WorldWideScience

Sample records for colimadores micro multi-laminas

  1. Dosimetry of the stereotactic radiosurgery with linear accelerators equipped with micro multi-blades collimators; Dosimetria dos sistemas de radiocirurgia estereotaxica com aceleradores lineares equipados com colimadores micro multi-laminas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vieira, Andre Mozart de Miranda

    2008-07-01

    In this work, absorbed dose to water produced by the radiation beam of a clinical linear accelerator - CLINAC 600C{sup TM} (Varian), with a photon beam of 6 MV, were evaluated both theoretically and experimentally. This determination includes square and circular field configurations, the last one obtained with a micro multi leaf collimator - mMLC m3{sup TM} (Brain Lab). Theoretical evaluation was performed throughout Monte Carlo method. Experimental measurements of Percentage Depth Dose - PDD and derived Tissue Maximum Ratio - TMR curves from CLINAC 600C were validated by comparison with reference values as well as with measurements using different detectors. The results indicate local differences smaller than 5% and average differences smaller than 1,5% for each evaluated field, if they are compared to the previous commissioning values (made in 1999) and to the values of literature. Comparisons of ionization chamber and diode result in an average local difference of -0,6% for PDD measurements, and within 1% for lateral dose profiles, at depth, in the flat region. Diode provides measurements with better spatial resolution. Current output factors of open fields agree with reference values within 1,03% of discrepancy level. Current absorbed dose distributions in water are, now, considered reference values and allow characterization of this CLINAC for patient dose calculation. The photon spectra resulting from simulations with PENELOPE and MCNP codes agree approximately in 80% of the sampled points, in what average energies of (1,6 {+-} 0,3)MeV, with MCNP, and of (1,72 {+-} 0,08)MeV, with PENELOPE, are coincident. The created simple source model of the CLINAC 600C, using the PENELOPE code, allows one to calculate dose distributions in water, for open fields, with discrepancies of the order of {+-} 1,0% in dose and of {+-} 0,1 cm in position, if they are compared to experimental measurements. These values met the initial proposed criteria to validate the simulation

  2. Micro-Avionics Multi-Purpose Platform (MicroAMPP)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Micro-Avionics Multi-Purpose Platform (MicroAMPP) is a common avionics architecture supporting microsatellites, launch vehicles, and upper-stage carrier...

  3. Multi-layer micro/nanofluid devices with bio-nanovalves

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Hao; Ocola, Leonidas E.; Auciello, Orlando H.; Firestone, Millicent A.

    2013-01-01

    A user-friendly multi-layer micro/nanofluidic flow device and micro/nano fabrication process are provided for numerous uses. The multi-layer micro/nanofluidic flow device can comprise: a substrate, such as indium tin oxide coated glass (ITO glass); a conductive layer of ferroelectric material, preferably comprising a PZT layer of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) positioned on the substrate; electrodes connected to the conductive layer; a nanofluidics layer positioned on the conductive layer and defining nanochannels; a microfluidics layer positioned upon the nanofluidics layer and defining microchannels; and biomolecular nanovalves providing bio-nanovalves which are moveable from a closed position to an open position to control fluid flow at a nanoscale.

  4. Investigation on the micro injection molding process of an overmolded multi-material micro component

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Baruffi, Federico; Calaon, Matteo; Tosello, Guido

    and difficult assembly steps, being the plastic molded directly on a metal substrate. In this scenario, an investigation on the fully automated micro overmolding manufacturing technology of a three-material micro component for acoustic applications has been carried out. Preliminary experiments allowed......Micro injection molding (μIM) is one of the few technologies capable of meeting the increasing demand of complex shaped micro plastic parts. This process, combined with the overmolding technique, allows a fast and cost-efficient production of multi-material micro components, saving numerous...

  5. Optimization of multi-objective micro-grid based on improved particle swarm optimization algorithm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jian; Gan, Yang

    2018-04-01

    The paper presents a multi-objective optimal configuration model for independent micro-grid with the aim of economy and environmental protection. The Pareto solution set can be obtained by solving the multi-objective optimization configuration model of micro-grid with the improved particle swarm algorithm. The feasibility of the improved particle swarm optimization algorithm for multi-objective model is verified, which provides an important reference for multi-objective optimization of independent micro-grid.

  6. Study of Multi-Function Micro-Plasma Spraying Technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Liuying; Wang Hangong; Hua Shaochun; Cao Xiaoping

    2007-01-01

    A multi-functional micro-arc plasma spraying system was developed according to aerodynamics and plasma spray theory. The soft switch IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) invert technique, micro-computer control technique, convergent-divergent nozzle structure and axial powder feeding techniques have been adopted in the design of the micro-arc plasma spraying system. It is not only characterized by a small volume, a light weight, highly accurate control, high deposition efficiency and high reliability, but also has multi-functions in plasma spraying, welding and quenching. The experimental results showed that the system can produce a supersonic flame at a low power, spray Al 2 O 3 particles at an average speed up to 430 m/s, and make nanostructured AT13 coatings with an average bonding strength of 42.7 MPa. Compared to conventional 9M plasma spraying with a higher power, the coatings with almost the same properties as those by conventional plasma spray can be deposited by multi-functional micro-arc plasma spraying with a lower power plasma arc due to an improved power supply design, spray gun structure and powder feeding method. Moreover, this system is suitable for working with thin parts and undertaking on site repairs, and as a result, the application of plasma spraying will be greatly extended

  7. Basilar membrane and reticular lamina motion in a multi-scale finite element model of the mouse cochlea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soons, Joris; Dirckx, Joris; Steele, Charles; Puria, Sunil

    2015-12-01

    A multi-scale finite element (FE) model of the mouse cochlea, based on its anatomy and material properties is presented. The important feature in the model is a lattice of 400 Y-shaped structures in the longitudinal direction, each formed by Deiters cells, phalangeal processes and outer hair cells (OHC). OHC somatic motility is modeled by an expansion force proportional to the shear on the stereocilia, which in turn is proportional to the pressure difference between the scala vestibule and scala tympani. Basilar membrane (BM) and reticular lamina (RL) velocity compare qualitatively very well with recent in vivo measurements in guinea pig [2]. Compared to the BM, the RL is shown to have higher amplification and a shift to higher frequencies. This comes naturally from the realistic Y-shaped cell organization without tectorial membrane tuning.

  8. Robust nuclear lamina-based cell classification of aging and senescent cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Righolt, Christiaan H; van 't Hoff, Merel L R; Vermolen, Bart J; Young, Ian T; Raz, Vered

    2011-12-01

    Changes in the shape of the nuclear lamina are exhibited in senescent cells, as well as in cells expressing mutations in lamina genes. To identify cells with defects in the nuclear lamina we developed an imaging method that quantifies the intensity and curvature of the nuclear lamina. We show that this method accurately describes changes in the nuclear lamina. Spatial changes in nuclear lamina coincide with redistribution of lamin A proteins and local reduction in protein mobility in senescent cell. We suggest that local accumulation of lamin A in the nuclear envelope leads to bending of the structure. A quantitative distinction of the nuclear lamina shape in cell populations was found between fresh and senescent cells, and between primary myoblasts from young and old donors. Moreover, with this method mutations in lamina genes were significantly distinct from cells with wild-type genes. We suggest that this method can be applied to identify abnormal cells during aging, in in vitro propagation, and in lamina disorders.

  9. Integrated visualization of multi-angle bioluminescence imaging and micro CT

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kok, P.; Dijkstra, J.; Botha, C.P.; Post, F.H.; Kaijzel, E.; Que, I.; Löwik, C.W.G.M.; Reiber, J.H.C.; Lelieveldt, B.P.F.

    2007-01-01

    This paper explores new methods to visualize and fuse multi-2D bioluminescence imaging (BLI) data with structural imaging modalities such as micro CT and MR. A geometric, back-projection-based 3D reconstruction for superficial lesions from multi-2D BLI data is presented, enabling a coarse estimate

  10. Multi-Frequency Blazar Micro-Variability as a Tool to Investigate Relativistic Jets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    James R. Webb

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available For the past 12 years we have been studying optical micro-variability of a sample of 15 Blazars. We summarize the results of this study and draw some basic conclusions about the characteristics of micro-variability. The intermittency, the stochastic nature, and the similar profile shapes seen in micro-variations at different times and in different objects have led us to a possible model to explain the observed micro-variations. The model is based on a strong shock propagating down a relativistic jet and encountering turbulence which causes density or magnetic field enhancements. We use the theory of Kirk, Reiger, and Mastichiadis (1998 to describe the pulse of synchrotron emission emanating from individual density enhancements energized by the shock. By fitting these “pulses” to micro-variability observations, we obtain excellent fits to actual micro-variations. The model predicts that the spectral index changes as a function of pulse duration. This effect should be observable in multi-frequency micro-variability data. We present the theoretical model, model fits of our micro-variability light curves, and preliminary multi-frequency micro-variability observations that support this model. A further test that has yet to be carried out involves observing polarization changes in different pulses.

  11. Microchannel neural interface manufacture by stacking silicone and metal foil laminae

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lancashire, Henry T.; Vanhoestenberghe, Anne; Pendegrass, Catherine J.; Ajam, Yazan Al; Magee, Elliot; Donaldson, Nick; Blunn, Gordon W.

    2016-06-01

    Objective. Microchannel neural interfaces (MNIs) overcome problems with recording from peripheral nerves by amplifying signals independent of node of Ranvier position. Selective recording and stimulation using an MNI requires good insulation between microchannels and a high electrode density. We propose that stacking microchannel laminae will improve selectivity over single layer MNI designs due to the increase in electrode number and an improvement in microchannel sealing. Approach. This paper describes a manufacturing method for creating MNIs which overcomes limitations on electrode connectivity and microchannel sealing. Laser cut silicone—metal foil laminae were stacked using plasma bonding to create an array of microchannels containing tripolar electrodes. Electrodes were DC etched and electrode impedance and cyclic voltammetry were tested. Main results. MNIs with 100 μm and 200 μm diameter microchannels were manufactured. High electrode density MNIs are achievable with electrodes present in every microchannel. Electrode impedances of 27.2 ± 19.8 kΩ at 1 kHz were achieved. Following two months of implantation in Lewis rat sciatic nerve, micro-fascicles were observed regenerating through the MNI microchannels. Significance. Selective MNIs with the peripheral nervous system may allow upper limb amputees to control prostheses intuitively.

  12. Crocodylians evolved scattered multi-sensory micro-organs

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Background During their evolution towards a complete life cycle on land, stem reptiles developed both an impermeable multi-layered keratinized epidermis and skin appendages (scales) providing mechanical, thermal, and chemical protection. Previous studies have demonstrated that, despite the presence of a particularly armored skin, crocodylians have exquisite mechanosensory abilities thanks to the presence of small integumentary sensory organs (ISOs) distributed on postcranial and/or cranial scales. Results Here, we analyze and compare the structure, innervation, embryonic morphogenesis and sensory functions of postcranial, cranial, and lingual sensory organs of the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) and the spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus). Our molecular analyses indicate that sensory neurons of crocodylian ISOs express a large repertoire of transduction channels involved in mechano-, thermo-, and chemosensory functions, and our electrophysiological analyses confirm that each ISO exhibits a combined sensitivity to mechanical, thermal and pH stimuli (but not hyper-osmotic salinity), making them remarkable multi-sensorial micro-organs with no equivalent in the sensory systems of other vertebrate lineages. We also show that ISOs all exhibit similar morphologies and modes of development, despite forming at different stages of scale morphogenesis across the body. Conclusions The ancestral vertebrate diffused sensory system of the skin was transformed in the crocodylian lineages into an array of discrete multi-sensory micro-organs innervated by multiple pools of sensory neurons. This discretization of skin sensory expression sites is unique among vertebrates and allowed crocodylians to develop a highly-armored, but very sensitive, skin. PMID:23819918

  13. Profiling micro-organic contaminants in groundwater using multi-level piezometers

    OpenAIRE

    White, Debbie; Lapworth, Dan; Stuart, Marianne; Williams, Peter

    2015-01-01

    The presence of micro-organic pollutants, including ‘emerging contaminants’ within groundwater is of increasing interest. Robust protocols are required to minimise the introduction of contamination during the sampling process. Below we discuss the sampling protocols used to reduce inputs of plasticisers during the sampling process, as well as the techniques used to characterise the distribution of micro-organic pollutants in the subsurface. In this study multi-level piezometers...

  14. Analysis of the Multi Strategy Goal Programming for Micro-Grid Based on Dynamic ant Genetic Algorithm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiu, J. P.; Niu, D. X.

    Micro-grid is one of the key technologies of the future energy supplies. Take economic planning. reliability, and environmental protection of micro grid as a basis for the analysis of multi-strategy objective programming problems for micro grid which contains wind power, solar power, and battery and micro gas turbine. Establish the mathematical model of each power generation characteristics and energy dissipation. and change micro grid planning multi-objective function under different operating strategies to a single objective model based on AHP method. Example analysis shows that in combination with dynamic ant mixed genetic algorithm can get the optimal power output of this model.

  15. Multi-longitudinal-mode micro-laser model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Staliunas, Kestutis

    2017-10-01

    We derive a convenient model for broad aperture micro-lasers, such as microchip lasers, broad area semiconductor lasers, or VCSELs, taking into account several longitudinal mode families. We provide linear stability analysis, and show characteristic spatio-temporal dynamics in such multi-longitudinal mode laser models. Moreover, we derive the coupled mode model in the presence of intracavity refraction index modulation (intracavity photonic crystal). Contribution to the Topical Issue "Theory and Applications of the Lugiato-Lefever Equation", edited by Yanne K. Chembo, Damia Gomila, Mustapha Tlidi, Curtis R. Menyuk.

  16. Functional Characterization of Lamina X Neurons in ex-Vivo Spinal Cord Preparation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Volodymyr Krotov

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Functional properties of lamina X neurons in the spinal cord remain unknown despite the established role of this area for somatosensory integration, visceral nociception, autonomic regulation and motoneuron output modulation. Investigations of neuronal functioning in the lamina X have been hampered by technical challenges. Here we introduce an ex-vivo spinal cord preparation with both dorsal and ventral roots still attached for functional studies of the lamina X neurons and their connectivity using an oblique LED illumination for resolved visualization of lamina X neurons in a thick tissue. With the elaborated approach, we demonstrate electrophysiological characteristics of lamina X neurons by their membrane properties, firing pattern discharge and fiber innervation (either afferent or efferent. The tissue preparation has been also probed using Ca2+ imaging with fluorescent Ca2+ dyes (membrane-impermeable or -permeable to demonstrate the depolarization-induced changes in intracellular calcium concentration in lamina X neurons. Finally, we performed visualization of subpopulations of lamina X neurons stained by retrograde labeling with aminostilbamidine dye to identify sympathetic preganglionic and projection neurons in the lamina X. Thus, the elaborated approach provides a reliable tool for investigation of functional properties and connectivity in specific neuronal subpopulations, boosting research of lamina X of the spinal cord.

  17. Silicon/SU8 multi-electrode micro-needle for in vivo neurochemical monitoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vasylieva, Natalia; Marinesco, Stéphane; Barbier, Daniel; Sabac, Andrei

    2015-10-15

    Simultaneous monitoring of glucose and lactate is an important challenge for understanding brain energetics in physiological or pathological states. We demonstrate here a versatile method based on a minimally invasive single implantation in the rat brain. A silicon/SU8-polymer multi-sensing needle-shaped biosensor, was fabricated and tested. The multi-electrode array design comprises three platinum planar microelectrodes with a surface area of 40 × 200 µm(2) and a spacing of 200 µm, which were micromachined on a single 3mm long micro-needle having a 100 × 50 µm(2) cross-section for reduced tissue damage during implantation. Platinum micro-electrodes were aligned at the bottom of micro-wells obtained by photolithography on a SU8 photoresist layer. After clean room processing, each micro-electrode was functionalized inside the micro-wells by means of a micro-dispensing device, either with glucose oxidase or with lactate oxidase, which were cross-linked on the platinum electrodes. The third electrode covered with Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) was used for the control of non-specific currents. The thick SU8 photoresist layer has revealed excellent electrical insulation of the micro-electrodes and between interconnection lines, and ensured a precise localization and packaging of the sensing enzymes on platinum micro-electrodes. During in vitro calibration with concentrations of analytes in the mM range, the micro-wells patterned in the SU8 photoresist proved to be highly effective in eliminating cross-talk signals, caused by H2O2 diffusion from closely spaced micro-electrodes. Moreover, our biosensor was successfully assayed in the rat cortex for simultaneous monitoring of both glucose and lactate during insulin and glucose administration. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Diagenetic variation at the lamina scale in lacustrine organic-rich shales: Implications for hydrocarbon migration and accumulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Chao; Cao, Yingchang; Liu, Keyu; Jiang, Zaixing; Wu, Jing; Hao, Fang

    2018-05-01

    transmission of diagenetic responses. The recrystallization boundaries between calcite laminae act as the main migration pathways for the expulsion of hydrocarbons from these carbonate-rich lacustrine shales. However, because the interaction between diagenetic fluids and the shales themselves is limited to the scale of individual lamina, this system is normally closed. The occurrence of abnormal pressure fractures can open the diagenetic system, however, and cause interactions to occur throughout laminae; in particular, the closed-open (C-O) diagenetic process at this scale is critical to this shale interval. Multi-scale C-O systems are ubiquitous and episodic ranging from the scale of laminae to the whole basin. Observations show that such small-scale systems are often superimposed onto larger ones to constitute the complex diagenetic system seen within the BBB combining fluid transport, material and energy exchange, and solid-liquid and organic-inorganic interactions.

  19. Micro-vision servo control of a multi-axis alignment system for optical fiber assembly

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Weihai; Yu, Fei; Qu, Jianliang; Chen, Wenjie; Zhang, Jianbin

    2017-01-01

    This paper describes a novel optical fiber assembly system featuring a multi-axis alignment function based on micro-vision feedback control. It consists of an active parallel alignment mechanism, a passive compensation mechanism, a micro-gripper and a micro-vision servo control system. The active parallel alignment part is a parallelogram-based design with remote-center-of-motion (RCM) function to achieve precise rotation without fatal lateral motion. The passive mechanism, with five degrees of freedom (5-DOF), is used to implement passive compensation for multi-axis errors. A specially designed 1-DOF micro-gripper mounted onto the active parallel alignment platform is adopted to grasp and rotate the optical fiber. A micro-vision system equipped with two charge-coupled device (CCD) cameras is introduced to observe the small field of view and obtain multi-axis errors for servo feedback control. The two CCD cameras are installed in an orthogonal arrangement—thus the errors can be easily measured via the captured images. Meanwhile, a series of tracking and measurement algorithms based on specific features of the target objects are developed. Details of the force and displacement sensor information acquisition in the assembly experiment are also provided. An experiment demonstrates the validity of the proposed visual algorithm by achieving the task of eliminating errors and inserting an optical fiber to the U-groove accurately. (paper)

  20. A method of measuring micro-impulse with torsion pendulum based on multi-beam laser heterodyne

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yan-Chao; Wang, Chun-Hui

    2012-02-01

    In this paper, we propose a novel method of multi-beam laser heterodyne measurement for micro-impulse. The measurement of the micro-impulse, which is converted into the measurement of the small tuning angle of the torsion pendulum, is realized by considering the interaction between pulse laser and working medium. Based on Doppler effect and heterodyne technology, the information regarding the small tuning angle is loaded to the frequency difference of the multi-beam laser heterodyne signal by the frequency modulation of the oscillating mirror, thereby obtaining many values of the small tuning angle after the multi-beam laser heterodyne signal demodulation simultaneously. Processing these values by weighted-average, the small tuning angle can be obtained accurately and the value of the micro-impulse can eventually be calculated. Using Polyvinylchlorid+2%C as a working medium, this novel method is used to simulate the value of the micro-impulse by MATLAB which is generated by considering the interaction between the pulse laser and the working medium, the obtained result shows that the relative error of this method is just 0.5%.

  1. A method of measuring micro-impulse with torsion pendulum based on multi-beam laser heterodyne

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Yan-Chao; Wang Chun-Hui

    2012-01-01

    In this paper, we propose a novel method of multi-beam laser heterodyne measurement for micro-impulse. The measurement of the micro-impulse, which is converted into the measurement of the small tuning angle of the torsion pendulum, is realized by considering the interaction between pulse laser and working medium. Based on Doppler effect and heterodyne technology, the information regarding the small tuning angle is loaded to the frequency difference of the multi-beam laser heterodyne signal by the frequency modulation of the oscillating mirror, thereby obtaining many values of the small tuning angle after the multi-beam laser heterodyne signal demodulation simultaneously. Processing these values by weighted-average, the small tuning angle can be obtained accurately and the value of the micro-impulse can eventually be calculated. Using Polyvinylchlorid+2%C as a working medium, this novel method is used to simulate the value of the micro-impulse by MATLAB which is generated by considering the interaction between the pulse laser and the working medium, the obtained result shows that the relative error of this method is just 0.5%. (general)

  2. Fate of the Molar Dental Lamina in the Monophyodont Mouse

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dosedělová, Hana; Dumková, Jana; Lesot, Hervé; Glocová, Kristýna; Kunová, Michaela; Tucker, Abigail S.; Veselá, Iva; Krejčí, Pavel; Tichý, František; Hampl, Aleš; Buchtová, Marcela

    2015-01-01

    The successional dental lamina (SDL) plays an essential role in the development of replacement teeth in diphyodont and polyphyodont animals. A morphologically similar structure, the rudimental successional dental lamina (RSDL), has been described in monophyodont (only one tooth generation) lizards on the lingual side of the developing functional tooth. This rudimentary lamina regresses, which has been proposed to play a role in preventing the formation of future generations of teeth. A similar rudimentary lingual structure has been reported associated with the first molar in the monophyodont mouse, and we show that this structure is common to all murine molars. Intriguingly, a lingual lamina is also observed on the non-replacing molars of other diphyodont mammals (pig and hedgehog), initially appearing very similar to the successional dental lamina on the replacing teeth. We have analyzed the morphological as well as ultrastructural changes that occur during the development and loss of this molar lamina in the mouse, from its initiation at late embryonic stages to its disappearance at postnatal stages. We show that loss appears to be driven by a reduction in cell proliferation, down-regulation of the progenitor marker Sox2, with only a small number of cells undergoing programmed cell death. The lingual lamina was associated with the dental stalk, a short epithelial connection between the tooth germ and the oral epithelium. The dental stalk remained in contact with the oral epithelium throughout tooth development up to eruption when connective tissue and numerous capillaries progressively invaded the dental stalk. The buccal side of the dental stalk underwent keratinisation and became part of the gingival epithelium, while most of the lingual cells underwent programmed cell death and the tissue directly above the erupting tooth was shed into the oral cavity. PMID:26010446

  3. Multi(scale)gravity: a telescope for the micro-world

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kogan, I.I.

    2001-01-01

    A short review of modern status of multi-gravity, i.e. modification of gravity at both short and large distances is given. Usually embedding of standard model and general relativity into any multidimensional construction gives rise to all possible sorts of new effects in a micro-world but we can also get a very drastic modification of these laws of gravity at ultra-large scale. One of the reason why multi-gravity can modify CMB (cosmic microwave background) is that it leads to a large distance modification of the curvature. One of very striking features of multi-gravity is that it gives us a some sort of a dark matter whose origin is that it is just matter from other branes. The author shows that on a 5-dimensional case and at large distances, multi-gravity opens a window in extra dimensions and gravitationally matter which is localized on other branes can be felt. (A.C.)

  4. Size dependence of ozone lamina characteristics and their correlations

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Križan, Peter; Laštovička, Jan; Kozubek, Michal

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 132, September (2015), s. 116-123 ISSN 1364-6826 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA15-03909S Institutional support: RVO:68378289 Keywords : ozone laminae * correlations among laminae * vertical resolution of ozone sonde measurements Subject RIV: DG - Athmosphere Sciences, Meteorology Impact factor: 1.463, year: 2015 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364682615300055

  5. Radiologic study on lamina dura

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ahn, Hyung Kyu [Dept. of Radiology, College of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1981-11-15

    This study was performed to investigate the thickness of lamina dura of the human teeth in periodontal disease, which obtained from the intraoral roentgenograms of the 122 cases taken by bisecting technic. All films were divided into the different ages, the different sexes, and the different location of the different teeth. The obtained results were as follows: 1. Compared with the normal teeth, the thickness of lamina dura in periodontal disease is increased in all of different ages, sexes and teeth. 2. Generally, the alveolar crest portion is the thickest among the root surfaces, and midroot, apex followed, and the average thickness of the posterior teeth is thicker than that of anterior teeth. 3. The mean value of the whole maxillary teeth is almost same as that of mandibular teeth. 4. On the whole cases, the differences of male and female is about 0.01 mm, which is not a significant differences.

  6. Radiologic study on lamina dura

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahn, Hyung Kyu

    1981-01-01

    This study was performed to investigate the thickness of lamina dura of the human teeth in periodontal disease, which obtained from the intraoral roentgenograms of the 122 cases taken by bisecting technic. All films were divided into the different ages, the different sexes, and the different location of the different teeth. The obtained results were as follows: 1. Compared with the normal teeth, the thickness of lamina dura in periodontal disease is increased in all of different ages, sexes and teeth. 2. Generally, the alveolar crest portion is the thickest among the root surfaces, and midroot, apex followed, and the average thickness of the posterior teeth is thicker than that of anterior teeth. 3. The mean value of the whole maxillary teeth is almost same as that of mandibular teeth. 4. On the whole cases, the differences of male and female is about 0.01 mm, which is not a significant differences.

  7. Multi-category micro-milling tool wear monitoring with continuous hidden Markov models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Kunpeng; Wong, Yoke San; Hong, Geok Soon

    2009-02-01

    In-process monitoring of tool conditions is important in micro-machining due to the high precision requirement and high tool wear rate. Tool condition monitoring in micro-machining poses new challenges compared to conventional machining. In this paper, a multi-category classification approach is proposed for tool flank wear state identification in micro-milling. Continuous Hidden Markov models (HMMs) are adapted for modeling of the tool wear process in micro-milling, and estimation of the tool wear state given the cutting force features. For a noise-robust approach, the HMM outputs are connected via a medium filter to minimize the tool state before entry into the next state due to high noise level. A detailed study on the selection of HMM structures for tool condition monitoring (TCM) is presented. Case studies on the tool state estimation in the micro-milling of pure copper and steel demonstrate the effectiveness and potential of these methods.

  8. A multi-step electrochemical etching process for a three-dimensional micro probe array

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Yoonji; Youn, Sechan; Cho, Young-Ho; Park, HoJoon; Chang, Byeung Gyu; Oh, Yong Soo

    2011-01-01

    We present a simple, fast, and cost-effective process for three-dimensional (3D) micro probe array fabrication using multi-step electrochemical metal foil etching. Compared to the previous electroplating (add-on) process, the present electrochemical (subtractive) process results in well-controlled material properties of the metallic microstructures. In the experimental study, we describe the single-step and multi-step electrochemical aluminum foil etching processes. In the single-step process, the depth etch rate and the bias etch rate of an aluminum foil have been measured as 1.50 ± 0.10 and 0.77 ± 0.03 µm min −1 , respectively. On the basis of the single-step process results, we have designed and performed the two-step electrochemical etching process for the 3D micro probe array fabrication. The fabricated 3D micro probe array shows the vertical and lateral fabrication errors of 15.5 ± 5.8% and 3.3 ± 0.9%, respectively, with the surface roughness of 37.4 ± 9.6 nm. The contact force and the contact resistance of the 3D micro probe array have been measured to be 24.30 ± 0.98 mN and 2.27 ± 0.11 Ω, respectively, for an overdrive of 49.12 ± 1.25 µm.

  9. The diagnostic value of the alveolar lamina dura in generalised bone disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuhlencordt, J.; Kruse, H.P.; Franke, J.; Hamburg Univ.

    1981-01-01

    Changes in the alveolar lamina dura in 134 patients have been analysed. They included 32 cases with urolithiasis in whom generalised bone disease had been excluded, 37 cases of primary hyperparathyroidism, 31 cases of secondary hyperparathyroidism and 34 cases with primary osteoporosis. The state of the lamina dura was related to biochemical, radiological and histological findings in the various groups. The value of the lamina dura in the diagnosis of generalised skeletal abnormalities has been defined. (orig.) [de

  10. Toughening MoSi2 with Niobium metal -- Effects of size and orientation of ductile laminae

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shaw, L.; Abbaschian, R.

    1994-01-01

    Effects of size and orientation of ductile laminae on the toughness of brittle matrix composites have been evaluated using MoSi 2 composites reinforced with Nb laminae. Nb laminae with thicknesses ranging from 0.127 to 1.0 mm were hot pressed with MoSi 2 powder to prepare the composites. Toughness of the composites was measured using four-point bend test on chevron-notched specimens. It was found that the toughness of the composites increased with increasing size of the niobium laminae. Furthermore, toughening was observed at crack propagation directions perpendicular to the laminae plane, indicating that ductile laminae offer two dimensional toughening. A model based on the bridging contribution of the ductile phase has been proposed to analyze the chevron-notched specimens of the ductile-phase-reinforced brittle matrix composites. The analysis showed that the dependence of the toughness of the composites on the size and orientation of the ductile laminae could be interpreted in terms of their bridging capability and bending contributions

  11. Multi-scale carbon micro/nanofibers-based adsorbents for protein immobilization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Singh, Shiv; Singh, Abhinav [Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur 208016 (India); Bais, Vaibhav Sushil Singh; Prakash, Balaji [Department of Biological Science and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur 208016 (India); Verma, Nishith, E-mail: nishith@iitk.ac.in [Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur 208016 (India); Center for Environmental Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur 208016 (India)

    2014-05-01

    In the present study, different proteins, namely, bovine serum albumin (BSA), glucose oxidase (GOx) and the laboratory purified YqeH were immobilized in the phenolic resin precursor-based multi-scale web of activated carbon microfibers (ACFs) and carbon nanofibers (CNFs). These biomolecules are characteristically different from each other, having different structure, number of parent amino acid molecules and isoelectric point. CNF was grown on ACF substrate by chemical vapor deposition, using Ni nanoparticles (Nps) as the catalyst. The ultra-sonication of the CNFs was carried out in acidic medium to remove Ni Nps from the tip of the CNFs to provide additional active sites for adsorption. The prepared material was directly used as an adsorbent for proteins, without requiring any additional treatment. Several analytical techniques were used to characterize the prepared materials, including scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, BET surface area, pore-size distribution, and UV–vis spectroscopy. The adsorption capacities of prepared ACFs/CNFs in this study were determined to be approximately 191, 39 and 70 mg/g for BSA, GOx and YqeH, respectively, revealing that the carbon micro-nanofibers forming synthesized multi-scale web are efficient materials for the immobilization of protein molecules. - Highlights: • Ni metal Np-dispersed carbon micro-nanofibers (ACFs/CNFs) are prepared. • ACFs/CNFs are mesoporous. • Significant adsorption of BSA, GOx and YqeH is observed on ACFs/CNFs. • Multi-scale web of ACFs/CNFs is effective for protein immobilization.

  12. DESIGN of MICRO CANTILEVER BEAM for VAPOUR DETECTION USING COMSOL MULTI PHYSICS SOFTWARE

    OpenAIRE

    Sivacoumar R; Parvathy JM; Pratishtha Deep

    2015-01-01

    This paper gives an overview of micro cantilever beam of various shapes and materials for vapour detection. The design of micro cantilever beam, analysis and simulation is done for each shape. The simulation is done using COMSOL Multi physics software using structural mechanics and chemical module. The simulation results of applied force and resulting Eigen frequencies will be analyzed for different beam structures. The vapour analysis is done using flow cell that consists of chemical pill...

  13. Contributions of the 12 neuron classes in the fly lamina to motion vision.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tuthill, John C; Nern, Aljoscha; Holtz, Stephen L; Rubin, Gerald M; Reiser, Michael B

    2013-07-10

    Motion detection is a fundamental neural computation performed by many sensory systems. In the fly, local motion computation is thought to occur within the first two layers of the visual system, the lamina and medulla. We constructed specific genetic driver lines for each of the 12 neuron classes in the lamina. We then depolarized and hyperpolarized each neuron type and quantified fly behavioral responses to a diverse set of motion stimuli. We found that only a small number of lamina output neurons are essential for motion detection, while most neurons serve to sculpt and enhance these feedforward pathways. Two classes of feedback neurons (C2 and C3), and lamina output neurons (L2 and L4), are required for normal detection of directional motion stimuli. Our results reveal a prominent role for feedback and lateral interactions in motion processing and demonstrate that motion-dependent behaviors rely on contributions from nearly all lamina neuron classes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. A Depth-Focusing Collimator for the Investigation of the Brain Cortex; Collimateur a Focalisation Profonde pour l'Exploration de la Substance Corticale du Cerveau; Kollimator s glubinnoj fokusirovkoj dlya''issledovaniya kory golovnogo mozga; Colimador de Enfoque Profundo para Estudios de la Corteza Cerebral

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Glasswestern, H. I. [Regional Hospital Board, Glasgow (United Kingdom)

    1964-10-15

    mesurer, a l'aide de {sup 133}Xe, des flux sanguins localises dans la substance corticale du cerveau. Toutefois, l'appareil permet aussi de detecter, avec des produits chimiques marques par {sup 125}l, des tumeurs et des hemorragies de la substance corticale. (author) [Spanish] El autor describe un detector que consiste en un cristal de yoduro de sodio, de 5 pulg de diametro y i de pulg de espesor, y un colimador de enfoque profundo. En principio, el colimador fue diseflado para el estudio de la circulacion sanguinea en la corteza cerebral mediante el {sup 133}Xe, pero puede utilizarse tambien con otros emisores de rayos gamma blandos, por ejemplo, el {sup 125}I. El colimador, de plomo, tiene Inverted-Question-Mark de pulg de espesor y es de tipo multicanal. El foco esta situado a 1,75 cm de la cara anterior. La respuesta en aire a una fuente puntiforme que se mueva a lo largo del eje central del colimador decrece hasta el {sup 125}I del valor maximo a {+-} 0,75 cm del foco. La respuesta en tejidos para campos alejados es considerablemente mejor que en aire debido a que los tejidos atenuan mucho la radiacion gamma blanda. El autor describe la respuesta del colimador a una fuente puntiforme situada en el aire y dentro de un craneo. El colimador se ha empleado para medir, con ayuda de {sup 133}Xe, la circulacion sanguinea en la corteza cerebral; pero mediante productos quimicos marcados con {sup 125}I, permite tambien detectar hemorragias y tumores corticales. (author) [Russian] Opisyvaetsja detektor , sostojashhij iz kristalla iodistogo natrija dimetrom 12,5 sm i tolshhinoj 6,2 mm kollimatora s glubinnoj fokusirovkoj. Kollimator pervonachal'no prednaznachalsja dlja issledovanija krovoobrashhenija v kore golovnogo m o zga s pomoshh'ju ks en on a -133 , no mozhno takzhe ispol'zovat' i drugie mjagkie gamma-izluchajushhie i zo topy, naprimer j o d -125. Kollimator so svincovym korpusom tolshhinoj 6m m javljaetsja mnogokanal'nym. Fokus nahoditsja na rasstojanii 1,75 sm ot

  15. Quantification of the spatial organization of the nuclear lamina as a tool for cell classification

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Righolt, C.H.; Zatreanu, D.A.; Raz, V.

    2013-01-01

    The nuclear lamina is the structural scaffold of the nuclear envelope that plays multiple regulatory roles in chromatin organization and gene expression as well as a structural role in nuclear stability. The lamina proteins, also referred to as lamins, determine nuclear lamina organization and

  16. Characterization of the surface and interfacial properties of the lamina splendens

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rexwinkle, Joe T.; Hunt, Heather K.; Pfeiffer, Ferris M.

    2017-06-01

    Joint disease affects approximately 52.5 million patients in the United States alone, costing 80.8 billion USD in direct healthcare costs. The development of treatment programs for joint disease and trauma requires accurate assessment of articular cartilage degradation. The articular cartilage is the interfacial tissue between articulating surfaces, such as bones, and acts as low-friction interfaces. Damage to the lamina splendens, which is the articular cartilage's topmost layer, is an early indicator of joint degradation caused by injury or disease. By gaining comprehensive knowledge on the lamina splendens, particularly its structure and interfacial properties, researchers could enhance the accuracy of human and animal biomechanical models, as well as develop appropriate biomimetic materials for replacing damaged articular cartilage, thereby leading to rational treatment programs for joint disease and injury. Previous studies that utilize light, electron, and force microscopy techniques have found that the lamina splendens is composed of collagen fibers oriented parallel to the cartilage surface and encased in a proteoglycan matrix. Such orientation maximizes wear resistance and proteoglycan retention while promoting the passage of nutrients and synovial fluid. Although the structure of the lamina splendens has been explored in the literature, the low-friction interface of this tissue remains only partially characterized. Various functional models are currently available for the interface, such as pure boundary lubrication, thin films exuded under pressure, and sheets of trapped proteins. Recent studies suggest that each of these lubrication models has certain advantages over one another. Further research is needed to fully model the interface of this tissue. In this review, we summarize the methods for characterizing the lamina splendens and the results of each method. This paper aims to serve as a resource for existing studies to date and a roadmap of the

  17. The design of multi-channel pulse amplitude analyzer based on ARM micro controller

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Hai; Li Xiang; Liu Caixue

    2010-01-01

    It introduces the design of multi-channel pulse amplitude analyzer based on embedded ARM micro-controller. The embedded and real-time system μC/OS-II builds up the real-time and stability of the system and advances the integration. (authors)

  18. Analog integrated circuit for micro-gyro interface realized by multi-chip service in Japan; Multi chip service ni yoru micro gyro interface shuseki kairo no sekkei to shisaku

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maenaka, K.; Fujita, T.; Okamoto, K.; Maeda, M. [Himeji Institute of Technology, Hyogo (Japan)

    1998-10-01

    This paper deals with an analog integrated circuit for micro-machined gyroscopes with capacitive output. The Integrated circuit was fabricated as a part of the first project from the `Micromachining Multi-Chip Service Cooperative Re-search Committee` organized by The Institute of Electrical Engineers Japan. This multi-chip service project offers a master slice chip with an equivalent of 9 blocks of operational amplifier circuits. Our integrated circuit includes a modulator, demodulator and synchronous rectifier for detecting small changes in the capacitance of a silicon gyroscope. In the paper, the experimental results of fabricated samples will be described. 13 refs., 15 figs.

  19. Medial depression with bony dehiscence of lamina papyracea as an anatomic variation: CT evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Na, Sun Young; Lee, Young Uk; Youn, Eun Kyung; Suh, Sang Gyung; Kim, Dong Hyun

    1994-01-01

    To evaluate the incidence and CT findings of the medial depression and bony dehiscence of lamina papyracea as an anatomic variation. 1472 PNS CTs of the patients with symptoms of chronic sinusitis were retrospectively evaluated. The total incidence of depressed lamina papyracea as an anatomic variation was 3.5%(52/1472) on PNS CT. There was a statistically significant correlation between the increasing age and the incidence of depressed lamina papyracea. Depression of lamina papyracea anterior to the basal lamella were more common than those of the posterior depression. Associated findings were herniation of adjacent fatty tissue in all cases and the medial bowing and hypertrophied configuration of the medial rectus muscle without significant herniation in 19 cases(34%). Nontraumatic, asymptomatic depression with bony dehiscence of lamina papyracea as an anatomic variation is not uncommon with the incidence of 3.5%. Recognition of its existence and degree may be helpful in avoiding various ocular complication during ethmoid surgery

  20. Galanin-immunoreactivity identifies a distinct population of inhibitory interneurons in laminae I-III of the rat spinal cord

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Watanabe Masahiko

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Inhibitory interneurons constitute 30-40% of neurons in laminae I-III and have an important anti-nociceptive role. However, because of the difficulty in classifying them we know little about their organisation. Previous studies have identified 3 non-overlapping groups of inhibitory interneuron, which contain neuropeptide Y (NPY, neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS or parvalbumin, and have shown that these differ in postsynaptic targets. Some inhibitory interneurons contain galanin and the first aim of this study was to determine whether these form a different population from those containing NPY, nNOS or parvalbumin. We also estimated the proportion of neurons and GABAergic axons that contain galanin in laminae I-III. Results Galanin cells were concentrated in laminae I-IIo, with few in laminae IIi-III. Galanin showed minimal co-localisation with NPY, nNOS or parvalbumin in laminae I-II, but most galanin-containing cells in lamina III were nNOS-positive. Galanin cells constituted ~7%, 3% and 2% of all neurons in laminae I, II and III, and we estimate that this corresponds to 26%, 10% and 5% of the GABAergic neurons in these laminae. However, galanin was only found in ~6% of GABAergic boutons in laminae I-IIo, and ~1% of those in laminae IIi-III. Conclusions These results show that galanin, NPY, nNOS and parvalbumin can be used to define four distinct neurochemical populations of inhibitory interneurons. Together with results of a recent study, they suggest that the galanin and NPY populations account for around half of the inhibitory interneurons in lamina I and a quarter of those in lamina II.

  1. Impact of user influence on information multi-step communication in a micro-blog

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu Yue; Hu Yong; He Xiao-Hai; Deng Ken

    2014-01-01

    User influence is generally considered as one of the most critical factors that affect information cascading spreading. Based on this common assumption, this paper proposes a theoretical model to examine user influence on the information multi-step communication in a micro-blog. The multi-steps of information communication are divided into first-step and non-first-step, and user influence is classified into five dimensions. Actual data from the Sina micro-blog is collected to construct the model by means of an approach based on structural equations that uses the Partial Least Squares (PLS) technique. Our experimental results indicate that the dimensions of the number of fans and their authority significantly impact the information of first-step communication. Leader rank has a positive impact on both first-step and non-first-step communication. Moreover, global centrality and weight of friends are positively related to the information non-first-step communication, but authority is found to have much less relation to it

  2. Marker-Based Multi-Sensor Fusion Indoor Localization System for Micro Air Vehicles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xing, Boyang; Zhu, Quanmin; Pan, Feng; Feng, Xiaoxue

    2018-05-25

    A novel multi-sensor fusion indoor localization algorithm based on ArUco marker is designed in this paper. The proposed ArUco mapping algorithm can build and correct the map of markers online with Grubbs criterion and K-mean clustering, which avoids the map distortion due to lack of correction. Based on the conception of multi-sensor information fusion, the federated Kalman filter is utilized to synthesize the multi-source information from markers, optical flow, ultrasonic and the inertial sensor, which can obtain a continuous localization result and effectively reduce the position drift due to the long-term loss of markers in pure marker localization. The proposed algorithm can be easily implemented in a hardware of one Raspberry Pi Zero and two STM32 micro controllers produced by STMicroelectronics (Geneva, Switzerland). Thus, a small-size and low-cost marker-based localization system is presented. The experimental results show that the speed estimation result of the proposed system is better than Px4flow, and it has the centimeter accuracy of mapping and positioning. The presented system not only gives satisfying localization precision, but also has the potential to expand other sensors (such as visual odometry, ultra wideband (UWB) beacon and lidar) to further improve the localization performance. The proposed system can be reliably employed in Micro Aerial Vehicle (MAV) visual localization and robotics control.

  3. Marker-Based Multi-Sensor Fusion Indoor Localization System for Micro Air Vehicles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Boyang Xing

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available A novel multi-sensor fusion indoor localization algorithm based on ArUco marker is designed in this paper. The proposed ArUco mapping algorithm can build and correct the map of markers online with Grubbs criterion and K-mean clustering, which avoids the map distortion due to lack of correction. Based on the conception of multi-sensor information fusion, the federated Kalman filter is utilized to synthesize the multi-source information from markers, optical flow, ultrasonic and the inertial sensor, which can obtain a continuous localization result and effectively reduce the position drift due to the long-term loss of markers in pure marker localization. The proposed algorithm can be easily implemented in a hardware of one Raspberry Pi Zero and two STM32 micro controllers produced by STMicroelectronics (Geneva, Switzerland. Thus, a small-size and low-cost marker-based localization system is presented. The experimental results show that the speed estimation result of the proposed system is better than Px4flow, and it has the centimeter accuracy of mapping and positioning. The presented system not only gives satisfying localization precision, but also has the potential to expand other sensors (such as visual odometry, ultra wideband (UWB beacon and lidar to further improve the localization performance. The proposed system can be reliably employed in Micro Aerial Vehicle (MAV visual localization and robotics control.

  4. Genome-Nuclear Lamina Interactions Regulate Cardiac Stem Cell Lineage Restriction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poleshko, Andrey; Shah, Parisha P; Gupta, Mudit; Babu, Apoorva; Morley, Michael P; Manderfield, Lauren J; Ifkovits, Jamie L; Calderon, Damelys; Aghajanian, Haig; Sierra-Pagán, Javier E; Sun, Zheng; Wang, Qiaohong; Li, Li; Dubois, Nicole C; Morrisey, Edward E; Lazar, Mitchell A; Smith, Cheryl L; Epstein, Jonathan A; Jain, Rajan

    2017-10-19

    Progenitor cells differentiate into specialized cell types through coordinated expression of lineage-specific genes and modification of complex chromatin configurations. We demonstrate that a histone deacetylase (Hdac3) organizes heterochromatin at the nuclear lamina during cardiac progenitor lineage restriction. Specification of cardiomyocytes is associated with reorganization of peripheral heterochromatin, and independent of deacetylase activity, Hdac3 tethers peripheral heterochromatin containing lineage-relevant genes to the nuclear lamina. Deletion of Hdac3 in cardiac progenitor cells releases genomic regions from the nuclear periphery, leading to precocious cardiac gene expression and differentiation into cardiomyocytes; in contrast, restricting Hdac3 to the nuclear periphery rescues myogenesis in progenitors otherwise lacking Hdac3. Our results suggest that availability of genomic regions for activation by lineage-specific factors is regulated in part through dynamic chromatin-nuclear lamina interactions and that competence of a progenitor cell to respond to differentiation signals may depend upon coordinated movement of responding gene loci away from the nuclear periphery. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Discrimination of cortical laminae using MEG.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Troebinger, Luzia; López, José David; Lutti, Antoine; Bestmann, Sven; Barnes, Gareth

    2014-11-15

    Typically MEG source reconstruction is used to estimate the distribution of current flow on a single anatomically derived cortical surface model. In this study we use two such models representing superficial and deep cortical laminae. We establish how well we can discriminate between these two different cortical layer models based on the same MEG data in the presence of different levels of co-registration noise, Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and cortical patch size. We demonstrate that it is possible to make a distinction between superficial and deep cortical laminae for levels of co-registration noise of less than 2mm translation and 2° rotation at SNR > 11 dB. We also show that an incorrect estimate of cortical patch size will tend to bias layer estimates. We then use a 3D printed head-cast (Troebinger et al., 2014) to achieve comparable levels of co-registration noise, in an auditory evoked response paradigm, and show that it is possible to discriminate between these cortical layer models in real data. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Isolation of Eosinophils from the Lamina Propria of the Murine Small Intestine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berek, Claudia; Beller, Alexander; Chu, Van Trung

    2016-01-01

    Only recently has it become apparent that eosinophils play a crucial role in mucosal immune homeostasis. Although eosinophils are the main cellular component of the lamina propria of the gastrointestinal tract, they have often been overlooked because they express numerous markers, which are normally used to characterize macrophages and/or dendritic cells. To study their function in mucosal immunity, it is important to isolate them with high purity and viability. Here, we describe a protocol to purify eosinophils from the lamina propria of the murine small intestine. The method involves preparation of the small intestine, removal of epithelial cells and digestion of the lamina propria to release eosinophils. A protocol to sort eosinophils is included.

