuration was investigated based on the ion beam profiles. The N{sup +} beam could be focused under the low-beam current conditions. Also the C{sub 60}{sup +} beam could be focused in spite of the large space-charge effect which will lead the divergence of the beam. We confirmed that our beam transport system works well even for the C{sub 60}{sup +} ion beam. We estimated the highest C{sub 60}{sup +} beam current with the focused beam profile by comparing the N{sup +} ion beam.

  4. Reis kosmosesse : [Floating-kambrist] / Marika Makarova

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Makarova, Marika

    2011-01-01

    Ameerika psühholoogi John C. Lilly poolt kasutusele võetud Floating-kambrist ehk hõljumisvannist, mis aeglustab ajulaineid ning seeläbi aitab vähendada lihaspinget, stressi, ärevust, peavalusid, vererõhku ning parandada und, selgroo- ja kaelavigastusi, suurendada loovust ja heaolu jne

  5. The floating knee: epidemiology, prognostic indicators & outcome following surgical management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rethnam, Ulfin; Yesupalan, Rajam S; Nair, Rajagopalan

    2007-11-26

    Floating Knee injuries are complex injuries. The type of fractures, soft tissue and associated injuries make this a challenging problem to manage. We present the outcome of these injuries after surgical management. 29 patients with floating knee injuries were managed over a 3 year period. This was a prospective study were both fractures of the floating knee injury were surgically fixed using different modalities. The associated injuries were managed appropriately. Assessment of the end result was done by the Karlstrom criteria after bony union. The mechanism of injury was road traffic accident in 27/29 patients. There were 38 associated injuries. 20/29 patients had intramedullary nailing for both fractures. The complications were knee stiffness, foot drop, delayed union of tibia and superficial infection. The bony union time ranged from 15 - 22.5 weeks for femur fractures and 17 - 28 weeks for the tibia. According to the Karlstrom criteria the end results were Excellent - 15, Good - 11, Acceptable - 1 and Poor - 3. The associated injuries and the type of fracture (open, intra-articular, comminution) are prognostic indicators in the Floating knee. Appropriate management of the associated injuries, intramedullary nailing of both the fractures and post operative rehabilitation are necessary for good final outcome.

  6. Bio-effectors from waste materials as growth promoters for tomato plants, an agronomic and metabolomic study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abou Chehade, Lara; Chami, Ziad Al; De Pascali, Sandra; Cavoski, Ivana; Fanizzi, Francesco Paolo

    2015-04-01

    In organic farming, where nutrient management is constrained and sustainability is claimed, bio-effectors pave their way. Considering selected bio-effectors, this study integrates metabolomics to agronomy in depicting induced relevant phenomena. Extracts of three agro-industrial wastes (Lemon processing residues, Fennel processing residues and Brewer's spent grain) are being investigated as sources of bio-effectors for the third trial consequently. Corresponding individual and mixture aqueous extracts are assessed for their synergistic and/or single agronomic and qualitative performances on soil-grown tomato, compared to both a control and humic acid treatments. A metabolomic profiling of tomato fruits via the Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, as holistic indicator of fruit quality and extract-induced responses, complements crop productivity and organoleptic/nutritional qualitative analyses. Results are expected to show mainly an enhancement of the fruit qualitative traits, and to confirm partly the previous results of better crop productivity and metabolism enhancement. Waste-derived bio-effectors could be, accordingly, demonstrated as potential candidates of plant-enhancing substances. Keywords: bio-effectors, organic farming, agro-industrial wastes, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), tomato.

  7. Recovery of uranium from seawater using wave power and floating offshore units

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bjoerk, B.; Vallander, P.

    1981-03-01

    This report is the final contribution to a study of the technical and economic feasibility of floating units for the recovery of uranium from seawater. The seawater is supplied by wave energy and received by a sloping plane. An optimization was carried out which involved study of the number of storeys of adsorbent beds in a floating unit, the number and tonnage of service vessels and the number of moorings. Different absorbent bed areas, thicknesses of layers of adsorbent material, length of floating units and length of extraction cycles were considered. The annual uranium uptake was calculated for an offshore location 20 nautical miles to the south-east of South Africa. The costs of the total plant for each combination of optimization parameters were calculated and are presented. The cost of the recovered uranium for each combination of optimization parameters is shown. The most feasible offshore plant will recover uranium at a cost of about 1 900 SEK/kg. It will comprise 22 floating units, each with an adsorbent bed area of 300 m 2 per metre of the unit and an adsorbent thickness of 0.10 metres. A conceptual layout of the selected floating unit is shown in drawings. (author)

  8. Optimal trajectory planning of free-floating space manipulator using differential evolution algorithm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Mingming; Luo, Jianjun; Fang, Jing; Yuan, Jianping

    2018-03-01

    The existence of the path dependent dynamic singularities limits the volume of available workspace of free-floating space robot and induces enormous joint velocities when such singularities are met. In order to overcome this demerit, this paper presents an optimal joint trajectory planning method using forward kinematics equations of free-floating space robot, while joint motion laws are delineated with application of the concept of reaction null-space. Bézier curve, in conjunction with the null-space column vectors, are applied to describe the joint trajectories. Considering the forward kinematics equations of the free-floating space robot, the trajectory planning issue is consequently transferred to an optimization issue while the control points to construct the Bézier curve are the design variables. A constrained differential evolution (DE) scheme with premature handling strategy is implemented to find the optimal solution of the design variables while specific objectives and imposed constraints are satisfied. Differ from traditional methods, we synthesize null-space and specialized curve to provide a novel viewpoint for trajectory planning of free-floating space robot. Simulation results are presented for trajectory planning of 7 degree-of-freedom (DOF) kinematically redundant manipulator mounted on a free-floating spacecraft and demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.

  9. Structural investigation and optical properties of xMnO2-25Li2O-5Na2O-15Bi2O3-(55-x)B2O3 glasses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kulkarni, Shilpa; Jali, V. M.

    2018-02-01

    This paper deals with the new mixed system of glass compositions Lithium sodium bismuth borate glasses doped with transition metal oxide. The technique used to prepare a sample is by melt quenching. The XRD profile pattern confirmed the amorphous phase of the present glass system. The network structure is based on BO3, BO4 units and BiO6 octahedral units. No boroxyl rings observed in the glass structure. The addition of MnO2 in small amount does not account for major structural changes. Optical band gap lies in the range 1.89 to 0.96 eV. Density, molar volume, oxygen packing density, Tg, direct optical band gap and refractive index show anomalous behavior.

  10. Analytical expressions for group delay in the far field from an optical fiber having an arbitrary index profile

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Danielsen, Per Lander

    1981-01-01

    A general and efficient model for optical fibers with a few modes and arbitrary index profiles is established. The model yields a solution of the vectorial wave equation and analytical expressions for the group delay and the far field. Convergence tests have shown that the dispersion can...

  11. Optical probing of long-range spatial correlation and symmetry in complex biophotonic architectures on transparent insect wings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumar, Pramod; Shamoon, Danish; Singh, Dhirendra P; Singh, Kamal P; Mandal, Sudip

    2015-01-01

    We experimentally probe the structural organization of complex bio-photonic architecture on transparent insect wings by a simple, non-invasive, real-time optical technique. A stable and reproducible far-field diffraction pattern in transmission was observed using collimated cw and broadband fs laser pulses. A quantitative analysis of the observed diffraction pattern unveiled long-range quasi-periodic order in the arrangement of the microstructures over mm scale. These observations agree well with the Fourier analysis of SEM images of the wing taken at various length scales. We propose a simple quantitative model based on optical diffraction by an array of non overlapping microstructures with minimal disorder which supports our experimental observations. We observed a rotation of the original diffraction profile by scanning the laser beam across the wing sample which gives direct signature of organizational symmetry in microstructure arrangements at various length scales. In addition, we report the first optical detection of reorganization in the photonic architecture on the Drosophila wings by various genetic mutations. These results have potential for the design and development of diffractive optical components for applied photonics and may open up new opportunities in biomimetic device research. (letter)

  12. Floating nuclear energy plants for seawater desalination. Proceedings of a technical committee meeting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1997-05-01

    Floating nuclear desalination facilities are one of the alternatives being considered. They may offer a particularly suitable choice for remote locations and small island or coastal communities where the necessary manpower and infrastructure to support desalination plants are not available. In the interest of focusing specific attention on the technology of floating nuclear desalination, the IAEA sponsored a Technical Committee Meeting on Floating Nuclear Plants for Seawater Desalination from 29 to 31 May 1995 in Obninsk, Russian Federation. This publication documents the papers and presentations given by experts from several countries at that meeting. It is hoped that the information contained in this report will be a valuable resource for those interested in nuclear desalination, and that it will stimulate further interest in the potential for floating nuclear desalination facilities. Refs, figs, tabs

  13. Wake losses optimization of offshore wind farms with moveable floating wind turbines

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    S.F. Rodrigues; R. Teixeira Pinto (Rodrigo); M. Soleimanzadeh (Maryam); P.A.N. Bosman (Peter); P. Bauer (Pavol)

    2015-01-01

    htmlabstractIn the future, floating wind turbines could be used to harvest energy in deep offshore areas where higher wind mean speeds are observed. Currently, several floating turbine concepts are being designed and tested in small scale projects; in particular, one concept allows the turbine to