  7. An Asynchronous Multi-Sensor Micro Control Unit for Wireless Body Sensor Networks (WBSNs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ching-Hsing Luo

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available In this work, an asynchronous multi-sensor micro control unit (MCU core is proposed for wireless body sensor networks (WBSNs. It consists of asynchronous interfaces, a power management unit, a multi-sensor controller, a data encoder (DE, and an error correct coder (ECC. To improve the system performance and expansion abilities, the asynchronous interface is created for handshaking different clock domains between ADC and RF with MCU. To increase the use time of the WBSN system, a power management technique is developed for reducing power consumption. In addition, the multi-sensor controller is designed for detecting various biomedical signals. To prevent loss error from wireless transmission, use of an error correct coding technique is important in biomedical applications. The data encoder is added for lossless compression of various biomedical signals with a compression ratio of almost three. This design is successfully tested on a FPGA board. The VLSI architecture of this work contains 2.68-K gate counts and consumes power 496-μW at 133-MHz processing rate by using TSMC 0.13-μm CMOS process. Compared with the previous techniques, this work offers higher performance, more functions, and lower hardware cost than other micro controller designs.

  8. Transient and Partial Nuclear Lamina Disruption Promotes Chromosome Movement in Early Meiotic Prophase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Link, Jana; Paouneskou, Dimitra; Velkova, Maria; Daryabeigi, Anahita; Laos, Triin; Labella, Sara; Barroso, Consuelo; Pacheco Piñol, Sarai; Montoya, Alex; Kramer, Holger; Woglar, Alexander; Baudrimont, Antoine; Markert, Sebastian Mathias; Stigloher, Christian; Martinez-Perez, Enrique; Dammermann, Alexander; Alsheimer, Manfred; Zetka, Monique; Jantsch, Verena

    2018-04-23

    Meiotic chromosome movement is important for the pairwise alignment of homologous chromosomes, which is required for correct chromosome segregation. Movement is driven by cytoplasmic forces, transmitted to chromosome ends by nuclear membrane-spanning proteins. In animal cells, lamins form a prominent scaffold at the nuclear periphery, yet the role lamins play in meiotic chromosome movement is unclear. We show that chromosome movement correlates with reduced lamin association with the nuclear rim, which requires lamin phosphorylation at sites analogous to those that open lamina network crosslinks in mitosis. Failure to remodel the lamina results in delayed meiotic entry, altered chromatin organization, unpaired or interlocked chromosomes, and slowed chromosome movement. The remodeling kinases are delivered to lamins via chromosome ends coupled to the nuclear envelope, potentially enabling crosstalk between the lamina and chromosomal events. Thus, opening the lamina network plays a role in modulating contacts between chromosomes and the nuclear periphery during meiosis. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. A Comprehensive Strategy for Accurate Reactive Power Distribution, Stability Improvement, and Harmonic Suppression of Multi-Inverter-Based Micro-Grid

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Henan Dong

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Among the issues of accurate power distribution, stability improvement, and harmonic suppression in micro-grid, each has been well studied as an individual, and most of the strategies about these issues aim at one inverter-based micro-grid, hence there is a need to establish a model to achieve these functions as a whole, aiming at a multi-inverter-based micro-grid. This paper proposes a comprehensive strategy which achieves this goal successfully; since the output voltage and frequency of micro-grid all consist of fundamental and harmonic components, the strategy contains two parts accordingly. On one hand, a fundamental control strategy is proposed upon the conventional droop control. The virtual impedance is introduced to solve the problem of accurate allocation of reactive power between inverters. Meanwhile, a secondary power balance controller is added to improve the stability of voltage and frequency while considering the aggravating problem of stability because of introducing virtual impedance. On the other hand, the fractional frequency harmonic control strategy is proposed. It can solve the influence of nonlinear loads, micro-grid inverters, and the distribution network on output voltage of inverters, which is focused on eliminating specific harmonics caused by the nonlinear loads, micro-grid converters, and the distribution network so that the power quality of micro-grid can be improved effectively. Finally, small signal analysis is used to analyze the stability of the multi-converter parallel system after introducing the whole control strategy. The simulation results show that the strategy proposed in this paper has a great performance on distributing reactive power, regulating and stabilizing output voltage of inverters and frequency, eliminating harmonic components, and improving the power quality of multi-inverter-based micro-grid.

  10. Nomenclature of Vertebral Laminae in Lizards, with Comments on Ontogenetic and Serial Variation in Lacertini (Squamata, Lacertidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tschopp, Emanuel

    2016-01-01

    Vertebral laminae are bony ridges or sheets that connect important morphological landmarks on the vertebrae, like diapophyses or zygapophyses. They usually exhibit some serial variation throughout the column. A consistent terminology facilitates the morphological description of this variation, and the recognition of patterns that could be taxonomically significant and could serve as phylogenetic characters. Such a terminology was designed for saurischian dinosaurs, and has also been applied to other members of Archosauriformes. Herein, this terminology is applied for the first time to lizards (Squamata). Probably due to their generally smaller size compared to saurischian dinosaurs, lizards have less developed vertebral laminae. Some laminae could not be recognized in this group and others require new names to account for differences in basic vertebral morphology. For instance, the fusion of diapophysis and parapophysis in lacertids into a structure called synapophysis necessitates the creation of the new term synapophyseal laminae for both diapophyseal and parapophyseal laminae. An assessment of occurrence and serial variation in a number of lacertid species shows that some laminae develop throughout ontogeny or only occur in large-sized species, whereas the distribution of other laminae might prove to be taxonomically significant in future.

  11. Nomenclature of Vertebral Laminae in Lizards, with Comments on Ontogenetic and Serial Variation in Lacertini (Squamata, Lacertidae.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emanuel Tschopp

    Full Text Available Vertebral laminae are bony ridges or sheets that connect important morphological landmarks on the vertebrae, like diapophyses or zygapophyses. They usually exhibit some serial variation throughout the column. A consistent terminology facilitates the morphological description of this variation, and the recognition of patterns that could be taxonomically significant and could serve as phylogenetic characters. Such a terminology was designed for saurischian dinosaurs, and has also been applied to other members of Archosauriformes. Herein, this terminology is applied for the first time to lizards (Squamata. Probably due to their generally smaller size compared to saurischian dinosaurs, lizards have less developed vertebral laminae. Some laminae could not be recognized in this group and others require new names to account for differences in basic vertebral morphology. For instance, the fusion of diapophysis and parapophysis in lacertids into a structure called synapophysis necessitates the creation of the new term synapophyseal laminae for both diapophyseal and parapophyseal laminae. An assessment of occurrence and serial variation in a number of lacertid species shows that some laminae develop throughout ontogeny or only occur in large-sized species, whereas the distribution of other laminae might prove to be taxonomically significant in future.

  12. Mechanisms and timing of replacement dental lamina regression

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Dosedělová, H.; Dumková, J.; Lesot, H.; Glocová, K.; Hampl, A.; Tucker, A.; Buchtová, Marcela

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 296, special feature (2013), s. 272-272 ISSN 1932-8486. [International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology /10./. 08.07.2013-12.07.2013, Barcelona] Institutional support: RVO:67985904 Keywords : dental lamina Subject RIV: FF - HEENT, Dentistry

  13. Stability assessment of a multi-port power electronic interface for hybrid micro-grid applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shamsi, Pourya

    Migration to an industrial society increases the demand for electrical energy. Meanwhile, social causes for preserving the environment and reducing pollutions seek cleaner forms of energy sources. Therefore, there has been a growth in distributed generation from renewable sources in the past decade. Existing regulations and power system coordination does not allow for massive integration of distributed generation throughout the grid. Moreover, the current infrastructures are not designed for interfacing distributed and deregulated generation. In order to remedy this problem, a hybrid micro-grid based on nano-grids is introduced. This system consists of a reliable micro-grid structure that provides a smooth transition from the current distribution networks to smart micro-grid systems. Multi-port power electronic interfaces are introduced to manage the local generation, storage, and consumption. Afterwards, a model for this micro-grid is derived. Using this model, the stability of the system under a variety of source and load induced disturbances is studied. Moreover, pole-zero study of the micro-grid is performed under various loading conditions. An experimental setup of this micro-grid is developed, and the validity of the model in emulating the dynamic behavior of the system is verified. This study provides a theory for a novel hybrid micro-grid as well as models for stability assessment of the proposed micro-grid.

  14. The Insulator Protein SU(HW) Fine-Tunes Nuclear Lamina Interactions of the Drosophila Genome

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Bemmel, J.G.; Pagie, L.; Braunschweig, U.; Brugman, W.; Meuleman, W.; Kerkhoven, R.M.; Van Steensel, B.

    2010-01-01

    Specific interactions of the genome with the nuclear lamina (NL) are thought to assist chromosome folding inside the nucleus and to contribute to the regulation of gene expression. High-resolution mapping has recently identified hundreds of large, sharply defined lamina-associated domains (LADs) in

  15. The formation process of the flood type lamina in the Lake Mokoto, Hokkaido, Japan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seto, K.; Katsuki, K.; Takeshi, S.

    2017-12-01

    In the coastal area of the Sea of Okhotsk in the east part of Hokkaido located to subarctic zone, many brackish-water lakes are distributed. Lake Mokoto consist of organic mud with the lamination. The 09Mk-1C core at 2009. In the soft X-ray photograph, the cyclic lamina set is observed. The cyclic lamina set consists of low- and high-density lamina. According to the meteorological data in Abashiri region, the annually precipitation is high from August to September. Probably, the cyclic lamina set is formed by seasonal change of precipitation. In August 2016, it showed a precipitation of 425 mm which is about 4 times the average precipitation. In February 2017, the 10 cm class short core (17Mk-4SC core) was collected and the flood lamina was observed. Six layers showing different color were observed in top 6.5 cm. The first, third and fifth layers from the top are relatively light in color (L*value=17). The second, fourth and sixth layers are relatively dark in color (L*value=8). Thickness of the first to fourth layers is about 5 mm, but the thickness of the fifth layer reaches 4 cm. According to the observation of the soft X-ray photograph, the third and fifth layers were high-density lamina, and the others were low-density lamina. Because these layers were not observed in the 15Mk-3C core collected in March 2015, they were deposited after that. It is estimated that the third layer showing the high-density lamina is the sediment of the flood event in August 2016. This is supported by the fact that the total organic carbon (TOC) and total sulfur (TS) contents are diluted and the C/N ratio is relatively high value. Because this lamina is remarkable, it will be used as a future key bed. On the other hand, the fifth layer showing the high-density is a very thick. In this layer, the TS content is diluted and the C/N ratio is high, but the TOC content shows the highest value. This suggests that sediments with high TOC content flowed out from Mokoto River Basin. It has

  16. Brilliant iridescence of Morpho butterfly wing scales is due to both a thin film lower lamina and a multilayered upper lamina.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giraldo, M A; Stavenga, D G

    2016-05-01

    Butterflies belonging to the nymphalid subfamily, Morphinae, are famous for their brilliant blue wing coloration and iridescence. These striking optical phenomena are commonly explained as to originate from multilayer reflections by the ridges of the wing scales. Because the lower lamina of the scales of related nymphalid butterflies, the Nymphalinae, plays a dominant role in the wing coloration, by acting as a thin film reflector, we investigated single blue scales of three characteristic Morpho species: M. epistrophus, M. helenor and M. cypris. The experimental data obtained by spectrophotometry, scatterometry and scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that also in the Morpho genus the lower lamina of both the cover and ground scales acts as an optical thin film reflector, contributing importantly to the blue structural coloration of the wings. Melanin pigment has a contrast-enhancing function in a sub-class of ground scales.

  17. Presenting a multi-objective generation scheduling model for pricing demand response rate in micro-grid energy management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aghajani, G.R.; Shayanfar, H.A.; Shayeghi, H.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Using DRPs to cover the uncertainties resulted from power generation by WT and PV. • Proposing the use of price-offer packages and amount of DR for implement DRPs. • Considering a multi-objective scheduling model and use of MOPSO algorithm. - Abstract: In this paper, a multi-objective energy management system is proposed in order to optimize micro-grid (MG) performance in a short-term in the presence of Renewable Energy Sources (RESs) for wind and solar energy generation with a randomized natural behavior. Considering the existence of different types of customers including residential, commercial, and industrial consumers can participate in demand response programs. As with declare their interruptible/curtailable demand rate or select from among different proposed prices so as to assist the central micro-grid control in terms of optimizing micro-grid operation and covering energy generation uncertainty from the renewable sources. In this paper, to implement Demand Response (DR) schedules, incentive-based payment in the form of offered packages of price and DR quantity collected by Demand Response Providers (DRPs) is used. In the typical micro-grid, different technologies including Wind Turbine (WT), PhotoVoltaic (PV) cell, Micro-Turbine (MT), Full Cell (FC), battery hybrid power source and responsive loads are used. The simulation results are considered in six different cases in order to optimize operation cost and emission with/without DR. Considering the complexity and non-linearity of the proposed problem, Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization (MOPSO) is utilized. Also, fuzzy-based mechanism and non-linear sorting system are applied to determine the best compromise considering the set of solutions from Pareto-front space. The numerical results represented the effect of the proposed Demand Side Management (DSM) scheduling model on reducing the effect of uncertainty obtained from generation power and predicted by WT and PV in a MG.

  18. Science goals and expected results from the smart-1 amie multi-coulour micro-camera

    Science.gov (United States)

    Josset, J.-L.; AMIE Team

    2003-04-01

    The Advanced Moon micro-Imager Experiment (AMIE), which will be on board ESA SMART-1, the first European mission to the Moon (launch foreseen in 2003), is an imaging system with scientific, technical and public outreach oriented objectives. The science objectives are to image the Lunar South Pole (Aitken basin), permanent shadow areas (ice deposit), eternal light (crater rims), ancient Lunar Nonmare volcanism, local spectro-photometry and physical state of the lunar surface, and to map high latitudes regions (south) mainly at far side. The main science goals and the expected results from the AMIE multi-colour micro-camera are presented.

  19. Fabrication of high conductivity dual multi-porous poly (L-lactic acid)/polypyrrole composite micro/nanofiber film

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu Qiaozhen; Dai Zhengwei; Lan Ping

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → PLLA/H 2 SO 4 -doped PPy composite micro/nano fibers dual multi-pore membranes with high conductivity were fabricated by combining electrospinning with in situ polymerization.These composite fibers have a core-shell structure, the PPy is the core and the PLLA/PPy is the shell. → The size and shape of the pores in this PPy composite fiber membrane can be tuned by polymerization parameters. The largest size of the pores is about 250 μm. → The conductivity of this composite fiber membrane can be adjusted by polymerization parameters. The highest conductivity is 179.0 S cm -1 . The PLLA fibers act as the template in the pyrrole polymerization process and contributed to the increase of the conductivity. - Abstract: Dual multi-porous PLLA (poly(L-lactic acid))/H 2 SO 4 -doped PPy (polypyrrole) composite micro/nano fiber films were fabricated by combining electrospinning with in situ polymerization. The morphologies and structures of the resulting samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that the composite micro/nano fibers exhibited a core-shell structure and the composite fiber film had a dual multi-pore structure composed of pores both in the fibers and among the fibers. Semiconductor parameter analyzer was used to characterize the electrical properties of the samples. It was interesting to find that all the PLLA/H 2 SO 4 -doped PPy composite micro/nano fiber films had higher conductivity than H 2 SO 4 -doped PPy particles when the polymerization time up to 180 min. Effects of the pyrrole synthesis conditions on the pore size and the conductivity of PLLA/PPy composite fiber film were assessed. By optimizing the polymerization conditions, the max conductivity of this composite fiber film was about 179.0 S cm -1 with a pore size of about 250 μm. The possible mechanism of PLLA/H 2 SO 4 -doped PPy composite micro/nano fiber films had much higher conductivity than H 2 SO 4 -doped PPy particles was discussed.

  20. Brilliant iridescence of Morpho butterfly wing scales is due to both a thin film lower lamina and a multilayered upper lamina

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Giraldo, M A; Stavenga, D G

    2016-01-01

    Butterflies belonging to the nymphalid subfamily, Morphinae, are famous for their brilliant blue wing coloration and iridescence. These striking optical phenomena are commonly explained as to originate from multilayer reflections by the ridges of the wing scales. Because the lower lamina of the

  1. Multi-material micro-electromechanical fibers with bendable functional domains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen-Dang, Tung; Page, Alexis G.; Qu, Yunpeng; Volpi, Marco; Yan, Wei; Sorin, Fabien

    2017-04-01

    The integration of increasingly complex functionalities within thermally drawn multi-material fibers is heralding a novel path towards advanced soft electronics and smart fabrics. Fibers capable of electronic, optoelectronic, piezoelectric or energy harvesting functions are created by assembling new materials in intimate contact within increasingly complex architectures. Thus far, however, the opportunities associated with the integration of cantilever-like structures with freely moving functional domains within multi-material fibers have not been explored. Used extensively in the micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) technology, electro-mechanical transductance from moving and bendable domains is used in a myriad of applications. In this article we demonstrate the thermal drawing of micro-electromechanical fibers (MEMF) that can detect and localize pressure with high accuracy along their entire length. This ability results from an original cantilever-like design where a freestanding electrically conductive polymer composite film bends under an applied pressure. As it comes into contact with another conducting domain, placed at a prescribed position in the fiber cross-section, an electrical signal is generated. We show that by a judicious choice of materials and electrical connectivity, this signal can be uniquely related to a position along the fiber axis. We establish a model that predicts the position of a local touch from the measurement of currents generated in the 1D MEMF device, and demonstrate an excellent agreement with the experimental data. This ability to detect and localize touch over large areas, curved surfaces and textiles holds significant opportunities in robotics and prosthetics, flexible electronic interfaces, and medical textiles. , which features invited work from the best early-career researchers working within the scope of J. Phys. D. This project is part of the Journal of Physics series’ 50th anniversary celebrations in 2017. Fabien Sorin

  2. Multi-scale-nonlinear interactions among micro-turbulence, double tearing instability and zonal flows

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishizawa, A.; Nakajima, N.

    2007-01-01

    Micro-turbulence and macro-magnetohydrodynamic (macro-MHD) instabilities can appear in plasma at the same time and interact with each other in a plasma confinement. The multi-scale-nonlinear interaction among micro-turbulence, double tearing instability and zonal flow is investigated by numerically solving a reduced set of two-fluid equations. It is found that the double tearing instability, which is a macro-MHD instability, appears in an equilibrium formed by a balance between micro-turbulence and zonal flow when the double tearing mode is unstable. The roles of the nonlinear and linear terms of the equations in driving the zonal flow and coherent convective cell flow of the double tearing mode are examined. The Reynolds stress drives zonal flow and coherent convective cell flow, while the ion diamagnetic term and Maxwell stress oppose the Reynolds stress drive. When the double tearing mode grows, linear terms in the equations are dominant and they effectively release the free energy of the equilibrium current gradient

  3. Experimental Investigations on the effect of Additive on the Tensile Properties of Fiber Glass Fabric Lamina

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nava Sai Divya, A.; Raghu Kumar, B., Dr; Lakshmi Narayana, G., Dr

    2017-09-01

    The main objective of this work is to investigate the effect of additives on tensile behaviour of fiber glass fabric at lamina level to explore an alternative skin material for the outer body of aerospace applications and machines. This experimental work investigates the effect of silica concentration in epoxy resin lapox L-12 on the tensile properties of glass fabric lamina of 4H-satin weave having 3.6 mm thickness. The lamina was prepared by using hand lay-up method and tests were conducted on it. Various tensile properties values obtained from experimentation were compared for four glass fiber lamina composites fabricated by adding the silica powder to resin bath. The effect of variations in silica concentration (0% SiO2, 5% SiO2, 10% SiO2 and 15% SiO2) on the tensile properties of prepared material revealed that maximum stiffness was obtained at 15% and yield strength at 10% SiO2 concentration in glass fiber lamina. Increasing the silica concentration beyond 10% had led to deterioration in the material properties. The experimentation that was carried out on test specimen was reasonably successful as the effect of silica powder as an additive in glass fiber lamina enhanced the mechanical properties up to certain limit. The underpinning microscopic behaviour at the source of these observations will be investigated in a follow up work.

  4. Neutrophil migration through preexisting holes in the basal laminae of alveolar capillaries and epithelium during streptococcal pneumonia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walker, D C; Behzad, A R; Chu, F

    1995-11-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not there are preexisting holes in the endothelial and epithelial basal laminae of alveolar walls and to determine the path taken by neutrophils as they migrate from the capillaries to the airspace of the alveoli during inflammation. Using transmission electron microscopy and serial thin sections of normal rabbit and mouse lung, we have demonstrated the presence of slit-like holes in the capillary basal laminae and round holes in the basal laminae of type 2 pneumocytes. The slits in the capillary basal laminae were observed at the intersection of the thick and thin walls where endothelium, pericytes, and fibroblasts make close contact. The round holes in the type 2 cell basal laminae were observed at sites of close contact with fibroblasts. Neutrophils were observed to migrate through these slits and holes during streptococcal pneumonia in rabbit lungs. We conclude that during inflammation in the lung, migrating neutrophils displace pericytes and fibroblasts from the slits in the capillary basal lamina and then crawl through these slits into the alveolar interstitium. We postulate that neutrophils find their way to type 2 pneumocytes by following interstitial fibroblasts. We believe that neutrophils displace fibroblasts from their close contacts with the type 2 cells and then crawl through the holes in the basal lamina into the basal lateral space of the type 2 cells. From there, neutrophils migrate into the alveolar airspace.

  5. Multi-terminal remote monitoring and warning system using Micro Air Vehicle for dangerous environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Yanan; Wang, Xiaoxun; He, Chengcheng; Lai, Chenlong; Liu, Yuanchao

    2015-11-01

    For overcoming the problems such as remote operation and dangerous tasks, multi-terminal remote monitoring and warning system based on STC89C52 Micro Control Unit and wireless communication technique was proposed. The system with MCU as its core adopted multiple sets of sensor device to monitor environment parameters of different locations, such as temperature, humidity, smoke other harmful gas concentration. Data information collected was transmitted remotely by wireless transceiver module, and then multi-channel data parameter was processed and displayed through serial communication protocol between the module and PC. The results of system could be checked in the form of web pages within a local network which plays a wireless monitoring and warning role. In a remote operation, four-rotor micro air vehicle which fixed airborne data acquisition device was utilized as a middleware between collecting terminal and PC to increase monitoring scope. Whole test system has characteristics of simple construction, convenience, real time ability and high reliability, which could meet the requirements of actual use.

  6. Numerical Simulation and Experimental Investigation of Multi-function Micro-plasma Jet and Alumina Particle Behaviour

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liu Gu

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Turbulent flow in multi-function micro-plasma spray, as well as the trajectories and state-changing course of alumina particles in the plasma jet were simulated. The distribution of temperature and velocity of the plasma jet and in-flight alumina particles is discussed. Calculations show that particles are heated and accelerated sufficiently by the plasma flame due to a longer travel time than that of external injection system, therefore, possess higher temperature and velocity. Alumina particles temperature and velocity increase rapidly along the jet axis at the initial stage, but then decrease gradually. The velocity and surface temperature of in-flight alumina particles are measured by Spray Watch-2i system. The velocity and surface temperature of alumina particles measured agree well with the simulation results, confirming that the simulation model is suitable for the prediction of the turbulent flow and the particle characteristics, which also reveals the superiority of the plasma spray gun in this multi-function micro-plasma spraying system.

  7. IgA class switch occurs in the organized nasopharynx- and gut-associated lymphoid tissue, but not in the diffuse lamina propria of airways and gut.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shikina, Takashi; Hiroi, Takachika; Iwatani, Kohichi; Jang, Myoung Ho; Fukuyama, Satoshi; Tamura, Manabu; Kubo, Takeshi; Ishikawa, Hiromichi; Kiyono, Hiroshi

    2004-05-15

    Secretory IgA plays a crucial role in the host immune response as a first line of defense. A recent demonstration of in situ IgA class switching in intestinal lamina propria provided an opportunity to reconsider the model for the homing of IgA-committed B cells characterized by distinctive trafficking patterns to effector sites. Those effector sites depend on the organized mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues as their site of induction. In this report we show the preferential presence of IgM(+)B220(+) and IgA(+)B220(+) cells belonging to pre- and post-IgA isotype class-switched cells in the organized mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues, such as nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissues, isolated lymphoid follicles, and Peyer's patches, and the defect of those populations in the diffuse effector tissues, such as the nasal passage and intestinal lamina propria. Consistent with these findings, the expressions of a series of IgA isotype class switch recombination-related molecules, including activation-induced cytidine deaminase, Ialpha-C micro circle transcripts, and Ialpha-C micro circle transcripts, were selectively detected in these organized mucosa-associated lymphoid structures, but not in the diffuse mucosal effector sites. Taken together, these findings suggest that IgA isotype class switching occurs only in the organized mucosa-associated lymphoid organs (e.g., nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissues, isolated lymphoid follicles, and Peyer's patches), but not in the diffuse effector tissues of the upper respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts.

  8. Micro-scaled high-throughput digestion of plant tissue samples for multi-elemental analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Husted Søren

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Quantitative multi-elemental analysis by inductively coupled plasma (ICP spectrometry depends on a complete digestion of solid samples. However, fast and thorough sample digestion is a challenging analytical task which constitutes a bottleneck in modern multi-elemental analysis. Additional obstacles may be that sample quantities are limited and elemental concentrations low. In such cases, digestion in small volumes with minimum dilution and contamination is required in order to obtain high accuracy data. Results We have developed a micro-scaled microwave digestion procedure and optimized it for accurate elemental profiling of plant materials (1-20 mg dry weight. A commercially available 64-position rotor with 5 ml disposable glass vials, originally designed for microwave-based parallel organic synthesis, was used as a platform for the digestion. The novel micro-scaled method was successfully validated by the use of various certified reference materials (CRM with matrices rich in starch, lipid or protein. When the micro-scaled digestion procedure was applied on single rice grains or small batches of Arabidopsis seeds (1 mg, corresponding to approximately 50 seeds, the obtained elemental profiles closely matched those obtained by conventional analysis using digestion in large volume vessels. Accumulated elemental contents derived from separate analyses of rice grain fractions (aleurone, embryo and endosperm closely matched the total content obtained by analysis of the whole rice grain. Conclusion A high-throughput micro-scaled method has been developed which enables digestion of small quantities of plant samples for subsequent elemental profiling by ICP-spectrometry. The method constitutes a valuable tool for screening of mutants and transformants. In addition, the method facilitates studies of the distribution of essential trace elements between and within plant organs which is relevant for, e.g., breeding programmes aiming at

  9. Significance of host cell kinases in herpes simplex virus type 1 egress and lamin-associated protein disassembly from the nuclear lamina

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leach, Natalie R.; Roller, Richard J.

    2010-01-01

    The nuclear lamina is thought to be a steric barrier to the herpesvirus capsid. Disruption of the lamina accompanied by phosphorylation of lamina proteins is a conserved feature of herpesvirus infection. In HSV-1-infected cells, protein kinase C (PKC) alpha and delta isoforms are recruited to the nuclear membrane and PKC delta has been implicated in phosphorylation of emerin and lamin B. We tested two critical hypotheses about the mechanism and significance of lamina disruption. First, we show that chemical inhibition of all PKC isoforms reduced viral growth five-fold and inhibited capsid egress from the nucleus. However, specific inhibition of either conventional PKCs or PKC delta does not inhibit viral growth. Second, we show hyperphosphorylation of emerin by viral and cellular kinases is required for its disassociation from the lamina. These data support hypothesis that phosphorylation of lamina components mediates lamina disruption during HSV nuclear egress.

  10. Electron microscopic observation of 137Cs-irradiated rat testis. Production of basal laminae for germ cells, despite their absence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sawada, Hajime; Esaki, Michiyo

    2003-01-01

    Whole body γ-ray irradiation of rats with caesium-137 ( 137 Cs) at embryonic day 20 induced marked reduction of the weight of the testis. Body weight and other tissues, however, seemed to remain normal. By light microscopy, complete loss of germ cells was observed in the testis. Other components, such as Sertoli cells and interstitial cells, seemed to be normal. The testes from day 8 postpartum rats contained very few spermatogonia compared with newborn rats, indicating loss of germ cells between days 0 and 8. In the adult, 137 Cs-irradiated testes showed two conspicuous features other than the loss of germ cells: empty vacuolar spaces between Sertoli cells and multilayered seminiferous tubule basal laminae (lamina densa). The junctional structures (ectoplasmic specializations) between Sertoli cells, however, seemed normal. The thickness of each layer of multilayered basal laminae was the same as that of normal rats and electron-lucent layers similar to lamina lucida were interposed between them. Of the empty vacuolar spaces between Sertoli cells, basal laminae bridge the gap. The basal laminae contained laminin, type IV collagen and heparan sulphate proteoglycan evenly distributed among layers, suggesting a normal composition. Rough estimation of the amount of basal laminae deposited in 137 Cs-irradiated rats indicates that it is within a range similar to that in normal testis. These features imply that Sertoli cells are, in part, determined perinatally to produce basal laminae for germ-line cells. (author)

  11. A Novel Method for In-Situ Monitoring of Local Voltage, Temperature and Humidity Distributions in Fuel Cells Using Flexible Multi-Functional Micro Sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Chi-Yuan; Fan, Wei-Yuan; Chang, Chih-Ping

    2011-01-01

    In this investigation, micro voltage, temperature and humidity sensors were fabricated and integrated for the first time on a stainless steel foil using micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). These flexible multi-functional micro sensors have the advantages of high temperature resistance, flexibility, smallness, high sensitivity and precision of location. They were embedded in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) and used to simultaneously measure variations in the inner voltage, temperature and humidity. The accuracy and reproducibility of the calibrated results obtained using the proposed micro sensors is excellent. The experimental results indicate that, at high current density and 100%RH or 75%RH, the relative humidity midstream and downstream saturates due to severe flooding. The performance of the PEM fuel cell can be stabilized using home-made flexible multi-functional micro sensors by the in-situ monitoring of local voltage, temperature and humidity distributions within it. PMID:22319361

  12. A novel method for in-situ monitoring of local voltage, temperature and humidity distributions in fuel cells using flexible multi-functional micro sensors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Chi-Yuan; Fan, Wei-Yuan; Chang, Chih-Ping

    2011-01-01

    In this investigation, micro voltage, temperature and humidity sensors were fabricated and integrated for the first time on a stainless steel foil using micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). These flexible multi-functional micro sensors have the advantages of high temperature resistance, flexibility, smallness, high sensitivity and precision of location. They were embedded in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) and used to simultaneously measure variations in the inner voltage, temperature and humidity. The accuracy and reproducibility of the calibrated results obtained using the proposed micro sensors is excellent. The experimental results indicate that, at high current density and 100%RH or 75%RH, the relative humidity midstream and downstream saturates due to severe flooding. The performance of the PEM fuel cell can be stabilized using home-made flexible multi-functional micro sensors by the in-situ monitoring of local voltage, temperature and humidity distributions within it.

  13. A Novel Method for In-Situ Monitoring of Local Voltage, Temperature and Humidity Distributions in Fuel Cells Using Flexible Multi-Functional Micro Sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chih-Ping Chang

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available In this investigation, micro voltage, temperature and humidity sensors were fabricated and integrated for the first time on a stainless steel foil using micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS. These flexible multi-functional micro sensors have the advantages of high temperature resistance, flexibility, smallness, high sensitivity and precision of location. They were embedded in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC and used to simultaneously measure variations in the inner voltage, temperature and humidity. The accuracy and reproducibility of the calibrated results obtained using the proposed micro sensors is excellent. The experimental results indicate that, at high current density and 100%RH or 75%RH, the relative humidity midstream and downstream saturates due to severe flooding. The performance of the PEM fuel cell can be stabilized using home-made flexible multi-functional micro sensors by the in-situ monitoring of local voltage, temperature and humidity distributions within it.

  14. Plasma assisted fabrication of multi-layer graphene/nickel hybrid film as enhanced micro-supercapacitor electrodes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ding, Q.; Li, W. L.; Zhao, W. L.; Wang, J. Y.; Xing, Y. P.; Li, X.; Xue, T.; Qi, W.; Zhang, K. L.; Yang, Z. C.; Zhao, J. S.

    2017-03-01

    A facile synthesis strategy has been developed for fabricating multi-layer graphene/nickel hybrid film as micro-supercapacitor electrodes by using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The as-presented method is advantageous for rapid graphene growth at relatively low temperature of 650 °C. In addition, after pre-treating for the as-deposited nickel film by using argon plasma bombardment, the surface-to-volume ratio of graphene film on the treated nickel substrate is effectively increased by the increasing of surface roughness. This is demonstrated by the characterization results from transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscopy. Moreover, the electrochemical performance of the resultant graphene/nickel hybrid film as micro-supercapacitor working electrode was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge measurements. It was found that the increase of the surface-to-volume ratio of graphene/nickel hybrid film improved the specific capacitance of 10 times as the working electrode of micro-supercapacitor. Finally, by using comb columnar shadow mask pattern, the micro-supercapacitor full cell device was fabricated. The electrochemical performance measurements of the micro-supercapacitor devices indicate that the method presented in this study provides an effective way to fabricate micro-supercapacitor device with enhanced energy storage property.

  15. An A.P.L. micro-programmed machine: implementation on a Multi-20 mini-computer, memory organization, micro-programming and flowcharts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Granger, Jean-Louis

    1975-01-01

    This work deals with the presentation of an APL interpreter implemented on an MULTI 20 mini-computer. It includes a left to right syntax analyser, a recursive routine for generation and execution. This routine uses a beating method for array processing. Moreover, during the execution of all APL statements, dynamic memory allocation is used. Execution of basic operations has been micro-programmed. The basic APL interpreter has a length of 10 K bytes. It uses overlay methods. (author) [fr

  16. Spatial distribution and functional significance of leaf lamina shape in Amazonian forest trees

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. C. M. Malhado

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available Leaves in tropical forests come in an enormous variety of sizes and shapes, each of which can be ultimately viewed as an adaptation to the complex problem of optimising the capture of light for photosynthesis. However, the fact that many different shape "strategies" coexist within a habitat demonstrate that there are many other intrinsic and extrinsic factors involved, such as the differential investment in support tissues required for different leaf lamina shapes. Here, we take a macrogeographic approach to understanding the function of different lamina shape categories. Specifically, we use 106 permanent plots spread across the Amazon rainforest basin to: 1 describe the geographic distribution of some simple metrics of lamina shape in plots from across Amazonia, and; 2 identify and quantify relationships between key environmental parameters and lamina shape in tropical forests. Because the plots are not randomly distributed across the study area, achieving this latter objective requires the use of statistics that can account for spatial auto-correlation. We found that between 60–70% of the 2791 species and 83 908 individual trees in the dataset could be classified as having elliptic leaves (= the widest part of the leaf is on an axis in the middle fifth of the long axis of the leaf. Furthermore, the average Amazonian tree leaf is 2.5 times longer than it is wide and has an entire margin. Contrary to theoretical expectations we found little support for the hypothesis that narrow leaves are an adaptation to dry conditions. However, we did find strong regional patterns in leaf lamina length-width ratios and several significant correlations with precipitation variables suggesting that water availability may be exerting an as yet unrecognised selective pressure on leaf shape of rainforest trees. Some support was found for the hypothesis that narrow leaves are an adaptation to low nutrient soils. Furthermore, we found a strong correlation between

  17. Mechanisms of nuclear lamina growth in interphase

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Zhironkina, O.A.; Kurchashova, S.Y.; Pozharskaia, V.A.; Cherepanynets, V.D.; Strelkova, O.S.; Hozák, Pavel; Kireev, I.I.

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 145, č. 4 (2016), s. 419-432 ISSN 0948-6143 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA16-03403S Grant - others:Russian Fund for Basic Research(RU) 13-04-00885; Russian Fund for Basic Research(RU) 15-54-78077 Institutional support: RVO:68378050 Keywords : Nuclear lamina * Microdomains * Interphase * Nucleus * DNA replication * Cell cycle Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 2.553, year: 2016

  18. Design, Fabrication and Computational Characterization of a 3D Micro-Valve Built by Multi-Photon Polymerization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stratos Galanopoulos

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available We report on the design, modeling and fabrication by multi-photon polymerization of a complex medical fluidic device. The physical dimensions of the built micro-valve prototype are compared to those of its computer-designed model. Important fabrication issues such as achieving high dimensional resolution and ability to control distortion due to shrinkage are presented and discussed. The operational performance of both multi-photon and CAD-created models under steady blood flow conditions was evaluated and compared through computational fluid dynamics analysis.

  19. Characterizing lamina propria of human gastric mucosa by multiphoton microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Y C; Yang, H Q; Zhuo, S M [Institute of Laser and Optoelectronics Technology, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Photonics Technology, Key Laboratory of OptoElectronic Science and Technology for Medicine of Ministry of Education, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007 (China); Chen, G; Chen, J X [Department of Pathology, Fujian Provincial Tumor Hospital, Fuzhou, 350014 (China); Yan, J, E-mail: chenjianxin@fjnu.edu.cn, E-mail: ynjun@yahoo.com [Department of Surgery, Fujian Provincial Tumor Hospital, Fuzhou, 350014 (China)

    2011-01-01

    Lamina propria (LP) of gastric mucosa plays an important role in progression of gastric cancer because of the site at where inflammatory reactions occur. Multiphoton imaging has been recently employed for microscopic examination of intact tissue. In this paper, using multiphoton microscopy (MPM) based on two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) and second harmonic generation (SHG), high resolution multiphoton microscopic images of lamina propria (LP) are obtained in normal human gastric mucosa at excitation wavelength {lambda}{sub ex} = 800 nm. The main source of tissue TPEF originated from the cells of gastric glands, and loose connective tissue, collagen, produced SHG signals. Our results demonstrated that MPM can be effective for characterizing the microstructure of LP in human gastric mucosa. The findings will be helpful for diagnosing and staging early gastric cancer in the clinics.

  20. Characterizing lamina propria of human gastric mucosa by multiphoton microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Y. C.; Yang, H. Q.; Chen, G.; Zhuo, S. M.; Chen, J. X.; Yan, J.

    2011-01-01

    Lamina propria (LP) of gastric mucosa plays an important role in progression of gastric cancer because of the site at where inflammatory reactions occur. Multiphoton imaging has been recently employed for microscopic examination of intact tissue. In this paper, using multiphoton microscopy (MPM) based on two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) and second harmonic generation (SHG), high resolution multiphoton microscopic images of lamina propria (LP) are obtained in normal human gastric mucosa at excitation wavelength λex = 800 nm. The main source of tissue TPEF originated from the cells of gastric glands, and loose connective tissue, collagen, produced SHG signals. Our results demonstrated that MPM can be effective for characterizing the microstructure of LP in human gastric mucosa. The findings will be helpful for diagnosing and staging early gastric cancer in the clinics.

  1. The Design and Performance of a Large High resolution Focusing Collimator; Etude d'un Grand Collimateur a Focalisation et Fort Pouvoir de Resolution: Resultats; Konstruktsiya i kharakteristika krupnogo fokusiruyushchego kollimatora s vysokoj stepen'yu razresheniya; Diseno y Funcionamiento de un Gran Colimador Enfocado de Alto Poder de Resolucion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Harris, C. C.; Bell, P. R.; Satterfield, M. M.; Ross, D. A.; Jordan, J. C. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN (United States)

    1964-10-15

    solide, en vue d'augmenter l'efficacite de comptage. Des scintigrammes de l'organisme entier ont ete obtenus au moyen de '{sup 198}Au et de {sup 131}I. Ces scintigrammes montrent que le collimateur de 14 cm a une plus grande efficacite et une plus grande resolution. Sur un scintigramme ({sup 198}Au) de chien obtenu au moyen du collimateur de 16,5 cm, on a discerne nettement une zone active d'un diametre apparent inferieur a 6 mm; l'activite n'etait que cinq fois superieure au bruit de fond du aux tissus, mais la zone active etait nettement separee par un espace d 0,6 cm d'une source environ cinquante fois plus intense ayant un diametre de 1,8 cm. (author) [Spanish] Los 'colimadores enfocados' permiten utilizar detectores de grandes dimensiones que dan un indice de recuento mayor sin perdida del poder de resolucion espacial. Como estos colimadores tienen muchos canales dirigidos hacia un mismo punto se obtiene con ellos una especie de efecto 'de enfoque'. Los tabiques de esc' canales son necesariamente delgados y, por consiguiente, le' rayos gamma los atraviesan en detrimento de la resolucion espacial. A fin de reducir esa penetracion se han empleado, para detectores de 3 pulg de diametro, colimadores de wolframio y oro, de preferencia a los de plomo. Si se reduce la penetracion empleando un colimador de plomo mas largo se malogra la finalidad perseguida ya que el indice de recuento disminuye, a no ser que se emplee tambien un detector de mayores dimensiones. Los autores han disenado y construido un colimador de plomo de 91 canales para emplearlo con un detector de Nal(Tl) de 5,25 pulg (13,5 cm) por 3 pulg (7,5 cm). El foco esta situado a 9,5 pulg (24 cm) del detector, y el angulo solido de admision es igual al de los colimadores enfocados que se emplean corrientemente con detectores de 3 pulg. La longitud maxima es de 6,5 pulg (16 ,5 cm); la normal es de 5,5 pulg (14 cm). Para estas longitudes, los 'circulos de resolucion' opticos son, respectivamente, de 0.476 pulg (1

  2. Cross disease analysis of co-functional microRNA pairs on a reconstructed network of disease-gene-microRNA tripartite.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Hui; Lan, Chaowang; Zheng, Yi; Hutvagner, Gyorgy; Tao, Dacheng; Li, Jinyan

    2017-03-24

    MicroRNAs always function cooperatively in their regulation of gene expression. Dysfunctions of these co-functional microRNAs can play significant roles in disease development. We are interested in those multi-disease associated co-functional microRNAs that regulate their common dysfunctional target genes cooperatively in the development of multiple diseases. The research is potentially useful for human disease studies at the transcriptional level and for the study of multi-purpose microRNA therapeutics. We designed a computational method to detect multi-disease associated co-functional microRNA pairs and conducted cross disease analysis on a reconstructed disease-gene-microRNA (DGR) tripartite network. The construction of the DGR tripartite network is by the integration of newly predicted disease-microRNA associations with those relationships of diseases, microRNAs and genes maintained by existing databases. The prediction method uses a set of reliable negative samples of disease-microRNA association and a pre-computed kernel matrix instead of kernel functions. From this reconstructed DGR tripartite network, multi-disease associated co-functional microRNA pairs are detected together with their common dysfunctional target genes and ranked by a novel scoring method. We also conducted proof-of-concept case studies on cancer-related co-functional microRNA pairs as well as on non-cancer disease-related microRNA pairs. With the prioritization of the co-functional microRNAs that relate to a series of diseases, we found that the co-function phenomenon is not unusual. We also confirmed that the regulation of the microRNAs for the development of cancers is more complex and have more unique properties than those of non-cancer diseases.

  3. Glymphatic stasis at the site of the lamina cribrosa as a potential mechanism underlying open-angle glaucoma

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wostyn, Peter; Killer, Hanspeter Esriel; De Deyn, Peter Paul

    The underlying pathophysiology of primary open-angle glaucoma remains unclear, but the lamina cribrosa seems to be the primary site of injury, and raised intraocular pressure is a major risk factor. In recent years, a decreased intracranial pressure, leading to an abnormally high trans-lamina

  4. Remodeling of the Nuclear Envelope and Lamina during Bovine Preimplantation Development and Its Functional Implications.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jens Popken

    Full Text Available The present study demonstrates a major remodeling of the nuclear envelope and its underlying lamina during bovine preimplantation development. Up to the onset of major embryonic genome activation (MGA at the 8-cell stage nuclei showed a non-uniform distribution of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs. NPCs were exclusively present at sites where DNA contacted the nuclear lamina. Extended regions of the lamina, which were not contacted by DNA, lacked NPCs. In post-MGA nuclei the whole lamina was contacted rather uniformly by DNA. Accordingly, NPCs became uniformly distributed throughout the entire nuclear envelope. These findings shed new light on the conditions which control the integration of NPCs into the nuclear envelope. The switch from maternal to embryonic production of mRNAs was accompanied by multiple invaginations covered with NPCs, which may serve the increased demands of mRNA export and protein import. Other invaginations, as well as interior nuclear segments and vesicles without contact to the nuclear envelope, were exclusively positive for lamin B. Since the abundance of these invaginations and vesicles increased in concert with a massive nuclear volume reduction, we suggest that they reflect a mechanism for fitting the nuclear envelope and its lamina to a shrinking nuclear size during bovine preimplantation development. In addition, a deposit of extranuclear clusters of NUP153 (a marker for NPCs without associated lamin B was frequently observed from the zygote stage up to MGA. Corresponding RNA-Seq data revealed deposits of spliced, maternally provided NUP153 mRNA and little unspliced, newly synthesized RNA prior to MGA, which increased strongly at the initiation of embryonic expression of NUP153 at MGA.

  5. The essential oil in lamina and petiole of heracleum-dissectum leaves

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Montanarella, L; Bos, R; Fisher, FC

    The essential oils of lamina and petiole of Heracleum dissectum are described. Fifty-seven compounds have been identified by mass spectrometry and retention indices. Differences between the oils of the two organs were mainly quantitative.

  6. Influence of the Applied Working Fluid and the Arrangement of the Steering Edges on Multi-Vane Expander Performance in Micro ORC System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Józef Rak

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Micro-power domestic organic Rankine cycle (ORC systems are nowadays of great interest. These systems are considered for combined heat and power (CHP generation in domestic and distributed applications. The main issues of ORC systems design is selection of the expander and the working fluid. Thanks to their positive features, multi-vane expanders are especially promising for application in micro-power ORC systems. These expanders are very simple in design, small in dimensions, inexpensive and feature low gas flow capacity and expansion ratio. The application of multi-vane expanders in ORC systems is innovative and currently limited to prototype applications. However, a literature review indicates the growing interest in these machines and the potential for practical implementation. For this reason, it is necessary to conduct detailed studies on the multi-vane expanders operation in ORC systems. In this paper the results of experimental and numerical investigations on the influence of the applied working fluid and the arrangement of the steering edges on multi-vane expander performance in micro ORC system are reported. The experiments were performed using the specially designed lab test-stand, i.e. the domestic ORC system. Numerical simulations were proceeded in ANSYS CFX software (ANSYS, Inc., Canonsburg, PA, USA and were focused on determining the expander performance under various flow conditions of different working fluids. Detailed numerical analysis of the arrangement of the machine steering edges showed existence of optimal mutual position of the inlet and outlet port for which the multi-vane expander achieves maximum internal work and internal efficiency.

  7. Modeling of a collimator micro-multilayers in the Pinnacle planning system; Modelado de un colimador micromultilaminas en el sistema de planificacion Pinnacle

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garcia Hernandez, T.; Brualla Gonzalez, L.; Vicedo Gonzalez, A.; Rosello Ferrando, J.; Granero Cabanero, D.

    2013-07-01

    To model and validate, in the system of planning and calculation Pinnacle, a micro-multilayers collimator mounted on an accelerator Siemens Primus. The objective is to take advantage of the improvements offered by the algorithm of convolution of cone collapsed and the capacity of the system of modeling the rounded end of the blades. (Author)

  8. Stress and strain field singularities, micro-cracks, and their role in failure initiation at the composite laminate free-edge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dustin, Joshua S.

    A state-of-the-art multi-scale analysis was performed to predict failure initiation at the free-edge of an angle-ply laminate using the Strain Invariant Failure Theory (SIFT), and multiple improvements to this analysis methodology were proposed and implemented. Application of this analysis and theory led to the conclusion that point-wise failure criteria which ignore the singular stress and strain fields from a homogenized analysis and the presence of free-edge damage in the form of micro-cracking, may do so at the expense of failure prediction capability. The main contributions of this work then are made in the study of the laminate free-edge singularity and in the effects of micro-cracking at the composite laminate free-edge. Study of both classical elasticity and finite element solutions of the laminate free-edge stress field based upon the assumption of homogenized lamina properties reveal that the order of the free-edge singularity is sufficiently small such that the domain of dominance of this term away from the laminate free-edge is much smaller than the relevant dimensions of the microstructure. In comparison to a crack-tip field, these free-edge singularities generate stress and strain fields which are half as intense as those at the crack-tip, leading to the conclusion that existing flaws at the free-edge in the form of micro-cracks would be more prone to the initiation of free-edge failure than the existence of a singularity in the free-edge elasticity solutions. A methodical experiment was performed on a family of [±25°/90°] s laminates made of IM7/8552 carbon/epoxy composite, to both characterize micro-cracks present at the laminate free-edge and to study their behavior under the application of a uniform extensional load. The majority of these micro-cracks were of length on the order of a few fiber diameters, though larger micro-cracks as long as 100 fiber diameters were observed in thicker laminates. A strong correlation between the application of

  9. Multi-Stage Hybrid Rocket Conceptual Design for Micro-Satellites Launch using Genetic Algorithm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitagawa, Yosuke; Kitagawa, Koki; Nakamiya, Masaki; Kanazaki, Masahiro; Shimada, Toru

    The multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) is applied to the multi-disciplinary conceptual design problem for a three-stage launch vehicle (LV) with a hybrid rocket engine (HRE). MOGA is an optimization tool used for multi-objective problems. The parallel coordinate plot (PCP), which is a data mining method, is employed in the post-process in MOGA for design knowledge discovery. A rocket that can deliver observing micro-satellites to the sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) is designed. It consists of an oxidizer tank containing liquid oxidizer, a combustion chamber containing solid fuel, a pressurizing tank and a nozzle. The objective functions considered in this study are to minimize the total mass of the rocket and to maximize the ratio of the payload mass to the total mass. To calculate the thrust and the engine size, the regression rate is estimated based on an empirical model for a paraffin (FT-0070) propellant. Several non-dominated solutions are obtained using MOGA, and design knowledge is discovered for the present hybrid rocket design problem using a PCP analysis. As a result, substantial knowledge on the design of an LV with an HRE is obtained for use in space transportation.

  10. Anterior lamina cribrosa surface position in idiopathic intracranial hypertension and glaucoma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Villarruel, Jenni Martinez; Li, Xiao Q.; Bach-Holm, Daniella

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: To compare the anterior lamina cribrosa (LC) surface position in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), primary open-angle glaucoma (high-tension glaucoma [HTG] and normal-tension glaucoma [NTG]), and healthy controls using enhanced depth imaging spectral-domain optical...

  11. Microbial Communities and Their Predicted Metabolic Functions in Growth Laminae of a Unique Large Conical Mat from Lake Untersee, East Antarctica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hyunmin Koo

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available In this study, we report the distribution of microbial taxa and their predicted metabolic functions observed in the top (U1, middle (U2, and inner (U3 decadal growth laminae of a unique large conical microbial mat from perennially ice-covered Lake Untersee of East Antarctica, using NextGen sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and bioinformatics tools. The results showed that the U1 lamina was dominated by cyanobacteria, specifically Phormidium sp., Leptolyngbya sp., and Pseudanabaena sp. The U2 and U3 laminae had high abundances of Actinobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. Closely related taxa within each abundant bacterial taxon found in each lamina were further differentiated at the highest taxonomic resolution using the oligotyping method. PICRUSt analysis, which determines predicted KEGG functional categories from the gene contents and abundances among microbial communities, revealed a high number of sequences belonging to carbon fixation, energy metabolism, cyanophycin, chlorophyll, and photosynthesis proteins in the U1 lamina. The functional predictions of the microbial communities in U2 and U3 represented signal transduction, membrane transport, zinc transport and amino acid-, carbohydrate-, and arsenic- metabolisms. The Nearest Sequenced Taxon Index (NSTI values processed through PICRUSt were 0.10, 0.13, and 0.11 for U1, U2, and U3 laminae, respectively. These values indicated a close correspondence with the reference microbial genome database, implying high confidence in the predicted metabolic functions of the microbial communities in each lamina. The distribution of microbial taxa observed in each lamina and their predicted metabolic functions provides additional insight into the complex microbial ecosystem at Lake Untersee, and lays the foundation for studies that will enhance our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the formation of these unique mat structures and their evolutionary significance.

  12. Laser 3D micro-manufacturing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Piqué, Alberto; Auyeung, Raymond C Y; Kim, Heungsoo; Charipar, Nicholas A; Mathews, Scott A

    2016-01-01

    Laser-based materials processing techniques are gaining widespread use in micro-manufacturing applications. The use of laser microfabrication techniques enables the processing of micro- and nanostructures from a wide range of materials and geometries without the need for masking and etching steps commonly associated with photolithography. This review aims to describe the broad applications space covered by laser-based micro- and nanoprocessing techniques and the benefits offered by the use of lasers in micro-manufacturing processes. Given their non-lithographic nature, these processes are also referred to as laser direct-write and constitute some of the earliest demonstrations of 3D printing or additive manufacturing at the microscale. As this review will show, the use of lasers enables precise control of the various types of processing steps—from subtractive to additive—over a wide range of scales with an extensive materials palette. Overall, laser-based direct-write techniques offer multiple modes of operation including the removal (via ablative processes) and addition (via photopolymerization or printing) of most classes of materials using the same equipment in many cases. The versatility provided by these multi-function, multi-material and multi-scale laser micro-manufacturing processes cannot be matched by photolithography nor with other direct-write microfabrication techniques and offer unique opportunities for current and future 3D micro-manufacturing applications. (topical review)

  13. Direct and indirect pathways to lamina I in the medulla oblongata and spinal cord of the cat

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holstege, Gert

    1988-01-01

    The pathways to lamina I in the medulla oblongata and spinal cord of the cat were traced using horse-radish-peroxidase (HRP) and autoradiographic techniques. The HRP results indicated that several neuronal cell groups in the brain stem and hypothalamus project to the spinal cord throughout its total length. The autoradiographic tracing results demonstrated that the strongest projections to lamina I are derived from the following four areas: the caudal nucleus raphe magnus (NRM), the ventral part of the caudal pontine and NRM, the contralaterally projecting lateral pontine or paralemniscal tegmentum, and the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. In addition, a limited, especially at lumbosacral levels, distinct projection to lamina I was found to originate in the most caudal part of the medullary tegmentum.

  14. Effect of Lamina Thickness of Prepreg on the Surface Accuracy of Carbon Fiber Composite Space Mirrors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Zhiyong; Tang, Zhanwen; Xie, Yongjie; Shi, Hanqiao; Zhang, Boming; Guo, Hongjun

    2018-02-01

    Composite space mirror can completely replicate the high-precision surface of mould by replication process, but the actual surface accuracy of the replication composite mirror always decreases. Lamina thickness of prepreg affects the layers and layup sequence of composite space mirror, and which would affect surface accuracy of space mirror. In our research, two groups of contrasting cases through finite element analyses (FEA) and comparative experiments were studied; the effect of different lamina thicknesses of prepreg and corresponding lay-up sequences was focused as well. We describe a special analysis model, validated process and result analysis. The simulated and measured surface figures both get the same conclusion. Reducing lamina thickness of prepreg used in replicating composite space mirror is propitious to optimal design of layup sequence for fabricating composite mirror, and could improve its surface accuracy.

  15. Surface electronic transport measurements: A micro multi-point probe approach

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Barreto, Lucas

    2014-01-01

    This work is mostly focused on the study of electronic transport properties of two-dimensional materials, in particular graphene and topological insulators. To study these, we have improved a unique micro multi-point probe instrument used to perform transport measurements. Not only the experimental...... quantities are extracted, such as conductivity, carrier density and carrier mobility. • A method to insulate electrically epitaxial graphene grown on metals, based on a stepwise intercalation methodology, is developed and transport measurements are performed in order to test the insulation. • We show...... a direct measurement of the surface electronic transport on a bulk topological insulator. The surface state conductivity and mobility are obtained. Apart from transport properties, we also investigate the atomic structure of the Bi2Se3(111) surface via surface x-ray diraction and low-energy electron...

  16. Anterior lamina cribrosa insertion in primary open-angle glaucoma patients and healthy subjects.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kyoung Min Lee

    Full Text Available To determine using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT whether there are differences in the location of the anterior lamina cribrosa insertion (ALI in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG patients and healthy subjects.Fifty three eyes from 53 patients with POAG, and 53 eyes from 53 age-matched healthy subjects were included prospectively in Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. Twelve radial line B-scans centered on the optic disc in every half-clock-hour meridian were acquired using SS-OCT. The ALI position was assessed by measuring two parameters: (1 ALI distance (ALID--the distance from the anterior scleral canal opening (ASCO to the ALI; and (2 marginal anterior lamina cribrosa surface depth (mALCSD--the perpendicular distance from the ASCO plane to the anterior lamina cribrosa surface. These parameters were compared between the two groups for each meridian.Both ALID (256 ± 54 vs. 209 ± 37 µm, mean ± SD, p < 0.001 and mALCSD (232 ± 63 vs. 187 ± 40 µm, p < 0.001 were significantly greater in the POAG group than in the normal group. The largest difference was observed at the 6.5 o'clock and 11.5 o'clock meridians for both ALID and mALCSD. Multiple regression analysis revealed a negative correlation between age and both ALID and mALCSD in the control group, and a negative correlation between mean deviation of the visual field test and both ALID and mALCSD in the POAG group.The ALI was displaced posteriorly in eyes with POAG compared to those of healthy controls. This finding suggests that the posteriorly located lamina cribrosa insertion is an important component of glaucomatous optic nerve excavation.

  17. [Research of preparation craft of Danshen phenolic acid fast release unit in multi-drug delivery system of Tongmai micro-pellets].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Bin; Xiao, Wei; Jia, Xiao-Bin; Huang, Yang

    2012-07-01

    To prepare Danshen phenolic acid fast release micro-pellets and study its preparation craft. The factors which could impact yield, extrude shaping, dissolution of Danshen phenolic acid micro-pellets such as wetting agent, drug loading dose, adjuvant, lactose dose, disintegrant, CMS-Na dose and wetting agent dose was investigated. The optimum preparation craft of Danshen phenolic acid fast release micro-pellets was screened out by orhogonal design. Formula of Danshen phenolic acid fast release micro-pellets was calculated as volume dose 50 g. The formula was as follows: principal agent 22.5 g, lactose 5 g, CMS-Na 2 g, MCC 20.5 g, 27 mL 30% ethanol as wetting agent. Extrusion-spheronization was applied. The optimum conditions were screened out as follows: extrusion frequency (25 Hz), spheronization machine frequency (50 Hz), spheronization time (4 min). The process was scientific and rational. The preparation is stable settles basis for multi-drug delivery system of Tongmai micro-pellets.

  18. Multi-institutional MicroCT image comparison of image-guided small animal irradiators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnstone, Chris D.; Lindsay, Patricia; E Graves, Edward; Wong, Eugene; Perez, Jessica R.; Poirier, Yannick; Ben-Bouchta, Youssef; Kanesalingam, Thilakshan; Chen, Haijian; E Rubinstein, Ashley; Sheng, Ke; Bazalova-Carter, Magdalena

    2017-07-01

    To recommend imaging protocols and establish tolerance levels for microCT image quality assurance (QA) performed on conformal image-guided small animal irradiators. A fully automated QA software SAPA (small animal phantom analyzer) for image analysis of the commercial Shelley micro-CT MCTP 610 phantom was developed, in which quantitative analyses of CT number linearity, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), uniformity and noise, geometric accuracy, spatial resolution by means of modulation transfer function (MTF), and CT contrast were performed. Phantom microCT scans from eleven institutions acquired with four image-guided small animal irradiator units (including the commercial PXi X-RAD SmART and Xstrahl SARRP systems) with varying parameters used for routine small animal imaging were analyzed. Multi-institutional data sets were compared using SAPA, based on which tolerance levels for each QA test were established and imaging protocols for QA were recommended. By analyzing microCT data from 11 institutions, we established image QA tolerance levels for all image quality tests. CT number linearity set to R 2  >  0.990 was acceptable in microCT data acquired at all but three institutions. Acceptable SNR  >  36 and noise levels  1.5 lp mm-1 for MTF  =  0.2) was obtained at all but four institutions due to their large image voxel size used (>0.275 mm). Ten of the eleven institutions passed the set QA tolerance for geometric accuracy (2000 HU for 30 mgI ml-1). We recommend performing imaging QA with 70 kVp, 1.5 mA, 120 s imaging time, 0.20 mm voxel size, and a frame rate of 5 fps for the PXi X-RAD SmART. For the Xstrahl SARRP, we recommend using 60 kVp, 1.0 mA, 240 s imaging time, 0.20 mm voxel size, and 6 fps. These imaging protocols should result in high quality images that pass the set tolerance levels on all systems. Average SAPA computation time for complete QA analysis for a 0.20 mm voxel, 400 slice Shelley phantom microCT data set

  19. Microarc oxidation coating covered Ti implants with micro-scale gouges formed by a multi-step treatment for improving osseointegration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bai, Yixin; Zhou, Rui; Cao, Jianyun; Wei, Daqing; Du, Qing; Li, Baoqiang; Wang, Yaming; Jia, Dechang; Zhou, Yu

    2017-07-01

    The sub-microporous microarc oxidation (MAO) coating covered Ti implant with micro-scale gouges has been fabricated via a multi-step MAO process to overcome the compromised bone-implant integration. The as-prepared implant has been further mediated by post-heat treatment to compare the effects of -OH functional group and the nano-scale orange peel-like morphology on osseointegration. The bone regeneration, bone-implant contact interface, and biomechanical push-out force of the modified Ti implant have been discussed thoroughly in this work. The greatly improved push-out force for the MAO coated Ti implants with micro-scale gouges could be attributed to the excellent mechanical interlocking effect between implants and biologically meshed bone tissues. Attributed to the -OH functional group which promotes synostosis between the biologically meshed bone and the gouge surface of implant, the multi-step MAO process could be an effective strategy to improve the osseointegration of Ti implant. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Micro/Nanomechanical characterization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes reinforced epoxy composite.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, Peng; Wang, Xinnan; Tangpong, X W

    2012-11-01

    In this paper, the mechanical properties of 1 wt.% multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) reinforced epoxy nanocomposites were characterized using a self-designed micro/nano three point bending tester that was on an atomic force microscope (AFM) to in situ observe MWCNTs movement on the sample surface under loading. The migration of an individual MWCNT at the surface of the nanocomposite was tracked to address the nanomechanical reinforcing mechanism of the nanocomposites. Through morphology analysis of the nanocomposite via scanning electron microscopy, AFM, and digital image correlation technique, it was found that the MWCNTs agglomerate and the bundles were the main factors for limiting the bending strength of the composites. The agglomeration/bundle effect was included in the Halpin-Tsai model to account for the elastic modulus of the nanocomposites.

  1. Evaluation of the rostral projection of the sacral lamina as a component of degenerative lumbosacral stenosis in German shepherd dogs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saunders, Harvey; Worth, Andrew J; Bridges, Janis P; Hartman, Angela

    2018-05-20

    To determine the association between a greater rostral projection of the sacral lamina and clinical signs of cauda equina syndrome (CES) in German shepherd dogs (GSD) with presumptive degenerative lumbosacral disease (DLSS). Retrospective cohort study. One hundred forty-three GSD (125 police dogs and 18 pet dogs) presenting for either CES or prebreeding evaluation. Fifty-five were classified as affected by CES and diagnosed with DLSS, and 88 were classified as unaffected on the basis of clinical and imaging findings. The position of the rostral edge of the sacral lamina was measured from radiographs and/or computed tomography (CT) scans. This position was compared between affected and unaffected dogs. In dogs that underwent both radiography and CT scanning, the agreement between sacral lamina localization using each imaging modality was determined. Owners/handlers were contacted to determine whether dogs subsequently developed clinical signs compatible with CES at a mean of 29 months (unaffected). The sacral lamina did not extend as far rostrally in affected dogs, compared to unaffected dogs (P = .04). Among the 88 dogs unaffected by CES at initial evaluation, 2 developed clinical signs consistent with CES at follow-up. Rostral projection of the sacral lamina, previously proposed as a potential risk factor in dogs with CES due to lumbosacral degeneration, was not associated with a diagnosis of DLSS in this study; the opposite was true. Rostral projection of the sacral lamina may not be a predisposing factor in the development of CES due to DLSS in GSD. © 2018 The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

  2. The application of dynamic micro-simulation model of urban planning based on multi-agent system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, J.; Shiming, W.

    2012-12-01

    The dynamic micro-simulation model of urban planning based on multi-agent, is mainly used to measure and predict the impact of the policy on urban land use, employment opportunities and the price of real estate. The representation of the supply and characteristics of land and of real estate development, at a spatial scale. The use of real estate markets as a central organizing focus, with consumer choices and supplier choices explicitly represented, as well as the resulting effects on real estate prices. The relationship of agents to real estate tied to specific locations provided a clean accounting of space and its use. Finally, it will produce a map composited with the dynamic demographic distribution and the dynamic employment transfer by the geographic spatial data. With the data produced by the urban micro-simulation model, it can provide the favorable forecast reference for the scientific urban land use.

  3. Single‑shot lamina technique of paravertebral block as an adjunct to ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Thoracic paravertebral block can be employed as an alternative or an adjunct to general anesthesia (GA) for breast cancer surgery. There is no report of this new lamina technique for catheter placement in our environment. In low‑resource settings, potent opioids are lacking and the extended postoperative analgesia it ...

  4. The majority of lamina propria CD4(+) T-cells from scid mice with colitis undergo Fas-mediated apoptosis in vivo

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bregenholt, S; Petersen, T R; Claesson, Mogens Helweg

    2001-01-01

    We have previously shown that adoptively transferred CD4(+) T-cells mediate an chronic colitis in severe combined immune deficient (scid) mice. Colitis is accompanied by activation and apoptosis of Fas ligand and TNF-alpha expressing CD4(+) T-cells in the diseased colonic lamina propria (Eur. J....... Immunol. 28:3655 (1998)). Here we investigate the apoptosis-inducing mechanism in these lamina propria infiltrating CD4(+) T-cells. We observe that freshly isolated lamina propria CD4(+) T-cells can kill Fas transfected P815 mastocytoma cells in a TCR/CD3 redirected chromium-release assay, but do...... not express TNF-alpha mediated cytotoxicity. Pre-incubation of the isolated lamina propria CD4(+) T-cells with an anti-FasL antiserum partially blocked killing of the Fas transfected target cells, indicating a role for the Fas-FasL system in the killing process. Treatment of scid mice with colitis with anti-Fas...

  5. Phosphorylation of ERK in neurokinin 1 receptor-expressing neurons in laminae III and IV of the rat spinal dorsal horn following noxious stimulation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Watanabe Masahiko

    2007-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background There is a population of large neurons with cell bodies in laminae III and IV of the spinal dorsal horn which express the neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1r and have dendrites that enter the superficial laminae. Although it has been shown that these are all projection neurons and that they are innervated by substance P-containing (nociceptive primary afferents, we know little about their responses to noxious stimuli. In this study we have looked for phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs in these neurons in response to different types of noxious stimulus applied to one hindlimb of anaesthetised rats. The stimuli were mechanical (repeated pinching, thermal (immersion in water at 52°C or chemical (injection of 2% formaldehyde. Results Five minutes after each type of stimulus we observed numerous cells with phosphorylated ERK (pERK in laminae I and IIo, together with scattered positive cells in deeper laminae. We found that virtually all of the lamina III/IV NK1r-immunoreactive neurons contained pERK after each of these stimuli and that in the great majority of cases there was internalisation of the NK1r on the dorsal dendrites of these cells. In addition, we also saw neurons in lamina III that were pERK-positive but lacked the NK1r, and these were particularly evident in animals that had had the pinch stimulus. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that lamina III/IV NK1r-immunoreactive neurons show receptor internalisation and ERK phosphorylation after mechanical, thermal or chemical noxious stimuli.

  6. Hybrid micro-GA based FLCs for TCSC and UPFC in a multi-machine environment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Khan, Laiq [GIK Institute Topi, Swabi (Pakistan); Lo, K.L. [University of Strathclyde, Glasgow (United Kingdom)

    2006-06-15

    In this paper, a systematic fuzzy logic based damping control system design for TCSC and UPFC is proposed to enhance the power system stability spectrum. Firstly, the fuzzy membership functions and control rules are extracted based on the recorded or monitored signals. Then, the novel 'Grand-Parenting' technique is employed to incorporate the non-optimal fuzzy logic controllers in micro-GA ({mu}-GA) to search for optimal fuzzy membership functions and rules simultaneously. Simulation studies have been carried out to show the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed damping control strategy in a multi-machine power system setup. (author)

  7. Identification of sodium channel isoforms that mediate action potential firing in lamina I/II spinal cord neurons

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Smith Paula L

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Voltage-gated sodium channels play key roles in acute and chronic pain processing. The molecular, biophysical, and pharmacological properties of sodium channel currents have been extensively studied for peripheral nociceptors while the properties of sodium channel currents in dorsal horn spinal cord neurons remain incompletely understood. Thus far, investigations into the roles of sodium channel function in nociceptive signaling have primarily focused on recombinant channels or peripheral nociceptors. Here, we utilize recordings from lamina I/II neurons withdrawn from the surface of spinal cord slices to systematically determine the functional properties of sodium channels expressed within the superficial dorsal horn. Results Sodium channel currents within lamina I/II neurons exhibited relatively hyperpolarized voltage-dependent properties and fast kinetics of both inactivation and recovery from inactivation, enabling small changes in neuronal membrane potentials to have large effects on intrinsic excitability. By combining biophysical and pharmacological channel properties with quantitative real-time PCR results, we demonstrate that functional sodium channel currents within lamina I/II neurons are predominantly composed of the NaV1.2 and NaV1.3 isoforms. Conclusions Overall, lamina I/II neurons express a unique combination of functional sodium channels that are highly divergent from the sodium channel isoforms found within peripheral nociceptors, creating potentially complementary or distinct ion channel targets for future pain therapeutics.

  8. Development of a Multi-User Polyimide-MEMS Fabrication Process and its Application to MicroHotplates

    KAUST Repository

    Lizardo, Ernesto B.

    2013-05-08

    Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) became possible thanks to the silicon based technology used to fabricate integrated circuits. Originally, MEMS fabrication was limited to silicon based techniques and materials, but the expansion of MEMS applications brought the need of a wider catalog of materials, including polymers, now being used to fabricate MEMS. Polyimide is a very attractive polymer for MEMS fabrication due to its high temperature stability compared to other polymers, low coefficient of thermal expansion, low film stress and low cost. The goal of this thesis is to expand the Polyimide usage as structural material for MEMS by the development of a multi-user fabrication process for the integration of this polymer along with multiple metal layers on a silicon substrate. The process also integrates amorphous silicon as sacrificial layer to create free-standing structures. Dry etching is used to release the devices and avoid stiction phenomena. The developed process is used to fabricate platforms for micro-hotplate gas sensors. The fabrication steps for the platforms are described in detail, explaining the process specifics and capabilities. An initial testing of the micro-hotplate is presented. As the process was also used as educational tool, some designs made by students and fabricated with the Polyimide-MEMS process are also presented.

  9. Stochastic and cyclic deposition of multiple subannual laminae in an urban lake (Twin Lake, Golden Valley, Minnesota, USA)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Myrbo, A.; Ustipak, K.; Demet, B.

    2013-12-01

    Twin Lake, a small, deep, meromictic urban lake in Minneapolis, Minnesota, annually deposits two to 10 laminae that are distinguished from one another by composition and resulting color. Sediment sources are both autochthonous and allochthonous, including pure and mixed laminae of authigenic calcite, algal organic matter, and diatoms, as well as at least three distinct types of sediment gravity flow deposits. Diagenetic iron sulfide and iron phosphate phases are minor components, but can affect color out of proportion to their abundance. We used L*a*b* color from digital images of a freeze core slab, and petrographic smear slides of individual laminae, to categorize 1080 laminae deposited between 1963 and 2010 CE (based on lead-210 dating). Some causal relationships exist between the ten categories identified: diatom blooms often occur directly above the debris of gravity flows that probably disrupt the phosphate-rich monimolomnion and fertilize the surface waters; calcite whitings only occur after diatom blooms that increase calcite saturation. Stochastic events, as represented by laminae rich in siliciclastics and other terrigenous material, or shallow-water microfossils and carbonate morphologies, are the dominant sediment source. The patterns of cyclic deposition (e.g., summer and winter sedimentation) that produce 'normal' varve couplets in some lakes are continually interrupted by these stochastic events, to such an extent that spectral analysis finds only a weak one-year cycle. Sediments deposited before about 1900, and extending through the entire Holocene sequence (~10m) are varve couplets interrupted by thick (20-90 cm) debris layers, indicating that gravity flows were lower in frequency but greater in magnitude before the historical period, probably due to an increased frequency of disturbance under urban land-use.

  10. Abnormality of the spinal column in pediatric patients with lumbosacral spinal lipoma with special reference to CT findings of the lamina defects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshifuji, Kazuhisa; Ochi, Satoko; Koyanagi, Izumi; Houkin, Kiyohiro

    2009-01-01

    Lumbosacral spinal lipomas are usually associated with occult spinal dysraphism at the lumbosacral spine. During childfood, posterior arch defects in the lumbosacral spine are considered normal computed tomography (CT) findings because of the presence of interlaminar synchondrosis. In this study, we investigated the CT findings of the lumbosacral spine in the pediatric patients with lumbosacral spinal lipomas. We aimed to characterize the radiological features of the abnormal spinal column in case of spinal lipomas. Twenty-one patients (age, 1 month to 3 years) were enrolled in this study: 11 patients had conus lipoma; 10 patients, filum lipoma. All patients showed lamina defects of the lumbosacral spine on 3D-CT. The number of the defective laminae was significantly larger in the patients with conus lipomas than in those with filum lipomas. Although the appearance of lamina defects in the patients with filum lipoma was similar to the reported findings of defective laminae in normal children, these patients were characterized by mild scoliosis and asymmetry of the posterior arches localized in the lower sacrum and coccyx. On the other hand, the patients with conus lipoma were characterized by wider lamina defects that extended rostrally, 'open-door like' deformity of lamina, vertebral dysgenesis, thoracolumber scoliosis and heterotopic ossification. Such CT characterization of the abnormality of the lumbosacral spine in lipoma patients will be useful to differentiate the pathological spina bifida from the normal open posterior arches in childhood. (author)

  11. Proliferation and apoptosis of lamina propria CD4+ T cells from scid mice with inflammatory bowel disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bregenholt, S; Reimann, J; Claesson, Mogens Helweg

    1998-01-01

    Scid mice transplanted with low numbers of syngeneic CD4+ T cells, develop a chronic and lethal inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) within 4-6 months. We have used in vivo 5-bromo2-deoxy-uridine (BrdU) labeling to assess the proliferation of lamina propria-derived CD4+ T cells in diseased scid mice....... The hourly rate of renewal of colonic lamina propria CD4+ T cells in diseased mice was 7% compared with 1.5% in normal BALB/c control mice. Transplantation of scid mice with in vitro activated CD4+ T cells accelerated the disease onset and development in a cell dose-dependent fashion when compared with non......-activated CD4+ T cells. In pulse-chase experiments it was shown that BrdU-labeled cells disappeared rapidly from the lamina propria of diseased mice. DNA analysis revealed that this was due to the presence of nearly four times as many apoptotic CD4+ T cells in diseased than in control mice. Further analyses...

  12. Effects of collagen microstructure and material properties on the deformation of the neural tissues of the lamina cribrosa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Voorhees, A P; Jan, N-J; Sigal, I A

    2017-08-01

    It is widely considered that intraocular pressure (IOP)-induced deformation within the neural tissue pores of the lamina cribrosa (LC) contributes to neurodegeneration and glaucoma. Our goal was to study how the LC microstructure and mechanical properties determine the mechanical insult to the neural tissues within the pores of the LC. Polarized light microscopy was used to measure the collagen density and orientation in histology sections of three sheep optic nerve heads (ONH) at both mesoscale (4.4μm) and microscale (0.73μm) resolutions. Mesoscale fiber-aware FE models were first used to calculate ONH deformations at an IOP of 30mmHg. The results were then used as boundary conditions for microscale models of LC regions. Models predicted large insult to the LC neural tissues, with 95th percentile 1st principal strains ranging from 7 to 12%. Pores near the scleral boundary suffered significantly higher stretch compared to pores in more central regions (10.0±1.4% vs. 7.2±0.4%; p=0.014; mean±SD). Variations in material properties altered the minimum, median, and maximum levels of neural tissue insult but largely did not alter the patterns of pore-to-pore variation, suggesting these patterns are determined by the underlying structure and geometry of the LC beams and pores. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first computational model that reproduces the highly heterogeneous neural tissue strain fields observed experimentally. The loss of visual function associated with glaucoma has been attributed to sustained mechanical insult to the neural tissues of the lamina cribrosa due to elevated intraocular pressure. Our study is the first computational model built from specimen-specific tissue microstructure to consider the mechanics of the neural tissues of the lamina separately from the connective tissue. We found that the deformation of the neural tissue was much larger than that predicted by any recent microstructure-aware models of the lamina. These results

  13. Longitudinal in vivo evaluation of bone regeneration by combined measurement of multi-pinhole SPECT and micro-CT for tissue engineering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lienemann, Philipp S.; Metzger, Stéphanie; Kiveliö, Anna-Sofia; Blanc, Alain; Papageorgiou, Panagiota; Astolfo, Alberto; Pinzer, Bernd R.; Cinelli, Paolo; Weber, Franz E.; Schibli, Roger; Béhé, Martin; Ehrbar, Martin

    2015-05-01

    Over the last decades, great strides were made in the development of novel implants for the treatment of bone defects. The increasing versatility and complexity of these implant designs request for concurrent advances in means to assess in vivo the course of induced bone formation in preclinical models. Since its discovery, micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) has excelled as powerful high-resolution technique for non-invasive assessment of newly formed bone tissue. However, micro-CT fails to provide spatiotemporal information on biological processes ongoing during bone regeneration. Conversely, due to the versatile applicability and cost-effectiveness, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) would be an ideal technique for assessing such biological processes with high sensitivity and for nuclear imaging comparably high resolution (designed poly(ethylene glycol)-based hydrogels that release bone morphogenetic protein to guide the healing of critical sized calvarial bone defects. By combined in vivo longitudinal multi-pinhole SPECT and micro-CT evaluations we determine the spatiotemporal course of bone formation and remodeling within this synthetic hydrogel implant. End point evaluations by high resolution micro-CT and histological evaluation confirm the value of this approach to follow and optimize bone-inducing biomaterials.

  14. Micro-/nanoscale multi-field coupling in nonlinear photonic devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Qing; Wang, Yubo; Tang, Mingwei; Xu, Pengfei; Xu, Yingke; Liu, Xu

    2017-08-01

    The coupling of mechanics/electronics/photonics may improve the performance of nanophotonic devices not only in the linear region but also in the nonlinear region. This review letter mainly presents the recent advances on multi-field coupling in nonlinear photonic devices. The nonlinear piezoelectric effect and piezo-phototronic effects in quantum wells and fibers show that large second-order nonlinear susceptibilities can be achieved, and second harmonic generation and electro-optic modulation can be enhanced and modulated. Strain engineering can tune the lattice structures and induce second order susceptibilities in central symmetry semiconductors. By combining the absorption-based photoacoustic effect and intensity-dependent photobleaching effect, subdiffraction imaging can be achieved. This review will also discuss possible future applications of these novel effects and the perspective of their research. The review can help us develop a deeper knowledge of the substance of photon-electron-phonon interaction in a micro-/nano- system. Moreover, it can benefit the design of nonlinear optical sensors and imaging devices with a faster response rate, higher efficiency, more sensitivity and higher spatial resolution which could be applied in environmental detection, bio-sensors, medical imaging and so on.

  15. Effects Aerosol of Industrial Bleach and Detergent Mixture on Mucosa Layer and Lamina Mucosa Conjunctiva in Mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gh. Vaezi

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Today bleach and detergents are being frequently used and some people use their mixture for more cleaning. Because of chemical interaction of bleach and detergent, chlorine gas was released and thereby it could be dangerous for human health. This study examined the effects of exposed toxic mixture of bleach and detergent on the Mucosa layer and Lamina mucosa conjunctiva in the mice. In this study, 42 adult male mice NMRI race weighing 35-40 gr and from age 8 to 10 weeks were divided into 6 experimental groups and one control group. Experimental groups 1-2-3 with the use of chamber, the exposed 20 minutes were exposed to spray the amount 1 cc of mixture of bleach and detergent by nebulizer. Experimental groups 4-5-6 were for 35 minutes to inhale the same amount of material. Mice killed at 24-48-72 hours after exposed and the Mucosa Layer and Lamina mucosa conjunctiva tissue was studied pathology. In the study of microscopic sections prepared of mouse mucosa layer and Lamina mucosa conjunctiva tissue experimental group comparison with the control group, significant decrease was observed in mucosa layer the have (p ≤ 0.001  and significant decrease was observed in the Lamina mucosa have(p ≤ 0. 01,  p ≤ 0.001. As a result, increasing the exposed time of mixing bleach and detergent, as time passed, increasing the tissue damage and changes.

  16. Luminal DMSO: Effects on Detrusor and Urothelial/Lamina Propria Function

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katrina J. Smith

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available DMSO is used as a treatment for interstitial cystitis and this study examined the effects of luminal DMSO treatment on bladder function and histology. Porcine bladder was incubated without (controls or with DMSO (50% applied to the luminal surface and the release of ATP, acetylcholine, and LDH assessed during incubation and in tissues strips after DMSO incubation. Luminally applied DMSO caused ATP, Ach, and LDH release from the urothelial surface during treatment, with loss of urothelial layers also evident histologically. In strips of urothelium/lamina propria from DMSO pretreated bladders the release of both ATP and Ach was depressed, while contractile responses to carbachol were enhanced. Detrusor muscle contractile responses to carbachol were not affected by DMSO pretreatment, but neurogenic responses to electrical field stimulation were enhanced. The presence of an intact urothelium/lamina propria inhibited detrusor contraction to carbachol by 53% and this inhibition was significantly reduced in DMSO pretreated tissues. Detection of LDH in the treatment medium suggests that DMSO permeabilised urothelial membranes causing leakage of cytosolic contents including ATP and Ach rather than enhancing release of these mediators. The increase in contractile response and high levels of ATP are consistent with initial flare up in IC/PBS symptoms after DMSO treatment.

  17. Superhydrophobic multi-scale ZnO nanostructures fabricated by chemical vapor deposition method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Ming; Feng, Chengheng; Wu, Chunxia; Ma, Weiwei; Cai, Lan

    2009-07-01

    The ZnO nanostructures were synthesized on Si(100) substrates by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. Different Morphologies of ZnO nanostructures, such as nanoparticle film, micro-pillar and micro-nano multi-structure, were obtained with different conditions. The results of XRD and TEM showed the good quality of ZnO crystal growth. Selected area electron diffraction analysis indicates the individual nano-wire is single crystal. The wettability of ZnO was studied by contact angle admeasuring apparatus. We found that the wettability can be changed from hydrophobic to super-hydrophobic when the structure changed from smooth particle film to single micro-pillar, nano-wire and micro-nano multi-scale structure. Compared with the particle film with contact angle (CA) of 90.7 degrees, the CA of single scale microstructure and sparse micro-nano multi-scale structure is 130-140 degrees, 140-150 degrees respectively. But when the surface is dense micro-nano multi-scale structure such as nano-lawn, the CA can reach to 168.2 degrees . The results indicate that microstructure of surface is very important to the surface wettability. The wettability on the micro-nano multi-structure is better than single-scale structure, and that of dense micro-nano multi-structure is better than sparse multi-structure.

  18. Ecotoxicity of the veterinary pharmaceutical ivermectin tested in a soil multi-species (SMS) system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jensen, John; Scott-Fordsmand, Janeck J.

    2012-01-01

    The present study tests the effect of antiparasitic compound ivermectin in a constructed food-web system, a soil multi-species (SMS) higher tier test system. Mutualism, competition and predation within the SMS system were introduced by the addition of five collembolan species, one enchytraeid and a predatory mite species. Bait lamina sticks were incorporated as a measure of functional toxicity, attempting to the integrated feeding activity of the invertebrates. The study showed that on the community level all treatments were significantly affecting the community abundance and composition and that the decrease in abundance corresponded well with increasing exposure concentration for all species. Since all concentrations had significant adverse effect on the community structure, the community-based no-effect-concentration is below the lowest test concentration of 0.25 mg kg −1 , whereas the EC10 for the individual species were as low as 0.05 mg kg −1 . The bait lamina respond was only affected at the highest exposure concentration. - Highlights: ► A multi-species test system was used to evaluate the impact of hazardous substances. ► The pharmaceutical ivermectin was toxic to a wide set of soil invertebrates. ► The toxicity to springtails was higher when exposed in co-existence with a predator. ► Structural endpoints were more sensitive than functional ditto measured by Bait lamina. - Hazardous substances are shown more toxic to soil dwelling invertebrates when exposed in co-existence with other species including a predator.

  19. High accuracy and precision micro injection moulding of thermoplastic elastomers micro ring production

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Calaon, Matteo; Tosello, Guido; Elsborg, René

    2016-01-01

    The mass-replication nature of the process calls for fast monitoring of process parameters and product geometrical characteristics. In this direction, the present study addresses the possibility to develop a micro manufacturing platform for micro assembly injection moulding with real-time process....../product monitoring and metrology. The study represent a new concept yet to be developed with great potential for high precision mass-manufacturing of highly functional 3D multi-material (i.e. including metal/soft polymer) micro components. The activities related to HINMICO project objectives proves the importance...

  20. [Inspecting the cochlear scala tympanic with flexible and semi-flexible micro-endoscope].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Daoxcing; Zhang, Yankun

    2006-02-01

    Flexible and semi-flexible micro-endoscopes were used in cochlear scala tympani inspection , to explore their application in inner ear examination. Fifteen profound hearing loss patients preparing for cochlear implant were included in this study. During the operation, micro-endoscopy was performed after opening the cochlear scala tympani. And 1 mm diameter semi-flexible micro-endoscope could go as deep as 9 mm into the cochlear scala tympani, while 0. 5 mm diameter flexible micro-endoscope could go as deep as 25 mm. The inspecting results were compared with video recording. Using 0.5 mm flexible micro-endoscope, we canould check cochlear scala tympani with depth range of 15-25 mm, but the video imaging was not clear enough to examine the microstructure in the cochlear. With 1 mm diameter semi-flexible micro-endoscope, we could reach 9 mm deep into the cochlear. During the examination, we found 3 cases with calcification deposit in osseous spiral lamina, l case with granulation tissue in the lateral wall of scala tympani, no abnormal findings in the other 11 cases. Inspecting the cochlear scala tympani with 0.5 mm flexible micro-endoscope, even though we can reach the second circuit of the cochlear, it is difficult to find the pathology in the cochlear because of the poor video imaging. With 1 mm semi-flexible micro-endoscope, we can identify the microstructure of the cochlear clearly and find the pathologic changes, but the inserting depth was limited to 9 mm with limitation to examine the whole cochlear.

  1. Micro-PNT and Comprehensive PNT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    YANG Yuanxi

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Comprehensive or integrated positioning, navigation and timing is an obvious developing trend following the global navigation satellite system.This paper summarizes the current status of micro-PNT and its developing requirements. The related key technologies are described and the relationship between comprehensive PNT and micro-PNT is analyzed. It is stressed that the comprehensive PNT needs massive infrastructure construction and investment, however, the micro-PNT aims at the integrated applications of high-tech micro sensors. It is different from the current opinions appeared in the literatures, micro-PNT should include multi GNSS integration and micro components of navigation and timing in order to make the PNT outputs refer to a unified coordinate datum and time scale. Micro-PNT focuses on the personalized micro terminal applications. Except for the miniaturization of each PNT component, micro-PNT aims at the deep integration of the micro sensors, adaptive data fusion and self calibration of each component.

  2. Glymphatic stasis at the site of the lamina cribrosa as a potential mechanism underlying open-angle glaucoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wostyn, Peter; Killer, Hanspeter Esriel; De Deyn, Peter Paul

    2017-07-01

    The underlying pathophysiology of primary open-angle glaucoma remains unclear, but the lamina cribrosa seems to be the primary site of injury, and raised intraocular pressure is a major risk factor. In recent years, a decreased intracranial pressure, leading to an abnormally high trans-lamina cribrosa pressure difference, has gained interest as a new risk factor for glaucoma. New research now lends support to the hypothesis that a paravascular transport system is present in the eye analogous to the recently discovered 'glymphatic system' in the brain, which is a functional waste clearance pathway that promotes elimination of interstitial solutes, including β-amyloid, from the brain along paravascular channels. Given that β-amyloid has been reported to increase by chronic elevation of intraocular pressure in glaucomatous animal models and to cause retinal ganglion cell death, the discovery of a paravascular clearance system in the eye may provide powerful new insights into the pathophysiology of primary open-angle glaucoma. In this review, we provide a new conceptual framework for understanding the pathogenesis of primary open-angle glaucoma, present supporting preliminary data from our own post-mortem study and hypothesize that the disease may result from restriction of normal glymphatic flow at the level of the lamina cribrosa owing to a low intracranial pressure and/or a high trans-lamina cribrosa pressure gradient. If confirmed, this viewpoint could offer new perspectives for the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for this devastating disorder. © 2017 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.

  3. A computer-controlled high resolution micro-multi-leaf collimator for stereotactic conformal radio-therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schlegel, Wolfgang; Pastyr, Otto; Kubesch, Rudolf; Diemer, Torsten; Kuester, Gunnilla; Rhein, Bernhard; Hoever, Karl-Heinz

    1997-01-01

    Purpose/Objective In stereotactic conformal radiotherapy of irregularly shaped lesions, either multi-isocentric convergent beam treatment techniques with circular collimators or irregular shaped beams are being used. While the treatment technique with multiple isocenters has the disadvantage of producing inhomogeneous dose distributions, the use of irregular shaped fields is not yet satisfying from a technical point of view: Cerrobend blocking or the use of static micro MLCs need a long preparation time and only allow static treatment techniques, MLC collimators which are commercially available in connection with modern LINACs have leaf-thickness of at least 1 cm which is too coarse for stereotactic radiotherapy of lesions in the brain and head and neck area. For this reason, we developed a computer controlled micro-MLC with technical specifications matched to the needs of stereotactic radiotherapy and radiosurgery. Materials and Methods The mechanical specifications of the computer controlled micro-MLC were derived from our experience with stereotactic treatment techniques, from the requirement that the MLC has to be attachable as an external device to the accessory holders of standard LINACs, including cost considerations, dosimetric measurements as well as Monte Carlo calculations. The Micro-MLC is controlled by an electronic equipment consisting of a standard PC under Windows 95, an interface board, 14 Micro-controller boards, a verification system and 80 driving units equipped with DC motors and potentiometers. The control program has calibrating, operating, visualizing and test options. Irregular field data are transferred from the treatment planning computer to the control PC and distributed to the micro-controllers, which in parallel are driving three leaves each. Beside the special control unit, we are currently investigating whether the electronics of commercially available integrated large field MLCs can also be used for operating the Micro-MLC. Results

  4. Real-time micro-vibration multi-spot synchronous measurement within a region based on heterodyne interference

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lan, Ma; Xiao, Wen; Chen, Zonghui; Hao, Hongliang; Pan, Feng

    2018-01-01

    Real-time micro-vibration measurement is widely used in engineering applications. It is very difficult for traditional optical detection methods to achieve real-time need in a relatively high frequency and multi-spot synchronous measurement of a region at the same time,especially at the nanoscale. Based on the method of heterodyne interference, an experimental system of real-time measurement of micro - vibration is constructed to satisfy the demand in engineering applications. The vibration response signal is measured by combing optical heterodyne interferometry and a high-speed CMOS-DVR image acquisition system. Then, by extracting and processing multiple pixels at the same time, four digital demodulation technique are implemented to simultaneously acquire the vibrating velocity of the target from the recorded sequences of images. Different kinds of demodulation algorithms are analyzed and the results show that these four demodulation algorithms are suitable for different interference signals. Both autocorrelation algorithm and cross-correlation algorithm meet the needs of real-time measurements. The autocorrelation algorithm demodulates the frequency more accurately, while the cross-correlation algorithm is more accurate in solving the amplitude.

  5. Two-component injection moulding simulation of ABS-POM micro structured surfaces

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tosello, Guido; Hansen, Hans Nørgaard; Islam, Aminul

    2013-01-01

    Multi-component micro injection moulding (μIM) processes such as two-component (2k) μIM are the key technologies for the mass fabrication of multi-material micro products. 2k-μIM experiments involving a miniaturized test component with micro features in the sub-mm dimensional range and moulding...... a pair of thermoplastic materials (ABS and POM) were conducted. Three dimensional process simulations based on the finite element method have been performed to explore the capability of predicting filling pattern shape at component-level and surface micro feature-level in a polymer/polymer overmoulding...

  6. Does multifocal papillary micro-carcinoma require radioiodine ablation?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Punda, A.; Markovic, V.; Eterovic, D.

    2015-01-01

    Full text of publication follows. Background: the thyroid carcinomas smaller than 1 cm (micro-carcinomas) comprise a significant fraction of papillary carcinomas. Excluding clinical micro-carcinomas, which present as metastatic disease, the micro-carcinomas diagnosed by ultrasound/FNAC or incidentally have very good prognosis. However, whether or not these papillary micro-carcinomas require post-surgical radioiodine ablation remains a matter of debate. Hypothesis: multi-focality is present in majority of clinical papillary micro-carcinomas and this characteristic can be used to identify the subset of non-clinical micro-carcinomas with greater malignant potential. Methods: the data on types of differentiated thyroid carcinomas diagnosed in the period 2008-2011 in the University Hospital Split were collected. Results: there were 359 patients with thyroid carcinoma, 329 (92%) of which had papillary carcinoma. About 61% (202/329) of papillary carcinomas were micro-carcinomas; most of them were diagnosed by ultrasound/FNAC (134/202= 66%), the rest were incidentalomas (48/202=24%) and clinical micro carcinomas (20/202=10%). Sixty percent (12/20) of patients with clinical micro-carcinoma and 23 patients with non-clinical micro-carcinoma (23/182=13%) had multifocal disease. Conclusion: multifocal disease is a frequent characteristic of clinical papillary thyroid micro-carcinomas, suggesting that multi-focality presents an early stage of non-clinical micro-carcinomas with more aggressive behaviour. Thus multifocal, but not uni-focal papillary micro-carcinomas may require radioiodine ablation. (authors)

  7. Lamina specific loss of inhibition may lead to distinct neuropathic manifestations: a computational modeling approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erick Javier Argüello Prada

    Full Text Available Introduction It has been reported that inhibitory control at the superficial dorsal horn (SDH can act in a regionally distinct manner, which suggests that regionally specific subpopulations of SDH inhibitory neurons may prevent one specific neuropathic condition. Methods In an attempt to address this issue, we provide an alternative approach by integrating neuroanatomical information provided by different studies to construct a network-model of the SDH. We use Neuroids to simulate each neuron included in that model by adapting available experimental evidence. Results Simulations suggest that the maintenance of the proper level of pain sensitivity may be attributed to lamina II inhibitory neurons and, therefore, hyperalgesia may be elicited by suppression of the inhibitory tone at that lamina. In contrast, lamina III inhibitory neurons are more likely to be responsible for keeping the nociceptive pathway from the mechanoreceptive pathway, so loss of inhibitory control in that region may result in allodynia. The SDH network-model is also able to replicate non-linearities associated to pain processing, such as Aβ-fiber mediated analgesia and frequency-dependent increase of the neural response. Discussion By incorporating biophysical accuracy and newer experimental evidence, the SDH network-model may become a valuable tool for assessing the contribution of specific SDH connectivity patterns to noxious transmission in both physiological and pathological conditions.