  14. Determination of the radial profile of the photoelastic coefficient of polymer optical fibers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Acheroy, Sophie; Merken, Patrick; Geernaert, Thomas; Ottevaere, Heidi; Thienpont, Hugo; Berghmans, Francis

    2016-04-01

    We determine the radial profile of the photoelastic constant C(r) in two single mode and one multimode polymer optical fibers (POFs), all fabricated from polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). To determine C(r) we first determine the retardance of the laterally illuminated fiber submitted to a known tensile stress uniformly distributed over the fiber cross-section. Then we determine the inverse Abel transform of the measured retardance to finally obtain C(r). We compare two algorithms based on the Fourier theory to perform the inverse transform. We obtain disparate distributions of C(r) in the three fibers. The mean value of C(r) varies from -7.6×10-14 to 5.4×10-12 Pa-1. This indicates that, in contrast to glass fibers, the radial profile of the photoelastic constant can considerable vary depending on the type and treatment of POFs, even when made from similar materials, and hence the photoelastic constant should be measured for each type of POF.

  15. Agrice 2004. Activity report - from bio-resources to industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2005-01-01

    It has been ten years since AGRICE was founded to support technological research in the field of bio-products. Even if bio-products are indeed a commercial reality, and growing in diversity, they are still marginal in the marketplace. However, the amplification of the greenhouse effect, our increasing energy dependence, the inexorable rise in oil prices, international competition and the emergence of a genuine political awareness are all factors that converge in favour of bio-products, offering a promising future. Of course, the development of bio-products is dependent on a number of conditions: biomass resources, technological advances, mobilisation of actors through dynamic research programmes (conversion of lignocellulosic biomass for alternative fuels or hydrogen, bio-technology applied to chemicals), new agro-industrial supply chains, financial instruments to bridge the cost gap with fossil fuels, a national strategy supported by a public authority dedicated to non-food uses. In the immediate future, the recent decision to open up the biofuels market via implementation of the European biofuels directive (5.75% of the market in 2010) provides an opportunity to lay the groundwork for a veritable industry of plant-based products, opening the way to the bio-refineries of the future. There is considerable potential for the development of bio-products in France. An additional 25 to 30 million tonnes-oil-equivalent (toe) of agricultural and forestry biomass could be processed into energy and industrial bio-products in France. Accordingly we can set our sights on an overall objective of substituting plant feedstocks for petroleum used in fuels and chemicals, on the order of 10% in 2020, and 20 to 30% by 2030-2050. To achieve these goals many technological advances will be necessary, with constant attention to the requirements of sustainable development. In this respect AGRICE is an invaluable tool for guiding, catalysing and supporting research efforts in these fields

  16. CFD simulation of gas-liquid floating particles mixing in an agitated vessel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Liangchao

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Gas dispersion and floating particles suspension in an agitated vessel were studied numerically by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD. The Eulerian multi-fluid model along with standard k-ε turbulence model was used in the simulation. A multiple reference frame (MRF approach was used to solve the impeller rotation. The velocity field, gas and floating particles holdup distributions in the vessel were first obtained, and then, the effects of operating conditions on gas dispersion and solid suspension were investigated. The simulation results show that velocity field of solid phase and gas phase are quite different in the agitated vessel. Floating particles are easy to accumulate in the center of the surface region and the increasing of superficial gas velocity is in favor of floating particles off-surface suspension. With increasing solids loading, the gas dispersion becomes worse, while relative solid holdup distribution changes little. The limitations of the present modeling are discussed and further research in the future is proposed.

  17. Recovery of uranium from seawater using wave power and floating offshore units

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bjoerk, B.; Vallander, P.

    1981-06-01

    This report is a final contribution to a study of the technical and economic feasibility of floating units for the recovery of uranium from seawater. The seawater is supplied by wave energy and received by a sloping plane. An optimization was carried out which involved study of the number of storeys of adsorbent beds in a floating unit, the number and tonnage of service vessels and the number of moorings. Different adsorbent bed areas, thickness of layers of adsorbent material, length of floating units and length of extraction cycles were considered. The costs of a plant for each combination of optimization parameters were calculated and are presented. The most feasible offshore plant will recover uranium at a cost of about 1900 SEK/kg. It will comprise 22 floating units, each with an adsorbent bed area of 300 m 2 per metre of the unit and an adsorbent thickness of 0.10 metres. (Authors)