  8. The prognosis significance and application value of peritoneal elastic lamina invasion in colon cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Jun; Hu, Xiumei; Meng, Yutong; Zhao, Hongying; Cao, Qing; Jin, Mulan

    2018-01-01

    The aims of this study were to evaluate the associations between peritoneal elastic lamina invasion (ELI) and the clinicopathological prognostic factors of colon cancer, to evaluate the feasibility of ELI with use of an elastic stain to help diagnose serosal invasion of colon cancer in routine practice, so as to help us to provide a more accurate estimate for prognosis and stage of patients and a marker for postoperative treatment. 254 cases with colon cancer were included in the study. According to the presence of elastic lamina (EL) and elastic lamina invasion (ELI), all cases were divided into four groups: pT3 EL negative (pT3 EL (-)), pT3 ELI positive (pT3 ELI (+)), pT3 ELI negative (pT3 ELI (-)) and pT4a. Statistical analysis was used to analyze the relationship between elastic lamina invasion and other established adverse histologic features. The EL and ELI positive rates were 81.5% and 42.1% respectively. There were significant differences in mph node metastasis, venous invasion and tumor buds between pT3 ELI (-) and pT3 ELI (+), pT3 ELI (-) and pT4a. There was no significant difference in same factors between pT3 ELI (+) and pT4a. In pT3 stage, there were significant differences in lymph node metastasis, perineural invasion and tumor buds between EL (-) and ELI (+). There were no significant differences in same factors between EL (-) and ELI (-). EL was detected less frequently in right-sided tumors compared with left-sided tumors. ELI might be the prognostic factors of colon cancer with II stage and might be the marker of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. Patients with pT3 ELI (+) might have similar prognosis to patients with pT4a. For patients with pT3 colon cancer, EL(-) might have similar prognosis as ELI (-) and might take the same therapy. In addition, the right half colon EL positive rate was lower than the left colon. Elastic staining might be a useful tool to help determine the invasive depth and stage of colon cancer.

  9. Clinical study of bilateral decompression via vertebral lamina fenestration for lumbar interbody fusion in the treatment of lower lumbar instability

    OpenAIRE

    GUO, SHUGUANG; SUN, JUNYING; TANG, GENLIN

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this study was to observe the clinical effects of bilateral decompression via vertebral lamina fenestration for lumbar interbody fusion in the treatment of lower lumbar instability. The 48 patients comprised 27 males and 21 females, aged 47?72 years. Three cases had first and second degree lumbar spondylolisthesis and all received bilateral vertebral lamina fenestration for posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) using a threaded fusion cage (TFC), which maintains the three-column...

  10. Correlation of radiographic size and the presence of radiopaque lamina with histological findings in 70 periapical lesions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carrillo, Celia; Penarrocha, Miguel; Ortega, Bárbara; Martí, Eva; Bagán, José Vicente; Vera, Francisco

    2008-08-01

    This study was conducted to relate the histological diagnosis of chronic inflammatory periapical lesions with the radiographic images of these lesions. A total of 70 biopsy specimens obtained during periapical surgery were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and examined under a microscope. Histological analysis established the diagnosis as granuloma, cyst, or scar tissue. The location of the lesion was recorded, as were the radiographic size (maximum and minimum diameter in mm and area in mm(2)) and the presence of radiopaque lamina around the lesion, using an image analyzing system. The distribution of the biopsy specimens was 65.7% granulomas, 25.7% scar tissue, and 8.6% cysts, 1 of which was a keratocyst. The largest lesions were cysts and epithelialized granulomas, with statistically significant differences. Radiopaque lamina was observed around 9 lesions; of these, only 2 were histologically diagnosed as cysts, with the rest as granulomas. Most of the apical lesions were granulomas. Cysts had the largest radiotransparent images; however, in the 70 cases studied, neither the radiographic size nor the presence of associated radiopaque lamina alone was sufficient to determine the type of lesion. Histological analysis is required.

  11. Micro injection moulding process validation for high precision manufacture of thermoplastic elastomer micro suspension rings

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Calaon, M.; Tosello, G.; Elsborg Hansen, R.

    Micro injection moulding (μIM) is one of the most suitable micro manufacturing processes for flexible mass-production of multi-material functional micro components. The technology was employed in this research used to produce thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) micro suspension rings identified...... main μIM process parameters (melt temperature, injection speed, packing pressure) using the Design of Experiment statistical technique. Measurements results demonstrated the importance of calibrating mould´s master geometries to ensure correct part production and effective quality conformance...... on the frequency in order to improve the signal quality and assure acoustic reproduction fidelity. Production quality of the TPE rings drastically influence the product functionality. In the present study, a procedure for μIM TPE micro rings production optimization has been established. The procedure entail using...

  12. Oxytocin-induced antinociception in the spinal cord is mediated by a subpopulation of glutamatergic neurons in lamina I-II which amplify GABAergic inhibition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Schlichter Rémy

    2008-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Recent evidence suggests that oxytocin (OT, secreted in the superficial spinal cord dorsal horn by descending axons of paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN neurons, produces antinociception and analgesia. The spinal mechanism of OT is, however, still unclear and requires further investigation. We have used patch clamp recording of lamina II neurons in spinal cord slices and immunocytochemistry in order to identify PVN-activated neurons in the superficial layers of the spinal cord and attempted to determine how this neuronal population may lead to OT-mediated antinociception. Results We show that OT released during PVN stimulation specifically activates a subpopulation of lamina II glutamatergic interneurons which are localized in the most superficial layers of the dorsal horn of the spinal cord (lamina I-II. This OT-specific stimulation of glutamatergic neurons allows the recruitment of all GABAergic interneurons in lamina II which produces a generalized elevation of local inhibition, a phenomenon which might explain the reduction of incoming Aδ and C primary afferent-mediated sensory messages. Conclusion Our results obtained in lamina II of the spinal cord provide the first clear evidence of a specific local neuronal network that is activated by OT release to induce antinociception. This OT-specific pathway might represent a novel and interesting therapeutic target for the management of neuropathic and inflammatory pain.

  13. The Laser MicroJet (LMJ): a multi-solution technology for high quality micro-machining

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mai, Tuan Anh; Richerzhagen, Bernold; Snowdon, Paul C.; Wood, David; Maropoulos, Paul G.

    2007-02-01

    The field of laser micromachining is highly diverse. There are many different types of lasers available in the market. Due to their differences in irradiating wavelength, output power and pulse characteristic they can be selected for different applications depending on material and feature size [1]. The main issues by using these lasers are heat damages, contamination and low ablation rates. This report examines on the application of the Laser MicroJet(R) (LMJ), a unique combination of a laser beam with a hair-thin water jet as a universal tool for micro-machining of MEMS substrates, as well as ferrous and non-ferrous materials. The materials include gallium arsenide (GaAs) & silicon wafers, steel, tantalum and alumina ceramic. A Nd:YAG laser operating at 1064 nm (infra red) and frequency doubled 532 nm (green) were employed for the micro-machining of these materials.

  14. Use of multi-functional flexible micro-sensors for in situ measurement of temperature, voltage and fuel flow in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Chi-Yuan; Chan, Pin-Cheng; Lee, Chung-Ju

    2010-01-01

    Temperature, voltage and fuel flow distribution all contribute considerably to fuel cell performance. Conventional methods cannot accurately determine parameter changes inside a fuel cell. This investigation developed flexible and multi-functional micro sensors on a 40 μm-thick stainless steel foil substrate by using micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and embedded them in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) to measure the temperature, voltage and flow. Users can monitor and control in situ the temperature, voltage and fuel flow distribution in the cell. Thereby, both fuel cell performance and lifetime can be increased.

  15. Multi-robots to micro-surgery: Selected robotic applications at Sandia National Laboratories

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bennett, P.C. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States). Intelligent Systems and Robotics Center

    1996-11-01

    The Intelligent Systems and Robotics Center (ISRC) at Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program organization, pursuing research, development and applications in a wide range of field. Activities range from large-scale applications such as nuclear facility dismantlement for the US Department of Energy (DOE), to aircraft inspection and refurbishment, to automated script and program generation for robotic manufacturing and assembly, to miniature robotic devices and sensors for remote sensing and micro-surgery. This paper describes six activities in the large and small scale that are underway and either nearing technology transfer stage or seeking industrial partners to continue application development. The topics of the applications include multiple arm coordination for intuitively maneuvering large, ungainly work pieces; simulation, analysis and graphical training capability for CP-5 research reactor dismantlement; miniature robots with volumes of 16 cubic centimeters and less developed for inspection and sensor deployment; and biomedical sensors to enhance automated prosthetic device production and fill laparoscopic surgery information gap.

  16. Enhancing sound absorption and transmission through flexible multi-layer micro-perforated structures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bravo, Teresa; Maury, Cédric; Pinhède, Cédric

    2013-11-01

    Theoretical and experimental results are presented into the sound absorption and transmission properties of multi-layer structures made up of thin micro-perforated panels (ML-MPPs). The objective is to improve both the absorption and insulation performances of ML-MPPs through impedance boundary optimization. A fully coupled modal formulation is introduced that predicts the effect of the structural resonances onto the normal incidence absorption coefficient and transmission loss of ML-MPPs. This model is assessed against standing wave tube measurements and simulations based on impedance translation method for two double-layer MPP configurations of relevance in building acoustics and aeronautics. Optimal impedance relationships are proposed that ensure simultaneous maximization of both the absorption and the transmission loss under normal incidence. Exhaustive optimization of the double-layer MPPs is performed to assess the absorption and/or transmission performances with respect to the impedance criterion. It is investigated how the panel volumetric resonances modify the excess dissipation that can be achieved from non-modal optimization of ML-MPPs.

  17. Evaluation of pressed powders and thin section standards for multi-elemental analysis by conventional and micro-PIXE analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Homma-Takeda, Shino; Iso, Hiroyuki; Ito, Masaki

    2010-01-01

    For multi-elemental analysis, various standards are used to quantify the elements consists of environmental and biological samples. In this paper two different configuration standards, pressed powders and thin section standards, were assessed for their purpose as standards by conventional and micro-PIXE analysis. Homogeneity of manganese, iron, zinc (Zn), copper and yttrium added to pressed powder standard materials were validated and the relative standard deviation (RSD) of the X-ray intensity of the standards was 2 area and the metal concentration was acceptable. (author)

  18. Connective tissue growth factor is necessary for retinal capillary basal lamina thickening in diabetic mice

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kuiper, Esther J.; van Zijderveld, Rogier; Roestenberg, Peggy; Lyons, Karen M.; Goldschmeding, Roel; Klaassen, Ingeborg; van Noorden, Cornelis J. F.; Schlingemann, Reinier O.

    2008-01-01

    Experimental prevention of basal lamina (BL) thickening of retinal capillaries ameliorates early vascular changes caused by diabetes. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is upregulated early in diabetes in the human retina and is a potent inducer of expression of BL components. We hypothesize

  19. Measurement of modulation transfer function in z-axis for multi-slice spiral CT using the micro-disk method. Comparison with the bead method and examination of geometric influence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hara, Takanori

    2003-01-01

    Many methods of measuring the section-sensitive profile (SSP) of computed tomography (CT) by the input of a delta function have been reported. In Japan, the bead method is used as a common measurement because of the high flexibility of the multi-purpose method. However, the intensity of the response of the bead method tends to decline, creating a relatively large error in the base of SSPs. A problem is considered to be the accuracy of measurement in evaluating spatial resolution along the z-axis in multi-slice spiral/helical CT (MSCT). We therefore evaluated the modulation transfer function (MTF) by conducting research with the micro-disk method (100 μm thickness and 1.0 mmφ diameter) and the bead method (1.0 mmφ diameter) for the same input width. Moreover, in the micro-disk method, we also examined alignment, circular region of interest (ROI), and the energy characteristic. Our comparison of MTFs obtained by the micro-disk method and the bead method showed that the former resulted in a higher value and lower standard deviation. The difference was significant at p<0.01. Measurement using the micro-disk method did not show significant differences in terms of alignment and ROIs. Moreover, the energy characteristic was not indicated. This research demonstrated that the accuracy of MTF measurement with the micro-disk method was greater than that with the bead method, and it was found that there was no influence on the actual measurement level of the geometric structure with the micro-disk method. (author)

  20. The micro-step motor controller

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hong, Kwang Pyo; Lee, Chang Hee; Moon, Myung Kook; Choi, Bung Hun; Choi, Young Hyun; Cheon, Jong Gu

    2004-11-01

    The developed micro-step motor controller can handle 4 axes stepping motor drivers simultaneously and provide high power bipolar driving mechanism with constant current mode. It can be easily controlled by manual key functions and the motor driving status is displayed by the front panel VFD. Due to the development of several kinds of communication and driving protocol, PC can operate even several micro-step motor controllers at once by multi-drop connection

  1. Diamond machining of micro-optical components and structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gläbe, Ralf; Riemer, Oltmann

    2010-05-01

    Diamond machining originates from the 1950s to 1970s in the USA. This technology was originally designed for machining of metal optics at macroscopic dimensions with so far unreached tolerances. During the following decades the machine tools, the monocrystalline diamond cutting tools, the workpiece materials and the machining processes advanced to even higher precision and flexibility. For this reason also the fabrication of small functional components like micro optics at a large spectrum of geometries became technologically and economically feasible. Today, several kinds of fast tool machining and multi axis machining operations can be applied for diamond machining of micro optical components as well as diffractive optical elements. These parts can either be machined directly as single or individual component or as mold insert for mass production by plastic replication. Examples are multi lens arrays, micro mirror arrays and fiber coupling lenses. This paper will give an overview about the potentials and limits of the current diamond machining technology with respect to micro optical components.

  2. Boomerang deformity of cervical spinal cord migrating between split laminae after laminoplasty.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kimura, S; Gomibuchi, F; Shimoda, H; Ikezawa, Y; Segawa, H; Kaneko, F; Uchiyama, S; Homma, T

    2000-04-01

    Patients with cervical compression myelopathy were studied to elucidate the mechanism underlying boomerang deformity, which results from the migration of the cervical spinal cord between split laminae after laminoplasty with median splitting of the spinous processes (boomerang sign). Thirty-nine cases, comprising 25 patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy, 8 patients with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament, and 6 patients with cervical disc herniation with developmental canal stenosis, were examined. The clinical and radiological findings were retrospectively compared between patients with (B group, 8 cases) and without (C group, 31 cases) boomerang sign. Moderate increase of the grade of this deformity resulted in no clinical recovery, although there was no difference in clinical recovery between the two groups. Most boomerang signs developed at the C4/5 and/or C5/6 level, where maximal posterior movement of the spinal cord was achieved. Widths between lateral hinges and between split laminae in the B group were smaller than in the C group. Flatness of the spinal cord in the B group was more severe than in the C group. In conclusion, the boomerang sign was caused by posterior movement of the spinal cord, narrower enlargement of the spinal canal and flatness of the spinal cord.

  3. Roughness Influence On Macro- And Micro-Tribology Of Multi-Layered Hard Coatings On Carbon Fibre Polymer Composite

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lackner J.M.

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Goal of this work is the investigation of roughness influences on the abrasive wear behaviour of magnetron sputtered multi-layered, low-friction coatings on carbon-fibre reinforced polymers (CFRP. Higher coating roughness at similar CFRP quality was realized by higher deposition rates, leading to increased heat flux to the substrates during deposition. Thermal expansion of the epoxy matrix on the micro scale results in a wavy, wrinkled surface topography. Both in scratch and reciprocal sliding testing against alumina, the friction coefficients are lower for the smooth coatings, but their wear rate is higher due to low-cycle fatigue caused abrasion.

  4. Severe hypoplasia of the omasal laminae in a Japanese Black steer with chronic bloat--a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takagi, Mitsuhiro; Mukai, Shuhei; Fushimi, Yasuo; Matsushita, Kouhei; Miyoshi, Nobuaki; Yasuda, Nobuhiro; Kitajima, Hideo; Takamure, Senro; Matsushita, Toshihiko; Kitamura, Nobuo; Deguchi, Eisaburo

    2007-12-01

    An 11-month-old Japanese Black steer with chronic bloat underwent clinical and histological analyses. During the observation period, it showed normal appetite and fecal volume but persistent chronic bloat symptoms. Compared to controls, the steer's feces contained undigested large straws. Necropsy revealed normal rumen, reticulum, and abomasum but a small omasum. The rumen, reticulum, and abomasum mucosa was normal, with well-developed ruminal papillae. However, severe hypoplasia of the omasal laminae was observed along with hypoplasia reticular groove and ruminoreticular fold. The contents of the reticulum, omasum, and abomasums comprised undigested large sized hay particles. The omasum papillae showed no pathological abnormalities. This is a rare case of a steer with chronic bloat probably caused by severe hypoplasia of the omasal laminae.

  5. Basal lamina structural alterations in human asymmetric aneurismatic aorta

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M Cotrufo

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Basal lamina (BL is a crucial mechanical and functional component of blood vessels, constituting a sensor of extracellular microenvironment for endothelial cells and pericytes. Recently, an abnormality in the process of matrix microfibrillar component remodeling has been advocated as a mechanism involved in the development of aortic dilation.We focused our attention on BL composition and organization and studied some of the main components of the Extracellular Matrix such as Tenascin, Laminins, Fibronectin, type I, III and IV Collagens.We used surgical fragments from 27 patients, submitted to operation because of aortic root aneurysm and 5 normal aortic wall specimens from heart donors without any evidence for aneurysmal or atherosclerotic diseases of the aorta. Two samples of aortic wall were harvested from each patient, proximal to the sinotubular junction at the aortic convexity and concavity. Each specimen was processed both for immunohistochemical examination and molecular biology study.We compared the convexity of each aortic sample with the concavity of the same vessel, and both of them with the control samples. The synthesis of mRNA and the levels of each protein were assessed, respectively, by RTPCR and Western Blot analysis. Immunohistochemistry elucidated the organization of BL, whose composition was revealed by molecular biology. All pathological samples showed a wall thinner than normal ones. Basal lamina of the aortic wall evidentiated important changes in the tridimensional arrangement of its major components which lost their regular arrangement in pathological specimens. Collagen I, Laminin a2 chain and Fibronectin amounts decreased in pathological samples, while type IV Collagen and Tenascin synthesis increased. Consistently with the common macroscopic observation that ascending aorta dilations tend to expand asymmetrically, with prevalent involvement of the vessel convexity and relative sparing of the concavity, Collagen type

  6. Auction Mechanism of Micro-Grid Project Transfer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yong Long

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Micro-grid project transfer is the primary issue of micro-grid development. The efficiency and quality of the micro-grid project transfer directly affect the quality of micro-grid project construction and development, which is very important for the sustainable development of micro-grid. This paper constructs a multi-attribute auction model of micro-grid project transfer, which reflects the characteristics of micro-grid system and the interests of stakeholders, calculates the optimal bidding strategy and analyzes the influence of relevant factors on auction equilibrium by multi-stage dynamic game with complete information, and makes a numerical simulation analysis. Results indicate that the optimal strategy of auction mechanism is positively related to power quality, energy storage quality, and carbon emissions. Different from the previous lowest price winning mechanism, the auction mechanism formed in this paper emphasizes that the energy suppliers which provide the comprehensive optimization of power quality, energy storage quality, carbon emissions, and price will win the auction, when both the project owners and energy suppliers maximize their benefits under this auction mechanism. The auction mechanism is effective because it is in line with the principle of individual rationality and incentive compatibility. In addition, the number of energy suppliers participating in the auction and the cost of the previous auction are positively related to the auction equilibrium, both of which are adjusting the equilibrium results of the auction. At the same time, the utilization rate of renewable energy and the comprehensive utilization of energy also have a positive impact on the auction equilibrium. In the end, this paper puts forward a series of policy suggestions about micro-grid project auction. The research in this paper is of great significance to improve the auction quality of micro-grid projects and promote the sustainable development of micro-grid.

  7. Repopulation with IgA-containing cells of bronchial and intestinal lamina propria after transfer of homologous peyer's patch and bronchial lymphocytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rudzik, R.; Clancy, R.L.; Perey, D.Y.E.; Day, R.P.; Bienenstock, J.

    1975-01-01

    Transfer of 50 million rabbit allogeneic lymphocytes from either bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) or Peyer's patches into 1000 R x-irradiated recipients results, 6 days later, in predominant repopulation of gut and bronchial lamina propria, as well as spleen, with IgA-containing cells. After repopulation with BALT or Peyer's patch cells, lymphoid follicles in both gut and lung showed peripheral cellular membrane type of fluorescence with fluorescein-conjugated anti-IgA antisera only. Six days after x-irradiation alone, little evidence of repopulation was seen and immunofluorescent qualitative observations of gut and lung, and quantitative data in the spleen, confirmed these findings. After transfer of 50 million lymph node cells, very few immunoglobulin-containing cells were seen in the gut or bronchial lamina propria. These results suggest that there may be a common mucosal immunologic system, and that repopulation of gut and lung lamina propria may be through the organized lymphoid tissue therein. (U.S.)

  8. Antinociceptive action of oxytocin involves inhibition of potassium channel currents in lamina II neurons of the rat spinal cord

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Darbon Pascal

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Growing evidence in the literature shows that oxytocin (OT has a strong spinal anti-nociceptive action. Oxytocinergic axons originating from a subpopulation of paraventricular hypothalamic neurons establish synaptic contacts with lamina II interneurons but little is known about the functional role of OT with respect to neuronal firing and excitability. Results Using the patch-clamp technique, we have recorded lamina II interneurons in acute transverse lumbar spinal cord slices of rats (15 to 30 days old and analyzed the OT effects on action potential firing ability. In the current clamp mode, we found that bath application of a selective OT-receptor agonist (TGOT reduced firing in the majority of lamina II interneurons exhibiting a bursting firing profile, but never in those exhibiting a single spike discharge upon depolarization. Interestingly, OT-induced reduction in spike frequency and increase of firing threshold were often observed, leading to a conversion of the firing profile from repetitive and delayed profiles into phasic ones and sometimes further into single spike profile. The observed effects following OT-receptor activation were completely abolished when the OT-receptor agonist was co-applied with a selective OT-receptor antagonist. In current and voltage clamp modes, we show that these changes in firing are strongly controlled by voltage-gated potassium currents. More precisely, transient IA currents and delayed-rectifier currents were reduced in amplitude and transient IA current was predominantly inactivated after OT bath application. Conclusion This effect of OT on the firing profile of lamina II neurons is in good agreement with the antinociceptive and analgesic properties of OT described in vivo.

  9. Precision moulding of polymer micro components

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tosello, Guido

    2008-01-01

    The present research work contains a study concerning polymer micro components manufacturing by means of the micro injection moulding (µIM) process. The overall process chain was considered and investigated during the project, including part design and simulation, tooling, process analysis, part...... optimization, quality control, multi-material solutions. A series of experimental investigations were carried out on the influence of the main µIM process factors on the polymer melt flow within micro cavities. These investigations were conducted on a conventional injection moulding machine adapted...... to the production of micro polymer components, as well as on a micro injection moulding machine. A new approach based on coordinate optical measurement of flow markers was developed during the project for the characterization of the melt flow. In-line pressure measurements were also performed to characterize...

  10. Bait-lamina assay as a tool to assess the effects of metal contamination in the feeding activity of soil invertebrates within a uranium mine area

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andre, A.; Antunes, S.C.; Goncalves, F.; Pereira, R.

    2009-01-01

    As part of the tier 2 of a site-specific risk assessment, this study was the first reporting an intensive in situ application of the bait-lamina assay; two exposure periods (7 and 14 days) were tested during four seasons in ten different sites, within a uranium mine area and at two different depths. The most contaminated sites (by deposition of sludge from the effluent treatment pond) were discriminated after 14 days of exposure because extremely low percentages of feeding activity were recorded. Previous sub-lethal ecotoxicological assays, already had demonstrated that the habitat function of these soils is compromised. Nevertheless, seasonality has proved to have a significant influence on responses. Thus to strength conclusions about the impact of contaminants, the in situ bait-lamina assay should be performed on different annual seasons, at least for temperate regions. It was also found that some environmental parameters (e.g. soil moisture and litter) can act as confounding factors in the bait-lamina assay. - Bait-lamina assay for in situ evaluation of soil functions under site-specific risk assessments.

  11. Using the trans-lamina terminalis route via a pterional approach to resect a retrochiasmatic craniopharyngioma involving the third ventricle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weil, Alexander G; Robert, Thomas; Alsaiari, Sultan; Obaid, Sami; Bojanowski, Michel W

    2016-01-01

    Retrochiasmatic craniopharyngiomas involving the anterior third ventricle are challenging to access. Although the pterional approach is a common route for suprasellar lesions, when the craniopharyngioma extends behind the chiasma into the third ventricle, access is even more difficult, and the lamina terminalis may offer a good working window. The translamina terminalis approach provides direct access to the retrochiasmatic portion of the tumor with minimal brain retraction and no manipulation of the visual nerves. In this video, we emphasize the utility of using the lamina terminalis corridor to resect the retrochiasmatic intraventricular portion of a craniopharyngioma. The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/hrLNC0hDKe4 .

  12. The influence of the level of lamina propria invasion and the prevalence of p53 nuclear accumulation on survival in stage T1 transitional cell bladder cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hermann, G G; Horn, T; Steven, K

    1998-01-01

    PURPOSE: We assessed the influence of the level of lamina propria invasion and the prevalence of p53 nuclear immunoreactivity on the survival of patients with stage T1 transitional cell bladder cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients presenting with stage T1 bladder cancer were prospectively...... and routinely grouped according to the level of lamina propria invasion. Invasion of the tumor stalk was defined as stage T1a, invasion of the lamina propria proper superficial to the level of muscularis mucosa as stage T1b and into or deeper than the muscularis mucosa as stage T1c. The p53 nuclear...... related to age, level of lamina propria invasion and presence of p53 nuclear accumulation. For this subpopulation overall survival was 67%, and 79% for stage T1a, 70% for stage T1b and 57% for stage T1c (p

  13. Long-term trends in the northern extratropical ozone laminae with focus on European stations

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Laštovička, Jan; Križan, Peter; Kozubek, Michal

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 120, December (2014), s. 88-95 ISSN 1364-6826 R&D Projects: GA MŠk LD12070; GA ČR GAP209/10/1792 Institutional support: RVO:68378289 Keywords : ozone laminae * long-term trends * atmospheric dynamics Subject RIV: DG - Athmosphere Sciences, Meteorology Impact factor: 1.474, year: 2014 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364682614002119

  14. Co-expression of GAD67 and choline acetyltransferase in neurons in the mouse spinal cord: A focus on lamina X.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gotts, Jittima; Atkinson, Lucy; Yanagawa, Yuchio; Deuchars, Jim; Deuchars, Susan A

    2016-09-01

    Lamina X of the spinal cord is a functionally diverse area with roles in locomotion, autonomic control and processing of mechano and nociceptive information. It is also a neurochemically diverse region. However, the different populations of cells in lamina X remain to be fully characterised. To determine the co-localisation of the enzymes responsible for the production of GABA and acetylcholine (which play major roles in the spinal cord) in lamina X of the adult and juvenile mouse, we used a transgenic mouse expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) in glutamate decarboxylase 67 (GAD67) neurons, combined with choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) immunohistochemistry. ChAT-immunoreactive (IR) and GAD67-GFP containing neurons were observed in lamina X of both adult and juvenile mice and in both age groups a population of cells containing both ChAT-IR and GAD67-GFP were observed in lumbar, thoracic and cervical spinal cord. Such dual labelled cells were predominantly located ventral to the central canal. Immunohistochemistry for vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) and GAD67 revealed a small number of double labelled terminals located lateral, dorsolateral and ventrolateral to the central canal. This study therefore describes in detail a population of ChAT-IR/GAD67-GFP neurons predominantly ventral to the central canal of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spinal cord of adult and juvenile mice. These cells potentially correspond to a sub-population of the cholinergic central canal cluster cells which may play a unique role in controlling spinal cord circuitry. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Wafer integrated micro-scale concentrating photovoltaics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Tian; Li, Duanhui; Li, Lan; Jared, Bradley; Keeler, Gordon; Miller, Bill; Sweatt, William; Paap, Scott; Saavedra, Michael; Das, Ujjwal; Hegedus, Steve; Tauke-Pedretti, Anna; Hu, Juejun

    2017-09-01

    Recent development of a novel micro-scale PV/CPV technology is presented. The Wafer Integrated Micro-scale PV approach (WPV) seamlessly integrates multijunction micro-cells with a multi-functional silicon platform that provides optical micro-concentration, hybrid photovoltaic, and mechanical micro-assembly. The wafer-embedded micro-concentrating elements is shown to considerably improve the concentration-acceptance-angle product, potentially leading to dramatically reduced module materials and fabrication costs, sufficient angular tolerance for low-cost trackers, and an ultra-compact optical architecture, which makes the WPV module compatible with commercial flat panel infrastructures. The PV/CPV hybrid architecture further allows the collection of both direct and diffuse sunlight, thus extending the geographic and market domains for cost-effective PV system deployment. The WPV approach can potentially benefits from both the high performance of multijunction cells and the low cost of flat plate Si PV systems.

  16. Detection of the anatomic structure and pathology in animal lung specimens: comparison of micro CT and multi-detector row CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lim, Kun Young; Lee, Hyun Ju; Lee, Chang Hyun; Son, Kyu Ri; Goo, Jin Mo; Im, Jung Gi; Seo, Joon Beom

    2006-01-01

    We wanted to compare the capability of micro CT and the clinically available thin-slice multi-detector row CT (MDCT) for demonstrating fine anatomic structures and pathological lesions in formalin-fixed lung specimens. The porcine lung with shark liver oil-induced lipoid pneumonia and the canine lung with pulmonary paragonimiasis were fixed by ventilating them with formalin vapor, and they were then sliced into one-centimeter thick sections. Micro CT (section thickness, 18 micrometer) and MDCT (section thickness, 0.75 mm) images were acquired in four of the lung slices of the lipoid pneumonia specimen and in five of the lung slices of the paragonimiasis specimen. On 62 pairs of micro CT and MDCT images, 169 pairs of rectangular ROIs were manually drawn in the corresponding locations. Two chest radiologists recorded the detectability of three kinds of anatomic structures (lobular core structure, interlobular septum and small bronchiolar lumen) and two kinds of pathological lesions (ground-glass opacity and consolidation) with using a five-point scale. The statistical comparison was performed by using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. Interobserver agreement was evaluated with kappa statistics. For all observers, all the kinds of anatomic structures and pathological lesions were detected better on the micro CT images than on the MDCT images (ρ < 0.01). Agreement was fair between two observers (κ = 0.38, ρ < 0.001). The fine anatomic structures and pathological lesions of the lung were more accurately demonstrated on micro CT than on thin-slice MDCT in the inflated and fixed lung specimens

  17. Detection of the anatomic structure and pathology in animal lung specimens: comparison of micro CT and multi-detector row CT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lim, Kun Young [National Cancer Center, Goyang (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Hyun Ju; Lee, Chang Hyun; Son, Kyu Ri; Goo, Jin Mo; Im, Jung Gi [Seoul National University Hospital and the Institute of Radiation Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seo, Joon Beom [Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2006-05-15

    We wanted to compare the capability of micro CT and the clinically available thin-slice multi-detector row CT (MDCT) for demonstrating fine anatomic structures and pathological lesions in formalin-fixed lung specimens. The porcine lung with shark liver oil-induced lipoid pneumonia and the canine lung with pulmonary paragonimiasis were fixed by ventilating them with formalin vapor, and they were then sliced into one-centimeter thick sections. Micro CT (section thickness, 18 micrometer) and MDCT (section thickness, 0.75 mm) images were acquired in four of the lung slices of the lipoid pneumonia specimen and in five of the lung slices of the paragonimiasis specimen. On 62 pairs of micro CT and MDCT images, 169 pairs of rectangular ROIs were manually drawn in the corresponding locations. Two chest radiologists recorded the detectability of three kinds of anatomic structures (lobular core structure, interlobular septum and small bronchiolar lumen) and two kinds of pathological lesions (ground-glass opacity and consolidation) with using a five-point scale. The statistical comparison was performed by using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. Interobserver agreement was evaluated with kappa statistics. For all observers, all the kinds of anatomic structures and pathological lesions were detected better on the micro CT images than on the MDCT images ({rho} < 0.01). Agreement was fair between two observers ({kappa} = 0.38, {rho} < 0.001). The fine anatomic structures and pathological lesions of the lung were more accurately demonstrated on micro CT than on thin-slice MDCT in the inflated and fixed lung specimens.

  18. Development of hybrid micro circuit based multi-channel programmable HV supply for BARC-pelletron experimental facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manna, A.; Thombare, S.; Moitra, S.; Kuswarkar, M.; Punna, M.; Nair, P.M.; Diwakar, M.P.; Pithawa, C.K.

    2013-01-01

    Electronics Division, BARC has developed a Multi channel programmable HV bias supply system for charge particle detector array for use in BARC-TIFR Pelletron-LINAC facility. The HV supplies are compact in size due to use of hybrid micro-circuits developed indigenously and are modular in construction to achieve versatility, scalability and serviceability. All programming operations and monitoring are performed remotely through PC over Ethernet. Each supply has a built-in over voltage, over current and thermal overload protections for safe operation and employs a Zero Voltage Switching (ZVS) technique to reduce thermal stress on the inverter switches. This article describes salient design aspects and performance of the HV supply system. (author)

  19. Stereotactic radiotherapy for head and neck cancers with Micro-Multi-Leaf (m3)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishiyama, Kinji; Koizumi, Masahiko; Nose, Takayuki; Yoshino, Kunitoshi

    2000-01-01

    Head and neck tumors are located in complicated anatomical structures comprised by critical organs. These tumors were stereotactically treated with Micro-Multi-Leaf (m3 TM ) which can make fields encompassing targets. The subjects were 3 patients with parotid tumors, 3 with maxillary sinus tumors, 2 with nasopharyngeal carcinomas, 2 with oropharyngeal carcinomas, and 1 each with ethmoid sinus, oral cavity, and nasal tumors. The subjects were immobilized with a shell and underwent CT scan of thin slices. Targets and risk organs of orbits, spinal cord, and parotid glands were marked on the CT images. Targets were defined with margins of 3 mm from clinical tumors and were irradiated through 4-7 static non-coplanar portals. Doses of fractionated stereotactic irradiation were 2.5-4 Gy daily and 15-62.5 Gy in total. Peak doses of 102-112% of isocenter dose indicated remarkable flatness of dose distribution. Doses to risk organs of eyeballs, parotid glands, and spinal cord were acceptable. (author)

  20. Mechanical properties of ramie fiber reinforced epoxy lamina composite for socket prosthesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tresna Soemardi

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents an investigation into the application of natural fiber composite especially ramie fiber reinforced epoxy lamina composite for socket prosthesis. The research focuses on the tensile and shear strength from ramie fiber reinforced epoxy lamina composite which will be applied as alternative material for socket prosthesis. The research based on American Society for Testing Material (ASTM standard D 3039/D 3039M for tensile strength and ASTM D 4255/D 4255M-83 for shear strength. The ramie fiber applied is a fiber continue 100 % Ne14'S with Epoxy Resin Bakelite EPR 174 as matrix and Epoxy Hardener V-140 as hardener. The sample composite test made by hand lay up method. Multiaxial characteristic from ramie fiber reinforced epoxy composite will be compared with ISO standard for plastic/polymer for health application and refers strength of material application at Prosthetics and Orthotics. The analysis was completed with the mode of the failure and the failure criterion observation by using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM. Based on results of the research could be concluded that ramie fiber reinforced epoxy composite could be developed further as the alternative material for socket prosthesis on Vf 40-50%. Results of the research will be discussed in more detail in this paper.

  1. In vivo translocation and toxicity of multi-walled carbon nanotubes are regulated by microRNAs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Yunli; Wu, Qiuli; Li, Yiping; Nouara, Abdelli; Jia, Ruhan; Wang, Dayong

    2014-03-01

    We employed an in vivo Caenorhabditis elegans assay system to perform SOLiD sequencing analysis to identify the possible microRNA (miRNA) targets of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Bioinformatics analysis on targeted genes for the identified dysregulated miRNAs in MWCNT exposed nematodes demonstrates their involvement in many aspects of biological processes. We used loss-of-function mutants for the identified dysregulated miRNAs to perform toxicity assessment by evaluating functions of primary and secondary targeted organs, and found the miRNA mutants with susceptible or resistant property towards MWCNT toxicity. Both the physiological state of the intestine and defecation behavior were involved in the control of the susceptible or resistant property occurrence for specific miRNA mutants towards MWCNT toxicity. This work provides the molecular basis at the miRNA level for future chemical design to reduce the nanotoxicity of MWCNTs and further elucidation of the related toxicological mechanism.We employed an in vivo Caenorhabditis elegans assay system to perform SOLiD sequencing analysis to identify the possible microRNA (miRNA) targets of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Bioinformatics analysis on targeted genes for the identified dysregulated miRNAs in MWCNT exposed nematodes demonstrates their involvement in many aspects of biological processes. We used loss-of-function mutants for the identified dysregulated miRNAs to perform toxicity assessment by evaluating functions of primary and secondary targeted organs, and found the miRNA mutants with susceptible or resistant property towards MWCNT toxicity. Both the physiological state of the intestine and defecation behavior were involved in the control of the susceptible or resistant property occurrence for specific miRNA mutants towards MWCNT toxicity. This work provides the molecular basis at the miRNA level for future chemical design to reduce the nanotoxicity of MWCNTs and further elucidation of the

  2. Thermal engineering and micro-technology; Thermique et microtechnologie

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kandlikar, S. [Rochester Inst. of Tech., NY (United States); Luo, L. [Institut National Polytechnique, 54 - Nancy (France); Gruss, A. [CEA Grenoble, GRETH, 38 (France); Wautelet, M. [Mons Univ. (Belgium); Gidon, S. [CEA Grenoble, Lab. d' Electronique et de Technologie de l' Informatique (LETI), 38 (France); Gillot, C. [Ecole Nationale Superieure d' Ingenieurs Electriciens de Grenoble, 38 - Saint Martin d' Heres (France)]|[CEA Grenoble, Lab. Electronique et de Technologie de l' Informatique (LETI), 38 (France); Therme, J.; Marvillet, Ch.; Vidil, R. [CEA Grenoble, 38 (France); Dutartre, D. [ST Microelectronique, France (France); Lefebvre, Ph. [SNECMA, 75 - Paris (France); Lallemand, M. [Institut National des Sciences Appliquees (INSA), 69 - Villeurbanne (France); Colin, S. [Institut National des Sciences Appliquees (INSA), 31 - Toulouse (France); Joulin, K. [Ecole Nationale Superieure de Mecanique et d' Aerotechnique (ENSMA), 86 - Poitiers (France); Gad el Hak, M. [Virginia Univ., Charlottesville, VA (United States)

    2003-07-01

    This document gathers the abstracts and transparencies of 5 invited conferences of this congress of the SFT about heat transfers and micro-technologies: Flow boiling in microchannels: non-dimensional groups and heat transfer mechanisms (S. Kandlikar); Intensification and multi-scale process units (L. Luo and A. Gruss); Macro-, micro- and nano-systems: different physics? (M. Wautelet); micro-heat pipes (M. Lallemand); liquid and gas flows inside micro-ducts (S. Colin). The abstracts of the following presentations are also included: Electro-thermal writing of nano-scale memory points in a phase change material (S. Gidon); micro-technologies for cooling in micro-electronics (C. Gillot); the Minatec project (J. Therme); importance and trends of thermal engineering in micro-electronics (D. Dutartre); Radiant heat transfers at short length scales (K. Joulain); Momentum and heat transfer in micro-electromechanical systems (M. Gad-el-Hak). (J.S.)

  3. Casein kinase II protein kinase is bound to lamina-matrix and phosphorylates lamin-like protein in isolated pea nuclei

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, H.; Roux, S. J.

    1992-01-01

    A casein kinase II (CK II)-like protein kinase was identified and partially isolated from a purified envelope-matrix fraction of pea (Pisum sativum L.) nuclei. When [gamma-32P]ATP was directly added to the envelope-matrix preparation, the three most heavily labeled protein bands had molecular masses near 71, 48, and 46 kDa. Protein kinases were removed from the preparation by sequential extraction with Triton X-100, EGTA, 0.3 M NaCl, and a pH 10.5 buffer, but an active kinase still remained bound to the remaining lamina-matrix fraction after these treatments. This kinase had properties resembling CK II kinases previously characterized from animal and plant sources: it preferred casein as an artificial substrate, could use GTP as efficiently as ATP as the phosphoryl donor, was stimulated by spermine, was calcium independent, and had a catalytic subunit of 36 kDa. Some animal and plant CK II kinases have regulatory subunits near 29 kDa, and a lamina-matrix-bound protein of this molecular mass was recognized on immunoblot by anti-Drosophila CK II polyclonal antibodies. Also found associated with the envelope-matrix fraction of pea nuclei were p34cdc2-like and Ca(2+)-dependent protein kinases, but their properties could not account for the protein kinase activity bound to the lamina. The 71-kDa substrate of the CK II-like kinase was lamin A-like, both in its molecular mass and in its cross-reactivity with anti-intermediate filament antibodies. Lamin phosphorylation is considered a crucial early step in the entry of cells into mitosis, so lamina-bound CK II kinases may be important control points for cellular proliferation.

  4. The effect of Cytochalasin D on F-Actin behavior of single-cell electroendocytosis using multi-chamber micro cell chip

    KAUST Repository

    Lin, Ran

    2012-03-01

    Electroendocytosis (EED) is a pulsed-electric-field (PEF) induced endocytosis, facilitating cells uptake molecules through nanometer-sized EED vesicles. We herein investigate the effect of a chemical inhibitor, Cytochalasin D (CD) on the actin-filaments (F-Actin) behavior of single-cell EED. The CD concentration (C CD) can control the depolymerization of F-actin. A multi-chamber micro cell chip was fabricated to study the EED under different conditions. Large-scale single-cell data demonstrated EED highly depends on both electric field and C CD. © 2012 IEEE.

  5. The effect of Cytochalasin D on F-Actin behavior of single-cell electroendocytosis using multi-chamber micro cell chip

    KAUST Repository

    Lin, Ran; Chang, Donald C.; Lee, Yi Kuen

    2012-01-01

    Electroendocytosis (EED) is a pulsed-electric-field (PEF) induced endocytosis, facilitating cells uptake molecules through nanometer-sized EED vesicles. We herein investigate the effect of a chemical inhibitor, Cytochalasin D (CD) on the actin-filaments (F-Actin) behavior of single-cell EED. The CD concentration (C CD) can control the depolymerization of F-actin. A multi-chamber micro cell chip was fabricated to study the EED under different conditions. Large-scale single-cell data demonstrated EED highly depends on both electric field and C CD. © 2012 IEEE.

  6. Measure of the stability of the speed of the blades of a multi leaf collimator with a 2D array; Medida de la estabilidad de la velocidad de las laminas de un colimador multilaminas mediante un array 2D

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fernandez Bedoya, V.; Garcia Vicente, F.; Gomez Barrado, A.; Bermudez Luna, R.; Rodriguez Martin, G.; Perez Gonzalez, L.; Torres Escobar, J. J.

    2011-07-01

    The dynamic mode (sliding window) for intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) assumes that the position of each pair of plates changes independently and at different rates for each field, while the accelerator is radiating, so it requires a step further multi leaf control to be necessary not only to control the accuracy in the position of the blades, but also perform a check on the speed and stability. The accuracy with which dynamic treatment is given depends on the accuracy with which control the speed of each sheet. We have developed a test based on the use of a 2a array to control the speed of the blades as part of quality control throttle to ensure the quality of IMRT treatments performed in our center. The literature describes tests to control this parameter based on the use of film, but desirable routine test a simpler and faster than the time to determine the mechanical condition of the blades. With this system you can check the set of 20 sheets at once central and do a visual analysis of the results through a program of acquisition and analysis. (Author)

  7. An examination of the damage tolerance enhancement of carbon/epoxy using an outer lamina of spectra (R)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lance, D. G.; Nettles, A. T.

    1991-01-01

    Low velocity instrumented impact testing was utilized to examine the effects of an outer lamina of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (Spectra) on the damage tolerance of carbon epoxy composites. Four types of 16-ply quasi-isotropic panels (0, +45, 90, -45) were tested. Some panels contained no Spectra, while others had a lamina of Spectra bonded to the top (impacted side), bottom, or both sides of the composite plates. The specimens were impacted with energies up to 8.5 J. Force time plots and maximum force versus impact energy graphs were generated for comparison purposes. Specimens were also subjected to cross-sectional analysis and compression after impact tests. The results show that while the Spectra improved the maximum load that the panels could withstand before fiber breakage, the Spectra seemingly reduced the residual strength of the composites.

  8. Cholera toxin B subunit labeling in lamina II of spinal cord dorsal horn following chronic inflammation in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Qing Ping; Tian, Li

    2002-07-26

    We have investigated the effect of inflammation on the labeling pattern of cholera toxin B subunit (CTB)-conjugated horseradish peroxidase, an A-fiber marker, by an intra-sciatic nerve injection of the tracer. Following chronic inflammation in one hind paw in rats, there was substantial CTB labeling in lamina II of the spinal dorsal horn, which is normally absent. However, there was no change in the labeling pattern of wheat germ agglutinin or fluoride resistant acid phosphatase/thiamine monophosphatase, two C-fiber markers. The CTB labeling in lamina II after peripheral nerve injury has been interpreted as central sprouting of A-fibers or uptake of the tracer by injured C-fibers. Our results suggest that chronic inflammation and nerve injury may share some common mechanisms in generating allodynia and hyperalgesia.

  9. Biointegration of the osteo-odonto lamina in the modified osteo-odonto keratoprosthesis: engineering of tissue to restore lost vision.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sawatari, Yoh; Marx, Robert E; Perez, Victor L; Parel, Jean-Marie

    2013-01-01

    The modified osteo-odonto keratoprosthesis (MOOKP) is a biologic keratoprosthesis that is used to treat a severely scarred cornea. The procedure involves multiple stages, including the transplantation of buccal mucosa to the damaged ocular surface and the implantation of an osteo-odonto lamina with a mounted polymethylmethacrylate lens. Among the keratoprostheses currently available, the MOOKP has proven to be the most effective based on the number of patients who have undergone the procedure and the duration of documented follow-up. Upon successful biointegration of the osteo-odonto lamina, the keratoprosthesis is able to resist resorption, provide stability, and prevent bacterial invasion and epithelial ingrowth. The effectiveness of the MOOKP is dependent on the anatomic and physiologic characteristics of the dental tissues and periodontal ligament.

  10. Role of microRNAs in Alcohol-Induced Multi-Organ Injury

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sathish Kumar Natarajan

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Alcohol consumption and its abuse is a major health problem resulting in significant healthcare cost in the United States. Chronic alcoholism results in damage to most of the vital organs in the human body. Among the alcohol-induced injuries, alcoholic liver disease is one of the most prevalent in the United States. Remarkably, ethanol alters expression of a wide variety of microRNAs that can regulate alcohol-induced complications or dysfunctions. In this review, we will discuss the role of microRNAs in alcoholic pancreatitis, alcohol-induced liver damage, intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction, and brain damage including altered hippocampus structure and function, and neuronal loss, alcoholic cardiomyopathy, and muscle damage. Further, we have reviewed the role of altered microRNAs in the circulation, teratogenic effects of alcohol, and during maternal or paternal alcohol consumption.

  11. [A micro-silicon multi-slit spectrophotometer based on MEMS technology].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hao, Peng; Wu, Yi-Hui; Zhang, Ping; Liu, Yong-Shun; Zhang, Ke; Li, Hai-Wen

    2009-06-01

    A new mini-spectrophotometer was developed by adopting micro-silicon slit and pixel segmentation technology, and this spectrophotometer used photoelectron diode array as the detector by the back-dividing-light way. At first, the effect of the spectral bandwidth on the tested absorbance linear correlation was analyzed. A theory for the design of spectrophotometer's slit was brought forward after discussing the relationships between spectrophotometer spectrum band width and pre-and post-slits width. Then, the integrative micro-silicon-slit, which features small volume, high precision, and thin thickness, was manufactured based on the MEMS technology. Finally, a test was carried on linear absorbance solution by this spectrophotometer. The final result showed that the correlation coefficients were larger than 0.999, which means that the new mini-spectrophotometer with micro-silicon slit pixel segmentation has an obvious linear correlation.

  12. The influence of the level of lamina propria invasion and the prevalence of p53 nuclear accumulation on survival in stage T1 transitional cell bladder cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hermann, G G; Horn, T; Steven, K

    1998-01-01

    and routinely grouped according to the level of lamina propria invasion. Invasion of the tumor stalk was defined as stage T1a, invasion of the lamina propria proper superficial to the level of muscularis mucosa as stage T1b and into or deeper than the muscularis mucosa as stage T1c. The p53 nuclear...

  13. Multi-scale-nonlinear interactions among macro-MHD mode, micro-turbulence, and zonal flow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishizawa, Akihiro; Nakajima, Noriyoshi

    2007-01-01

    This is the first numerical simulation demonstrating that macro-magnetohydrodynamic (macro-MHD) mode is exited as a result of multi-scale interaction in a quasi-steady equilibrium formed by a balance between zonal flow and micro-turbulence via reduced-two-fluid simulation. Only after obtaining the equilibrium which includes zonal flow and the turbulence caused by kinetic ballooning mode is this simulation of macro-MHD mode, double tearing mode, accomplished. In the quasi-steady equilibrium a macro-fluctuation which has the same helicity as that of double tearing mode is a part of the turbulence until it grows as a macro-MHD mode finally. When the macro-MHD grows it effectively utilize free energy of equilibrium current density gradient because of positive feedback loop between suppression of zonal flow and growth of the macro-fluctuation causing magnetic reconnection. Thus once the macro-MHD grows from the quasi-equilibrium, it does not go back. This simulation is more comparable with experimental observation of growing macro-fluctuation than traditional MHD simulation of linear instabilities in a static equilibrium. (author)

  14. Study on high density multi-scale calculation technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sekiguchi, S.; Tanaka, Y.; Nakada, H.; Nishikawa, T.; Yamamoto, N.; Yokokawa, M.

    2004-01-01

    To understand degradation of nuclear materials under irradiation, it is essential to know as much about each phenomenon observed from multi-scale points of view; they are micro-scale in atomic-level, macro-level in structural scale and intermediate level. In this study for application to meso-scale materials (100A ∼ 2μm), computer technology approaching from micro- and macro-scales was developed including modeling and computer application using computational science and technology method. And environmental condition of grid technology for multi-scale calculation was prepared. The software and MD (molecular dynamics) stencil for verifying the multi-scale calculation were improved and their movement was confirmed. (A. Hishinuma)

  15. Realization and optical characterisation of micro-cavities in strong coupling regime using self-assembled multi-quantum wells structure of 2D perovskites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lanty, Gaetan

    2011-01-01

    The research work which is reported in this manuscript focuses on 2D perovskites and their use to obtain micro-cavities working in the strong coupling regime. Perovskite structure forms a multi-quantum wells in which the excitonic states have a high oscillator strength and a large binding energy (a few 100 MeV) due to quantum and dielectric confinement effects. A first axis of this work was to collect information on the excitonic properties of these materials. On a particular perovskite (PEPI), we performed photoluminescence and pump-probe measurements, which seem to suggest the existence, under high excitation density, a process of Auger recombination of excitons. A second research axis was to put in cavity thin layers of some perovskites. With PEPI and PEPC perovskites, we have shown that the realization of micro-cavities with a quality factor of the order of ten is sufficient to obtain at room temperature, the strong coupling regime in absorption and emission with Rabi splitting up to 220 MeV. A bottleneck effect has been clearly demonstrated for the PEPI microcavity. We have also shown that perovskites could be associated with inorganic semiconductors in 'hybrid' micro-cavities. According Agranovich et al., these micro-cavities could present polariton lasing with lower quality factors. To this end, the ZnO/MFMPB association seems particularly promising. (author)

  16. Cytotoxic reactivity of gut lamina propria CD4+ alpha beta T cells in SCID mice with colitis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bonhagen, K; Thoma, S; Bland, P

    1996-01-01

    Polyclonal, mucosa-seeking memory/effector CD4+ T cells containing a large fraction of blasts activated in situ accumulate in the gut lamina propria of severe-combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice developing colitis after CD4+ T cell transplantation. CD4+ T cells isolated from different repopulated...

  17. The insulator protein SU(HW fine-tunes nuclear lamina interactions of the Drosophila genome.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joke G van Bemmel

    Full Text Available Specific interactions of the genome with the nuclear lamina (NL are thought to assist chromosome folding inside the nucleus and to contribute to the regulation of gene expression. High-resolution mapping has recently identified hundreds of large, sharply defined lamina-associated domains (LADs in the human genome, and suggested that the insulator protein CTCF may help to demarcate these domains. Here, we report the detailed structure of LADs in Drosophila cells, and investigate the putative roles of five insulator proteins in LAD organization. We found that the Drosophila genome is also organized in discrete LADs, which are about five times smaller than human LADs but contain on average a similar number of genes. Systematic comparison to new and published insulator binding maps shows that only SU(HW binds preferentially at LAD borders and at specific positions inside LADs, while GAF, CTCF, BEAF-32 and DWG are mostly absent from these regions. By knockdown and overexpression studies we demonstrate that SU(HW weakens genome - NL interactions through a local antagonistic effect, but we did not obtain evidence that it is essential for border formation. Our results provide insights into the evolution of LAD organization and identify SU(HW as a fine-tuner of genome - NL interactions.

  18. Hydrodynamics of multi-phase packed bed micro-reactors

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Márquez Luzardo, N.M.

    2010-01-01

    Why to use packed bed micro-reactors for catalyst testing? Miniaturized packed bed reactors have a large surface-to-volume ratio at the reactor and particle level that favors the heat- and mass-transfer processes at all scales (intra-particle, inter-phase and inter-particle or reactor level). If the

  19. Applications of synchrotron-based micro-imaging techniques for the analysis of Cultural Heritage materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cotte, Marine; Chilida, Javier; Walter, Philippe; Taniguchi, Yoko; Susini, Jean

    2009-01-01

    The analysis of cultural Heritage objects is often technically challenging. When analyzing micro-fragments, the amount of matter is usually very tiny, hence requiring sensitive techniques. These samples, in particular painting fragments, may present multi-layered structures, with layer thickness of ∼10 μm. It leads to favor micro-imaging techniques, with a good lateral resolution (about one micrometer), that manage the discriminative study of each layer. Besides, samples are usually very complex in term of chemistry, as they are made of mineral and organic matters, amorphous and crystallized phases, major and minor elements. Accordingly, a multi-modal approach is generally essential to solve the chemical complexity of such hybrid materials. Different examples will be given, to illustrate the various possibilities of synchrotron-based micro-imaging techniques, such as micro X-ray diffraction, micro X-ray fluorescence, micro X-ray absorption spectroscopy and micro FTIR spectroscopy. Focus will be made on paintings, but the whole range of museum objects (going from soft matter like paper or wood to hard matter like metal and glass) will be also considered.

  20. Fast parallel diffractive multi-beam femtosecond laser surface micro-structuring

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zheng Kuang, E-mail: z.kuang@liv.ac.uk [Laser Group, Department of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Brodie Building, Liverpool L69 3GQ (United Kingdom); Dun Liu; Perrie, Walter; Edwardson, Stuart; Sharp, Martin; Fearon, Eamonn; Dearden, Geoff; Watkins, Ken [Laser Group, Department of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Brodie Building, Liverpool L69 3GQ (United Kingdom)

    2009-04-15

    Fast parallel femtosecond laser surface micro-structuring is demonstrated using a spatial light modulator (SLM). The Gratings and Lenses algorithm, which is simple and computationally fast, is used to calculate computer generated holograms (CGHs) producing diffractive multiple beams for the parallel processing. The results show that the finite laser bandwidth can significantly alter the intensity distribution of diffracted beams at higher angles resulting in elongated hole shapes. In addition, by synchronisation of applied CGHs and the scanning system, true 3D micro-structures are created on Ti6Al4V.

  1. Planning for Micro-grid with Static Voltage Stability and Maximizing Renewable Energy Utilization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Youfu; Zhang, Yuhong; Lv, Xuehai; Zhang, Wentai; Wei, Jun; Zhang, Changhua; Chen, Xin

    2017-05-01

    The access position and capacity of distribution generation (DG) affect the static voltage stability of micro-grid, thus affecting the renewable energy utilization. In the current reform of the energy supply side, a multi-objective optimization model is established, aiming at the abandoning wind and abandoning light problem. This model has three advantages, which are the largest renewable energy utilization, static voltage stability of micro-grid and the minimum cost of DG investment considering environmental benefits. It can effectively promote the use of wind power, photovoltaic power generation and other renewable energy sources. In this paper, the multi-objective optimization problem is transformed into a single objective programming problem by using the deviation method; the optimal solution of multi-objective function is solved by using particle swarm optimization algorithm, so as to establish the planning scheme of micro-grid. Simulation results prove the correctness and feasibility of the optimization method.

  2. Vigas de madeira laminada colada com laminas pre-classificadas de eucalyptus grandis

    OpenAIRE

    Grohmann, Sandra Zampieri

    1998-01-01

    Dissertação (Mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnologico Comprovar a viabilidade de realização e desempenho de vigas de madeira laminada colada de Eucalyptus grandis classificadas de acordo com sua rigidez cujas lâminas estão divididas em classes de resistência onde o parâmetro de comparação é o módulo de elasticidade longitudinal. Para isso caracterizou-se física e mecanicamente a madeira e fez-se a classificação das laminas em grupos de acordo com o módulo de e...

  3. Modelling of a micro Coriolis mass flow sensor for sensitivity improvement

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Groenesteijn, Jarno; van de Ridder, Bert; Lötters, Joost Conrad; Wiegerink, Remco J.

    2014-01-01

    We have developed a multi-axis flexible body model with which we can investigate the behavior of (micro) Coriolis mass flow sensors with arbitrary channel geometry. The model has been verified by measurements on five different designs of micro Coriolis mass flow sensors. The model predicts the Eigen

  4. Cooling high heat flux micro-electronic systems using refrigerants in high aspect ratio multi-microchannel evaporators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Costa-Patry, E.

    2011-11-01

    Improving the energy efficiency of cooling systems can contribute to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. Currently, most microelectronic applications are air-cooled. Switching to two-phase cooling systems would decrease power consumption and allow for the reuse of the extracted heat. For this type of application, multi-microchannel evaporators are thought to be well adapted. However, such devices have not been tested for a wide range of operating conditions, such that their thermal response to the high non-uniform power map typically generated by microelectronics has not been studied. This research project aims at clarifying these gray areas by investigating the behavior of the two-phase flow of different refrigerants in silicon and copper multi-microchannel evaporators under uniform, non-uniform and transient heat fluxes operating conditions. The test elements use as a heat source a pseudo-chip able to mimic the behavior of a CPU. It is formed by 35 independent sub-heaters, each having its own temperature sensor, such that 35 temperature and 35 heat flux measurements can be made simultaneously. Careful measurements of each pressure drop component (inlet, microchannels and outlet) found in the micro-evaporators showed the importance of the inlet and outlet restriction pressure losses. The overall pressure drop levels found in the copper test section were low enough to possibly be driven by a thermosyphon system. The heat transfer coefficients measured for uniform heat flux conditions were very high and typically followed a V-shape curve. The first branch was associated to the slug flow regime and the second to the annular flow regime. By tracking the minimum level of heat transfer, a transition criteria between the regimes was established, which included the effect of heat flux on the transition. Then for each branch, a different prediction method was used to form the first flow pattern-based prediction method for two-phase heat transfer in microchannels. A

  5. Improving the accuracy of micro injection moulding process simulations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Marhöfer, David Maximilian; Tosello, Guido; Islam, Aminul

    and are therefore limited in the capability of modelling the polymer flow in micro cavities. Hence, new strategies for comprehensive simulation models which provide more precise results open up new opportunities and will be discussed. Modelling and meshing recommendations are presented, leading to a multi......Process simulations in micro injection moulding aim at the optimization and support of the design of the mould, mould inserts, the plastic product, and the process. Nevertheless, dedicated software packages for micro injection moulding are not available. They are developed for macro plastic parts...

  6. Multi Scale Micro and Nano Metrology for Advanced Precision Moulding Technologies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Quagliotti, Danilo

    dimensions of the novel micro and nano production. Nowadays, design methodologies and concurrent tolerance guidelines are not yet available for advanced micro manufacture. Moreover, there are no shared methodologies that deals with the uncertainty evaluation of feature of size in the sub-millimetre scale......The technological revolution that has deeply influenced the manufacturing industry over the past two decades opened up new possibilities for the realisation of advanced micro and nano systems but, at the same time, traditional techniques for quality assurance became not adequate any longer......, as the technology progressed. The gap between the needs of the manufacturing industry and the well-organized structure of the dimensional and geometrical metrology appeared, above all, related to the methodologies and, also, to the instrumentation used to deal with the incessant scaling down of the critical...

  7. Micro-controller based air pressure monitoring instrumentation system using optical fibers as sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hazarika, D.; Pegu, D. S.

    2013-03-01

    This paper describes a micro-controller based instrumentation system to monitor air pressure using optical fiber sensors. The principle of macrobending is used to develop the sensor system. The instrumentation system consists of a laser source, a beam splitter, two multi mode optical fibers, two Light Dependent Resistance (LDR) based timer circuits and a AT89S8252 micro-controller. The beam splitter is used to divide the laser beam into two parts and then these two beams are launched into two multi mode fibers. One of the multi mode fibers is used as the sensor fiber and the other one is used as the reference fiber. The use of the reference fiber is to eliminate the environmental effects while measuring the air pressure magnitude. The laser beams from the sensor and reference fibers are applied to two identical LDR based timer circuits. The LDR based timer circuits are interfaced to a micro-controller through its counter pins. The micro-controller samples the frequencies of the timer circuits using its counter-0 and counter-1 and the counter values are then processed to provide the measure of air pressure magnitude.

  8. Compact Micro-Imaging Spectrometer (CMIS): Investigation of Imaging Spectroscopy and Its Application to Mars Geology and Astrobiology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Staten, Paul W.

    2005-01-01

    Future missions to Mars will attempt to answer questions about Mars' geological and biological history. The goal of the CMIS project is to design, construct, and test a capable, multi-spectral micro-imaging spectrometer use in such missions. A breadboard instrument has been constructed with a micro-imaging camera and Several multi-wavelength LED illumination rings. Test samples have been chosen for their interest to spectroscopists, geologists and astrobiologists. Preliminary analysis has demonstrated the advantages of isotropic illumination and micro-imaging spectroscopy over spot spectroscopy.

  9. Micro/nano-computed tomography technology for quantitative dynamic, multi-scale imaging of morphogenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gregg, Chelsea L; Recknagel, Andrew K; Butcher, Jonathan T

    2015-01-01

    Tissue morphogenesis and embryonic development are dynamic events challenging to quantify, especially considering the intricate events that happen simultaneously in different locations and time. Micro- and more recently nano-computed tomography (micro/nanoCT) has been used for the past 15 years to characterize large 3D fields of tortuous geometries at high spatial resolution. We and others have advanced micro/nanoCT imaging strategies for quantifying tissue- and organ-level fate changes throughout morphogenesis. Exogenous soft tissue contrast media enables visualization of vascular lumens and tissues via extravasation. Furthermore, the emergence of antigen-specific tissue contrast enables direct quantitative visualization of protein and mRNA expression. Micro-CT X-ray doses appear to be non-embryotoxic, enabling longitudinal imaging studies in live embryos. In this chapter we present established soft tissue contrast protocols for obtaining high-quality micro/nanoCT images and the image processing techniques useful for quantifying anatomical and physiological information from the data sets.

  10. Estimation of Lamina Stiffness and Strength of Quadriaxial Non-Crimp Fabric Composites Based on Semi-Laminar Considerations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yong Cao

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Quadriaxial non-crimp fabric (QNCF composites are increasingly being used as primary structural materials in aircraft and automotive applications. Predicting the mechanical properties of QNCF lamina is more complicated compared with that of unidirectional (UD composites, because of the knitting connection of different plies. In this study, to analyze the stiffness and strength of the QNCF composites, a novel modeling strategy for the meso-scale features is presented based on the semi-laminar assumption. Following the view of the mechanical properties of single composite lamina, the complex QNCF layer is decomposed into individual plies. Three different representative unit cells along fiber direction are selected to predict the mechanical performance of QNCF, including in-plane stiffness, damage initiation, and stiffness degradation. To validate the developed modeling strategy, the predictions are compared with existing experimental results, where a good agreement is presented on the prediction of in-plane stiffness and strength. Furthermore, the effect of in-plane fiber distortion, induced by the stitching yarn on the mechanical properties, is studied.

  11. Hybrid tooling technologies and standardization for the manufacturing of inserts for micro injection molding

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tosello, Guido; Fillon, Bertrand; Azcarate, Sabino

    2007-01-01

    This paper is based on the European Platform’s activities within the 4M Network of Excellence “Multi-Material Micro Manufacturing”. To overpass limitations of the current existing micro tooling capabilities, a new generation of micro hybrid tooling technologies for micro replication was developed....... A metrological approach was applied to standardize the employed tooling processes (micro milling, µEDM, laser micromachining, electrochemical µ-milling). The micro tools were then tested with different polymers (PP, PP + nano fillers, PC, COC). The paper provides a comparison of these technologies concerning...

  12. Direct writing of large-area micro/nano-structural arrays on single crystalline germanium substrates using femtosecond lasers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Lin; Wang, Jun

    2017-06-01

    A direct writing technique for fabricating micro/nano-structural arrays without using a multi-scanning process, multi-beam interference, or any assisted microlens arrays is reported. Various sub-wavelength micro/nano-structural arrays have been directly written on single crystalline germanium substrate surfaces using femtosecond laser pulses. The evolution of the multiscale surface morphology from periodic micro/nano-structures to V-shaped microgrooves has been achieved, and the relationship between array characteristics and laser polarization directions has been discussed. The self-organization model agrees well with the experimental results in this study.

  13. Strategic Energy Management (SEM) in a micro grid with modern grid interactive electric vehicle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Panwar, Lokesh Kumar; Reddy, K. Srikanth; Kumar, Rajesh; Panigrahi, B.K.; Vyas, Shashank

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • System: Modelling of energy and storage systems for micro grid. • Target: Co-ordination of unitized regenerative fuel cell (URFC) and electric vehicle (EV). • Energy management strategies: Only URFC, URFC–EV charging, URFC-V2G with enabled. • Multi-objective approach: loss, cost minimization, maximization of stored energy. • Proposed Solution: Intelligent co-ordination of URFC and EV with V2G with most effective strategy. - Abstract: In this paper, strategic energy management in a micro grid is proposed incorporating two types of storage elements viz. unitised regenerative fuel cell (URFC) and electric vehicle (EV). Rather than a simple approach of optimizing micro grid operation to minimize line loss in the micro grid, this paper deals with multi objective optimization to minimize line loss, operational cost and maximize the value of stored energy of URFC and EV simultaneously. Apart from URFC, two operation strategies are proposed for EV enabling V2G operation to reduce overall system cost of operation. To address the complexity, non-linearity and multi dimensionality of the objective function, particle swarm optimization-a heuristic approach based solution methodology along with forward and back sweep algorithm based load flow solution technique is developed. Combined with particle swarm optimization (PSO), forward and backward sweep algorithm resolves the complexity and multi dimensionality of the load flow analysis and optimizes the operational cost of micro grid. The simulation results are presented and discussed which are promising with regard to reduction in line loss as well as cost of operation. Scheduling strategy of the micro grid with both URFC and EV enabling V2G operation presents a promising approach to minimize line loss and cost of operation.

  14. Coupled numerical approach combining finite volume and lattice Boltzmann methods for multi-scale multi-physicochemical processes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, Li; He, Ya-Ling [Key Laboratory of Thermo-Fluid Science and Engineering of MOE, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an, Shaanxi 710049 (China); Kang, Qinjun [Computational Earth Science Group (EES-16), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM (United States); Tao, Wen-Quan, E-mail: wqtao@mail.xjtu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Thermo-Fluid Science and Engineering of MOE, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an, Shaanxi 710049 (China)

    2013-12-15

    A coupled (hybrid) simulation strategy spatially combining the finite volume method (FVM) and the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), called CFVLBM, is developed to simulate coupled multi-scale multi-physicochemical processes. In the CFVLBM, computational domain of multi-scale problems is divided into two sub-domains, i.e., an open, free fluid region and a region filled with porous materials. The FVM and LBM are used for these two regions, respectively, with information exchanged at the interface between the two sub-domains. A general reconstruction operator (RO) is proposed to derive the distribution functions in the LBM from the corresponding macro scalar, the governing equation of which obeys the convection–diffusion equation. The CFVLBM and the RO are validated in several typical physicochemical problems and then are applied to simulate complex multi-scale coupled fluid flow, heat transfer, mass transport, and chemical reaction in a wall-coated micro reactor. The maximum ratio of the grid size between the FVM and LBM regions is explored and discussed. -- Highlights: •A coupled simulation strategy for simulating multi-scale phenomena is developed. •Finite volume method and lattice Boltzmann method are coupled. •A reconstruction operator is derived to transfer information at the sub-domains interface. •Coupled multi-scale multiple physicochemical processes in micro reactor are simulated. •Techniques to save computational resources and improve the efficiency are discussed.

  15. An efficient scenario-based stochastic programming framework for multi-objective optimal micro-grid operation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niknam, Taher; Azizipanah-Abarghooee, Rasoul; Narimani, Mohammad Rasoul

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Proposes a stochastic model for optimal energy management. ► Consider uncertainties related to the forecasted values for load demand. ► Consider uncertainties of forecasted values of output power of wind and photovoltaic units. ► Consider uncertainties of forecasted values of market price. ► Present an improved multi-objective teaching–learning-based optimization. -- Abstract: This paper proposes a stochastic model for optimal energy management with the goal of cost and emission minimization. In this model, the uncertainties related to the forecasted values for load demand, available output power of wind and photovoltaic units and market price are modeled by a scenario-based stochastic programming. In the presented method, scenarios are generated by a roulette wheel mechanism based on probability distribution functions of the input random variables. Through this method, the inherent stochastic nature of the proposed problem is released and the problem is decomposed into a deterministic problem. An improved multi-objective teaching–learning-based optimization is implemented to yield the best expected Pareto optimal front. In the proposed stochastic optimization method, a novel self adaptive probabilistic modification strategy is offered to improve the performance of the presented algorithm. Also, a set of non-dominated solutions are stored in a repository during the simulation process. Meanwhile, the size of the repository is controlled by usage of a fuzzy-based clustering technique. The best expected compromise solution stored in the repository is selected via the niching mechanism in a way that solutions are encouraged to seek the lesser explored regions. The proposed framework is applied in a typical grid-connected micro grid in order to verify its efficiency and feasibility.

  16. Scout-view assisted interior micro-CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sharma, Kriti Sen; Narayanan, Shree; Agah, Masoud; Holzner, Christian; Vasilescu, Dragoş M; Jin, Xin; Hoffman, Eric A; Yu, Hengyong; Wang, Ge

    2013-01-01

    Micro computed tomography (micro-CT) is a widely-used imaging technique. A challenge of micro-CT is to quantitatively reconstruct a sample larger than the field-of-view (FOV) of the detector. This scenario is characterized by truncated projections and associated image artifacts. However, for such truncated scans, a low resolution scout scan with an increased FOV is frequently acquired so as to position the sample properly. This study shows that the otherwise discarded scout scans can provide sufficient additional information to uniquely and stably reconstruct the interior region of interest. Two interior reconstruction methods are designed to utilize the multi-resolution data without significant computational overhead. While most previous studies used numerically truncated global projections as interior data, this study uses truly hybrid scans where global and interior scans were carried out at different resolutions. Additionally, owing to the lack of standard interior micro-CT phantoms, we designed and fabricated novel interior micro-CT phantoms for this study to provide means of validation for our algorithms. Finally, two characteristic samples from separate studies were scanned to show the effect of our reconstructions. The presented methods show significant improvements over existing reconstruction algorithms. (paper)

  17. Incentive Mechanism of Micro-grid Project Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yong Long

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Due to the issue of cost and benefit, the investment demand and consumption demand of micro-grids are insufficient in the early stages, which makes all parties lack motivation to participate in the development of micro-grid projects and leads to the slow development of micro-grids. In order to promote the development of micro-grids, the corresponding incentive mechanism should be designed to motivate the development of micro-grid projects. Therefore, this paper builds a multi-stage incentive model of micro-grid project development involving government, grid corporation, energy supplier, equipment supplier, and the user in order to study the incentive problems of micro-grid project development. Through the solution and analysis of the model, this paper deduces the optimal subsidy of government and the optimal cooperation incentive of the energy supplier, and calculates the optimal pricing strategy of grid corporation and the energy supplier, and analyzes the influence of relevant factors on optimal subsidy and incentive. The study reveals that the cost and social benefit of micro-grid development have a positive impact on micro-grid subsidy, technical level and equipment quality of equipment supplier as well as the fact that government subsidies positively adjust the level of cooperation incentives and price incentives. In the end, the validity of the model is verified by numerical analysis, and the incentive strategy of each participant is analyzed. The research of this paper is of great significance to encourage project development of micro-grids and to promote the sustainable development of micro-grids.

  18. Micro Products - Product Development and Design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Hans Nørgaard

    2003-01-01

    Innovation within the field of micro and nano technology is to a great extent characterized by cross-disciplinary skills. The traditional disciplines like e.g. physics, biology, medicine and engineering are united in a common development process that can only take place in the presence of multi......-disciplinary competences. One example is sensors for chemical analysis of fluids, where chemistry, biology and flow mechanics all influence the design of the product and thereby the industrial fabrication of the product [1]. On the technological side the development has moved very fast, primarily driven by the need...... of the electronics industry to create still smaller chips with still larger capacity. Therefore the manufacturing technologies connected with micro/nano products in silicon are relatively highly developed compared to the technologies used for manufacturing micro products in metals, polymers and ceramics. For all...

  19. Angled Growth of the Dental Lamina Is Accompanied by Asymmetrical Expression of the WNT Pathway Receptor Frizzled 6

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Putnová, Iveta; Dosedělová, Hana; Bryja, V.; Landová, Marie; Buchtová, Marcela; Štembírek, Jan

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 8, č. 1 (2017), č. článku 29. ISSN 1664-042X R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GP14-29273P Institutional support: RVO:67985904 Keywords : FZD6 * successional dental lamina * WNT signaling Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology OBOR OECD: Developmental biology Impact factor: 4.134, year: 2016

  20. Transport and Deposition of Micro-and Nano-Particles in Human Tracheobronchial Tree by an Asymmetric Multi-Level Bifurcation Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lin Tian

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Transport and deposition of particles in the upper tracheobronchial tree were analyzed using a multi-level asymmetric lung bifurcation model. The first three generations of tracheobronchial tree were included in the study. The laryngeal jet at the trachea entrance was modeled as an effective turbulence disturbance, and the study was focused on how to accurately simulate the airflow and predict the motion of the inhaled particles. Downstream in the lower level of the bronchial region, a laminar flow model was used, as smoother flow condition was expected. Transport and deposition of nano- and micro-scale spherical particles in the range of 0.01 μm to 30 μm were evaluated. The particle local deposition pattern and deposition rate in the lung bifurcation was discussed. The proposed multi-level asymmetric lung bifurcation model was found to be flexible, easy to use and computationally highly efficient. It was also shown that the selection of the anisotropic Reynolds stress transport turbulence model (RSTM was appropriate, and the use of the enhanced two-layer model boundary treatment was needed for accurate simulation of the turbulent airflow conditions in the upper airways.

  1. Development of bimetal-grown multi-scale carbon micro-nanofibers as an immobilizing matrix for enzymes in biosensor applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hood, Amit R. [Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (India); Saurakhiya, Neelam; Deva, Dinesh [DST Unit on Nanosciences, Kanpur, 208016 (India); Sharma, Ashutosh [Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (India); DST Unit on Nanosciences, Kanpur, 208016 (India); Verma, Nishith, E-mail: nishith@iitk.ac.in [Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (India); Center for Environmental Science and Engineering, Kanpur 208016 (India)

    2013-10-15

    This study describes the development of a novel bimetal (Fe and Cu)-grown hierarchical web of carbon micro-nanofiber-based electrode for biosensor applications, in particular to detect glucose in liquids. Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) are grown on activated carbon microfibers (ACFs) by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using Cu and Fe as the metal catalysts. The transition metal-fiber composite is used as the working electrode of a biosensor applied to detect glucose in liquids. In such a bi-nanometal-grown multi-scale web of ACF/CNF, Cu nanoparticles adhere to the ACF-surface, whereas Fe nanoparticles used to catalyze the growth of nanofibers attach to the CNF tips. By ultrasonication, Fe nanoparticles are dislodged from the tips of the CNFs. Glucose oxidase (GOx) is subsequently immobilized on the tips by adsorption. The dispersion of Cu nanoparticles at the substrate surface results in increased conductivity, facilitating electron transfer from the glucose solution to the ACF surface during the enzymatic reaction with glucose. The prepared Cu-ACF/CNF/GOx electrode is characterized for various surface and physicochemical properties by different analytical techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), BET surface area analysis, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The electrochemical tests show that the prepared electrode has fast response current, electrochemical stability, and high electron transfer rate, corroborated by CV and calibration curves. The prepared transition metal-based carbon electrode in this study is cost-effective, simple to develop, and has a stable immobilization matrix for enzymes. - Graphical abstract: A novel bimetal (Fe and Cu)-grown hierarchical web of carbon micro-nanofiber-based electrode is synthesized for biosensor applications, in particular to detect glucose in liquids. Carbon nanofibers are grown on activated carbon microfibers by

  2. Development of bimetal-grown multi-scale carbon micro-nanofibers as an immobilizing matrix for enzymes in biosensor applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hood, Amit R.; Saurakhiya, Neelam; Deva, Dinesh; Sharma, Ashutosh; Verma, Nishith

    2013-01-01

    This study describes the development of a novel bimetal (Fe and Cu)-grown hierarchical web of carbon micro-nanofiber-based electrode for biosensor applications, in particular to detect glucose in liquids. Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) are grown on activated carbon microfibers (ACFs) by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using Cu and Fe as the metal catalysts. The transition metal-fiber composite is used as the working electrode of a biosensor applied to detect glucose in liquids. In such a bi-nanometal-grown multi-scale web of ACF/CNF, Cu nanoparticles adhere to the ACF-surface, whereas Fe nanoparticles used to catalyze the growth of nanofibers attach to the CNF tips. By ultrasonication, Fe nanoparticles are dislodged from the tips of the CNFs. Glucose oxidase (GOx) is subsequently immobilized on the tips by adsorption. The dispersion of Cu nanoparticles at the substrate surface results in increased conductivity, facilitating electron transfer from the glucose solution to the ACF surface during the enzymatic reaction with glucose. The prepared Cu-ACF/CNF/GOx electrode is characterized for various surface and physicochemical properties by different analytical techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), BET surface area analysis, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The electrochemical tests show that the prepared electrode has fast response current, electrochemical stability, and high electron transfer rate, corroborated by CV and calibration curves. The prepared transition metal-based carbon electrode in this study is cost-effective, simple to develop, and has a stable immobilization matrix for enzymes. - Graphical abstract: A novel bimetal (Fe and Cu)-grown hierarchical web of carbon micro-nanofiber-based electrode is synthesized for biosensor applications, in particular to detect glucose in liquids. Carbon nanofibers are grown on activated carbon microfibers by

  3. The Improved SVM Multi Objects' Identification For the Uncalibrated Visual Servoing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Min Wang

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available For the assembly of multi micro objects in micromanipulation, the first task is to identify multi micro parts. We present an improved support vector machine algorithm, which employs invariant moments based edge extraction to obtain feature attribute and then presents a heuristic attribute reduction algorithm based on rough set's discernibility matrix to obtain attribute reduction, with using support vector machine to identify and classify the targets. The visual servoing is the second task. For avoiding the complicated calibration of intrinsic parameter of camera, We apply an improved broyden's method to estimate the image jacobian matrix online, which employs chebyshev polynomial to construct a cost function to approximate the optimization value, obtaining a fast convergence for online estimation. Last, a two DOF visual controller based fuzzy adaptive PD control law for micro-manipulation is presented. The experiments of micro-assembly of micro parts in microscopes confirm that the proposed methods are effective and feasible.

  4. The Improved SVM Multi Objects's Identification for the Uncalibrated Visual Servoing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiangjin Zeng

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available For the assembly of multi micro objects in micromanipulation, the first task is to identify multi micro parts. We present an improved support vector machine algorithm, which employs invariant moments based edge extraction to obtain feature attribute and then presents a heuristic attribute reduction algorithm based on rough set's discernibility matrix to obtain attribute reduction, with using support vector machine to identify and classify the targets. The visual servoing is the second task. For avoiding the complicated calibration of intrinsic parameter of camera, We apply an improved broyden's method to estimate the image jacobian matrix online, which employs chebyshev polynomial to construct a cost function to approximate the optimization value, obtaining a fast convergence for online estimation. Last, a two DOF visual controller based fuzzy adaptive PD control law for micro-manipulation is presented. The experiments of micro-assembly of micro parts in microscopes confirm that the proposed methods are effective and feasible.

  5. [Effectiveness of posterior intrasegmental fixation with pedicle screw-lamina hook system in treatment of lumbar spondylolysis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Zhongjie; Song, Yueming; Zeng, Jiancheng; Liu, Hao; Liu, Limin; Kong, Qingquan; Li, Tao; Gong, Quan

    2013-03-01

    To investigate the effectiveness of posterior intrasegmental fixation with pedicle screw-lamina hook system and bone grafting for lumbar spondylolysis. Between January 2005 and October 2009, 22 patients with lumbar spondylolysis underwent posterior intrasegmental fixation with pedicle screw-lamina hook system and bone grafting. There were 19 males and 3 females with an average age of 18.4 years (range, 12-26 years). The main symptom was low back pain with an average disease duration of 16 months (range, 8-56 months). The visual analogue scale (VAS) was 6.0 +/- 1.2 and Oswestry disability index (ODI) was 72.0% +/- 10.0% preoperatively. The X-ray films showed bilateral spondylolysis at L4 in 9 cases and at L5 in 13 cases. The range of motion (ROM) at upper and lower intervertebral spaces was (11.8 +/- 2.8) degrees and (14.1 +/- 1.9) degrees, respectively. All incisions healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 12-45 months (mean, 25 months). Low back pain was significantly alleviated after operation. The VAS score (0.3 +/- 0.5) and ODI (17.6% +/- 3.4%) were significantly decreased at last follow-up when compared with preoperative scores (P spondylolysis, having a high fusion rate, low complication rate, and maximum retention of lumbar ROM.

  6. Mars Comm/Nav MicroSat Network Using the Multi-Mission Bus Launched Piggyback by Ariane 5

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hastrup, R. C.; Cesarone, R. J.; Morabito, D. D.

    1999-01-01

    Recently, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory completed a Mars Exploration Program Architecture Definition Study with strong international participation. The recommendations of this study include establishment of a low cost in-situ communications and navigation satellite network to provide enabling and enhancing support for the international exploration of Mars. This would be the first step toward establishing a "virtual presence throughout the solar system" as called for in NASA's Strategic Plan. Response to the proposed comm/nav satellite network has been very favorably received, as reflected by the inclusion of a line item in NASA's budget submittal to Congress, which provides funding for implementation of the network with first launch in the 2003 opportunity. Funding has already been provided for a phase A study being conducted this year. This paper presents the planned implementation of the comm/nav network, which will utilize microsats based on a multi-mission spacecraft bus being designed for launch by the Ariane 5 as a secondary payload. A companion paper at this conference, entitled "The Multi-Purpose Mars Micro-Mission System Design Utilizing Ariane 5 Piggyback Launch", describes the multimission bus design. This paper addresses the application of the multi-mission bus to the comm/nav microsat mission. Following an introduction, which provides the background that has led to the proposed comm/nav network, the paper discusses the projected user needs with emphasis on the various possible robotic missions (landers, rovers, ascent vehicles, balloons, aircraft, etc.) progressing toward eventual piloted missions. Next, the paper describes the concept for an evolving network of comm/nav microsats and the expected capability to satisfy the user needs. Results of communications and navigation performance analysis are summarized for attractive satellite constellation configurations. The important comm/nav microsat functional requirements on the multi

  7. Mechanics over micro and nano scales

    CERN Document Server

    Chakraborty, Suman

    2011-01-01

    Discusses the fundaments of mechanics over micro and nano scales in a level accessible to multi-disciplinary researchers, with a balance of mathematical details and physical principles Covers life sciences and chemistry for use in emerging applications related to mechanics over small scales Demonstrates the explicit interconnection between various scale issues and the mechanics of miniaturized systems

  8. Magnetic micro-barcodes for molecular tagging applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayward, T J; Hong, B; Vyas, K N; Palfreyman, J J; Cooper, J F K; Jiang, Z; Llandro, J; Mitrelias, T; Bland, J A C; Barnes, C H W; Jeong, J R

    2010-01-01

    We present proof-of-principle experiments and simulations that demonstrate a new biological assay technology in which microscopic tags carrying multi-bit magnetic codes are used to label probe biomolecules. It is demonstrated that these 'micro-barcode tags' can be encoded, transported using micro-fluidics and are compatible with surface chemistry. We also present simulations and experimental results which suggest the feasibility of decoding the micro-barcode tags using magnetoresistive sensors. Together, these results demonstrate substantial progress towards meeting the critical requirements of a magnetically encoded, high-throughput and portable biological assay platform. We also show that an extension of our technology could potentially be used to label libraries consisting of ∼10 4 distinct probe molecules, and could therefore have a strong impact on mainstream medical diagnostics.

  9. Characteristics and formation mechanism for stainless steel fiber with periodic micro-fins

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Tao; Wan, Zhenping; Lu, Longsheng; Tang, Yong

    2016-05-01

    Metal fibers have been widely used in many industrial applications due to their unique advantages. In certain applications, such as catalyst supports or orthopedic implants, a rough surface or tiny outshoots on the surface of metal fibers to increase surface area are needed. However, it has not been concerned about the surface morphologies of metal fiber in the current research of metal fiber manufacturing. In this paper, a special multi-tooth tool composed of a row of triangular tiny teeth is designed. The entire cutting layer of multi-tooth tool bifurcates into several thin cutting layers due to tiny teeth involved in cutting. As a result, several stainless steel fibers with periodic micro-fins are produced simultaneously. Morphology of periodic micro-fins is found to be diverse and can be classified into three categories: unilateral plane, unilateral tapering and bilateral. There are two forming mechanisms for the micro-fins. One is that periodic burrs remained on the free side of cutting layer of a tiny tooth create micro-fins of stainless steel fiber produced by the next neighboring tiny tooth; the other is that the connections between two fibers stuck together come to be micro-fins if the two fibers are finally detached. Influence of cutting conditions on formation of micro-fins is investigated. Experimental results show that cutting depth has no significant effect on micro-fin formation, high cutting speed is conducive to micro-fin formation, and feed should be between 0.12 mm/r and 0.2 mm/r to reliably obtain stainless steel fiber with micro-fins. This research presents a new pattern of stainless steel fiber characterized by periodic micro-fins formed on the edge of fiber and its manufacturing method.

  10. Fixture-abutment connection surface and micro-gap measurements by 3D micro-tomographic technique analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deborah Meleo

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available X-ray micro-tomography (micro-CT is a miniaturized form of conventional computed axial tomography (CAT able to investigate small radio-opaque objects at a-few-microns high resolution, in a nondestructive, non-invasive, and tri-dimensional way. Compared to traditional optical and electron microscopy techniques, which provide two-dimensional images, this innovative investigation technology enables a sample tri-dimensional analysis without cutting, coating or exposing the object to any particular chemical treatment. X-ray micro-tomography matches ideal 3D microscopy features: the possibility of investigating an object in natural conditions and without any preparation or alteration; non-invasive, non-destructive, and sufficiently magnified 3D reconstruction; reliable measurement of numeric data of the internal structure (morphology, structure and ultra-structure. Hence, this technique has multi-fold applications in a wide range of fields, not only in medical and odontostomatologic areas, but also in biomedical engineering, materials science, biology, electronics, geology, archaeology, oil industry, and semi-conductors industry. This study shows possible applications of micro-CT in dental implantology to analyze 3D micro-features of dental implant to abutment interface. Indeed, implant-abutment misfit is known to increase mechanical stress on connection structures and surrounding bone tissue. This condition may cause not only screw preload loss or screw fracture, but also biological issues in peri-implant tissues.

  11. The Pandora multi-algorithm approach to automated pattern recognition of cosmic-ray muon and neutrino events in the MicroBooNE detector

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Acciarri, R.; Bagby, L.; Baller, B.; Carls, B.; Castillo Fernandez, R.; Cavanna, F.; Greenlee, H.; James, C.; Jostlein, H.; Ketchum, W.; Kirby, M.; Kobilarcik, T.; Lockwitz, S.; Lundberg, B.; Marchionni, A.; Moore, C.D.; Palamara, O.; Pavlovic, Z.; Raaf, J.L.; Schukraft, A.; Snider, E.L.; Spentzouris, P.; Strauss, T.; Toups, M.; Wolbers, S.; Yang, T.; Zeller, G.P. [Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); Adams, C. [Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (United States); Yale University, New Haven, CT (United States); An, R.; Littlejohn, B.R.; Martinez Caicedo, D.A. [Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Chicago, IL (United States); Anthony, J.; Escudero Sanchez, L.; De Vries, J.J.; Marshall, J.; Smith, A.; Thomson, M. [University of Cambridge, Cambridge (United Kingdom); Asaadi, J. [University of Texas, Arlington, TX (United States); Auger, M.; Ereditato, A.; Goeldi, D.; Kreslo, I.; Lorca, D.; Luethi, M.; Rudolf von Rohr, C.; Sinclair, J.; Weber, M. [Universitaet Bern, Bern (Switzerland); Balasubramanian, S.; Fleming, B.T.; Gramellini, E.; Hackenburg, A.; Luo, X.; Russell, B.; Tufanli, S. [Yale University, New Haven, CT (United States); Barnes, C.; Mousseau, J.; Spitz, J. [University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Barr, G.; Bass, M.; Del Tutto, M.; Laube, A.; Soleti, S.R.; De Pontseele, W.V. [University of Oxford, Oxford (United Kingdom); Bay, F. [TUBITAK Space Technologies Research Institute, Ankara (Turkey); Bishai, M.; Chen, H.; Joshi, J.; Kirby, B.; Li, Y.; Mooney, M.; Qian, X.; Viren, B.; Zhang, C. [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Blake, A.; Devitt, D.; Lister, A.; Nowak, J. [Lancaster University, Lancaster (United Kingdom); Bolton, T.; Horton-Smith, G.; Meddage, V.; Rafique, A. [Kansas State University (KSU), Manhattan, KS (United States); Camilleri, L.; Caratelli, D.; Crespo-Anadon, J.I.; Fadeeva, A.A.; Genty, V.; Kaleko, D.; Seligman, W.; Shaevitz, M.H. [Columbia University, New York, NY (United States); Church, E. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Cianci, D.; Karagiorgi, G. [Columbia University, New York, NY (United States); The University of Manchester (United Kingdom); Cohen, E.; Piasetzky, E. [Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv (Israel); Collin, G.H.; Conrad, J.M.; Hen, O.; Hourlier, A.; Moon, J.; Wongjirad, T.; Yates, L. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Convery, M.; Eberly, B.; Rochester, L.; Tsai, Y.T.; Usher, T. [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA (United States); Dytman, S.; Graf, N.; Jiang, L.; Naples, D.; Paolone, V.; Wickremasinghe, D.A. [University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Esquivel, J.; Hamilton, P.; Pulliam, G.; Soderberg, M. [Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY (United States); Foreman, W.; Ho, J.; Schmitz, D.W.; Zennamo, J. [University of Chicago, IL (United States); Furmanski, A.P.; Garcia-Gamez, D.; Hewes, J.; Hill, C.; Murrells, R.; Porzio, D.; Soeldner-Rembold, S.; Szelc, A.M. [The University of Manchester (United Kingdom); Garvey, G.T.; Huang, E.C.; Louis, W.C.; Mills, G.B.; De Water, R.G.V. [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Gollapinni, S. [Kansas State University (KSU), Manhattan, KS (United States); University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); and others

    2018-01-15

    The development and operation of liquid-argon time-projection chambers for neutrino physics has created a need for new approaches to pattern recognition in order to fully exploit the imaging capabilities offered by this technology. Whereas the human brain can excel at identifying features in the recorded events, it is a significant challenge to develop an automated, algorithmic solution. The Pandora Software Development Kit provides functionality to aid the design and implementation of pattern-recognition algorithms. It promotes the use of a multi-algorithm approach to pattern recognition, in which individual algorithms each address a specific task in a particular topology. Many tens of algorithms then carefully build up a picture of the event and, together, provide a robust automated pattern-recognition solution. This paper describes details of the chain of over one hundred Pandora algorithms and tools used to reconstruct cosmic-ray muon and neutrino events in the MicroBooNE detector. Metrics that assess the current pattern-recognition performance are presented for simulated MicroBooNE events, using a selection of final-state event topologies. (orig.)

  12. The Pandora multi-algorithm approach to automated pattern recognition of cosmic-ray muon and neutrino events in the MicroBooNE detector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Acciarri, R.; Adams, C.; An, R.; Anthony, J.; Asaadi, J.; Auger, M.; Bagby, L.; Balasubramanian, S.; Baller, B.; Barnes, C.; Barr, G.; Bass, M.; Bay, F.; Bishai, M.; Blake, A.; Bolton, T.; Camilleri, L.; Caratelli, D.; Carls, B.; Castillo Fernandez, R.; Cavanna, F.; Chen, H.; Church, E.; Cianci, D.; Cohen, E.; Collin, G. H.; Conrad, J. M.; Convery, M.; Crespo-Anadón, J. I.; Del Tutto, M.; Devitt, D.; Dytman, S.; Eberly, B.; Ereditato, A.; Escudero Sanchez, L.; Esquivel, J.; Fadeeva, A. A.; Fleming, B. T.; Foreman, W.; Furmanski, A. P.; Garcia-Gamez, D.; Garvey, G. T.; Genty, V.; Goeldi, D.; Gollapinni, S.; Graf, N.; Gramellini, E.; Greenlee, H.; Grosso, R.; Guenette, R.; Hackenburg, A.; Hamilton, P.; Hen, O.; Hewes, J.; Hill, C.; Ho, J.; Horton-Smith, G.; Hourlier, A.; Huang, E.-C.; James, C.; Jan de Vries, J.; Jen, C.-M.; Jiang, L.; Johnson, R. A.; Joshi, J.; Jostlein, H.; Kaleko, D.; Karagiorgi, G.; Ketchum, W.; Kirby, B.; Kirby, M.; Kobilarcik, T.; Kreslo, I.; Laube, A.; Li, Y.; Lister, A.; Littlejohn, B. R.; Lockwitz, S.; Lorca, D.; Louis, W. C.; Luethi, M.; Lundberg, B.; Luo, X.; Marchionni, A.; Mariani, C.; Marshall, J.; Martinez Caicedo, D. A.; Meddage, V.; Miceli, T.; Mills, G. B.; Moon, J.; Mooney, M.; Moore, C. D.; Mousseau, J.; Murrells, R.; Naples, D.; Nienaber, P.; Nowak, J.; Palamara, O.; Paolone, V.; Papavassiliou, V.; Pate, S. F.; Pavlovic, Z.; Piasetzky, E.; Porzio, D.; Pulliam, G.; Qian, X.; Raaf, J. L.; Rafique, A.; Rochester, L.; Rudolf von Rohr, C.; Russell, B.; Schmitz, D. W.; Schukraft, A.; Seligman, W.; Shaevitz, M. H.; Sinclair, J.; Smith, A.; Snider, E. L.; Soderberg, M.; Söldner-Rembold, S.; Soleti, S. R.; Spentzouris, P.; Spitz, J.; St. John, J.; Strauss, T.; Szelc, A. M.; Tagg, N.; Terao, K.; Thomson, M.; Toups, M.; Tsai, Y.-T.; Tufanli, S.; Usher, T.; Van De Pontseele, W.; Van de Water, R. G.; Viren, B.; Weber, M.; Wickremasinghe, D. A.; Wolbers, S.; Wongjirad, T.; Woodruff, K.; Yang, T.; Yates, L.; Zeller, G. P.; Zennamo, J.; Zhang, C.