  18. Towards Interactive Steering of a Very Large Floating Structure Code by Using HPC Parallelisation Strategies

    KAUST Repository

    Frisch, Jerome

    2012-09-01

    Very large floating structures (VLFSs) have been used for broad applications such as floating storage facilities, floating piers, floating bridges, floating airports, entertainment facilities, even habitation, and other purposes. Owing to its small bending rigidity, VLFS deforms elastically when subjected to wave action. This elastic deformation due to wave is called hydro elastic response and it can be obtained by solving the interaction between the surface wave and the floating structure in the frequency domain. In solving the fluid-structure interaction, the floating structure can be modelled by applying the finite element method, whereas the fluid part may be analyzed by using the Green\\'s function method. When using the Green\\'s function which satisfies the boundary condition on the free-surface, the sea bottom and that at infinite distance from the floating structure, the unknown parameters to be determined for the fluid part can be minimized to be only those associated with the wetted surface of the floating structure. However, in the evaluation of the Green\\'s function, extensive computation time O(N2) is needed (N is the number of unknowns). Therefore, acceleration techniques are necessary to tackle the computational complexity. Nowadays, standard multi-core office PCs are already quite powerful if all the cores can be used efficiently. This paper will show different parallelisation strategies for speeding up the Green\\'s function computation. A shared memory based implementation as well as a distributed memory concept will be analysed regarding speed-up and efficiency. For large computations, batch jobs can be used to compute detailed results in high resolution on a large computational cluster or supercomputer. Different speed-up computations on clusters will be included for showing strong speed-up results. © 2012 IEEE.

  19. Comparison of self-cleaning properties of three titania coatings on float glass

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Piispanen, Minna, E-mail: minna.piispanen@abo.fi [Abo Akademi University, Process Chemistry Centre, Piispankatu 8, 20500 Turku (Finland); Hupa, Leena, E-mail: leena.hupa@abo.fi [Abo Akademi University, Process Chemistry Centre, Piispankatu 8, 20500 Turku (Finland)

    2011-11-15

    This work compares the self-cleaning properties of experimental TiO{sub 2} and TiO{sub 2}-Ag coatings on float glass with a commercial self-cleaning glass. In the experimental surfaces, TiO{sub 2} coating was applied to float glass via the sol-gel route, while TiO{sub 2}-Ag coating was applied by the liquid flame spray method, which deposits TiO{sub 2}-Ag composite nanoparticles on the surface. The effect of the coatings on the surface wettability and the activation time for achieving hydrophilicity was studied through water contact angle as a function of exposure time to UV light. The surface morphology was investigated by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal optical microscopy. The photocatalytic activity of the coatings was examined with methylene blue and stearic acid degradation tests. Finally, the soil attachment to the surfaces was tested with a sebum-based model soil. The sol-gel TiO{sub 2} coating became superhydrophilic within a few hours, while the activation time needed for the commercial titania coated glass was several days. The surface with the TiO{sub 2}-Ag nanoparticles did not show any marked changes in the water contact angle. The commercial titania coated and the sol-gel TiO{sub 2} surfaces showed self-cleaning properties and clearly lower attachment of soil than the uncoated and TiO{sub 2}-Ag coated surfaces. The difference in the interaction of the surfaces with the organic contaminants was assumed to depend mainly on differences in the thickness of the coatings.

  20. Comparison of self-cleaning properties of three titania coatings on float glass

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Piispanen, Minna; Hupa, Leena

    2011-01-01

    This work compares the self-cleaning properties of experimental TiO 2 and TiO 2 -Ag coatings on float glass with a commercial self-cleaning glass. In the experimental surfaces, TiO 2 coating was applied to float glass via the sol-gel route, while TiO 2 -Ag coating was applied by the liquid flame spray method, which deposits TiO 2 -Ag composite nanoparticles on the surface. The effect of the coatings on the surface wettability and the activation time for achieving hydrophilicity was studied through water contact angle as a function of exposure time to UV light. The surface morphology was investigated by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal optical microscopy. The photocatalytic activity of the coatings was examined with methylene blue and stearic acid degradation tests. Finally, the soil attachment to the surfaces was tested with a sebum-based model soil. The sol-gel TiO 2 coating became superhydrophilic within a few hours, while the activation time needed for the commercial titania coated glass was several days. The surface with the TiO 2 -Ag nanoparticles did not show any marked changes in the water contact angle. The commercial titania coated and the sol-gel TiO 2 surfaces showed self-cleaning properties and clearly lower attachment of soil than the uncoated and TiO 2 -Ag coated surfaces. The difference in the interaction of the surfaces with the organic contaminants was assumed to depend mainly on differences in the thickness of the coatings.

  1. PLA/Bio-PE blends: effect of the Bio-PE content on the crystallinity rheological properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Araujo, Aylanna P.M. de; Agrawal, Pankaj; Cavalcanti, Shirley N.; Alves, Amanda M.; Melo, Tomas J.A. de; Brito, Gustavo F.