    2018-01-01

    The development and operation of liquid-argon time-projection chambers for neutrino physics has created a need for new approaches to pattern recognition in order to fully exploit the imaging capabilities offered by this technology. Whereas the human brain can excel at identifying features in the recorded events, it is a significant challenge to develop an automated, algorithmic solution. The Pandora Software Development Kit provides functionality to aid the design and implementation of pattern-recognition algorithms. It promotes the use of a multi-algorithm approach to pattern recognition, in which individual algorithms each address a specific task in a particular topology. Many tens of algorithms then carefully build up a picture of the event and, together, provide a robust automated pattern-recognition solution. This paper describes details of the chain of over one hundred Pandora algorithms and tools used to reconstruct cosmic-ray muon and neutrino events in the MicroBooNE detector. Metrics that assess the current pattern-recognition performance are presented for simulated MicroBooNE events, using a selection of final-state event topologies.

  13. Micro-Doppler Signal Time-Frequency Algorithm Based on STFRFT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cunsuo Pang

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper proposes a time-frequency algorithm based on short-time fractional order Fourier transformation (STFRFT for identification of a complicated movement targets. This algorithm, consisting of a STFRFT order-changing and quick selection method, is effective in reducing the computation load. A multi-order STFRFT time-frequency algorithm is also developed that makes use of the time-frequency feature of each micro-Doppler component signal. This algorithm improves the estimation accuracy of time-frequency curve fitting through multi-order matching. Finally, experiment data were used to demonstrate STFRFT’s performance in micro-Doppler time-frequency analysis. The results validated the higher estimate accuracy of the proposed algorithm. It may be applied to an LFM (Linear frequency modulated pulse radar, SAR (Synthetic aperture radar, or ISAR (Inverse synthetic aperture radar, for improving the probability of target recognition.

  14. Micro-Doppler Signal Time-Frequency Algorithm Based on STFRFT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pang, Cunsuo; Han, Yan; Hou, Huiling; Liu, Shengheng; Zhang, Nan

    2016-09-24

    This paper proposes a time-frequency algorithm based on short-time fractional order Fourier transformation (STFRFT) for identification of a complicated movement targets. This algorithm, consisting of a STFRFT order-changing and quick selection method, is effective in reducing the computation load. A multi-order STFRFT time-frequency algorithm is also developed that makes use of the time-frequency feature of each micro-Doppler component signal. This algorithm improves the estimation accuracy of time-frequency curve fitting through multi-order matching. Finally, experiment data were used to demonstrate STFRFT's performance in micro-Doppler time-frequency analysis. The results validated the higher estimate accuracy of the proposed algorithm. It may be applied to an LFM (Linear frequency modulated) pulse radar, SAR (Synthetic aperture radar), or ISAR (Inverse synthetic aperture radar), for improving the probability of target recognition.

  15. Digital radiographic evaluation of alveolar bone loss, density and lamina dura integrity on post splinting mandibular anterior with chronic periodontitis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rafini, F.; Priaminiarti, M.; Sukardi, I.; Lessang, R.

    2017-08-01

    The healing of periodontal splinting can be detected both with clinical and radiographic examination. In this study, the alveolar bone was evaluated by radiographic digital periapical analysis. Periodontal tooth splinting is periodontal support therapy used to prevent periodontal injury during repair and regeneration of periodontal therapy. Radiographic digital periapical analysis of alveolar bone in the mandibular anterior region with chronic periodontitis and 2/3 cervical bone loss after three months of periodontal splinting. Eighty four proximal site (43 mesial and 41 distal) from 16 patients with chronic periodontitis and treated with spinting were examined by taking periapical digital radiographic at day 1 and 91. The bone loss, bone density and utility of lamina dura were evaluated. The statistical analysis after three months evaluation using T-test for bone loss, Wilcoxon sign rank test for bone density and utility lamina dura showed no significantly differences (pchronic periodontitis with 2/3 alveolar bone loss after three months splinting.

  16. Contribution to the theoretical study, modelling and implementation of a multi-source system belonging to a micro-grid: considerations on power quality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Houssamo, Issam

    2012-01-01

    The objective of this thesis is to study, analyze and develop a multi-source system belonging to a DC micro-grid with consideration of some aspects of the power quality. Chapter I presents the interest of the smart grid to ensure better coordination between distributed generation and power consumption. Having in view the prediction, a purely experimental model of photovoltaic source is developed and presented in Chapter II. Furthermore, in order to extract the maximum power of the photovoltaic source, a classical algorithm is improved and the extracted energy is compared with three other methods. In Chapter III, the security system elements, the electrochemical storage and the public grid, are characterized. In the case of a storage shortage, the public grid is used to supply power to the load, but also trade back excess energy. Chapter IV presents the control of multi-source system and its experimental validation. The energy management strategy taken into account is based on switching between the elements which secure the multi-source system. For this, the priority is given to storage characterized by its state of charge. Thanks to this strategy, the technical feasibility of the multi-source system is experimentally validated. Chapter V gives some aspects related to the improvement of the power quality: for the public grid side, a resonant controller is proposed, for the DC bus side, the pulsating power is eliminated by injecting the opposite signal supplied by the electrochemical storage. (author) [fr

  17. Estimate of compressive strength of an unidirectional composite lamina using cross-ply and angle-ply laminates

    OpenAIRE

    Scafè, M.; Raiteri, G.; Brentari, A.; Dlacic, R.; Troiani, E.; Falaschetti, M. P.; Besseghini, E.

    2014-01-01

    In this work has been estimated the compressive strength of a unidirectional lamina of a carbon/epoxy composite material, using the cross-ply and angle-ply laminates. Over the years various methods have been developed to deduce compressive properties of composite materials reinforced with long fibres. Each of these methods is characterized by a specific way of applying load to the specimen. The method chosen to perform the compression tests is the Wyoming Combined Loading Compr...

  18. MicroProtein-mediated recruitment of CONSTANS into a TOPLESS trimeric complex represses flowering in Arabidopsis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Graeff, Moritz; Straub, Daniel; Eguen, Tenai E.

    2016-01-01

    MicroProteins are short, single domain proteins that act by sequestering larger, multi-domain proteins into non-functional complexes. MicroProteins have been identified in plants and animals, where they are mostly involved in the regulation of developmental processes. Here we show that two...

  19. Activation of stretch-activated channels and maxi-K+ channels by membrane stress of human lamina cribrosa cells.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Irnaten, Mustapha

    2009-01-01

    The lamina cribrosa (LC) region of the optic nerve head is considered the primary site of damage in glaucomatous optic neuropathy. Resident LC cells have a profibrotic potential when exposed to cyclical stretch. However, the mechanosensitive mechanisms of these cells remain unknown. Here the authors investigated the effects of membrane stretch on cell volume change and ion channel activity and examined the associated changes in intracellular calcium ([Ca(2+)](i)).

  20. 3CML: a software application for quality control of multi leaf collimators; 3CML: una aplicacion informatica para el control de calidad de colimadores multilaminas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miras, H.; Perez, M. A.; Macias, J.; Moreno, J. C.; Campo, J. L.; Ortiz, M.; Arrans, R.; Ortiz, A.; Terron, J. A.; Fernandez, D.

    2011-07-01

    The treatments of intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) require a deep knowledge of the accuracy, precision and reproducibility of positioning of the plates that make up the multi leaf collimator (MLC). We have developed a computer application, 3CML, to analyze an image corresponding to a pattern of separate bands irradiation to determine the deviations of the positioning of the blades on the nominal values.

  1. Architecture of a micro grid energy manager; Arquitectura de un gestor energetico de microrredes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jimeno-Huarte, J.; Anduaga-Muniozgueren, J.; Oyarzabal-Moreno, J.

    2009-07-01

    Micro grids are defined as a set of aggregated micro generators and loads operating like a unique system. Micro grids need energy management systems in order to coordinate the actions of the elements that compose them. This way, Micro grids provide useful services to connected users as well as to the electrical system. This paper presents the architecture of a Micro grid energy Manager applying multi agent based technologies and communication standards. an application of this architecture to the secondary regulation function has been performed using TECNALIA's Micro grid as validation platform. The implementation of the secondary regulation takes into account economical criteria while the technical restrictions of the controlled equipment are fulfilled. (Author) 14 refs.

  2. Agile Multi-Parallel Micro Manufacturing Using a Grid of Equiplets

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Leo van Moergestel; Ing. Erik Puik

    2010-01-01

    Abstract: Unlike manufacturing technology for semiconductors and printed circuit boards, the market for traditional micro assembly lacks a clear public roadmap. More agile manufacturing strategies are needed in an environment in which dealing with change becomes a rule instead of an exception. In

  3. The pulmonary pseudonodule: Characteristic features of a normal variant due to a bone thickening at the junction of the laminae and posterior spine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Homer, M.J.

    1981-01-01

    The normal thickening of bone at the junction of the laminae and posterior spine should not be confused with a patholigc process. Its appearance on the plain radiograph and computed tomography is pathognomonic. (orig.)

  4. Multi-sensor control for precise assembly of optical components

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ma Li

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available In order to perform an optical assembly accurately, a multi-sensor control strategy is developed which includes an attitude measurement system, a vision system, a loss measurement system and a force sensor. A 3-DOF attitude measuring method using linear variable differential transformers (LVDT is designed to adjust the relation of position and attitude between the spherical mirror and the resonator. A micro vision feedback system is set up to extract the light beam and the diaphragm, which can achieve the coarse positioning of the spherical mirror in the optical assembly process. A rapid self-correlation method is presented to analyze the spectrum signal for the fine positioning. In order to prevent the damage of the optical components and realize sealing of the resonator, a hybrid force-position control is constructed to control the contact force of the optical components. The experimental results show that the proposed multi-sensor control strategy succeeds in accomplishing the precise assembly of the optical components, which consists of parallel adjustment, macro coarse adjustment, macro approach, micro fine adjustment, micro approach and optical contact. Therefore, the results validate the multi-sensor control strategy.

  5. Statistical hadronization and hadronic micro-canonical ensemble II

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Becattini, F.; Ferroni, L.

    2004-01-01

    We present a Monte Carlo calculation of the micro-canonical ensemble of the ideal hadron-resonance gas including all known states up to a mass of about 1.8 GeV and full quantum statistics. The micro-canonical average multiplicities of the various hadron species are found to converge to the canonical ones for moderately low values of the total energy, around 8 GeV, thus bearing out previous analyses of hadronic multiplicities in the canonical ensemble. The main numerical computing method is an importance sampling Monte Carlo algorithm using the product of Poisson distributions to generate multi-hadronic channels. It is shown that the use of this multi-Poisson distribution allows for an efficient and fast computation of averages, which can be further improved in the limit of very large clusters. We have also studied the fitness of a previously proposed computing method, based on the Metropolis Monte Carlo algorithm, for event generation in the statistical hadronization model. We find that the use of the multi-Poisson distribution as proposal matrix dramatically improves the computation performance. However, due to the correlation of subsequent samples, this method proves to be generally less robust and effective than the importance sampling method. (orig.)

  6. Nuclear lamina and nuclear matrix organization in sperm pronuclei assembled in Xenopus egg extract.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, C; Jenkins, H; Goldberg, M W; Allen, T D; Hutchison, C J

    1996-09-01

    Nuclear lamina and matrices were prepared from sperm pronuclei assembled in Xenopus egg extracts using a fractionation and extraction procedure. Indirect immunofluorescence revealed that while chromatin was efficiently removed from nuclei during the extraction procedure, the distribution of lamins was unaffected. Consistent with this data, the amount of lamin B3, determined by immunoblotting, was not affected through the extraction procedure. Nuclear matrices were visualised in DGD sections by TEM. Within these sections filaments were observed both at the boundary of the nucleus (the lamina) and within the body of the nucleus (internal nuclear matrix filaments). To improve resolution, nuclear matrices were also prepared as whole mounts and viewed using field emission in lens scanning electron microscopy (FEISEM). This technique revealed two distinct networks of filaments. Filaments lying at the surface of nuclear matrices interconnected nuclear pores. These filaments were readily labelled with monoclonal anti-lamin B3 antibodies. Filaments lying within the body of the nuclear matrix were highly branched but were not readily labelled with antilamin B3 antibodies. Nuclear matrices were also prepared from sperm pronuclei assembled in lamin B3 depleted extracts. Using FEISEM, filaments were also detected in these preparations. However, these filaments were poorly organised and often appeared to aggregate. To confirm these results nuclear matrices were also observed as whole mounts using TEM. Nuclear matrices prepared from control nuclei contained a dense array of interconnected filaments. Many (but not all) of these filaments were labelled with anti-lamin B3 antibodies. In contrast, nuclear matrices prepared from "lamin depleted nuclei' contained poorly organised or aggregated filaments which were not specifically labelled with anti-lamin B3 antibodies.

  7. Multi Optical Transition Radiation System for ATF2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alabau-Gonzalvo, Javier

    2012-01-01

    In this paper we describe the design, installation and first calibration tests of a Multi Optical Transition Radiation System in the beam diagnostic section of the Extraction (EXT) line of ATF2, close to the multi wire scanner system. This system will be a valuable tool for measuring beam sizes and emittances coming from the ATF Damping Ring. With an optical resolution of about 2 (micro)m an original OTR design (OTR1X) located after the septum at the entrance of the EXT line demonstrated the ability to measure a 5.5 (micro)m beam size in one beam pulse and to take many fast measurements. This gives the OTR the ability to measure the beam emittance with high statistics, giving a low error and a good understanding of emittance jitter. Furthermore the nearby wire scanners will be a definitive test of the OTR as a beam emittance diagnostic device. The multi-OTR system design proposed here is based on the existing OTR1X.

  8. An Investigation of the Micro-Electrical Discharge Machining of Nickel-Titanium Shape Memory Alloy Using Grey Relations Coupled with Principal Component Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mustufa Haider Abidi

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Shape memory alloys (SMAs are advanced engineering materials which possess shape memory effects and super-elastic properties. Their high strength, high wear-resistance, pseudo plasticity, etc., makes the machining of Ni-Ti based SMAs difficult using traditional techniques. Among all non-conventional processes, micro-electric discharge machining (micro-EDM is considered one of the leading processes for micro-machining, owing to its high aspect ratio and capability to machine hard-to-cut materials with good surface finish.The selection of the most appropriate input parameter combination to provide the optimum values for various responses is very important in micro-EDM. This article demonstrates the methodology for optimizing multiple quality characteristics (overcut, taper angle and surface roughness to enhance the quality of micro-holes in Ni-Ti based alloy, using the Grey–Taguchi method. A Taguchi-based grey relational analysis coupled with principal component analysis (Grey-PCA methodology was implemented to investigate the effect of three important micro-EDM process parameters, namely capacitance, voltage and electrode material.The analysis of the individual responses established the importance of multi-response optimization. The main effects plots for the micro-EDM parameters and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA indicate that every parameter does not produce same effect on individual responses, and also that the percent contribution of each parameter to individual response is highly varied. As a result, multi-response optimization was implemented using Grey-PCA. Further, this study revealed that the electrode material had the strongest effect on the multi-response parameter, followed by the voltage and capacitance. The main effects plot for the Grey-PCA shows that the micro-EDM parameters “capacitance” at level-2 (i.e., 475 pF, “discharge voltage” at level-1 (i.e., 80 V and the “electrode material” Cu provided the best multi-response.

  9. Small Intestinal Submucosa Implantation for the Possible Treatment of Vocal Fold Scar, Sulcus, and Superficial Lamina Propria Atrophy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pitman, Michael J; Cabin, Jonathan A; Iacob, Codrin E

    2016-02-01

    Evaluate the histologic effects of grafting porcine-derived small intestinal submucosa (SIS) into the vocal fold superficial lamina propria (SLP) layer for the potential treatment of vocal fold scar, sulcus and superficial lamina propria atrophy. Small intestinal submucosa was implanted into the right vocal fold SLP of 6 mongrel dogs. The left vocal fold served as a sham surgical control. At 2, 4, and 6 weeks postoperative, bilateral vocal fold specimens were evaluated histologically. At 2 and 4 weeks, respectively, SIS-implanted vocal folds demonstrated moderate and mild inflammation and acute and chronic inflammation. At 6 weeks, inflammation was minimal and chronic. The 6-week specimens showed copious amounts of newly generated hyaluronic acid (HA) within the graft. There was no reactive fibrosis at 6 weeks. In the canine model, SIS appears safe for SLP grafting. Inflammation is similar to that of sham surgery. Small intestinal submucosa results in newly generated HA without concomitant fibrosis. Small intestinal submucosa has potential to be used in treatment of disorders with SLP, including vocal fold scar, sulcus, and atrophy. Studies evaluating the effect of SIS implantation on vocal fold function, as well as the ultimate fate of the graft, are required. © The Author(s) 2015.

  10. Blood microRNAs in Low or No Risk Ischemic Stroke Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jun Rong Tan

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Ischemic stroke is a multi-factorial disease where some patients present themselves with little or no risk factors. Blood microRNA expression profiles are becoming useful in the diagnosis and prognosis of human diseases. We therefore investigated the blood microRNA profiles in young stroke patients who presented with minimal or absence of risk factors for stroke such as type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia and hypertension. Blood microRNA profiles from these patients varied with stroke subtypes as well as different functional outcomes (based on modified Rankin Score. These microRNAs have been shown to target genes that are involved in stroke pathogenesis. The findings from our study suggest that molecular mechanisms in stroke pathogenesis involving low or no risk ischemic stroke patients could differ substantially from those with pre-existing risk factors.

  11. Selective micro metallization of polymers for biomedical and medical application

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Islam, Mohammad Aminul; Hansen, Hans Nørgaard; Tang, Peter Torben

    Integration of micro/nano metallic structures in polymer devices is a broad multi-disciplinary research field, consisting of various combinations of mechanical, chemical and physical fabrication methods. Some of these combinations have been known for years and other combinations or methods are ve...

  12. Lamina Cribrosa Changes after Laser In Situ Keratomileusis in Myopic Eyes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Soomin; Choi, Da Ye Diana; Lim, Dong Hui; Chung, Tae Young; Han, Jong Chul; Kee, Changwon

    2018-04-01

    To determine deep optic nerve head structure changes after transient intraocular pressure elevation during laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) for myopia. Enhanced depth imaging-optical coherence tomography was performed in each myopic eye that underwent LASIK surgery. Enhanced depth imaging-optical coherence tomography images were created at postoperative 1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks, and 1 month. Lamina cribrosa (LC) thickness, LC depth and prelaminar thickness at the superior, middle and inferior portions of the optic nerve head were measured by two investigators. Forty eyes in 40 patients were included in the present study. During follow-up, there were no significant differences in prelaminar thickness or LC depth. The LC demonstrated increased thickness at postoperative 1 day at all three locations (superior, middle, and inferior) (p LASIK surgery. However, the thickness will gradually return to baseline morphology. Temporary intraocular pressure increase during LASIK does not appear to induce irreversible LC thickness changes. © 2018 The Korean Ophthalmological Society.

  13. Implementation and assessment of an animal management system for small-animal micro-CT / micro-SPECT imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holdsworth, David W.; Detombe, Sarah A.; Chiodo, Chris; Fricke, Stanley T.; Drangova, Maria

    2011-03-01

    Advances in laboratory imaging systems for CT, SPECT, MRI, and PET facilitate routine micro-imaging during pre-clinical investigations. Challenges still arise when dealing with immune-compromised animals, biohazardous agents, and multi-modality imaging. These challenges can be overcome with an appropriate animal management system (AMS), with the capability for supporting and monitoring a rat or mouse during micro-imaging. We report the implementation and assessment of a new AMS system for mice (PRA-3000 / AHS-2750, ASI Instruments, Warren MI), designed to be compatible with a commercial micro-CT / micro-SPECT imaging system (eXplore speCZT, GE Healthcare, London ON). The AMS was assessed under the following criteria: 1) compatibility with the imaging system (i.e. artifact generation, geometric dimensions); 2) compatibility with live animals (i.e. positioning, temperature regulation, anesthetic supply); 3) monitoring capabilities (i.e. rectal temperature, respiratory and cardiac monitoring); 4) stability of co-registration; and 5) containment. Micro-CT scans performed using a standardized live-animal protocol (90 kVp, 40 mA, 900 views, 16 ms per view) exhibited low noise (+/-19 HU) and acceptable artifact from high-density components within the AMS (e.g. ECG pad contacts). Live mice were imaged repeatedly (with removal and replacement of the AMS) and spatial registration was found to be stable to within +/-0.07 mm. All animals tolerated enclosure within the AMS for extended periods (i.e. > one hour) without distress, based on continuous recordings of rectal temperature, ECG waveform and respiratory rate. A sealed AMS system extends the capability of a conventional micro-imaging system to include immune-compromised and biosafety level 2 mouse-imaging protocols.

  14. Ring artifact correction for high-resolution micro CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kyriakou, Yiannis; Prell, Daniel; Kalender, Willi A

    2009-01-01

    In high-resolution micro CT using flat detectors (FD), imperfect or defect detector elements may cause concentric-ring artifacts due to their continuous over- or underestimation of attenuation values, which often disturb image quality. We here present a dedicated image-based ring artifact correction method for high-resolution micro CT, based on median filtering of the reconstructed image and working on a transformed version of the reconstructed images in polar coordinates. This post-processing method reduced ring artifacts in the reconstructed images and improved image quality for phantom and in in vivo scans. Noise and artifacts were reduced both in transversal and in multi-planar reformations along the longitudinal axis. (note)

  15. Autonomous multi-sensor micro-system for measurement of ocean water salinity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hyldgård, Anders; Mortensen, Dennis; Birkelund, Karen

    2008-01-01

    This paper describes the design, fabrication and application of a micro-fabricated salinity sensor system. The theoretical electrochemical behaviour is described using electrical equivalent diagrams and simple scaling properties are investigated analytically and numerically using finite element m...

  16. Simultaneous electrical and mechanical resonance drive for large signal amplification of micro resonators

    KAUST Repository

    Hasan, M. H.

    2018-01-12

    Achieving large signal-noise ratio using low levels of excitation signal is key requirement for practical applications of micro and nano electromechanical resonators. In this work, we introduce the double electromechanical resonance drive concept to achieve an order-of-magnitude dynamic signal amplification in micro resonators. The concept relies on simultaneously activating the micro-resonator mechanical and electrical resonance frequencies. We report an input voltage amplification up to 15 times for a micro-resonator when its electrical resonance is tuned to match the mechanical resonance that leads to dynamic signal amplification in air (Quality factor enhancement). Furthermore, using a multi-frequency excitation technique, input voltage and vibrational amplification of up to 30 times were shown for the same micro-resonator while relaxing the need to match its mechanical and electrical resonances.

  17. Simultaneous electrical and mechanical resonance drive for large signal amplification of micro resonators

    KAUST Repository

    Hasan, M. H.; Alsaleem, F. M.; Jaber, Nizar; Hafiz, Md Abdullah Al; Younis, Mohammad I.

    2018-01-01

    Achieving large signal-noise ratio using low levels of excitation signal is key requirement for practical applications of micro and nano electromechanical resonators. In this work, we introduce the double electromechanical resonance drive concept to achieve an order-of-magnitude dynamic signal amplification in micro resonators. The concept relies on simultaneously activating the micro-resonator mechanical and electrical resonance frequencies. We report an input voltage amplification up to 15 times for a micro-resonator when its electrical resonance is tuned to match the mechanical resonance that leads to dynamic signal amplification in air (Quality factor enhancement). Furthermore, using a multi-frequency excitation technique, input voltage and vibrational amplification of up to 30 times were shown for the same micro-resonator while relaxing the need to match its mechanical and electrical resonances.

  18. Optimal allocation of industrial PV-storage micro-grid considering important load

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Shaohua; Ju, Rong; Yang, Yang; Xu, Shuai; Liang, Lei

    2018-03-01

    At present, the industrial PV-storage micro-grid has been widely used. This paper presents an optimal allocation model of PV-storage micro-grid capacity considering the important load of industrial users. A multi-objective optimization model is established to promote the local extinction of PV power generation and the maximum investment income of the enterprise as the objective function. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is used to solve the case of a city in Jiangsu Province, the results are analyzed economically.

  19. Direct immersion single drop micro-extraction method for multi-class pesticides analysis in mango using GC-MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pano-Farias, Norma S; Ceballos-Magaña, Silvia G; Muñiz-Valencia, Roberto; Jurado, Jose M; Alcázar, Ángela; Aguayo-Villarreal, Ismael A

    2017-12-15

    Due the negative effects of pesticides on environment and human health, more efficient and environmentally friendly methods are needed. In this sense, a simple, fast, free from memory effects and economical direct-immersion single drop micro-extraction (SDME) method and GC-MS for multi-class pesticides determination in mango samples was developed. Sample pre-treatment using ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction and factors affecting the SDME procedure (extractant solvent, drop volume, stirring rate, ionic strength, time, pH and temperature) were optimized using factorial experimental design. This method presented high sensitive (LOD: 0.14-169.20μgkg -1 ), acceptable precision (RSD: 0.7-19.1%), satisfactory recovery (69-119%) and high enrichment factors (20-722). Several obtained LOQs are below the MRLs established by the European Commission; therefore, the method could be applied for pesticides determination in routing analysis and custom laboratories. Moreover, this method has shown to be suitable for determination of some of the studied pesticides in lime, melon, papaya, banana, tomato, and lettuce. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Spatial distribution of diffuse, primitive, and classic amyloid-beta deposits and blood vessels in the upper laminae of the frontal cortex in Alzheimer disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armstrong, R A; Cairns, N J; Lantos, P L

    1998-12-01

    The spatial distribution of the diffuse, primitive, and classic amyloid-beta deposits was studied in the upper laminae of the superior frontal gyrus in cases of sporadic Alzheimer disease (AD). Amyloid-beta-stained tissue was counterstained with collagen IV to determine whether the spatial distribution of the amyloid-beta deposits along the cortex was related to blood vessels. In all patients, amyloid-beta deposits and blood vessels were aggregated into distinct clusters and in many patients, the clusters were distributed with a regular periodicity along the cortex. The clusters of diffuse and primitive deposits did not coincide with the clusters of blood vessels in most patients. However, the clusters of classic amyloid-beta deposits coincided with those of the large diameter (>10 microm) blood vessels in all patients and with clusters of small-diameter (upper cortical laminae.

  1. Survey on Recent Designs of Compliant Micro-/Nano-Positioning Stages

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zeyi Wu

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Micromanipulation is a hot topic due to its enabling role in various research fields. In order to perform a high precision operation at a small scale, compliant mechanisms have been proposed and applied for decades. In microscale manipulation, micro-/nano-positioning is the most fundamental operation because a precision positioning is the premise of subsequent operations. This paper is concentrated on reviewing the state-of-the-art research on complaint micro-/nano-positioning stage design in recent years. It involves the major processes and components for designing a compliant positioning stage, e.g., actuator selection, stroke amplifier design, connecting scheme of the multi-DOF stage and structure optimization. The review provides a reference to design a compliant micro-/nano-positioning stage for pertinent applications.

  2. Design of a holographic micro-scale spectrum-splitting photovoltaic system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Yuechen; Vorndran, Shelby; Ayala Pelaez, Silvana; Russo, Juan M.; Kostuk, Raymond K.

    2015-09-01

    Micro-scale PV technology combines the high conversion efficiency of concentrated photovoltaics (CPV) with the low costs and the simple form of flat panel PV. Some of the benefits of micro-scale PV include: reduced semiconductor material usage; improved heat rejection capacity; and more versatile PV cell interconnect configurations. Spectrumsplitting is also a beneficial technique to increase the efficiency and reduce the cost of photovoltaic systems. It spatially separates the incident solar spectrum into spectral components and directs them to PV cells with matching bandgaps. This approach avoids the current and lattice matching problems that exist in tandem multi-junction systems. In this paper, we applied the ideas of spectrum-splitting in a micro-scale PV system, and demonstrated a holographic micro-scale spectrum-splitting photovoltaic system. This system consists of a volume transmission hologram in combination with a micro-lens array. An analysis methodology was developed to design the system and determine the performance of the resulting system. The spatial characteristics of the dispersed spectrum, the overall system conversion efficiency, and the improvement over best bandgap will be discussed.

  3. Smart multi-channel two-dimensional micro-gas chromatography for rapid workplace hazardous volatile organic compounds measurement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jing; Seo, Jung Hwan; Li, Yubo; Chen, Di; Kurabayashi, Katsuo; Fan, Xudong

    2013-03-07

    We developed a novel smart multi-channel two-dimensional (2-D) micro-gas chromatography (μGC) architecture that shows promise to significantly improve 2-D μGC performance. In the smart μGC design, a non-destructive on-column gas detector and a flow routing system are installed between the first dimensional separation column and multiple second dimensional separation columns. The effluent from the first dimensional column is monitored in real-time and decision is then made to route the effluent to one of the second dimensional columns for further separation. As compared to the conventional 2-D μGC, the greatest benefit of the smart multi-channel 2-D μGC architecture is the enhanced separation capability of the second dimensional column and hence the overall 2-D GC performance. All the second dimensional columns are independent of each other, and their coating, length, flow rate and temperature can be customized for best separation results. In particular, there is no more constraint on the upper limit of the second dimensional column length and separation time in our architecture. Such flexibility is critical when long second dimensional separation is needed for optimal gas analysis. In addition, the smart μGC is advantageous in terms of elimination of the power intensive thermal modulator, higher peak amplitude enhancement, simplified 2-D chromatogram re-construction and potential scalability to higher dimensional separation. In this paper, we first constructed a complete smart 1 × 2 channel 2-D μGC system, along with an algorithm for automated control/operation of the system. We then characterized and optimized this μGC system, and finally employed it in two important applications that highlight its uniqueness and advantages, i.e., analysis of 31 workplace hazardous volatile organic compounds, and rapid detection and identification of target gas analytes from interference background.

  4. Extraction of the 3D local orientation of myocytes in human cardiac tissue using X-ray phase-contrast micro-tomography and multi-scale analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varray, François; Mirea, Iulia; Langer, Max; Peyrin, Françoise; Fanton, Laurent; Magnin, Isabelle E

    2017-05-01

    This paper presents a methodology to access the 3D local myocyte arrangements in fresh human post-mortem heart samples. We investigated the cardiac micro-structure at a high and isotropic resolution of 3.5 µm in three dimensions using X-ray phase micro-tomography at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. We then processed the reconstructed volumes to extract the 3D local orientation of the myocytes using a multi-scale approach with no segmentation. We created a simplified 3D model of tissue sample made of simulated myocytes with known size and orientations, to evaluate our orientation extraction method. Afterwards, we applied it to 2D histological cuts and to eight 3D left ventricular (LV) cardiac tissue samples. Then, the variation of the helix angles, from the endocardium to the epicardium, was computed at several spatial resolutions ranging from 3.6 3  mm 3 to 112 3  µm 3 . We measure an increased range of 20° to 30° from the coarsest resolution level to the finest level in the experimental samples. This result is in line with the higher values measured from histology. The displayed tractography demonstrates a rather smooth evolution of the transmural helix angle in six LV samples and a sudden discontinuity of the helix angle in two septum samples. These measurements bring a new vision of the human heart architecture from macro- to micro-scale. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Modeling Impact-induced Failure of Polysilicon MEMS: A Multi-scale Approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mariani, Stefano; Ghisi, Aldo; Corigliano, Alberto; Zerbini, Sarah

    2009-01-01

    Failure of packaged polysilicon micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) subjected to impacts involves phenomena occurring at several length-scales. In this paper we present a multi-scale finite element approach to properly allow for: (i) the propagation of stress waves inside the package; (ii) the dynamics of the whole MEMS; (iii) the spreading of micro-cracking in the failing part(s) of the sensor. Through Monte Carlo simulations, some effects of polysilicon micro-structure on the failure mode are elucidated.

  6. Strain relief InGaN/GaN MQW micro-pillars for high brightness LEDs

    KAUST Repository

    Shen, Chao

    2013-01-01

    Micro-structured group-III-nitrides are considered as promising strain relief structures for high efficiency solid state lighting. In this work, the strain field in InGaN/GaN multi-quantum wells (MQWs) micro-pillars is investigated using micro-Raman spectroscopy and the design of micro-pillars were studied experimentally. We distinguished the strained and strain-relieved signatures of the GaN layer from the E2 phonon peak split from the Raman scattering signatures at 572 cm-1 and 568 cm-1, respectively. The extent of strain relief is examined considering the height and size of micro-pillars fabricated using focused ion beam (FIB) micro-machining technique. A significant strain relief can be achieved when one micro-machined through the entire epi-layers, 3 μm in our study. The dependence of strain relief on micro-pillar diameter (D) suggested that micro-pillar with D < 3 μm showed high degree of strain relief. Our results shed new insights into designing strain-relieved InGaN/GaN microstructures for high brightness light emitting diode arrays. © 2013 IEEE.

  7. A New Approach for Handling of Micro Parts in Bulk Metal Forming

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mahshid, Rasoul; Hansen, Hans Nørgaard; Arentoft, M.

    2012-01-01

    of production [1]. This can fulfill the demands for mass production and miniaturization in industries and academic communities. According to the recent studies, topics related to materials, process and simulation have been investigated intensively and well documented. Machines, forming tools and handling...... systems are critical elements to complete micro forming technology for transferring knowledge to industries and toward miniature manufacturing systems (micro factory) [2]. Since most metal forming processes are multi stage, making a new handling system with high reliability on accuracy and speed...... have been optimized or handling systems based on new concepts for gripping and releasing micro parts have been proposed. Making a handling system for micro parts made by sheet metals or foils is easier than those in bulk metal forming because parts are attached to the sheet during the forming process...

  8. Determination of reactive oxygen species from ZnO micro-nano structures with shape-dependent photocatalytic activity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    He, Weiwei; Zhao, Hongxiao; Jia, Huimin [Key Laboratory of Micro-Nano Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion of Henan Province, Institute of Surface Micro and Nano Materials, Xuchang University, Henan 461000 (China); Yin, Jun-Jie [Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD 20740 (United States); Zheng, Zhi, E-mail: zhengzhi99999@gmail.com [Key Laboratory of Micro-Nano Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion of Henan Province, Institute of Surface Micro and Nano Materials, Xuchang University, Henan 461000 (China)

    2014-05-01

    Graphical abstract: ZnO micro/nano structures with shape dependent photocatalytic activity were prepared by hydrothermal reaction. The generations of hydroxyl radical, superoxide and singlet oxygen from irradiated ZnO were identified precisely by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. The type of reactive oxygen species was determined by band gap structure of ZnO. - Highlights: • ZnO micro/nano structures with different morphologies were prepared by solvothermal reaction. • Multi-pod like ZnO structures exhibited superior photocatalytic activity. • The generations of hydroxyl radical, superoxide and singlet oxygen from irradiated ZnO were characterized precisely by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. • The type of reactive oxygen species was determined by band gap structure of ZnO. - Abstract: ZnO micro/nano structures with different morphologies have been prepared by the changing solvents used during their synthesis by solvothermal reaction. Three typical shapes of ZnO structures including hexagonal, bell bottom like and multi-pod formed and were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Multi pod like ZnO structures exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity toward degradation of methyl orange. Using electron spin resonance spectroscopy coupled with spin trapping techniques, we demonstrate an effective way to identify precisely the generation of hydroxyl radicals, superoxide and singlet oxygen from the irradiated ZnO multi pod structures. The type of reactive oxygen species formed was predictable from the band gap structure of ZnO. These results indicate that the shape of micro-nano structures significantly affects the photocatalytic activity of ZnO, and demonstrate the value of electron spin resonance spectroscopy for characterizing the type of reactive oxygen species formed during photoexcitation of semiconductors.

  9. Determination of reactive oxygen species from ZnO micro-nano structures with shape-dependent photocatalytic activity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    He, Weiwei; Zhao, Hongxiao; Jia, Huimin; Yin, Jun-Jie; Zheng, Zhi

    2014-01-01

    Graphical abstract: ZnO micro/nano structures with shape dependent photocatalytic activity were prepared by hydrothermal reaction. The generations of hydroxyl radical, superoxide and singlet oxygen from irradiated ZnO were identified precisely by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. The type of reactive oxygen species was determined by band gap structure of ZnO. - Highlights: • ZnO micro/nano structures with different morphologies were prepared by solvothermal reaction. • Multi-pod like ZnO structures exhibited superior photocatalytic activity. • The generations of hydroxyl radical, superoxide and singlet oxygen from irradiated ZnO were characterized precisely by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. • The type of reactive oxygen species was determined by band gap structure of ZnO. - Abstract: ZnO micro/nano structures with different morphologies have been prepared by the changing solvents used during their synthesis by solvothermal reaction. Three typical shapes of ZnO structures including hexagonal, bell bottom like and multi-pod formed and were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Multi pod like ZnO structures exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity toward degradation of methyl orange. Using electron spin resonance spectroscopy coupled with spin trapping techniques, we demonstrate an effective way to identify precisely the generation of hydroxyl radicals, superoxide and singlet oxygen from the irradiated ZnO multi pod structures. The type of reactive oxygen species formed was predictable from the band gap structure of ZnO. These results indicate that the shape of micro-nano structures significantly affects the photocatalytic activity of ZnO, and demonstrate the value of electron spin resonance spectroscopy for characterizing the type of reactive oxygen species formed during photoexcitation of semiconductors

  10. Lamina cribrosa position and Bruch's membrane opening differences between anterior ischemic optic neuropathy and open-angle glaucoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rebolleda, Gema; Pérez-Sarriegui, Ane; Díez-Álvarez, Laura; De Juan, Victoria; Muñoz-Negrete, Francisco J

    2018-06-01

    To compare the optic nerve head morphology among primary open-angle glaucoma, non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy eyes, their fellow healthy eyes and control eyes, using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography with enhanced depth imaging. Observational cross-sectional study including 88 eyes of 68 patients. In this study, 23 non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy eyes, 17 fellow unaffected eyes, 25 primary open-angle glaucoma eyes, and 23 age-matched control eyes were included. Peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and optic disk area were evaluated. Bruch's membrane opening diameter, optic cup depth, anterior lamina cribrosa depth, and prelaminar tissue thickness were assessed. Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy and primary open-angle glaucoma eyes had similar visual field mean deviation and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (P = 0.6 and P = 0.56, respectively). Bruch's membrane opening diameter was significantly larger in primary open-angle glaucoma eyes than in control eyes (P = 0.02). Lamina cribrosa and disk cup were deeper in eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma than both control and non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy eyes (P open-angle glaucoma eyes than in non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy eyes (P opening diameter was found in primary open-angle glaucoma eyes compared with control eyes. This issue has clinical implications because Bruch's membrane opening has been considered a stable reference for disk-related measures.

  11. Multi-gated field emitters for a micro-column

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mimura, Hidenori; Kioke, Akifumi; Aoki, Toru; Neo, Yoichiro; Yoshida, Tomoya; Nagao, Masayoshi

    2011-01-01

    We have developed a multi-gated field emitter (FE) such as a quadruple-gated FE with a three-stacked electrode lens and a quintuple-gated FE with a four-stacked electrode lens. Both the FEs can focus the electron beam. However, the quintuple-gated FE has a stronger electron convergence than the quadruple-gated FE, and a beam crossover is clearly observed for the quintuple-gated FE.

  12. Compartmentalised expression of meprin in small intestinal mucosa: enhanced expression in lamina propria in coeliac disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lottaz, Daniel; Buri, Caroline; Monteleone, Giovanni; Rösmann, Sandra; Macdonald, Thomas T; Sanderson, Ian R; Sterchi, Erwin E

    2007-03-01

    Epithelial cells in the human small intestine express meprin, an astacin-like metalloprotease, which accumulates normally at the brush border membrane and in the gut lumen. Therefore, meprin is targeted towards luminal components. In coeliac disease patients, peptides from ingested cereals trigger mucosal inflammation in the small intestine, disrupting epithelial cell differentiation and function. Using in situ hybridisation on duodenal tissue sections, we observed a marked shift of meprin mRNA expression from epithelial cells, the predominant expression site in normal mucosa, to lamina propria leukocytes in coeliac disease. Meprin thereby gains access to the substrate repertoire present beneath the epithelium.

  13. Numerical modelling of multi-vane expander operating conditions in ORC system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rak, Józef; Błasiak, Przemysław; Kolasiński, Piotr

    2017-11-01

    Multi-vane expanders are positive displacement volumetric machines which are nowadays considered for application in micro-power domestic ORC systems as promising alternative to micro turbines and other volumetric expanders. The multi-vane expander features very simple design, low gas flow capacity, low expansion ratios, an advantageous ratio of the power output to the external dimensions and are insensitive to the negative influence of the gas-liquid mixture expansion. Moreover, the multi-vane expander can be easily hermetically sealed, which is one of the key issues in the ORC system design. A literature review indicates that issues concerning the application of multi-vane expanders in such systems, especially related to operating of multi-vane expander with different low-boiling working fluids, are innovative, not fully scientifically described and have the potential for practical implementation. In this paper the results of numerical investigations on multi-vane expander operating conditions are presented. The analyses were performed on three-dimensional numerical model of the expander in ANSYS CFX software. The numerical model of the expander was validated using the data obtained from the experiment carried out on a lab test-stand. Then a series of computational analysis were performed using expanders' numerical model in order to determine its operating conditions under various flow conditions of different working fluids.

  14. Immunostaining for Homer reveals the majority of excitatory synapses in laminae I?III of the mouse spinal dorsal horn

    OpenAIRE

    Gutierrez-Mecinas, Maria; Kuehn, Emily D.; Abraira, Victoria E.; Polg?r, Erika; Watanabe, Masahiko; Todd, Andrew J.

    2016-01-01

    The spinal dorsal horn processes somatosensory information before conveying it to the brain. The neuronal organization of the dorsal horn is still poorly understood, although recent studies have defined several distinct populations among the interneurons, which account for most of its constituent neurons. All primary afferents, and the great majority of neurons in laminae I–III are glutamatergic, and a major factor limiting our understanding of the synaptic circuitry has been the difficulty i...

  15. Coupling between chip based isotachophoresis and multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for separation and measurement of lanthanides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vio, Laurent; Cretier, Gerard; Rocca, Jean-Louis; Chartier, Frederic; Geertsen, Valerie; Gourgiotis, Alkiviadis; Isnard, Helene; Morin, Pierre

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents the conception and fabrication of a micro-system for lanthanides separation and its coupling with a multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer for isotope ratio measurements. The lanthanides separation is based on the isotachophoresis technique and the micro-system conception has been adapted in order to fit with glove box limitations in view of future spent nuclear fuels analysis. The micro-device was tested by using a mixture of standard solutions of natural elements and the separation of 13 lanthanides was successfully performed. The micro-device was then coupled to a multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer for the on-line measurements of Nd and Sm isotope ratios. The isotopes of Nd and Sm were acquired online in multi-collection mode after separation of the two elements with an injection amount of 5 ng. Results obtained on the Nd and Sm isotope ratio measurements on transient signals are presented and discussed. (authors)

  16. Low-Cost Intra-Articular Distraction Technique Using Kirschner Wires and a Toothed Lamina Spreader.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shymon, Stephen Joseph; Harris, Thomas Gregory

    We describe a low-cost (instrument cost) technique for joint distraction using 2 Kirschner wires and a toothed lamina spreader in lieu of a Hintermann distractor. The described technique allows for temporary intra-articular distraction and visualization and preservation of the articular surface with extra-articular instrumentation. The technique can also allow for closed reduction and percutaneous treatment in cases of soft tissue compromise. Additionally, the technique uses common orthopedic surgical instruments, leading to a minimal learning curve for novice surgeons. We have found this distraction technique to be most effective for intra-articular preparation of hindfoot and midfoot arthrodeses and for navicular fracture reduction. Copyright © 2016 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Barbed micro-spikes for micro-scale biopsy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byun, Sangwon; Lim, Jung-Min; Paik, Seung-Joon; Lee, Ahra; Koo, Kyo-in; Park, Sunkil; Park, Jaehong; Choi, Byoung-Doo; Seo, Jong Mo; Kim, Kyung-ah; Chung, Hum; Song, Si Young; Jeon, Doyoung; Cho, Dongil

    2005-06-01

    Single-crystal silicon planar micro-spikes with protruding barbs are developed for micro-scale biopsy and the feasibility of using the micro-spike as a micro-scale biopsy tool is evaluated for the first time. The fabrication process utilizes a deep silicon etch to define the micro-spike outline, resulting in protruding barbs of various shapes. Shanks of the fabricated micro-spikes are 3 mm long, 100 µm thick and 250 µm wide. Barbs protruding from micro-spike shanks facilitate the biopsy procedure by tearing off and retaining samples from target tissues. Micro-spikes with barbs successfully extracted tissue samples from the small intestines of the anesthetized pig, whereas micro-spikes without barbs failed to obtain a biopsy sample. Parylene coating can be applied to improve the biocompatibility of the micro-spike without deteriorating the biopsy function of the micro-spike. In addition, to show that the biopsy with the micro-spike can be applied to tissue analysis, samples obtained by micro-spikes were examined using immunofluorescent staining. Nuclei and F-actin of cells which are extracted by the micro-spike from a transwell were clearly visualized by immunofluorescent staining.

  18. First observation of multi-pulse X-ray train via multi-collision laser Compton scattering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuroda, R.; Toyokawa, H.; Yasumoto, M.; Ikeura-Sekiguchi, H.; Koike, M.; Yamada, K.; Yanagida, T.; Nakajyo, T.; Sakai, F.

    2009-01-01

    A compact hard X-ray source via laser Compton scattering (LCS) has been developed for biological and medical applications at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan. The multi-collision LCS has been investigated in order to enhance the X-ray yields. The first observation of multi-pulse X-ray train with 6 pulses via the multi-collision LCS has been successfully demonstrated between the multi-bunch electron train with 6 bunches and the multi-pulse Ti:Sa laser train with 6 pulses. The 32 MeV electron train was generated from a Cs 2 Te photocathode rf gun with a multi-pulse UV laser and the S-band linac. The Ti:Sa laser train was obtained with the chirp pulse amplification (CPA) including the modified regenerative amplifier. The X-ray train with 6 pulses with 12.6 ns spacing was observed with the micro-channel plate (MCP). The maximum energy of the X-ray is analytically estimated to be about 24 keV and the total number of generated photons was calculated to be about 1.8x10 6 photons/train.

  19. Micro-bridge defects: characterization and root cause analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santoro, Gaetano; Van den Heuvel, Dieter; Braggin, Jennifer; Rosslee, Craig; Leray, Philippe J.; Cheng, Shaunee; Jehoul, Christiane; Schreutelkamp, Robert; Hillel, Noam

    2010-03-01

    Defect review of advanced lithography processes is becoming more and more challenging as feature sizes decrease. Previous studies using a defect review SEM on immersion lithography generated wafers have resulted in a defect classification scheme which, among others, includes a category for micro-bridges. Micro-bridges are small connections between two adjacent lines in photo-resist and are considered device killing defects. Micro-bridge rates also tend to increase as feature sizes decrease, making them even more important for the next technology nodes. Especially because micro-bridge defects can originate from different root causes, the need to further refine and split up the classification of this type of defect into sub groups may become a necessity. This paper focuses on finding the correlation of the different types of micro-bridge defects to a particular root cause based on a full characterization and root cause analysis of this class of defects, by using advanced SEM review capabilities like high quality imaging in very low FOV, Multi Perspective SEM Imaging (MPSI), tilted column and rotated stage (Tilt&Rotation) imaging and Focused Ion Beam (FIB) cross sectioning. Immersion lithography material has been mainly used to generate the set of data presented in this work even though, in the last part of the results, some EUV lithography data will be presented as part of the continuing effort to extend the micro-bridge defect characterization to the EUV technology on 40 nm technology node and beyond.

  20. Accelerated life test of an ONO stacked insulator film for a silicon micro-strip detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okuno, Shoji; Ikeda, Hirokazu; Saitoh, Yutaka

    1996-01-01

    We have used to acquire the signal through an integrated capacitor for a silicon micro-strip detector. When we have been using a double-sided silicon micro-strip detector, we have required a long-term stability and a high feasibility for the integrated capacitor. An oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO) insulator film was theoretically expected to have a superior nature in terms of long term reliability. In order to test long term reliability for integrated capacitor of a silicon micro-strip detector, we made a multi-channel measuring system for capacitors

  1. UTLEON3 Exploring Fine-Grain Multi-Threading in FPGAs

    CERN Document Server

    Daněk, Martin; Kohout, Lukáš; Sýkora, Jaroslav; Bartosinski, Roman

    2013-01-01

    This book describes a specification, microarchitecture, VHDL implementation and evaluation of a SPARC v8 CPU with fine-grain multi-threading, called micro-threading. The CPU, named UTLEON3, is an alternative platform for exploring CPU multi-threading that is compatible with the industry-standard GRLIB package. The processor microarchitecture was designed to map in an efficient way the data-flow scheme on a classical von Neumann pipelined processing used in common processors, while retaining full binary compatibility with existing legacy programs.  Describes and documents a working SPARC v8, with fine-grain multithreading and fast context switch; Provides VHDL sources for the described processor; Describes a latency-tolerant framework for coupling hardware accelerators to microthreaded processor pipelines; Includes programming by example in the micro-threaded assembly language.    

  2. [Dermoepidermic junction: a selective, complex and vital barrier].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frede, Silvia C; Dionisio de Cabalier, María E; Zaya, Alejandro; Hliba, Ernesto

    2004-01-01

    Dermoepidermic junction (DEJ) is a highly complex region, containing a great variety of cellular elements, which despite of having different embriogenesis, interact with each other, generating different substances that keep the function and homeostasis of the greatest organ of the human body. DEJ is regarded as a highly specialized basal lamina, which acts as a highly selective pathway for the migration of cells and macromolecules, inducing cellular differentiation and micro enviromental metabolism modifications. DEJ may be divided into three zones regarding the basal lamina 1--the nearest to epidermic zone, having tonofilaments and hemidesmosomes, which keep anchored basal cells. This region is limited by the lamina densa 2--the intermediate zone, represented exclusively by lamina densa and finally the lamina 3,--the third region--extends from lamina densa to the upper dermis and extracelullar matrix. Despite there is much to learn about DEJ, the knowledge about each molecule and function of every compartment will enable us to know more about the pathogenesis of several dermatologic diseases, with a great prevalence in the clinical practice.

  3. Search for Bs0 --> micro+ micro- and B0 --> micro+ micro- decays with 2 fb-1 of pp collisions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aaltonen, T; Adelman, J; Akimoto, T; Albrow, M G; Alvarez González, B; Amerio, S; Amidei, D; Anastassov, A; Annovi, A; Antos, J; Aoki, M; Apollinari, G; Apresyan, A; Arisawa, T; Artikov, A; Ashmanskas, W; Attal, A; Aurisano, A; Azfar, F; Azzi-Bacchetta, P; Azzurri, P; Bacchetta, N; Badgett, W; Barbaro-Galtieri, A; Barnes, V E; Barnett, B A; Baroiant, S; Bartsch, V; Bauer, G; Beauchemin, P-H; Bedeschi, F; Bednar, P; Behari, S; Bellettini, G; Bellinger, J; Belloni, A; Benjamin, D; Beretvas, A; Beringer, J; Berry, T; Bhatti, A; Binkley, M; Bisello, D; Bizjak, I; Blair, R E; Blocker, C; Blumenfeld, B; Bocci, A; Bodek, A; Boisvert, V; Bolla, G; Bolshov, A; Bortoletto, D; Boudreau, J; Boveia, A; Brau, B; Bridgeman, A; Brigliadori, L; Bromberg, C; Brubaker, E; Budagov, J; Budd, H S; Budd, S; Burkett, K; Busetto, G; Bussey, P; Buzatu, A; Byrum, K L; Cabrera, S; Campanelli, M; Campbell, M; Canelli, F; Canepa, A; Carlsmith, D; Carosi, R; Carrillo, S; Carron, S; Casal, B; Casarsa, M; Castro, A; Catastini, P; Cauz, D; Cavalli-Sforza, M; Cerri, A; Cerrito, L; Chang, S H; Chen, Y C; Chertok, M; Chiarelli, G; Chlachidze, G; Chlebana, F; Cho, K; Chokheli, D; Chou, J P; Choudalakis, G; Chuang, S H; Chung, K; Chung, W H; Chung, Y S; Ciobanu, C I; Ciocci, M A; Clark, A; Clark, D; Compostella, G; Convery, M E; Conway, J; Cooper, B; Copic, K; Cordelli, M; Cortiana, G; Crescioli, F; Cuenca Almenar, C; Cuevas, J; Culbertson, R; Cully, J C; Dagenhart, D; Datta, M; Davies, T; de Barbaro, P; De Cecco, S; Deisher, A; De Lentdecker, G; De Lorenzo, G; Dell'orso, M; Demortier, L; Deng, J; Deninno, M; De Pedis, D; Derwent, P F; Di Giovanni, G P; Dionisi, C; Di Ruzza, B; Dittmann, J R; D'Onofrio, M; Donati, S; Dong, P; Donini, J; Dorigo, T; Dube, S; Efron, J; Erbacher, R; Errede, D; Errede, S; Eusebi, R; Fang, H C; Farrington, S; Fedorko, W T; Feild, R G; Feindt, M; Fernandez, J P; Ferrazza, C; Field, R; Flanagan, G; Forrest, R; Forrester, S; Franklin, M; Freeman, J C; Furic, I; Gallinaro, M; Galyardt, J; Garberson, F; Garcia, J E; Garfinkel, A F; Genser, K; Gerberich, H; Gerdes, D; Giagu, S; Giakoumopolou, V; Giannetti, P; Gibson, K; Gimmell, J L; Ginsburg, C M; Giokaris, N; Giordani, M; Giromini, P; Giunta, M; Glagolev, V; Glenzinski, D; Gold, M; Goldschmidt, N; Golossanov, A; Gomez, G; Gomez-Ceballos, G; Goncharov, M; González, O; Gorelov, I; Goshaw, A T; Goulianos, K; Gresele, A; Grinstein, S; Grosso-Pilcher, C; Grundler, U; Guimaraes da Costa, J; Gunay-Unalan, Z; Haber, C; Hahn, K; Hahn, S R; Halkiadakis, E; Hamilton, A; Han, B-Y; Han, J Y; Handler, R; Happacher, F; Hara, K; Hare, D; Hare, M; Harper, S; Harr, R F; Harris, R M; Hartz, M; Hatakeyama, K; Hauser, J; Hays, C; Heck, M; Heijboer, A; Heinemann, B; Heinrich, J; Henderson, C; Herndon, M; Heuser, J; Hewamanage, S; Hidas, D; Hill, C S; Hirschbuehl, D; Hocker, A; Hou, S; Houlden, M; Hsu, S-C; Huffman, B T; Hughes, R E; Husemann, U; Huston, J; Incandela, J; Introzzi, G; Iori, M; Ivanov, A; Iyutin, B; James, E; Jayatilaka, B; Jeans, D; Jeon, E J; Jindariani, S; Johnson, W; Jones, M; Joo, K K; Jun, S Y; Jung, J E; Junk, T R; Kamon, T; Kar, D; Karchin, P E; Kato, Y; Kephart, R; Kerzel, U; Khotilovich, V; Kilminster, B; Kim, D H; Kim, H S; Kim, J E; Kim, M J; Kim, S B; Kim, S H; Kim, Y K; Kimura, N; Kirsch, L; Klimenko, S; Klute, M; Knuteson, B; Ko, B R; Koay, S A; Kondo, K; Kong, D J; Konigsberg, J; Korytov, A; Kotwal, A V; Kraus, J; Kreps, M; Kroll, J; Krumnack, N; Kruse, M; Krutelyov, V; Kubo, T; Kuhlmann, S E; Kuhr, T; Kulkarni, N P; Kusakabe, Y; Kwang, S; Laasanen, A T; Lai, S; Lami, S; Lammel, S; Lancaster, M; Lander, R L; Lannon, K; Lath, A; Latino, G; Lazzizzera, I; Lecompte, T; Lee, J; Lee, J; Lee, Y J; Lee, S W; Lefèvre, R; Leonardo, N; Leone, S; Levy, S; Lewis, J D; Lin, C; Lin, C S; Linacre, J; Lindgren, M; Lipeles, E; Lister, A; Litvintsev, D O; Liu, T; Lockyer, N S; Loginov, A; Loreti, M; Lovas, L; Lu, R-S; Lucchesi, D; Lueck, J; Luci, C; Lujan, P; Lukens, P; Lungu, G; Lyons, L; Lys, J; Lysak, R; Lytken, E; Mack, P; Macqueen, D; Madrak, R; Maeshima, K; Makhoul, K; Maki, T; Maksimovic, P; Malde, S; Malik, S; Manca, G; Manousakis, A; Margaroli, F; Marino, C; Marino, C P; Martin, A; Martin, M; Martin, V; Martínez, M; Martínez-Ballarín, R; Maruyama, T; Mastrandrea, P; Masubuchi, T; Mattson, M E; Mazzanti, P; McFarland, K S; McIntyre, P; McNulty, R; Mehta, A; Mehtala, P; Menzemer, S; Menzione, A; Merkel, P; Mesropian, C; Messina, A; Miao, T; Miladinovic, N; Miles, J; Miller, R; Mills, C; Milnik, M; Mitra, A; Mitselmakher, G; Miyake, H; Moed, S; Moggi, N; Moon, C S; Moore, R; Morello, M; Movilla Fernandez, P; Mülmenstädt, J; Mukherjee, A; Muller, Th; Mumford, R; Murat, P; Mussini, M; Nachtman, J; Nagai, Y; Nagano, A; Naganoma, J; Nakamura, K; Nakano, I; Napier, A; Necula, V; Neu, C; Neubauer, M S; Nielsen, J; Nodulman, L; Norman, M; Norniella, O; Nurse, E; Oh, S H; Oh, Y D; Oksuzian, I; Okusawa, T; Oldeman, R; Orava, R; Osterberg, K; Pagan Griso, S; Pagliarone, C; Palencia, E; Papadimitriou, V; Papaikonomou, A; Paramonov, A A; Parks, B; Pashapour, S; Patrick, J; Pauletta, G; Paulini, M; Paus, C; Pellett, D E; Penzo, A; Phillips, T J; Piacentino, G; Piedra, J; Pinera, L; Pitts, K; Plager, C; Pondrom, L; Portell, X; Poukhov, O; Pounder, N; Prakoshyn, F; Pronko, A; Proudfoot, J; Ptohos, F; Punzi, G; Pursley, J; Rademacker, J; Rahaman, A; Ramakrishnan, V; Ranjan, N; Redondo, I; Reisert, B; Rekovic, V; Renton, P; Rescigno, M; Richter, S; Rimondi, F; Ristori, L; Robson, A; Rodrigo, T; Rogers, E; Rolli, S; Roser, R; Rossi, M; Rossin, R; Roy, P; Ruiz, A; Russ, J; Rusu, V; Saarikko, H; Safonov, A; Sakumoto, W K; Salamanna, G; Saltó, O; Santi, L; Sarkar, S; Sartori, L; Sato, K; Savoy-Navarro, A; Scheidle, T; Schlabach, P; Schmidt, E E; Schmidt, M A; Schmidt, M P; Schmitt, M; Schwarz, T; Scodellaro, L; Scott, A L; Scribano, A; Scuri, F; Sedov, A; Seidel, S; Seiya, Y; Semenov, A; Sexton-Kennedy, L; Sfyria, A; Shalhout, S Z; Shapiro, M D; Shears, T; Shepard, P F; Sherman, D; Shimojima, M; Shochet, M; Shon, Y; Shreyber, I; Sidoti, A; Sinervo, P; Sisakyan, A; Slaughter, A J; Slaunwhite, J; Sliwa, K; Smith, J R; Snider, F D; Snihur, R; Soderberg, M; Soha, A; Somalwar, S; Sorin, V; Spalding, J; Spinella, F; Spreitzer, T; Squillacioti, P; Stanitzki, M; St Denis, R; Stelzer, B; Stelzer-Chilton, O; Stentz, D; Strologas, J; Stuart, D; Suh, J S; Sukhanov, A; Sun, H; Suslov, I; Suzuki, T; Taffard, A; Takashima, R; Takeuchi, Y; Tanaka, R; Tecchio, M; Teng, P K; Terashi, K; Thom, J; Thompson, A S; Thompson, G A; Thomson, E; Tipton, P; Tiwari, V; Tkaczyk, S; Toback, D; Tokar, S; Tollefson, K; Tomura, T; Tonelli, D; Torre, S; Torretta, D; Tourneur, S; Trischuk, W; Tu, Y; Turini, N; Ukegawa, F; Uozumi, S; Vallecorsa, S; van Remortel, N; Varganov, A; Vataga, E; Vázquez, F; Velev, G; Vellidis, C; Veszpremi, V; Vidal, M; Vidal, R; Vila, I; Vilar, R; Vine, T; Vogel, M; Volobouev, I; Volpi, G; Würthwein, F; Wagner, P; Wagner, R G; Wagner, R L; Wagner-Kuhr, J; Wagner, W; Wakisaka, T; Wallny, R; Wang, S M; Warburton, A; Waters, D; Weinberger, M; Wester, W C; Whitehouse, B; Whiteson, D; Wicklund, A B; Wicklund, E; Williams, G; Williams, H H; Wilson, P; Winer, B L; Wittich, P; Wolbers, S; Wolfe, C; Wright, T; Wu, X; Wynne, S M; Yagil, A; Yamamoto, K; Yamaoka, J; Yamashita, T; Yang, C; Yang, U K; Yang, Y C; Yao, W M; Yeh, G P; Yoh, J; Yorita, K; Yoshida, T; Yu, G B; Yu, I; Yu, S S; Yun, J C; Zanello, L; Zanetti, A; Zaw, I; Zhang, X; Zheng, Y; Zucchelli, S

    2008-03-14

    We have performed a search for B(s)(0) --> micro(+) micro(-) and B(0) --> micro(+) micro(-) decays in pp collisions at square root s = 1.96 TeV using 2 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity collected by the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The observed number of B(s)(0) and B0 candidates is consistent with background expectations. The resulting upper limits on the branching fractions are B(B(s)0) --> micro(+) micro(-)) micro(+) micro(-))<1.8 x 10(-8) at 95% C.L.

  4. Quantitative analysis of the errors positioning of a multi leaf collimator for volumetric arcoterapia treatments; Analisis cuantitativo de los errores de posicionamiento de un colimador multilaminas para tratamientos de arcoterapia volumetrica

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gomez Gonzalez, N.; Garcia Repiso, S.; Martin Rincon, C.; Cons Perez, N.; Saez Beltran, M.; Delgado Aparicio, J. M.; Perez alvarez, M. E.; Verde Velasco, J. M.; Ramos Pacho, J. A.; Sena Espinel, E. de

    2013-07-01

    The precision in the positioning of the multi leaf collimation system of a linear accelerator is critical, especially in treatments of IMRT, where small mistakes can cause relevant dosimetry discrepancies regarding the calculated plan. To assess the accuracy and repeatability of the blades positioning can be used controls, including the one known as fence test whose image pattern allows you to find anomalies in a visual way. The objective of this study is to develop a method which allows to quantify the positioning errors of the multi leaf collimator from this test. (Author)

  5. MicroED data collection and processing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hattne, Johan; Reyes, Francis E.; Nannenga, Brent L.; Shi, Dan; Cruz, M. Jason de la [Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147 (United States); Leslie, Andrew G. W. [Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge (United Kingdom); Gonen, Tamir, E-mail: gonent@janelia.hhmi.org [Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147 (United States)

    2015-07-01

    The collection and processing of MicroED data are presented. MicroED, a method at the intersection of X-ray crystallography and electron cryo-microscopy, has rapidly progressed by exploiting advances in both fields and has already been successfully employed to determine the atomic structures of several proteins from sub-micron-sized, three-dimensional crystals. A major limiting factor in X-ray crystallography is the requirement for large and well ordered crystals. By permitting electron diffraction patterns to be collected from much smaller crystals, or even single well ordered domains of large crystals composed of several small mosaic blocks, MicroED has the potential to overcome the limiting size requirement and enable structural studies on difficult-to-crystallize samples. This communication details the steps for sample preparation, data collection and reduction necessary to obtain refined, high-resolution, three-dimensional models by MicroED, and presents some of its unique challenges.

  6. Directed self-assembly of large scaffold-free multi-cellular honeycomb structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tejavibulya, Nalin; Youssef, Jacquelyn; Bao, Brian; Ferruccio, Toni-Marie; Morgan, Jeffrey R

    2011-01-01

    A significant challenge to the field of biofabrication is the rapid construction of large three-dimensional (3D) living tissues and organs. Multi-cellular spheroids have been used as building blocks. In this paper, we create large multi-cellular honeycomb building blocks using directed self-assembly, whereby cell-to-cell adhesion, in the context of the shape and obstacles of a micro-mold, drives the formation of a 3D structure. Computer-aided design, rapid prototyping and replica molding were used to fabricate honeycomb-shaped micro-molds. Nonadhesive hydrogels cast from these micro-molds were equilibrated in the cell culture medium and seeded with two types of mammalian cells. The cells settled into the honeycomb recess were unable to attach to the nonadhesive hydrogel and so cell-to-cell adhesion drove the self-assembly of a large multi-cellular honeycomb within 24 h. Distinct morphological changes occurred to the honeycomb and its cells indicating the presence of significant cell-mediated tension. Unlike the spheroid, whose size is constrained by a critical diffusion distance needed to maintain cell viability, the overall size of the honeycomb is not limited. The rapid production of the honeycomb building unit, with its multiple rings of high-density cells and open lumen spaces, offers interesting new possibilities for biofabrication strategies.

  7. Micro-propulsion and micro-combustion; Micropropulsion microcombustion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ribaud, Y.; Dessornes, O.

    2002-10-01

    The AAAF (french space and aeronautic association) organized at Paris a presentation on the micro-propulsion. The first part was devoted to the thermal micro-machines for micro drones, the second part to the micro-combustion applied to micro-turbines. (A.L.B.)

  8. Individual-specific multi-scale finite element simulation of cortical bone of human proximal femur

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ascenzi, Maria-Grazia; Kawas, Neal P.; Lutz, Andre; Kardas, Dieter; Nackenhorst, Udo; Keyak, Joyce H.

    2013-01-01

    We present an innovative method to perform multi-scale finite element analyses of the cortical component of the femur using the individual’s (1) computed tomography scan; and (2) a bone specimen obtained in conjunction with orthopedic surgery. The method enables study of micro-structural characteristics regulating strains and stresses under physiological loading conditions. The analysis of the micro-structural scenarios that cause variation of strain and stress is the first step in understanding the elevated strains and stresses in bone tissue, which are indicative of higher likelihood of micro-crack formation in bone, implicated in consequent remodeling or macroscopic bone fracture. Evidence that micro-structure varies with clinical history and contributes in significant, but poorly understood, ways to bone function, motivates the method’s development, as does need for software tools to investigate relationships between macroscopic loading and micro-structure. Three applications – varying region of interest, bone mineral density, and orientation of collagen type I, illustrate the method. We show, in comparison between physiological loading and simple compression of a patient’s femur, that strains computed at the multi-scale model’s micro-level: (i) differ; and (ii) depend on local collagen-apatite orientation and degree of calcification. Our findings confirm the strain concentration role of osteocyte lacunae, important for mechano-transduction. We hypothesize occurrence of micro-crack formation, leading either to remodeling or macroscopic fracture, when the computed strains exceed the elastic range observed in micro-structural testing

  9. Individual-specific multi-scale finite element simulation of cortical bone of human proximal femur

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ascenzi, Maria-Grazia, E-mail: mgascenzi@mednet.ucla.edu [UCLA/Orthopaedic Hospital, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rehabilitation Bldg, Room 22-69, 1000 Veteran Avenue, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (United States); Kawas, Neal P., E-mail: nealkawas@ucla.edu [UCLA/Orthopaedic Hospital, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rehabilitation Bldg, Room 22-69, 1000 Veteran Avenue, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (United States); Lutz, Andre, E-mail: andre.lutz@hotmail.de [Institute of Biomechanics and Numerical Mechanics, Leibniz University Hannover, 30167 Hannover (Germany); Kardas, Dieter, E-mail: kardas@ibnm.uni-hannover.de [ContiTech Vibration Control, Jaedekamp 30 None, 30419 Hannover (Germany); Nackenhorst, Udo, E-mail: nackenhorst@ibnm.uni-hannover.de [Institute of Biomechanics and Numerical Mechanics, Leibniz University Hannover, 30167 Hannover (Germany); Keyak, Joyce H., E-mail: jhkeyak@uci.edu [Department of Radiological Sciences, Medical Sciences I, Bldg 811, Room B140, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-5000 (United States)

    2013-07-01

    We present an innovative method to perform multi-scale finite element analyses of the cortical component of the femur using the individual’s (1) computed tomography scan; and (2) a bone specimen obtained in conjunction with orthopedic surgery. The method enables study of micro-structural characteristics regulating strains and stresses under physiological loading conditions. The analysis of the micro-structural scenarios that cause variation of strain and stress is the first step in understanding the elevated strains and stresses in bone tissue, which are indicative of higher likelihood of micro-crack formation in bone, implicated in consequent remodeling or macroscopic bone fracture. Evidence that micro-structure varies with clinical history and contributes in significant, but poorly understood, ways to bone function, motivates the method’s development, as does need for software tools to investigate relationships between macroscopic loading and micro-structure. Three applications – varying region of interest, bone mineral density, and orientation of collagen type I, illustrate the method. We show, in comparison between physiological loading and simple compression of a patient’s femur, that strains computed at the multi-scale model’s micro-level: (i) differ; and (ii) depend on local collagen-apatite orientation and degree of calcification. Our findings confirm the strain concentration role of osteocyte lacunae, important for mechano-transduction. We hypothesize occurrence of micro-crack formation, leading either to remodeling or macroscopic fracture, when the computed strains exceed the elastic range observed in micro-structural testing.

  10. Dosimetry of the stereotactic radiosurgery with linear accelerators equipped with micro multi-blades collimators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vieira, Andre Mozart de Miranda

    2008-01-01

    In this work, absorbed dose to water produced by the radiation beam of a clinical linear accelerator - CLINAC 600C TM (Varian), with a photon beam of 6 MV, were evaluated both theoretically and experimentally. This determination includes square and circular field configurations, the last one obtained with a micro multi leaf collimator - mMLC m3 TM (Brain Lab). Theoretical evaluation was performed throughout Monte Carlo method. Experimental measurements of Percentage Depth Dose - PDD and derived Tissue Maximum Ratio - TMR curves from CLINAC 600C were validated by comparison with reference values as well as with measurements using different detectors. The results indicate local differences smaller than 5% and average differences smaller than 1,5% for each evaluated field, if they are compared to the previous commissioning values (made in 1999) and to the values of literature. Comparisons of ionization chamber and diode result in an average local difference of -0,6% for PDD measurements, and within 1% for lateral dose profiles, at depth, in the flat region. Diode provides measurements with better spatial resolution. Current output factors of open fields agree with reference values within 1,03% of discrepancy level. Current absorbed dose distributions in water are, now, considered reference values and allow characterization of this CLINAC for patient dose calculation. The photon spectra resulting from simulations with PENELOPE and MCNP codes agree approximately in 80% of the sampled points, in what average energies of (1,6 ± 0,3)MeV, with MCNP, and of (1,72 ± 0,08)MeV, with PENELOPE, are coincident. The created simple source model of the CLINAC 600C, using the PENELOPE code, allows one to calculate dose distributions in water, for open fields, with discrepancies of the order of ± 1,0% in dose and of ± 0,1 cm in position, if they are compared to experimental measurements. These values met the initial proposed criteria to validate the simulation model and guarantee

  11. Desempenho animal em pasto de aveia e azevém com distintas biomassas de lâminas foliares Animal performance in oat and Italian ryegrass pastures under leaf lamina biomass levels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Duilio Guerra Bandinelli

    2005-12-01

    Full Text Available O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de biomassas de lâminas foliares no desempenho animal. Utilizou-se mistura de aveia (Avena strigosa Schreb e azevém (Lolium multiflorum Lam., para determinar quantidades adequadas de sua biomassa no manejo da pastagem. Foram realizados dois experimentos, na estação fria de 2002 e 2003. Na avaliação de 2002, os valores de biomassa de lâminas foliares foram de 360 kg ha-1 (baixa e 630 kg ha-1 (alta. Em 2003, foram obtidas biomassas de 352, 422 e 507 kg ha-1, classificadas como baixa, média e alta, respectivamente. O método de pastejo foi contínuo, com taxa de lotação variada; os animais utilizados foram terneiros da raça Charolês e cruzados com Nelore, com idade inicial de nove meses. As variáveis de produção animal avaliadas, nos dois anos, foram: ganho médio diário, carga animal e ganho de peso vivo por área. As distintas biomassas de lâminas foliares mantidas não são fatores limitantes ao desempenho animal.The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of different leaf lamina biomass over animal performance. A mixture of oat (Avena strigosa Schreb and Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam. was used to determine adequate levels of leaf lamina biomass for pasture management. Two trials were made, in 2002 and 2003 cool seasons. In 2002 evaluation, leaf lamina biomass values were of 360 kg ha-1 (low and 630 kg ha-1 (high. In 2003, values obtained for leaf lamina biomasses were of 352, 422 and 507 kg ha-1, being classified as low, medium and high, respectively. Grazing method was continuous, with variable stocking rate; testing animals were calves of Charolais breed and its crosses with Nelore breed, with initial age of nine months. Evaluated variables in animal production, in both years, were: average daily gain, stocking rate and live weight gain per area. Leaf lamina biomasses evaluated are not limiting factors to animal performance.

  12. On-chip micro-power: three-dimensional structures for micro-batteries and micro-supercapacitors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beidaghi, Majid; Wang, Chunlei

    2010-04-01

    With the miniaturization of portable electronic devices, there is a demand for micro-power source which can be integrated on the semiconductor chips. Various micro-batteries have been developed in recent years to generate or store the energy that is needed by microsystems. Micro-supercapacitors are also developed recently to couple with microbatteries and energy harvesting microsystems and provide the peak power. Increasing the capacity per footprint area of micro-batteries and micro-supercapacitors is a great challenge. One promising route is the manufacturing of three dimensional (3D) structures for these micro-devices. In this paper, the recent advances in fabrication of 3D structure for micro-batteries and micro-supercapacitors are briefly reviewed.

  13. Numerical modelling of multi-vane expander operating conditions in ORC system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rak Józef

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Multi-vane expanders are positive displacement volumetric machines which are nowadays considered for application in micro-power domestic ORC systems as promising alternative to micro turbines and other volumetric expanders. The multi-vane expander features very simple design, low gas flow capacity, low expansion ratios, an advantageous ratio of the power output to the external dimensions and are insensitive to the negative influence of the gas-liquid mixture expansion. Moreover, the multi-vane expander can be easily hermetically sealed, which is one of the key issues in the ORC system design. A literature review indicates that issues concerning the application of multi-vane expanders in such systems, especially related to operating of multi-vane expander with different low-boiling working fluids, are innovative, not fully scientifically described and have the potential for practical implementation. In this paper the results of numerical investigations on multi-vane expander operating conditions are presented. The analyses were performed on three-dimensional numerical model of the expander in ANSYS CFX software. The numerical model of the expander was validated using the data obtained from the experiment carried out on a lab test-stand. Then a series of computational analysis were performed using expanders' numerical model in order to determine its operating conditions under various flow conditions of different working fluids.

  14. Physical masking process for integrating micro metallic structures on polymer substrate

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Islam, Mohammad Aminul; Hansen, Hans Nørgaard

    2009-01-01

    plasmon devices need micro metallic structures on a polymer substrate with an uniform metal layer thickness in the nanometer range. A well known fabrication process to achieve such metallic surface pattern on polymer substrate is photolithography which involves an expensive mask and toxic chemicals......Integration of micro metallic structures in polymer devices is a broad multi-disciplinary research field, consisting of various combinations of mechanical, chemical and physical fabrication methods. Each of the methods has its specific advantages and disadvantages. Some applications like surface....... The current study shows a novel approach for fabricating thin micro metallic structures on polymer substrates using a simple physical mask and a PVD equipment. The new process involves fewer process steps, it is cost effective and suitable for high volume industrial production. Current study suggests...

  15. Air-side performance of a micro-channel heat exchanger in wet surface conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Srisomba Raviwat

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The effects of operating conditions on the air-side heat transfer, and pressure drop of a micro-channel heat exchanger under wet surface conditions were studied experimentally. The test section was an aluminum micro-channel heat exchanger, consisting of a multi-louvered fin and multi-port mini-channels. Experiments were conducted to study the effects of inlet relative humidity, air frontal velocity, air inlet temperature, and refrigerant temperature on air-side performance. The experimental data were analyzed using the mean enthalpy difference method. The test run was performed at relative air humidities ranging between 45% and 80%; air inlet temperature ranges of 27, 30, and 33°C; refrigerant-saturated temperatures ranging from 18 to 22°C; and Reynolds numbers between 128 and 166. The results show that the inlet relative humidity, air inlet temperature, and the refrigerant temperature had significant effects on heat transfer performance and air-side pressure drop. The heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop for the micro-channel heat exchanger under wet surface conditions are proposed in terms of the Colburn j factor and Fanning f factor.

  16. Topology identification for multiple-bus DC MicroGrids via primary control perturbations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Angjelichinoski, Marko; Stefanovic, Cedomir; Popovski, Petar

    2017-01-01

    We propose a Least Squares Estimation procedure for estimating the admittance matrix of multi-bus DC MicroGrids (MGs). In the proposed solution, the generators simultaneously inject training signals in the form of small deterministic perturbations of the primary droop control parameters and measure...

  17. Multi-angle lensless digital holography for depth resolved imaging on a chip

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Ting-Wei; Isikman, Serhan O.; Bishara, Waheb; Tseng, Derek; Erlinger, Anthony; Ozcan, Aydogan

    2010-01-01

    A multi-angle lensfree holographic imaging platform that can accurately characterize both the axial and lateral positions of cells located within multi-layered micro-channels is introduced. In this platform, lensfree digital holograms of the micro-objects on the chip are recorded at different illumination angles using partially coherent illumination. These digital holograms start to shift laterally on the sensor plane as the illumination angle of the source is tilted. Since the exact amount of this lateral shift of each object hologram can be calculated with an accuracy that beats the diffraction limit of light, the height of each cell from the substrate can be determined over a large field of view without the use of any lenses. We demonstrate the proof of concept of this multi-angle lensless imaging platform by using light emitting diodes to characterize various sized microparticles located on a chip with sub-micron axial and lateral localization over ~60 mm2 field of view. Furthermore, we successfully apply this lensless imaging approach to simultaneously characterize blood samples located at multi-layered micro-channels in terms of the counts, individual thicknesses and the volumes of the cells at each layer. Because this platform does not require any lenses, lasers or other bulky optical/mechanical components, it provides a compact and high-throughput alternative to conventional approaches for cytometry and diagnostics applications involving lab on a chip systems. PMID:20588819

  18. Quantum state preparation using multi-level-atom optics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Busch, Th; Deasy, K; Chormaic, S Nic

    2007-01-01

    One of the most important characteristics for controlling processes on the quantum scale is the fidelity or robustness of the techniques being used. In the case of single atoms localized in micro-traps, it was recently shown that the use of time-dependent tunnelling interactions in a multi-trap setup can be viewed as analogous to the area of multi-level optics. The atom's centre-of-mass can then be controlled with a high fidelity, using a STIRAP-type process. Here, we review previous work that led to the development of multi-level atom optics and present two examples of our most recent work on quantum state preparation

  19. Investigation of germanium implanted with aluminum by multi-laser micro-Raman spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sanson, A., E-mail: andrea.sanson@unipd.it [Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Padova, Via Marzolo 8, I-35131 Padova (Italy); Napolitani, E. [MATIS IMM-CNR at Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Padova, Via Marzolo 8, I-35131 Padova (Italy); Impellizzeri, G. [MATIS IMM-CNR and Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Catania, Via S. Sofia 64, I-95123 Catania (Italy); Giarola, M. [Dipartimento di Informatica, Università di Verona, Strada le Grazie 15, I-37134 Verona (Italy); De Salvador, D. [Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Padova, Via Marzolo 8, I-35131 Padova (Italy); Privitera, V.; Priolo, F. [MATIS IMM-CNR and Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Catania, Via S. Sofia 64, I-95123 Catania (Italy); Mariotto, G. [Dipartimento di Informatica, Università di Verona, Strada le Grazie 15, I-37134 Verona (Italy); Carnera, A. [Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Padova, Via Marzolo 8, I-35131 Padova (Italy)

    2013-08-31

    Germanium samples, implanted with aluminum and annealed, have been investigated by micro-Raman spectroscopy using different excitation lines with the aim of gaining insights about the Al distribution at different depths beneath the sample surface and to correlate the Raman spectra with the electrical and chemical profiles, obtained by Spreading Resistance Profiling (SRP) and Secondary Ions Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) measurements, respectively. The intensity of the Al–Ge Raman peak at about 370 cm{sup −1}, due to the local vibrational mode of the substitutional Al atoms in the Ge matrix, has been directly related to the SRP behavior, while no correlation has been observed with SIMS profiles. These findings show that the electrically active content is entirely due to the substitutional Al atoms. Finally, a clear down shift is observed for the Ge–Ge Raman peak at ∼ 300 cm{sup −1}, which also seems to be directly related to the active content of Al dopant atoms. This work shows that micro-Raman spectroscopy can be a suitable tool for the study of doping profiles in Ge. - Highlights: ► Al-implanted Ge and annealed were studied by micro-Raman spectroscopy. ► Using different laser lines we have investigated the implants at different depths. ► The Al–Ge Raman peak at about 370 cm{sup −1} is directly related to the SRP behavior. ► The electrically active content is entirely due to the substitutional Al atoms. ► Carrier effects are observed on the Ge–Ge peak at ∼ 300 cm{sup −1}.

  20. Investigation of germanium implanted with aluminum by multi-laser micro-Raman spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanson, A.; Napolitani, E.; Impellizzeri, G.; Giarola, M.; De Salvador, D.; Privitera, V.; Priolo, F.; Mariotto, G.; Carnera, A.

    2013-01-01

    Germanium samples, implanted with aluminum and annealed, have been investigated by micro-Raman spectroscopy using different excitation lines with the aim of gaining insights about the Al distribution at different depths beneath the sample surface and to correlate the Raman spectra with the electrical and chemical profiles, obtained by Spreading Resistance Profiling (SRP) and Secondary Ions Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) measurements, respectively. The intensity of the Al–Ge Raman peak at about 370 cm −1 , due to the local vibrational mode of the substitutional Al atoms in the Ge matrix, has been directly related to the SRP behavior, while no correlation has been observed with SIMS profiles. These findings show that the electrically active content is entirely due to the substitutional Al atoms. Finally, a clear down shift is observed for the Ge–Ge Raman peak at ∼ 300 cm −1 , which also seems to be directly related to the active content of Al dopant atoms. This work shows that micro-Raman spectroscopy can be a suitable tool for the study of doping profiles in Ge. - Highlights: ► Al-implanted Ge and annealed were studied by micro-Raman spectroscopy. ► Using different laser lines we have investigated the implants at different depths. ► The Al–Ge Raman peak at about 370 cm −1 is directly related to the SRP behavior. ► The electrically active content is entirely due to the substitutional Al atoms. ► Carrier effects are observed on the Ge–Ge peak at ∼ 300 cm −1

  1. Airborne Multi-Spectral Minefield Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    2005-05-01

    Swedish Defence Research Agency), GEOSPACE (Austria), GTD ( Ingenieria de Sistemas y Software Industrial, Spain), IMEC (Ineruniversity MicroElectronic...RTO-MP-SET-092 18 - 1 UNCLASSIFIED/UNLIMITED UNCLASSIFIED/UNLIMITED Airborne Multi-Spectral Minefield Survey Dirk-Jan de Lange, Eric den...actions is the severe lack of baseline information. To respond to this in a rapid way, cost-efficient data acquisition methods are a key issue. de

  2. Recent micro-CT scanner developments at UGCT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dierick, Manuel, E-mail: Manuel.Dierick@UGent.be [UGCT-Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, Proeftuinstraat 86, 9000 Ghent (Belgium); XRE, X-Ray Engineering bvba, De Pintelaan 111, 9000 Ghent (Belgium); Van Loo, Denis, E-mail: info@XRE.be [XRE, X-Ray Engineering bvba, De Pintelaan 111, 9000 Ghent (Belgium); Masschaele, Bert [UGCT-Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, Proeftuinstraat 86, 9000 Ghent (Belgium); XRE, X-Ray Engineering bvba, De Pintelaan 111, 9000 Ghent (Belgium); Van den Bulcke, Jan [UGCT-Woodlab-UGent, Department of Forest and Water Management, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent (Belgium); Van Acker, Joris, E-mail: Joris.VanAcker@UGent.be [UGCT-Woodlab-UGent, Department of Forest and Water Management, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent (Belgium); Cnudde, Veerle, E-mail: Veerle.Cnudde@UGent.be [UGCT-SGIG, Department of Geology and Soil Science, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281, S8, 9000 Ghent (Belgium); Van Hoorebeke, Luc, E-mail: Luc.VanHoorebeke@UGent.be [UGCT-Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, Proeftuinstraat 86, 9000 Ghent (Belgium)

    2014-04-01

    This paper describes two X-ray micro-CT scanners which were recently developed to extend the experimental possibilities of microtomography research at the Centre for X-ray Tomography ( (www.ugct.ugent.be)) of the Ghent University (Belgium). The first scanner, called Nanowood, is a wide-range CT scanner with two X-ray sources (160 kV{sub max}) and two detectors, resolving features down to 0.4 μm in small samples, but allowing samples up to 35 cm to be scanned. This is a sample size range of 3 orders of magnitude, making this scanner well suited for imaging multi-scale materials such as wood, stone, etc. Besides the traditional cone-beam acquisition, Nanowood supports helical acquisition, and it can generate images with significant phase-contrast contributions. The second scanner, known as the Environmental micro-CT scanner (EMCT), is a gantry based micro-CT scanner with variable magnification for scanning objects which are not easy to rotate in a standard micro-CT scanner, for example because they are physically connected to external experimental hardware such as sensor wiring, tubing or others. This scanner resolves 5 μm features, covers a field-of-view of about 12 cm wide with an 80 cm vertical travel range. Both scanners will be extensively described and characterized, and their potential will be demonstrated with some key application results.

  3. Recent micro-CT scanner developments at UGCT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dierick, Manuel; Van Loo, Denis; Masschaele, Bert; Van den Bulcke, Jan; Van Acker, Joris; Cnudde, Veerle; Van Hoorebeke, Luc

    2014-01-01

    This paper describes two X-ray micro-CT scanners which were recently developed to extend the experimental possibilities of microtomography research at the Centre for X-ray Tomography ( (www.ugct.ugent.be)) of the Ghent University (Belgium). The first scanner, called Nanowood, is a wide-range CT scanner with two X-ray sources (160 kV max ) and two detectors, resolving features down to 0.4 μm in small samples, but allowing samples up to 35 cm to be scanned. This is a sample size range of 3 orders of magnitude, making this scanner well suited for imaging multi-scale materials such as wood, stone, etc. Besides the traditional cone-beam acquisition, Nanowood supports helical acquisition, and it can generate images with significant phase-contrast contributions. The second scanner, known as the Environmental micro-CT scanner (EMCT), is a gantry based micro-CT scanner with variable magnification for scanning objects which are not easy to rotate in a standard micro-CT scanner, for example because they are physically connected to external experimental hardware such as sensor wiring, tubing or others. This scanner resolves 5 μm features, covers a field-of-view of about 12 cm wide with an 80 cm vertical travel range. Both scanners will be extensively described and characterized, and their potential will be demonstrated with some key application results

  4. Hybrid micro-/nano-particle image velocimetry for 3D3C multi-scale velocity field measurement in microfluidics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Min, Young Uk; Kim, Kyung Chun

    2011-01-01

    The conventional two-dimensional (2D) micro-particle image velocimetry (micro-PIV) technique has inherent bias error due to the depth of focus along the optical axis to measure the velocity field near the wall of a microfluidics device. However, the far-field measurement of velocity vectors yields good accuracy for micro-scale flows. Nano-PIV using the evanescent wave of total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy can measure near-field velocity vectors within a distance of around 200 nm from the solid surface. A micro-/nano-hybrid PIV system is proposed to measure both near- and far-field velocity vectors simultaneously in microfluidics. A near-field particle image can be obtained by total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy using nanoparticles, and the far-field velocity vectors are measured by three-hole defocusing micro-particle tracking velocimetry (micro-PTV) using micro-particles. In order to identify near- and far-field particle images, lasers of different wavelengths are adopted and tested in a straight microchannel for acquiring the three-dimensional three-component velocity field. We found that the new technique gives superior accuracy for the velocity profile near the wall compared to that of conventional nano-PIV. This method has been successfully applied to precisely measure wall shear stress in 2D microscale Poiseulle flows

  5. Sustainable Micro-Manufacturing of Micro-Components via Micro Electrical Discharge Machining

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valeria Marrocco

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Micro-manufacturing emerged in the last years as a new engineering area with the potential of increasing peoples’ quality of life through the production of innovative micro-devices to be used, for example, in the biomedical, micro-electronics or telecommunication sectors. The possibility to decrease the energy consumption makes the micro-manufacturing extremely appealing in terms of environmental protection. However, despite this common belief that the micro-scale implies a higher sustainability compared to traditional manufacturing processes, recent research shows that some factors can make micro-manufacturing processes not as sustainable as expected. In particular, the use of rare raw materials and the need of higher purity of processes, to preserve product quality and manufacturing equipment, can be a source for additional environmental burden and process costs. Consequently, research is needed to optimize micro-manufacturing processes in order to guarantee the minimum consumption of raw materials, consumables and energy. In this paper, the experimental results obtained by the micro-electrical discharge machining (micro-EDM of micro-channels made on Ni–Cr–Mo steel is reported. The aim of such investigation is to shed a light on the relation and dependence between the material removal process, identified in the evaluation of material removal rate (MRR and tool wear ratio (TWR, and some of the most important technological parameters (i.e., open voltage, discharge current, pulse width and frequency, in order to experimentally quantify the material waste produced and optimize the technological process in order to decrease it.

  6. Macro-Micro Simulation for Polymer Crystallization in Couette Flow

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chunlei Ruan

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Polymer crystallization in manufacturing is a process where quiescent crystallization and flow-induced crystallization coexists, and heat/mass transfer on a macroscopic level interacts with crystal morphology evolution on a microscopic level. Previous numerical studies on polymer crystallization are mostly concentrated at a single scale; they only calculate macroscale parameters, e.g., temperature and relative crystallinity, or they only predict microstructure details, e.g., crystal morphology and mean size of crystals. The multi-scale numerical works that overcome these disadvantages are unfortunately based on quiescent crystallization, in which flow effects are neglected. The objective of this work is to build up a macro-micro model and a macro-micro algorithm to consider both the thermal and flow effects on the crystallization. Our macro-micro model couples two parts: mass and heat transfer of polymeric flow at the macroscopic level, and nucleation and growth of spherulites and shish-kebabs at the microscopic level. Our macro-micro algorithm is a hybrid finite volume/Monte Carlo method, in which the finite volume method is used at the macroscopic level to calculate the flow and temperature fields, while the Monte Carlo method is used at the microscopic level to capture the development of spherulites and shish-kebabs. The macro-micro model and the macro-micro algorithm are applied to simulate polymer crystallization in Couette flow. The effects of shear rate, shear time, and wall temperature on the crystal morphology and crystallization kinetics are also discussed.

  7. Applying a foil queue micro-electrode in micro-EDM to fabricate a 3D micro-structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Bin; Guo, Kang; Wu, Xiao-yu; Lei, Jian-guo; Liang, Xiong; Guo, Deng-ji; Ma, Jiang; Cheng, Rong

    2018-05-01

    Applying a 3D micro-electrode in a micro electrical discharge machining (micro-EDM) can fabricate a 3D micro-structure with an up and down reciprocating method. However, this processing method has some shortcomings, such as a low success rate and a complex process for fabrication of 3D micro-electrodes. By focusing on these shortcomings, this paper proposed a novel 3D micro-EDM process based on the foil queue micro-electrode. Firstly, a 3D micro-electrode was discretized into several foil micro-electrodes and these foil micro-electrodes constituted a foil queue micro-electrode. Then, based on the planned process path, foil micro-electrodes were applied in micro-EDM sequentially and the micro-EDM results of each foil micro-electrode were able to superimpose the 3D micro-structure. However, the step effect will occur on the 3D micro-structure surface, which has an adverse effect on the 3D micro-structure. To tackle this problem, this paper proposes to reduce this adverse effect by rounded corner wear at the end of the foil micro-electrode and studies the impact of machining parameters on rounded corner wear and the step effect on the micro-structure surface. Finally, using a wire cutting voltage of 80 V, a current of 0.5 A and a pulse width modulation ratio of 1:4, the foil queue micro-electrode was fabricated by wire electrical discharge machining. Also, using a pulse width of 100 ns, a pulse interval of 200 ns, a voltage of 100 V and workpiece material of 304# stainless steel, the foil queue micro-electrode was applied in micro-EDM for processing of a 3D micro-structure with hemispherical features, which verified the feasibility of this process.

  8. In Vivo Changes in Lamina Cribrosa Microarchitecture and Optic Nerve Head Structure in Early Experimental Glaucoma.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kevin M Ivers

    Full Text Available The lamina cribrosa likely plays an important role in retinal ganglion cell axon injury in glaucoma. We sought to (1 better understand optic nerve head (ONH structure and anterior lamina cribrosa surface (ALCS microarchitecture between fellow eyes of living, normal non-human primates and (2 characterize the time-course of in vivo structural changes in the ONH, ALCS microarchitecture, and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT in non-human primate eyes with early experimental glaucoma (EG. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT images of the ONH were acquired cross-sectionally in six bilaterally normal rhesus monkeys, and before and approximately every two weeks after inducing unilateral EG in seven rhesus monkeys. ONH parameters and RNFLT were quantified from segmented SDOCT images. Mean ALCS pore area, elongation and nearest neighbor distance (NND were quantified globally, in sectors and regionally from adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope images. In bilaterally normal monkeys, ONH parameters were similar between fellow eyes with few inter-eye differences in ALCS pore parameters. In EG monkeys, an increase in mean ALCS Depth (ALCSD was the first structural change measured in 6 of 7 EG eyes. A decrease in mean minimum rim width (MRW simultaneously accompanied this early change in 4 of 6 EG eyes and was the first structural change in the 7th EG eye. Mean ALCS pore parameters were among the first or second changes measured in 4 EG eyes. Mean ALCS pore area and NND increased in superotemporal and temporal sectors and in central and peripheral regions at the first time-point of change in ALCS pore geometry. RNFLT and/or mean ALCS radius of curvature were typically the last parameters to initially change. Survival analyses found mean ALCSD was the only parameter to significantly show an initial change prior to the first measured loss in RNFLT across EG eyes.

  9. Potential of a polygonal prism and lamina; Takakuchu men no potential

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Koyama, S

    1996-05-01

    With the use of rectangular coordinates O-XYZ, the potential of a calculation point P is expressed in the form of a triple repeated integral of a density {sigma} at point Q in the mass. The potential at the density {sigma} assumed to be 1 is named the potential of a polygonal prism. Further, a double repeated integral with an integral concerning Z removed from the triple integral is named the potential of polygonal lamina. This potential can be expressed in a quadratic form (linear form) with 2nd order partial derivative (1st order partial derivative) as a coefficient. On the contrary, in order to extract the 1st/2nd order partial derivatives from this potential by partial differential, it requires partial differentiation with these partial derivatives considered to be a constant. The reason that they can be realized is attributable to the zero result of the linear form which has as the coefficient a 3rd order partial derivative concerning the variable of integration in a primitive function. If this relation is used, the integral calculation and description may be simplified. An explanation was given with examples enumerated so that these conditions might be understood.