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this work is to evaluate the effect of the Bio-PE content on the crystallinity and rheological properties of PLA/Bio-PE blend. The blends containing 05 and 15% of Bio-PE were prepared by extrusion followed by injection molding and characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and rheological properties at low and high shear rates. XRD results indicated that the PLA present low crystallinity and this behavior was not changed with the addition of Bio-PE, regardless of Bio-PE content. Rheological properties results indicated that at low shear rates the viscosity of the PLA/Bio-PE increased with the increase in the Bio-PE content while at high shear rates the viscosities where almost similar, which may be ascribed to the orientation of Bio-PE particles in the flow direction or by the viscous dissipation. (author)

  2. IEEE Standard for Floating Point Numbers

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    IAS Admin

    Floating point numbers are an important data type in compu- tation which is used ... quite large! Integers are ... exp, the value of the exponent will be taken as (exp –127). The ..... bit which is truncated is 1, add 1 to the least significant bit, else.

  3. Bio-fuels barometer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    2010-01-01

    European Union bio-fuel use for transport reached 12 million tonnes of oil equivalent (mtoe) threshold during 2009. The slowdown in the growth of European consumption deepened again. Bio-fuel used in transport only grew by 18.7% between 2008 and 2009, as against 30.3% between 2007 and 2008 and 41.8% between 2006 and 2007. The bio-fuel incorporation rate in all fuels used by transport in the E.U. is unlikely to pass 4% in 2009. We can note that: -) the proportion of bio-fuel in the German fuels market has plummeted since 2007: from 7.3% in 2007 to 5.5% in 2009; -) France stays on course with an incorporation rate of 6.25% in 2009; -) In Spain the incorporation rate reached 3.4% in 2009 while it was 1.9% in 2008. The European bio-diesel industry has had another tough year. European production only rose by 16.6% in 2009 or by about 9 million tonnes which is well below the previous year-on-year growth rate recorded (35.7%). France is leading the production of bio-ethanol fuels in Europe with an output of 1250 million liters in 2009 while the total European production reached 3700 million litters and the world production 74000 million liters. (A.C.)

  4. Assessing bio-available silver released from silver nanoparticles embedded in silica layers using the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as bio-sensors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pugliara, Alessandro [nMat group-CEMES (Centre d' Elaboration de Matériaux et d' Etudes Structurales)-CNRS, Université de Toulouse, 29 rue Jeanne Marvig, BP 94347, F-31055 Toulouse Cedex 4 (France); LAPLACE (LAboratoire PLAsma et Conversion d' Energie), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, INPT, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse (France); Makasheva, Kremena; Despax, Bernard [LAPLACE (LAboratoire PLAsma et Conversion d' Energie), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, INPT, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse (France); Bayle, Maxime; Carles, Robert; Benzo, Patrizio; BenAssayag, Gérard; Pécassou, Béatrice [nMat group-CEMES (Centre d' Elaboration de Matériaux et d' Etudes Structurales)-CNRS, Université de Toulouse, 29 rue Jeanne Marvig, BP 94347, F-31055 Toulouse Cedex 4 (France); Sancho, Maria Carmen; Navarro, Enrique [IPE (Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología)-CSIC, Avda. Montañana 1005, Zaragoza 50059 (Spain); Echegoyen, Yolanda [I3A, Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Zaragoza, C/ María de Luna 3, 50018, Zaragoza (Spain); Bonafos, Caroline, E-mail: bonafos@cemes.fr [nMat group-CEMES (Centre d' Elaboration de Matériaux et d' Etudes Structurales)-CNRS, Université de Toulouse, 29 rue Jeanne Marvig, BP 94347, F-31055 Toulouse Cedex 4 (France)

    2016-09-15

    Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) because of their strong antibacterial activity are widely used in health-care sector and industrial applications. Their huge surface-volume ratio enhances the silver release compared to the bulk material, leading to an increased toxicity for microorganisms sensitive to this element. This work presents an assessment of the toxic effect on algal photosynthesis due to small (size < 20 nm) AgNPs embedded in silica layers. Two physical approaches were originally used to elaborate the nanocomposite structures: (i) low energy ion beam synthesis and (ii) combined silver sputtering and plasma polymerization. These techniques allow elaboration of a single layer of AgNPs embedded in silica films at defined nanometer distances (from 0 to 7 nm) beneath the free surface. The structural and optical properties of the nanostructures were studied by transmission electron microscopy and optical reflectance. The silver release from the nanostructures after 20 h of immersion in buffered water was measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and ranges between 0.02 and 0.49 μM. The short-term toxicity of Ag to photosynthesis of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was assessed by fluorometry. The obtained results show that embedding AgNPs reduces the interactions with the buffered water free media, protecting the AgNPs from fast oxidation. The release of bio-available silver (impacting on the algal photosynthesis) is controlled by the depth at which AgNPs are located for a given host matrix. This provides a procedure to tailor the toxicity of nanocomposites containing AgNPs. - Highlights: • Controlled synthesis of 2D arrays of silver nanoparticles embedded in silica. • Assessing bio-available silver release using the green algae as bio-sensors. • The Ag release can be controlled by the distance nanoparticles/dielectric surface. • All the Ag released in solution is in the form of Ag{sup +} ions. • Toxicity comparable to similar concentrations of

  5. Voltage-Controlled Floating Resistor Using DDCC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Kumngern

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a new simple configuration to realize the voltage-controlled floating resistor, which is suitable for integrated circuit implementation. The proposed resistor is composed of three main components: MOS transistor operating in the non-saturation region, DDCC, and MOS voltage divider. The MOS transistor operating in the non-saturation region is used to configure a floating linear resistor. The DDCC and the MOS transistor voltage divider are used for canceling the nonlinear component term of MOS transistor in the non-saturation region to obtain a linear current/voltage relationship. The DDCC is employed to provide a simple summer of the circuit. This circuit offers an ease for realizing the voltage divider circuit and the temperature effect that includes in term of threshold voltage can be compensated. The proposed configuration employs only 16 MOS transistors. The performances of the proposed circuit are simulated with PSPICE to confirm the presented theory.

  6. On the design of a radix-10 online floating-point multiplier

    Science.gov (United States)

    McIlhenny, Robert D.; Ercegovac, Milos D.

    2009-08-01

    This paper describes an approach to design and implement a radix-10 online floating-point multiplier. An online approach is considered because it offers computational flexibility not available with conventional arithmetic. The design was coded in VHDL and compiled, synthesized, and mapped onto a Virtex 5 FPGA to measure cost in terms of LUTs (look-up-tables) as well as the cycle time and total latency. The routing delay which was not optimized is the major component in the cycle time. For a rough estimate of the cost/latency characteristics, our design was compared to a standard radix-2 floating-point multiplier of equivalent precision. The results demonstrate that even an unoptimized radix-10 online design is an attractive implementation alternative for FPGA floating-point multiplication.

  7. DIY-Bio - economic, epistemological and ethical implications and ambivalences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keulartz, Jozef; van den Belt, Henk

    2016-12-01

    Since 2008, we witness the emergence of the Do-It-Yourself Biology movement, a global movement spreading the use of biotechnology beyond traditional academic and industrial institutions and into the lay public. Practitioners include a broad mix of amateurs, enthusiasts, students, and trained scientists. At this moment, the movement counts nearly 50 local groups, mostly in America and Europe, but also increasingly in Asia. Do-It-Yourself Bio represents a direct translation of hacking culture and practicesfrom the realm of computers and software into the realm of genes and cells. Although the movement is still in its infancy, and it is even unclear whether it will ever reach maturity, the contours of a new paradigm of knowledge production are already becoming visible. We will subsequently sketch the economic, the epistemological and the ethical profile of Do-It-Yourself Bio, and discuss its implications and also its ambivalences.

  8. Unsteady aerodynamic analysis for offshore floating wind turbines under different wind conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, B F; Wang, T G; Yuan, Y; Cao, J F

    2015-02-28

    A free-vortex wake (FVW) model is developed in this paper to analyse the unsteady aerodynamic performance of offshore floating wind turbines. A time-marching algorithm of third-order accuracy is applied in the FVW model. Owing to the complex floating platform motions, the blade inflow conditions and the positions of initial points of vortex filaments, which are different from the fixed wind turbine, are modified in the implemented model. A three-dimensional rotational effect model and a dynamic stall model are coupled into the FVW model to improve the aerodynamic performance prediction in the unsteady conditions. The effects of floating platform motions in the simulation model are validated by comparison between calculation and experiment for a small-scale rigid test wind turbine coupled with a floating tension leg platform (TLP). The dynamic inflow effect carried by the FVW method itself is confirmed and the results agree well with the experimental data of a pitching transient on another test turbine. Also, the flapping moment at the blade root in yaw on the same test turbine is calculated and compares well with the experimental data. Then, the aerodynamic performance is simulated in a yawed condition of steady wind and in an unyawed condition of turbulent wind, respectively, for a large-scale wind turbine coupled with the floating TLP motions, demonstrating obvious differences in rotor performance and blade loading from the fixed wind turbine. The non-dimensional magnitudes of loading changes due to the floating platform motions decrease from the blade root to the blade tip. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

  9. The Floating Upper Limb: Multiple Injuries Involving Ipsilateral, Proximal, Humeral, Supracondylar, and Distal Radial Limb.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manaan, Qazi; Bashir, Adil; Zahoor, Adnan; Mokhdomi, Taseem A; Danish, Qazi

    2016-09-01

    Floating arm injury represents a common yet complicated injury of the childhood severely associated with limb deformation and even morbidity, if not precisely addressed and credibly operated. Here, we report a rare floating upper limb case of a 9-year-old boy with multiple injuries of ipsilateral proximal humeral, supracondylar and distal radial limb. This is the first report to document such a combined floating elbow and floating arm injury in the same limb. In this report, we discuss the surgical procedures used and recovery of the patient monitored to ascertain the effectiveness of the method in limb reorganisation.

  10. Microclimate and architectural tectonic: vernacular floating house resilience in Seberang Ulu 1, Palembang

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puspitasari, P.; Kadri, T.; Indartoyo, I.; Kusumawati, L.

    2018-01-01

    This paper aims to describe the results of preliminary research on floating houses on the Musi River, Seberang Ulu 1, Palembang, focused on studying the influence of microclimates to the tectonics of Rumah Rakit (Floating House). The increase of water surface due to global warming will increase the need of using floating house typology in the future. The description of the inhabitants’ experiences on applying technics to create vernacular floating houses is considered as significant knowledge to develop advance technology on the basis of local characteristic. Vernacular floating houses resilience consists of natural experiences of inhabitants in adapting their daily activities to the characteristic of local climate. By using qualitative approach, the Rumah Rakit inhabitants’ verbal information in this article becomes the main aspect in exploring local knowledge. At the end, the conceptual model of vernacular Rumah Rakit in Seberang Ulu 1, Palembang is formulated, in terms of building architectural tectonic that is closely related to the local climate characteristic. The knowledge can be utilized in the context of rehabilitation or preservation of such architectural objects that are their existences tend to be extinct at this time.

  11. Floating car data for traffic monitoring

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Torp, Kristian; Lahrmann, Harry Spaabæk

    2005-01-01

    This paper describes a complete prototype system that uses Floating Car Data (FCD) for both automatic and manual detection of queues in traffic. The system is developed under EU’s Tempo program. The systems consists of small hardware units placed in mobile traffic report units (we use taxis...

  12. Research of design challenges and new technologies for floating LNG

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dong-Hyun Lee

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available With the rate of worldwide LNG demand expected to grow faster than that of gas demand, most major oil companies are currently investing their resources to develop floating LNG-FLNG (i.e. LNG FSRU and LNG FPSO. The global Floating LNG (FLNG market trend will be reviewed based on demand and supply chain relationships. Typical technical issues associated with FLNG design are categorized in terms of global performance evaluation. Although many proven technologies developed through LNG carrier and oil FPSO projects are available for FLNG design, we are still faced with several technical challenges to clear for successful FLNG projects. In this study, some of the challenges encountered during development of the floating LNG facility (i.e. LNG FPSO and FSRU will be reviewed together with their investigated solution. At the same time, research of new LNG-related technologies such as combined containment system will be presented.

  13. Experimental study on moonpool resonance of offshore floating structure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seung-Ho Yang

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Offshore floating structures have so-called moonpool in the centre area for the purpose of drilling, installation of subsea structures, recovery of Remotely-Operated Vehicle (ROV and divers. However, this vertical opening has an effect on the operating performance of floating offshore structure in the vicinity of moonpool resonance frequency; piston mode and sloshing mode. Experimental study based on model test was carried out. Moonpool resonance of floating offshore structure on fixed condition and motion free condition were investigated. And, the effect of cofferdam which is representative inner structure inside moonpool was examined. Model test results showed that Molin's theoretical formula can predict moonpool resonance on fixed condition quite accurately. However, motion free condition has higher resonance frequency when it is compared with that of motion fixed. The installation of cofferdam moves resonance frequency to higher region and also generates secondary resonance at lower frequency. Furthermore, it was found that cofferdam was the cause of generating waves in the longitudinal direction when the vessel was in beam sea.

  14. Floating liquid bridge charge dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teschke, Omar; Soares, David Mendez; Gomes, Whyllerson Evaristo; Valente Filho, Juracyr Ferraz

    2016-01-01

    The interaction of liquid with electric fields is investigated in a configuration where up to 13 kV are applied between electrodes resulting in a 106 V/m electric field in the capillaries and where there is the formation of a free-standing fluid bridge in the interelectrode gap. The Mott-Gurney equation was fitted to the measured ionization current vs applied voltage curve which indicates that the ionization rate at the high-voltage anode electrode dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) interface and space charging in the interelectrode gap determine the floating liquid bridge current for a given cathode-to-anode voltage. Space charge effects were measured in the cathode becker and also at the liquid bridge since the ionized charges at the anode migrate to the bridge outer surface and decrease the interfacial tension from 43 mJ/m2 to 29 mJ/m2. Two distinct structural regions then form the bridge, a charged plastic (bulk modulus ˜100 MPa) conducting outer layer with a surface conductivity of ˜10-9 Ω-1, which shapes and supports the floating fluid structure, and an inner liquid cylinder, where DMSO molecules flow.

  15. Optimal Configurations of Wave Energy Converter Arrays with a Floating Body

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhang Wanchao

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available An array of floating point-absorbing wave energy converters (WECs is usually employed for extracting efficiently ocean wave energy. For deep water environment, it is more feasible and convenient to connect the absorbers array with a floating body, such as a semi-submersible bottom-moored disk, whose function is to act as the virtual seabed. In the present work, an array of identical floating symmetrically distributed cylinders in a coaxial moored disk as a wave energy device is proposed The power take-off (PTO system in the wave energy device is assumed to be composed of a linear/nonlinear damper activated by the buoys heaving motion. Hydrodynamic analysis of the examined floating system is implemented in frequency domain. Hydrodynamic interferences between the oscillating bodies are accounted for in the corresponding coupled equations. The array layouts under the constraint of the disk, incidence wave directions, separating distance between the absorbers and the PTO damping are considered to optimize this kind of WECs. Numerical results with regular waves are presented and discussed for the axisymmetric system utilizing heave mode with these interaction factors, in terms of a specific numbers of cylinders and expected power production.

  16. Frequency-domain characteristics of aerodynamic loads of offshore floating vertical axis wind turbines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Borg, Michael; Collu, M.

    2015-01-01

    The re-emerging interest in vertical axis wind turbines for floating offshore applications has led to a need to investigate the relatively complex dynamics of such floating offshore structures. Through the use of a coupled model of dynamics this article investigates the frequency......-domain characteristics of floating vertical axis wind turbine aerodynamic loads. The impact of platform induced motion on aerodynamic loads is discussed in detail, with results indicating an increase in aerodynamic loads of several orders of magnitude over the range of frequencies usually containing significant wave...

  17. Bio-oil and bio-char production from corn cobs and stover by fast pyrolysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mullen, Charles A.; Boateng, Akwasi A.; Goldberg, Neil M.; Lima, Isabel M.; Laird, David A.; Hicks, Kevin B.

    2010-01-01

    Bio-oil and bio-char were produced from corn cobs and corn stover (stalks, leaves and husks) by fast pyrolysis using a pilot scale fluidized bed reactor. Yields of 60% (mass/mass) bio-oil (high heating values are ∼20 MJ kg -1 , and densities >1.0 Mg m -3 ) were realized from both corn cobs and from corn stover. The high energy density of bio-oil, ∼20-32 times on a per unit volume basis over the raw corn residues, offers potentially significant savings in transportation costs particularly for a distributed 'farm scale' bio-refinery system. Bio-char yield was 18.9% and 17.0% (mass/mass) from corn cobs and corn stover, respectively. Deploying the bio-char co-product, which contains most of the nutrient minerals from the corn residues, as well as a significant amount of carbon, to the land can enhance soil quality, sequester carbon, and alleviate environmental problems associated with removal of crop residues from fields.

  18. Bio-methane & Bio-hydrogen. Status and perspectives of biological methane and hydrogen production

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wijffels, R.H.; Janssen, M.G.J.

    2003-01-01

    Eerst wordt het kader geschetst voor de potentiële rol van bio-methaan en bio-waterstof in de energiehuishouding en de invloeden daarop van de ontwikkeling van eindgebruikstechnologie en infrastructuur, en het energiebeleid. Daarna wordt uitvoerig ingegaan op de technieken voor bio-methaan en

  19. BioAir: Bio-Inspired Airborne Infrastructure Reconfiguration

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-01-01

    must also minimize resource usage due to limitations on the amount of processing , memory and power onboard a node. BioAIR assumes the availability of...subsequent maintenance of tentacles, each node will take one of the following roles: “ orphan ”, “free”, “tip”, “backbone” or “extra”. The BioAIR...algorithm dictates that when a node is disconnected from the tentacle or origin it is an orphan , and as such it will change its target to the nearest

  20. World-wide ocean optics database WOOD (NODC Accession 0092528)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — WOOD was developed to be a comprehensive publicly-available oceanographic bio-optical database providing global coverage. It includes nearly 250 major data sources...