  10. Phonon Spectrum Engineering in Rolled-up Micro- and Nano-Architectures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vladimir M. Fomin

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available We report on a possibility of efficient engineering of the acoustic phonon energy spectrum in multishell tubular structures produced by a novel high-tech method of self-organization of micro- and nano-architectures. The strain-driven roll-up procedure paved the way for novel classes of metamaterials such as single semiconductor radial micro- and nano-crystals and multi-layer spiral micro- and nano-superlattices. The acoustic phonon dispersion is determined by solving the equations of elastodynamics for InAs and GaAs material systems. It is shown that the number of shells is an important control parameter of the phonon dispersion together with the structure dimensions and acoustic impedance mismatch between the superlattice layers. The obtained results suggest that rolled up nano-architectures are promising for thermoelectric applications owing to a possibility of significant reduction of the thermal conductivity without degradation of the electronic transport.

  11. Bulk forming of industrial micro components in conventional metals and bulk metallic glasses

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Arentoft, Mogens; Paldan, Nikolas Aulin; Eriksen, Rasmus Solmer

    2007-01-01

    For production of micro components in large numbers, forging is an interesting and challenging process. The conventional metals like silver, steel and aluminum often require multi-step processes, but high productivity and increased strength justify the investment. As an alternative, bulk metallic...

  12. Structure of catalase determined by MicroED

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nannenga, Brent L; Shi, Dan; Hattne, Johan; Reyes, Francis E; Gonen, Tamir

    2014-01-01

    MicroED is a recently developed method that uses electron diffraction for structure determination from very small three-dimensional crystals of biological material. Previously we used a series of still diffraction patterns to determine the structure of lysozyme at 2.9 Å resolution with MicroED (Shi et al., 2013). Here we present the structure of bovine liver catalase determined from a single crystal at 3.2 Å resolution by MicroED. The data were collected by continuous rotation of the sample under constant exposure and were processed and refined using standard programs for X-ray crystallography. The ability of MicroED to determine the structure of bovine liver catalase, a protein that has long resisted atomic analysis by traditional electron crystallography, demonstrates the potential of this method for structure determination. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.03600.001 PMID:25303172

  13. Isolation and Flow Cytometry Analysis of Innate Lymphoid Cells from the Intestinal Lamina Propria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gronke, Konrad; Kofoed-Nielsen, Michael; Diefenbach, Andreas

    2017-01-01

    The intestinal mucosa constitutes the biggest surface area of the body. It is constantly challenged by bacteria, commensal and pathogenic, protozoa, and food-derived irritants. In order to maintain homeostasis, a complex network of signaling circuits has evolved that includes contributions of immune cells. In recent years a subset of lymphocytes, which belong to the innate immune system, has caught particular attention. These so-called innate lymphoid cells (ILC) reside within the lamina propria of the small and large intestines and rapidly respond to environmental challenges. They provide immunity to various types of infections but may also contribute to organ homeostasis as they produce factors acting on epithelial cells thereby enhancing barrier integrity. Here, we describe how these cells can be isolated from their environment and provide an in-depth protocol how to visualize the various ILC subsets by flow cytometry.

  14. A micro-coupling for micro mechanical systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Wei; Zhou, Zhixiong; Zhang, Bi; Xiao, Yunya

    2016-05-01

    The error motions of micro mechanical systems, such as micro-spindles, increase with the increasing of the rotational speed, which not only decreases the rotational accuracy, but also promotes instability and limits the maximum operational speed. One effective way to deal with it is to use micro-flexible couplings between the drive and driven shafts so as to reduce error motions of the driven shaft. But the conventional couplings, such as diaphragm couplings, elastomeric couplings, bellows couplings, and grooved couplings, etc, cannot be directly used because of their large and complicated structures. This study presents a novel micro-coupling that consists of a flexible coupling and a shape memory alloy (SMA)-based clamp for micro mechanical systems. It is monolithic and can be directly machined from a shaft. The study performs design optimization and provides manufacturing considerations, including thermo-mechanical training of the SMA ring for the desired Two-Way-Shape-Memory effect (TWSMe). A prototype micro-coupling and a prototype micro-spindle using the proposed coupling are fabricated and tested. The testing results show that the prototype micro-coupling can bear a torque of above 5 N • mm and an axial force of 8.5 N and be fitted with an SMA ring for clamping action at room temperature (15 °C) and unclamping action below-5 °C. At the same time, the prototype micro-coupling can work at a rotational speed of above 200 kr/min with the application to a high-speed precision micro-spindle. Moreover, the radial runout error of the artifact, as a substitute for the micro-tool, is less than 3 μm while that of turbine shaft is above 7 μm. It can be concluded that the micro-coupling successfully accommodates misalignment errors of the prototype micro-spindle. This research proposes a micro-coupling which is featured with an SMA ring, and it is designed to clamp two shafts, and has smooth transmission, simple assembly, compact structure, zero-maintenance and

  15. Micro Engineering

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Alting, Leo; Kimura, F.; Hansen, Hans Nørgaard

    2003-01-01

    The paper addresses the questions of how micro products are designed and how they are manufactured. Definitions of micro products and micro engineering are discussed and the presentation is aimed at describing typical issues, possibilities and tools regarding design of micro products. The implica......The paper addresses the questions of how micro products are designed and how they are manufactured. Definitions of micro products and micro engineering are discussed and the presentation is aimed at describing typical issues, possibilities and tools regarding design of micro products...

  16. Comparison of 640-Slice Multidetector Computed Tomography Versus 32-Slice MDCT for Imaging of the Osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis Lamina.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norris, Joseph M; Kishikova, Lyudmila; Avadhanam, Venkata S; Koumellis, Panos; Francis, Ian S; Liu, Christopher S C

    2015-08-01

    To investigate the efficacy of 640-slice multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) for detecting osteo-odonto laminar resorption in the osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis (OOKP) compared with the current standard 32-slice MDCT. Explanted OOKP laminae and bone-dentine fragments were scanned using 640-slice MDCT (Aquilion ONE; Toshiba) and 32-slice MDCT (LightSpeed Pro32; GE Healthcare). Pertinent comparisons including image quality, radiation dose, and scanning parameters were made. Benefits of 640-slice MDCT over 32-slice MDCT were shown. Key comparisons of 640-slice MDCT versus 32-slice MDCT included the following: percentage difference and correlation coefficient between radiological and anatomical measurements, 1.35% versus 3.67% and 0.9961 versus 0.9882, respectively; dose-length product, 63.50 versus 70.26; rotation time, 0.175 seconds versus 1.000 seconds; and detector coverage width, 16 cm versus 2 cm. Resorption of the osteo-odonto lamina after OOKP surgery can result in potentially sight-threatening complications, hence it warrants regular monitoring and timely intervention. MDCT remains the gold standard for radiological assessment of laminar resorption, which facilitates detection of subtle laminar changes earlier than the onset of clinical signs, thus indicating when preemptive measures can be taken. The 640-slice MDCT exhibits several advantages over traditional 32-slice MDCT. However, such benefits may not offset cost implications, except in rare cases, such as in young patients who might undergo years of radiation exposure.

  17. Stromatolite laminae (Lagoa Vermelha, Brasil) as archives for reservoir age changes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruggmann, Sylvie; Vasconcelos, Crisogono; Hajdas, Irka

    2016-04-01

    As laminated biogenic or abiogenic sedimentary structures [1], stromatolites record environmental changes along growth profiles, revealing possible changes in reservoir ages due to input of older carbon. A modern stromatolite sample was collected in Lagoa Vermelha (100 km east of Rio de Janeiro, Brasil) an area known for upwelling of South Atlantic Central Water (SACW). 34 samples from a transect cutting the lamination were collected with a hand-driller for standard geochemistry and 14C AMS analyses. Shells collected in 2015 were analysed for estimation of the present-day reservoir age. 14C ages of laminae and the reservoir age were used to apply the age-depth model to the stromatolite transect with the OxCal depositional model (Marine13 calibration curve; [2]). Small-scale changes in the composition of laminae report environmental changes, e.g. upwelling. The well-laminated middle part (laminated boundstone; ca. 4cm) of the stromatolite transect was found to have grown in a short time period of less than 100 years (1163-1210 14C y BP), with four excursions towards older 14C ages (ca. 1200 14C y BP). To detect possible changes of marine 14C, calendar years assuming a stable modern reservoir age were used to simulate atmospheric 14C ages with the southern hemisphere IntCal13 atmospheric calibration curve [3]. The offset between the measured and simulated 14C ages indicates a variability of the reservoir age between -99 and 268 14C y with highest reservoir correction found for the layers with indication of environmental changes (e.g. upwelling). Thus, this simulation confirms the occurrence of older carbon and points out the sensitivity of stromatolites for changing reservoir ages. [1] M.A. Semikhatov, C.D. Gebelein, P. Cloud, S.M. Awramik, W.C. Benmore (1979). Stromatolite morphogenesis - progress and problems. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 19:992-1015. [2] P.J. Reimer, E. Bard, A. Bayliss, J. W. Beck, P. G. Blackwell, C. Bronk Ramsey, C. E. Buck, H. Cheng, R

  18. MicroCT parameters for multi material elements assessment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Araújo, Olga M.O. de; Machado, Alessandra S.; Santos, Thaís M.P. dos; Ferreira, Cintia G.; Lopes, Ricardo T., E-mail: olgaufrjlin@gmail.com [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Programa de Engenharia Nuclear; Bastos, Jaqueline Silva [Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP), São Paulo, SP (Brazil)

    2017-07-01

    Microtomography is a non-destructive testing technique for quantitative and qualitative analysis. The investigation of multi material elements with great difference of density can result in artifacts that degrade image quality depending on combination of additional filter. The aim of this study is the selection of parameters most appropriate for analysis of bone tissue with metallic implant. The results show the simulation with MCNPX code for the distribution of energy without additional filter, with use of aluminum, copper and brass filters and their respective reconstructed images showing the importance of the choice of these parameters in image acquisition process on computed microtomography. (author)

  19. Development of thermal actuators with multi-locking positions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, J. K.; Zhu, Y.; Fu, Y. Q.; Flewitt, A. J.; Spearing, S. M.; Miao, J. M.; Milne, W. I.

    2006-04-01

    To reduce power consumption and operation temperature for micro-thermal actuators, metal-based micro-mechanical locks with multi-locking positions were analyzed and fabricated. The micro-locks consist of two or three U-shaped thermal actuators. The devices were made by a single mask process using electroplated Ni as the active material. Tests showed that the metal based thermal actuators deliver a maximum displacement of ~20µm at a much lower temperature than that of Si-based actuators. However Ni-actuators showed a severe back bending, which increases with increasing applied power. The temperature to initiate the back bending is as low as ~240°C. Back bending increases the distance between the two actuators, and leads to locking function failure. For practical application, Ni-based thermal actuators must be operated below 200°C.

  20. Disruption of basal lamina components in neuromotor synapses of children with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karyn G Robinson

    Full Text Available Cerebral palsy (CP is a static encephalopathy occurring when a lesion to the developing brain results in disordered movement and posture. Patients present with sometimes overlapping spastic, athetoid/dyskinetic, and ataxic symptoms. Spastic CP, which is characterized by stiff muscles, weakness, and poor motor control, accounts for ∼80% of cases. The detailed mechanisms leading to disordered movement in spastic CP are not completely understood, but clinical experience and recent studies suggest involvement of peripheral motor synapses. For example, it is recognized that CP patients have altered sensitivities to drugs that target neuromuscular junctions (NMJs, and protein localization studies suggest that NMJ microanatomy is disrupted in CP. Since CP originates during maturation, we hypothesized that NMJ disruption in spastic CP is associated with retention of an immature neuromotor phenotype later in life. Scoliosis patients with spastic CP or idiopathic disease were enrolled in a prospective, partially-blinded study to evaluate NMJ organization and neuromotor maturation. The localization of synaptic acetylcholine esterase (AChE relative to postsynaptic acetylcholine receptor (AChR, synaptic laminin β2, and presynaptic vesicle protein 2 (SV2 appeared mismatched in the CP samples; whereas, no significant disruption was found between AChR and SV2. These data suggest that pre- and postsynaptic NMJ components in CP children were appropriately distributed even though AChE and laminin β2 within the synaptic basal lamina appeared disrupted. Follow up electron microscopy indicated that NMJs from CP patients appeared generally mature and similar to controls with some differences present, including deeper postsynaptic folds and reduced presynaptic mitochondria. Analysis of maturational markers, including myosin, syntrophin, myogenin, and AChR subunit expression, and telomere lengths, all indicated similar levels of motor maturation in the two groups

  1. Multi-cell disk-and-ring tapered structure for compact RF linacs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Smirnov, A.V.; Boucher, S.; Kutsaev, S. [RadiaBeam Systems LLC, 1713 Stewart Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404, US (United States); Hartzell, J. [RadiaBeam Technologies, LLC, 1717 Stewart Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404, US (United States); Savin, E. [RadiaBeam Technologies, LLC, 1717 Stewart Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404, US (United States); National Research Nuclear University “MEPhI”, Moscow 115409 (Russian Federation)

    2016-09-11

    A tubular disk-and-ring, tapered accelerating structure for small electron linacs and MicroLinacs is considered. It consists of metal and dielectric elements inserted into a metallic tube to eliminate multi-cell, multi-step brazing. The structure enables a wide range of phase velocities (including non-relativistic), a wide bandwidth allowing large number of cells (for standing wave mode) or short filling time (for traveling wave mode), combination of compensated and purely π-mode cells, alternative periodic focusing built-in to the RF structure (the disks), and combining of RF and vacuum windows. RF and accelerating performance of such a long structure having up to four dozens cells is analyzed. Some of beam dynamics, thermal, and vacuum aspects of the structure and MicroLinac performance are considered as well.

  2. Multi-cell disk-and-ring tapered structure for compact RF linacs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smirnov, A.V.; Boucher, S.; Kutsaev, S.; Hartzell, J.; Savin, E.

    2016-01-01

    A tubular disk-and-ring, tapered accelerating structure for small electron linacs and MicroLinacs is considered. It consists of metal and dielectric elements inserted into a metallic tube to eliminate multi-cell, multi-step brazing. The structure enables a wide range of phase velocities (including non-relativistic), a wide bandwidth allowing large number of cells (for standing wave mode) or short filling time (for traveling wave mode), combination of compensated and purely π-mode cells, alternative periodic focusing built-in to the RF structure (the disks), and combining of RF and vacuum windows. RF and accelerating performance of such a long structure having up to four dozens cells is analyzed. Some of beam dynamics, thermal, and vacuum aspects of the structure and MicroLinac performance are considered as well.

  3. Accuracy of transferring microparts in a multi stage former

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mahshid, Rasoul; Hansen, Hans Nørgaard; Arentoft, Mogens

    2013-01-01

    Many fasteners used in electromechanical systems are micro metal parts which should be manufactured with high accuracy and reliability and in large quantities. Micro forming is promising to fulfill these demands. This research focuses on investigating a gripping unit in a multi stage former......, as the positioning unit was discussed earlier. The parameters which play important roles in the gripping unit will be discussed and the precision and reproducibility evaluated to show the performance of the unit. This includes two different tests. The first test will show how accurately the unit can locate the parts...

  4. Micro-Solid Oxide Fuel Cell: A multi-fuel approach for portable applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Patil, Tarkeshwar C.; Duttagupta, Siddhartha P.

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • We report the oxygen ion transport properties at the electrode–electrolyte interface (EEI) of the SOFC for the first time. • This ion transport plays a key role in the overall performance of SOFCs with different fuels. • The GIIB mechanism is also studied for the first time. • GIIB is assumed to be the prime reason for low power density and ion conductivity at the EEI when using hydrocarbon fuels. • Due to its scalability, a fuel cell can serve as a power source for on-chip applications and all portable equipment. - Abstract: The impact of oxygen ion transport at the electrolyte–electrode interface of a micro-solid oxide fuel cell using different fuels is investigated. Model validation is performed to verify the results versus the reported values. Furthermore, as the hydrogen-to-carbon ratio decreases, the diffusivity of the oxygen ion increases. This increase in diffusivity is observed because the number of hydrogen atoms available as the reacting species increases in fuels with lower hydrogen-to-carbon ratios. The oxygen ion conductivity and output power density decrease as the hydrogen-to-carbon ratio of the fuels decreases. The reason behind this impact is the formation of a gas-induced ion barrier at the electrode–electrolyte interface by the CO_2 molecules formed during the reaction at the interface, thus blocking the flow of oxygen ions. As the oxygen ions become blocked, the output current contribution from the reaction also decreases and thereby affects the overall performance of the micro-solid oxide fuel cell. The experimental verification confirms this because of a significant decrease in the output power density. Furthermore, as per the application in portable devices, the appropriate choice of fuel can be chosen so that the micro-solid oxide fuel cell operates at the maximum power density.

  5. Optimized Energy Management of a Single-House Residential Micro-Grid With Automated Demand Response

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Anvari-Moghaddam, Amjad; Monsef, Hassan; Rahimi-Kian, Ashkan

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, an intelligent multi-objective energy management system (MOEMS) is proposed for applications in residential LVAC micro-grids where households are equipped with smart appliances, such as washing machine, dishwasher, tumble dryer and electric heating and they have the capability...

  6. Electronic transport at semiconductor surfaces - from point-contact transistor to micro-four-point probes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hasegawa, S.; Grey, Francois

    2002-01-01

    show that this type of conduction is measurable using new types of experimental probes, such as the multi-tip scanning tunnelling microscope and the micro-four-point probe. The resulting electronic transport properties are intriguing, and suggest that semiconductor surfaces should be considered...

  7. Systematic studies of micro-channel plate PMTs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lehmann, A.; Britting, A.; Cowie, E.; Dodokhof, V.Kh.; Dueren, M.; Dutta, D.; Eyrich, W.; Foehl, K.; Glazier, D.I.; Hayrapetyan, A.; Hoek, M.; Hohler, R.; Kaiser, R.; Keri, T.; Koch, P.; Kroeck, B.; Lehmann, D.; Marton, J.; Merle, O.; Montgomery, R.

    2011-01-01

    DIRC Cherenkov detectors will be the main devices for π/K separation at the PANDA experiment at FAIR. Due to their advantageous properties in terms of time resolution and especially inside magnetic fields micro-channel plate photo multipliers (MCP-PMTs) are very attractive sensor candidates. In this paper we present the investigation of several types of multi-anode MCP-PMTs. The darkcount rate, the behavior inside a magnetic field of up to 2 T, the time resolution, the gain homogeneity and crosstalk of multi-pixel MCP-PMTs were found to be well suitable for the PANDA requirements. Even the rate capability of the latest models from Burle-Photonis and Hamamatsu is satisfactory. Although a big step forward was accomplished with these recently available MCP-PMTs, the lifetime is still not sufficient for the photon densities expected for the PANDA DIRCs.

  8. Micro CT based truth estimation of nodule volume

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kinnard, L. M.; Gavrielides, M. A.; Myers, K. J.; Zeng, R.; Whiting, B.; Lin-Gibson, S.; Petrick, N.

    2010-03-01

    With the advent of high-resolution CT, three-dimensional (3D) methods for nodule volumetry have been introduced, with the hope that such methods will be more accurate and consistent than currently used planar measures of size. However, the error associated with volume estimation methods still needs to be quantified. Volume estimation error is multi-faceted in the sense that there is variability associated with the patient, the software tool and the CT system. A primary goal of our current research efforts is to quantify the various sources of measurement error and, when possible, minimize their effects. In order to assess the bias of an estimate, the actual value, or "truth," must be known. In this work we investigate the reliability of micro CT to determine the "true" volume of synthetic nodules. The advantage of micro CT over other truthing methods is that it can provide both absolute volume and shape information in a single measurement. In the current study we compare micro CT volume truth to weight-density truth for spherical, elliptical, spiculated and lobulated nodules with diameters from 5 to 40 mm, and densities of -630 and +100 HU. The percent differences between micro CT and weight-density volume for -630 HU nodules range from [-21.7%, -0.6%] (mean= -11.9%) and the differences for +100 HU nodules range from [-0.9%, 3.0%] (mean=1.7%).

  9. 3rd International Conference on Micro and Nano Flows (MNF2011)

    CERN Document Server

    Koenig, Carola; Micro and Nano Flow Systems for Bioanalysis

    2013-01-01

    Micro and Nano Flow Systems for Bioanalysis addresses the latest developments in biomedical engineering at very small scales. It shows how organic systems require multi-scale understanding in the broadest sense whether the approach  is experimental or mathematical, and whether the physiological state is healthy or diseased. Micro-and nano-fluidics represent  key areas of translational research in which state-of-the-art engineering processes and devices are applied to bedside monitoring and treatment. By applying conventional micro- and nano-engineering to complex organic solids, fluids, and their interactions, leading researchers from throughout the world describe methods and techniques with great potential for use in medicine and clinical practice. Coverage includes the seeming plethora of new, fine-scale optical methods for measuring blood flow as well as endothelial activation and interaction with tissue. Generic areas of modeling and bioelectronics are also considered. In keeping with the recurring them...

  10. Micro-channel convective boiling heat transfer with flow instabilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Consolini, L.; Thome, J.R.

    2009-01-01

    Flow boiling heat transfer in micro-channels has attracted much interest in the past decade, and is currently a strong candidate for high performance compact heat sinks, such as those required in electronics systems, automobile air conditioning units, micro-reactors, fuel cells, etc. Currently the literature presents numerous experimental studies on two-phase heat transfer in micro-channels, providing an extensive database that covers many different fluids and operating conditions. Among the noteworthy elements that have been reported in previous studies, is the sensitivity of micro-channel evaporators to oscillatory two-phase instabilities. These periodic fluctuations in flow and pressure drop either result from the presence of upstream compressibility, or are simply due to the interaction among parallel channels in multi-port systems. An oscillating flow presents singular characteristics that are expected to produce an effect on the local heat transfer mechanisms, and thus on the estimation of the two-phase heat transfer coefficients. The present investigation illustrates results for flow boiling of refrigerants R-134a, R-236fa, and R-245fa in a 510 μm circular micro-channel, exposed to various degrees of oscillatory compressible volume instabilities. The data describe the main features of the fluctuations in the temperatures of the heated wall and fluid, and draw attention to the differences in the measured unstable time-averaged heat transfer coefficients with respect to those for stable flow boiling. (author)

  11. Micro-channel convective boiling heat transfer with flow instabilities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Consolini, L.; Thome, J.R. [Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (Switzerland). Lab. de Transfert de Chaleur et de Masse], e-mail: lorenzo.consolini@epfl.ch, e-mail: john.thome@epfl.ch

    2009-07-01

    Flow boiling heat transfer in micro-channels has attracted much interest in the past decade, and is currently a strong candidate for high performance compact heat sinks, such as those required in electronics systems, automobile air conditioning units, micro-reactors, fuel cells, etc. Currently the literature presents numerous experimental studies on two-phase heat transfer in micro-channels, providing an extensive database that covers many different fluids and operating conditions. Among the noteworthy elements that have been reported in previous studies, is the sensitivity of micro-channel evaporators to oscillatory two-phase instabilities. These periodic fluctuations in flow and pressure drop either result from the presence of upstream compressibility, or are simply due to the interaction among parallel channels in multi-port systems. An oscillating flow presents singular characteristics that are expected to produce an effect on the local heat transfer mechanisms, and thus on the estimation of the two-phase heat transfer coefficients. The present investigation illustrates results for flow boiling of refrigerants R-134a, R-236fa, and R-245fa in a 510 {mu}m circular micro-channel, exposed to various degrees of oscillatory compressible volume instabilities. The data describe the main features of the fluctuations in the temperatures of the heated wall and fluid, and draw attention to the differences in the measured unstable time-averaged heat transfer coefficients with respect to those for stable flow boiling. (author)

  12. A novel deep reactive ion etched (DRIE) glass micro-model for two-phase flow experiments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karadimitriou, N K; Joekar-Niasar, V; Hassanizadeh, S M; Kleingeld, P J; Pyrak-Nolte, L J

    2012-09-21

    In the last few decades, micro-models have become popular experimental tools for two-phase flow studies. In this work, the design and fabrication of an innovative, elongated, glass-etched micro-model with dimensions of 5 × 35 mm(2) and constant depth of 43 microns is described. This is the first time that a micro-model with such depth and dimensions has been etched in glass by using a dry etching technique. The micro-model was visualized by a novel setup that allowed us to monitor and record the distribution of fluids throughout the length of the micro-model continuously. Quasi-static drainage experiments were conducted in order to obtain equilibrium data points that relate capillary pressure to phase saturation. By measuring the flow rate of water through the flow network for known pressure gradients, the intrinsic permeability of the micro-model's flow network was also calculated. The experimental results were used to calibrate a pore-network model and test its validity. Finally, we show that glass-etched micro-models can be valuable tools in single and/or multi-phase flow studies and their applications.

  13. High Throughput Integrated Technologies for Multimaterial Functional Micro Components (EU FP7 HINMICO 2013-2016)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Azcarate, Sabino; Esmoris, Joseba; Dimov, Stefan

    2016-01-01

    The objective of the HINMICO project is the development and optimization of manufacturing processes for the production of high-added value high quality multi-material micro-components, with the possibility of additional, functionalities, through more integrated, efficient and cost-effective proce...

  14. X-ray radiation channeling in micro-channel plates: Spectroscopy with a synchrotron radiation beam

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mazuritskiy, M.I.; Dabagov, S.B.; Marcelli, A.; Dziedzic-Kocurek, K.; Lerer, A.M.

    2015-01-01

    We present here the angular distribution of the radiation propagated inside MultiChannel Plates with micro-channels of ∼3 μm diameter. The spectra collected at the exit of the channels present a complex distribution with contributions that can be assigned to the fluorescence radiation, originated from the excitation of the micro-channel walls. For radiation above the absorption edge, when the monochromatic energy in the region of the Si L-edge hits the micro-channel walls with a grazing angle θ ⩾ 5°, or at the O K-edge when θ ⩾ 2° a fluorescence radiation is detected. Additional information associated to the fine structures of the XANES spectra detected at the exit of MCPs are also presented and discussed

  15. High-precision micro/nano-scale machining system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kapoor, Shiv G.; Bourne, Keith Allen; DeVor, Richard E.

    2014-08-19

    A high precision micro/nanoscale machining system. A multi-axis movement machine provides relative movement along multiple axes between a workpiece and a tool holder. A cutting tool is disposed on a flexible cantilever held by the tool holder, the tool holder being movable to provide at least two of the axes to set the angle and distance of the cutting tool relative to the workpiece. A feedback control system uses measurement of deflection of the cantilever during cutting to maintain a desired cantilever deflection and hence a desired load on the cutting tool.

  16. SU-E-I-83: Error Analysis of Multi-Modality Image-Based Volumes of Rodent Solid Tumors Using a Preclinical Multi-Modality QA Phantom

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Y [University of Kansas Hospital, Kansas City, KS (United States); Fullerton, G; Goins, B [University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX (United States)

    2015-06-15

    Purpose: In our previous study a preclinical multi-modality quality assurance (QA) phantom that contains five tumor-simulating test objects with 2, 4, 7, 10 and 14 mm diameters was developed for accurate tumor size measurement by researchers during cancer drug development and testing. This study analyzed the errors during tumor volume measurement from preclinical magnetic resonance (MR), micro-computed tomography (micro- CT) and ultrasound (US) images acquired in a rodent tumor model using the preclinical multi-modality QA phantom. Methods: Using preclinical 7-Tesla MR, US and micro-CT scanners, images were acquired of subcutaneous SCC4 tumor xenografts in nude rats (3–4 rats per group; 5 groups) along with the QA phantom using the same imaging protocols. After tumors were excised, in-air micro-CT imaging was performed to determine reference tumor volume. Volumes measured for the rat tumors and phantom test objects were calculated using formula V = (π/6)*a*b*c where a, b and c are the maximum diameters in three perpendicular dimensions determined by the three imaging modalities. Then linear regression analysis was performed to compare image-based tumor volumes with the reference tumor volume and known test object volume for the rats and the phantom respectively. Results: The slopes of regression lines for in-vivo tumor volumes measured by three imaging modalities were 1.021, 1.101 and 0.862 for MRI, micro-CT and US respectively. For phantom, the slopes were 0.9485, 0.9971 and 0.9734 for MRI, micro-CT and US respectively. Conclusion: For both animal and phantom studies, random and systematic errors were observed. Random errors were observer-dependent and systematic errors were mainly due to selected imaging protocols and/or measurement method. In the animal study, there were additional systematic errors attributed to ellipsoidal assumption for tumor shape. The systematic errors measured using the QA phantom need to be taken into account to reduce measurement

  17. Multileaf collimator intercomparison for intensity modulated radiation therapy implementation; Intercomparacao de colimadores de multiplas laminas para implementacao de terapia de feixes de intensidade modulada

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Viteri, Juan Fernando Delgado

    2006-07-01

    In this work a dosimetric comparison between three multileaf collimator systems is presented: a Varian Millennium with 120 leaves, Brainlab mMLC m3 and Varian Mark II both with 52 leaves. The width projection at isocenter level in field's central region are: 0,5 cm; 0,35 cm and 1,0 cm respectively. Common dosimetric characteristics for the three systems in static mode and dynamic capabilities for the two first were compared. In dynamic mode, tests validating proper MLC function through film irradiation were done, such MLC stability, MU linearity, treatment interruptions sensitivity, stability of MLC in dynamic mode, leaf speed stability, were found within {+-}3% deviation in all cases. Dose rate linearity showed differences when this parameter decreases in dynamic mode. Average dose errors for fixed width gaps moving at constant speed were found to be proportional to gap errors and inversely proportional to the gap width. Output factors differences delivered through a sweeping gap were found less than {+-}1% when the gantry was in a lateral position. For the three MLC systems, when comparing beam profiles for the same field was observed that for mMLC presents the sharpest dose gradient region. In the output factors small differences where observed in every MLC system. Dosimetric leaf gap was determined for MLC 120, mMLC and MLC 52, obtained values for a 6 MV beam are: (0,202 {+-} 0,054) cm; (0,157 {+-} 0,070) cm and (0,189 {+-} 0,081) cm respectively. The transmission showed an increase with depth and field width for 6 MV in all the three systems. Average values obtained with ionization chamber for this energy were: (1,630 {+-} 0,018)% for MLC 120; (1,291 {+-} 0,029)% for mMLC and (1,638 {+-} 0,010)% for MLC 52. When obtained through film irradiation, inter and intra leaf transmission showed an off axis dependent behavior for MLC 120 and mMLC. Scatter produced by MLC as a 6 MV open reference field ratio was: (0,297 {+-} 0,024)% for MLC 120; (0,239 {+-} 0,052)% for mMLC and (0,202 {+-} 0,028)% for MLC 52. It was verified that penumbra width (80-20%) as a function of off axis leaf position do not showed significant differences in all systems. As a function of field width defined by MLC leaves, penumbra width presented an increasing behavior. When tests as a depth function in a 6 MV field, penumbra showed the smallest value for the mMLC at d{sub max}: 2,59 mm and the biggest was 6,74 mm for the MLC Mark II AT 10 cm depth. Penumbra dependence with leaf movement axis showed that for 10 deg, the mMLC presented a 3,74 mm value, for larger angles, the higher values were obtained for MLC Mark 11. Described series of tests described in the present investigation allows to establish a commissioning routine for MLC systems, that could be applied in a Radiotherapy Department that will commission those systems for dynamic IMRT. Obtained results allow to characterize every MLC studied system. It is not possible to establish which system is better, but when one is chosen it is feasible to identify vantages and disadvantages that everyone will present. (author)

  18. Multileaf collimator intercomparison for intensity modulated radiation therapy implementation; Intercomparacao de colimadores de multiplas laminas para implementacao de terapia de feixes de intensidade modulada

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Viteri, Juan Fernando Delgado

    2006-07-01

    In this work a dosimetric comparison between three multileaf collimator systems is presented: a Varian Millennium with 120 leaves, Brainlab mMLC m3 and Varian Mark II both with 52 leaves. The width projection at isocenter level in field's central region are: 0,5 cm; 0,35 cm and 1,0 cm respectively. Common dosimetric characteristics for the three systems in static mode and dynamic capabilities for the two first were compared. In dynamic mode, tests validating proper MLC function through film irradiation were done, such MLC stability, MU linearity, treatment interruptions sensitivity, stability of MLC in dynamic mode, leaf speed stability, were found within {+-}3% deviation in all cases. Dose rate linearity showed differences when this parameter decreases in dynamic mode. Average dose errors for fixed width gaps moving at constant speed were found to be proportional to gap errors and inversely proportional to the gap width. Output factors differences delivered through a sweeping gap were found less than {+-}1% when the gantry was in a lateral position. For the three MLC systems, when comparing beam profiles for the same field was observed that for mMLC presents the sharpest dose gradient region. In the output factors small differences where observed in every MLC system. Dosimetric leaf gap was determined for MLC 120, mMLC and MLC 52, obtained values for a 6 MV beam are: (0,202 {+-} 0,054) cm; (0,157 {+-} 0,070) cm and (0,189 {+-} 0,081) cm respectively. The transmission showed an increase with depth and field width for 6 MV in all the three systems. Average values obtained with ionization chamber for this energy were: (1,630 {+-} 0,018)% for MLC 120; (1,291 {+-} 0,029)% for mMLC and (1,638 {+-} 0,010)% for MLC 52. When obtained through film irradiation, inter and intra leaf transmission showed an off axis dependent behavior for MLC 120 and mMLC. Scatter produced by MLC as a 6 MV open reference field ratio was: (0,297 {+-} 0,024)% for MLC 120; (0,239 {+-} 0,052)% for mMLC and (0,202 {+-} 0,028)% for MLC 52. It was verified that penumbra width (80-20%) as a function of off axis leaf position do not showed significant differences in all systems. As a function of field width defined by MLC leaves, penumbra width presented an increasing behavior. When tests as a depth function in a 6 MV field, penumbra showed the smallest value for the mMLC at d{sub max}: 2,59 mm and the biggest was 6,74 mm for the MLC Mark II AT 10 cm depth. Penumbra dependence with leaf movement axis showed that for 10 deg, the mMLC presented a 3,74 mm value, for larger angles, the higher values were obtained for MLC Mark 11. Described series of tests described in the present investigation allows to establish a commissioning routine for MLC systems, that could be applied in a Radiotherapy Department that will commission those systems for dynamic IMRT. Obtained results allow to characterize every MLC studied system. It is not possible to establish which system is better, but when one is chosen it is feasible to identify vantages and disadvantages that everyone will present. (author)

  19. Study on tribological properties of multi-layer surface texture on Babbitt alloys surface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Dongya; Zhao, Feifei; Li, Yan; Li, Pengyang; Zeng, Qunfeng; Dong, Guangneng

    2016-12-01

    To improve tribological properties of Babbitt alloys, multi-layer surface texture consisted of the main grooves and secondary micro-dimples are fabricated on the Babbitt substrate through laser pulse ablation. The tribological behaviors of multi-layer surface texture are investigated using a rotating type pin-on-disc tribo-meter under variation sliding speeds, and the film pressure distributions on the textured surfaces are simulated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method for elucidating the possible mechanisms. The results suggest that: (i) the multi-layer surface texture can reduce friction coefficient of Babbitt alloy, which has lowest friction coefficient of 0.03, in case of the groove parameter of 300 μm width and 15% of area density; (ii) the improvement effect may be more sensitive to the groove area density and the siding speed, and the textured surface with lower area density has lower friction coefficient under high sliding speed. Based on the reasons of (i) the secondary micro-dimples on Babbitt alloy possesses a hydrophobicity surface and (ii) the CFD analysis indicates that main grooves enhancing hydrodynamic effect, thus the multi-layer surface texture is regarded as dramatically improve the lubricating properties of the Babbitt alloy.

  20. The bit slice micro-processor 'GESPRO' as a project in the UA2 experiment

    CERN Document Server

    Becam, C; Delanghe, J; Fest, H M; Lecoq, J; Martin, H; Mencik, M; MerkeI, B; Meyer, J M; Perrin, M; Plothow, H; Rampazzo, J P; Schittly, A

    1981-01-01

    The bit slice micro-processor GESPRO is a CAMAC module plugged into a standard Elliot system crate via which it communicates as a slave with its host computer. It has full control of CAMAC as a master unit. GESPRO is a 24 bit machine with multi-mode memory addressing capacity of 64K words. The micro-processor structure uses 5 buses including pipe-line registers to mask access time and 16 interrupt levels. The micro-program memory capacity is 2K (RAM) words of 48 bits each. A special hardwired module allows floating point, as well as integer, multiplication of 24*24 bits, result in 48 bits, in about 200 ns. This micro-processor could be used in the UA2 data acquisition chain and trigger system for the following tasks: (a) online data reduction, i.e. to read DURANDAL, process the information resulting in accepting or rejecting the event; (b) readout and analysis of the accepted data; (c) preprocess the data. The UA2 version of GESPRO is under construction, programs and micro-programs are under development. Hard...

  1. Micro-turbines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tashevski, Done

    2003-01-01

    In this paper a principle of micro-turbines operation, type of micro-turbines and their characteristics is presented. It is shown their usage in cogeneration and three generation application with the characteristics, the influence of more factors on micro-turbines operation as well as the possibility for application in Macedonia. The paper is result of the author's participation in the training program 'Micro-turbine technology' in Florida, USA. The characteristics of different types micro-turbines by several world producers are shown, with accent on US micro-turbines producers (Capstone, Elliott). By using the gathered Author's knowledge, contacts and the previous knowledge, conclusions and recommendations for implementation of micro-turbines in Macedonia are given. (Author)

  2. The Pandora multi-algorithm approach to automated pattern recognition of cosmic-ray muon and neutrino events in the MicroBooNE detector

    CERN Document Server

    Acciarri, R.; An, R.; Anthony, J.; Asaadi, J.; Auger, M.; Bagby, L.; Balasubramanian, S.; Baller, B.; Barnes, C.; Barr, G.; Bass, M.; Bay, F.; Bishai, M.; Blake, A.; Bolton, T.; Camilleri, L.; Caratelli, D.; Carls, B.; Castillo Fernandez, R.; Cavanna, F.; Chen, H.; Church, E.; Cianci, D.; Cohen, E.; Collin, G. H.; Conrad, J. M.; Convery, M.; Crespo-Anadón, J. I.; Del Tutto, M.; Devitt, D.; Dytman, S.; Eberly, B.; Ereditato, A.; Escudero Sanchez, L.; Esquivel, J.; Fadeeva, A. A.; Fleming, B. T.; Foreman, W.; Furmanski, A. P.; Garcia-Gamez, D.; Garvey, G. T.; Genty, V.; Goeldi, D.; Gollapinni, S.; Graf, N.; Gramellini, E.; Greenlee, H.; Grosso, R.; Guenette, R.; Hackenburg, A.; Hamilton, P.; Hen, O.; Hewes, J.; Hill, C.; Ho, J.; Horton-Smith, G.; Hourlier, A.; Huang, E.-C.; James, C.; Jan de Vries, J.; Jen, C.-M.; Jiang, L.; Johnson, R. A.; Joshi, J.; Jostlein, H.; Kaleko, D.; Karagiorgi, G.; Ketchum, W.; Kirby, B.; Kirby, M.; Kobilarcik, T.; Kreslo, I.; Laube, A.; Li, Y.; Lister, A.; Littlejohn, B. R.; Lockwitz, S.; Lorca, D.; Louis, W. C.; Luethi, M.; Lundberg, B.; Luo, X.; Marchionni, A.; Mariani, C.; Marshall, J.; Martinez Caicedo, D. A.; Meddage, V.; Miceli, T.; Mills, G. B.; Moon, J.; Mooney, M.; Moore, C. D.; Mousseau, J.; Murrells, R.; Naples, D.; Nienaber, P.; Nowak, J.; Palamara, O.; Paolone, V.; Papavassiliou, V.; Pate, S. F.; Pavlovic, Z.; Piasetzky, E.; Porzio, D.; Pulliam, G.; Qian, X.; Raaf, J. L.; Rafique, A.; Rochester, L.; Rudolf von Rohr, C.; Russell, B.; Schmitz, D. W.; Schukraft, A.; Seligman, W.; Shaevitz, M. H.; Sinclair, J.; Smith, A.; Snider, E. L.; Soderberg, M.; Söldner-Rembold, S.; Soleti, S. R.; Spentzouris, P.; Spitz, J.; St. John, J.; Strauss, T.; Szelc, A. M.; Tagg, N.; Terao, K.; Thomson, M.; Toups, M.; Tsai, Y.-T.; Tufanli, S.; Usher, T.; Van De Pontseele, W.; Van de Water, R. G.; Viren, B.; Weber, M.; Wickremasinghe, D. A.; Wolbers, S.; Wongjirad, T.; Woodruff, K.; Yang, T.; Yates, L.; Zeller, G. P.; Zennamo, J.; Zhang, C.

    2017-01-01

    The development and operation of Liquid-Argon Time-Projection Chambers for neutrino physics has created a need for new approaches to pattern recognition in order to fully exploit the imaging capabilities offered by this technology. Whereas the human brain can excel at identifying features in the recorded events, it is a significant challenge to develop an automated, algorithmic solution. The Pandora Software Development Kit provides functionality to aid the design and implementation of pattern-recognition algorithms. It promotes the use of a multi-algorithm approach to pattern recognition, in which individual algorithms each address a specific task in a particular topology. Many tens of algorithms then carefully build up a picture of the event and, together, provide a robust automated pattern-recognition solution. This paper describes details of the chain of over one hundred Pandora algorithms and tools used to reconstruct cosmic-ray muon and neutrino events in the MicroBooNE detector. Metrics that assess the...

  3. Photon-trapping micro/nanostructures for high linearity in ultra-fast photodiodes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cansizoglu, Hilal; Gao, Yang; Perez, Cesar Bartolo; Ghandiparsi, Soroush; Ponizovskaya Devine, Ekaterina; Cansizoglu, Mehmet F.; Yamada, Toshishige; Elrefaie, Aly F.; Wang, Shih-Yuan; Islam, M. Saif

    2017-08-01

    Photodetectors (PDs) in datacom and computer networks where the link length is up to 300 m, need to handle higher than typical input power used in other communication links. Also, to reduce power consumption due to equalization at high speed (>25Gb/s), the datacom links will use PAM-4 signaling instead of NRZ with stringent receiver linearity requirements. Si PDs with photon-trapping micro/nanostructures are shown to have high linearity in output current verses input optical power. Though there is less silicon material due to the holes, the micro-/nanostructured holes collectively reradiate the light to an in-plane direction of the PD surface and can avoid current crowding in the PD. Consequently, the photocurrent per unit volume remains at a low level contributing to high linearity in the photocurrent. We present the effect of design and lattice patterns of micro/nanostructures on the linearity of ultra-fast silicon PDs designed for high speed multi gigabit data networks.

  4. Micro rapid prototyping system for micro components

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Xiaochun; Choi Hongseok; Yang Yong

    2002-01-01

    Similarities between silicon-based micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and Shape Deposition Manufacturing (SDM) processes are obvious: both integrate additive and subtractive processes and use part and sacrificial materials to obtain functional structures. These MEMS techniques are two-dimensional (2-D) processes for a limited number of materials while SDM enables the building of parts that have traditionally been impossible to fabricate because of their complex shapes or of their variety in materials. This work presents initial results on the development of a micro rapid prototyping system that adapts SDM methodology to micro-fabrication. This system is designed to incorporate microdeposition and laser micromachining. In the hope of obtaining a precise microdeposition, an ultrasonic-based micro powder-feeding mechanism was developed in order to form thin patterns of dry powders that can be cladded or sintered onto a substrate by a micro-sized laser beam. Furthermore, experimental results on laser micromachining using a laser beam with a wavelength of 355 nm are also presented. After further improvement, the developed micro manufacturing system could take computer-aided design (CAD) output to reproduce 3-D heterogeneous micro-components from a wide selection of materials

  5. Model based design of biochemical micro-reactors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tobias eElbinger

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Mathematical modelling of biochemical pathways is an important resource in Synthetic Biology, as the predictive power of simulating synthetic pathways represents an important step in the design of synthetic metabolons. In this paper, we are concerned with the mathematical modeling, simulation and optimization of metabolic processes in biochemical micro-reactors able to carry out enzymatic reactions and to exchange metabolites with their surrounding medium. The results of the reported modeling approach are incorporated in the design of the first micro-reactor prototypes that are under construction. These microreactors consist of compartments separated by membranes carrying specific transporters for the input of substrates and export of products. Inside the compartments multi-enzyme complexes assembled on nano-beads by peptide adapters are used to carry out metabolic reactions.The spatially resolved mathematical model describing the ongoing processes consists of a system of diffusion equations together with boundary and initial conditions. The boundary conditions model the exchange of metabolites with the neighboring compartments and the reactions at the surface of the nano-beads carrying the multi-enzyme complexes. Efficient and accurate approaches for numerical simulation of the mathematical model and for optimal design of the micro-reactor are developed. As a proof-of-concept scenario, a synthetic pathway for the conversion of sucrose to glucose-6-phosphate (G6P was chosen. In this context, the mathematical model is employed to compute the spatio-temporal distributions of the metabolite concentrations, as well as application relevant quantities like the outflow rate of G6P. These computations are performed for different scenarios, where the number of beads as well as their loading capacity are varied. The computed metabolite distributions show spatial patterns which differ for different experimental arrangements. Furthermore, the total output

  6. Laser beam micro-milling of micro-channels in aerospace alloys

    CERN Document Server

    Ahmed, Naveed; Al-Ahmari, Abdulrahman

    2017-01-01

    This volume is greatly helpful to micro-machining and laser engineers as it offers obliging guidelines about the micro-channel fabrications through Nd:YAG laser beam micro-milling. The book also demonstrates how the laser beam micro-milling behaves when operating under wet conditions (under water), and explores what are the pros and cons of this hybrid technique. From the predictive mathematical models, the readers can easily estimate the resulting micro-channel size against the desired laser parametric combinations. The book considers micro-channels in three highly important research materials commonly used in aerospace industry: titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V, nickel alloy Inconel 718 and aluminum alloy AA 2024. Therefore, the book is highly practicable in the fields of micro-channel heat exchangers, micro-channel aerospace turbine blades, micro-channel heat pipes, micro-coolers and micro-channel pulsating heat plates. These are frequently used in various industries such as aerospace, automotive, biomedical and m...

  7. 3D printing of nano- and micro-structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramasamy, Mouli; Varadan, Vijay K.

    2016-04-01

    Additive manufacturing or 3D printing techniques are being vigorously investigated as a replacement to the traditional and conventional methods in fabrication to bring forth cost and time effective approaches. Introduction of 3D printing has led to printing micro and nanoscale structures including tissues and organelles, bioelectric sensors and devices, artificial bones and transplants, microfluidic devices, batteries and various other biomaterials. Various microfabrication processes have been developed to fabricate micro components and assemblies at lab scale. 3D Fabrication processes that can accommodate the functional and geometrical requirements to realize complicated structures are becoming feasible through advances in additive manufacturing. This advancement could lead to simpler development mechanisms of novel components and devices exhibiting complex features. For instance, development of microstructure electrodes that can penetrate the epidermis of the skin to collect the bio potential signal may prove very effective than the electrodes that measure signal from the skin's surface. The micro and nanostructures will have to possess extraordinary material and mechanical properties for its dexterity in the applications. A substantial amount of research being pursued on stretchable and flexible devices based on PDMA, textiles, and organic electronics. Despite the numerous advantages these substrates and techniques could solely offer, 3D printing enables a multi-dimensional approach towards finer and complex applications. This review emphasizes the use of 3D printing to fabricate micro and nanostructures for that can be applied for human healthcare.

  8. A thermally self-sustained micro-power plant with integrated micro-solid oxide fuel cells, micro-reformer and functional micro-fluidic carrier

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scherrer, Barbara; Evans, Anna; Santis-Alvarez, Alejandro J.; Jiang, Bo; Martynczuk, Julia; Galinski, Henning; Nabavi, Majid; Prestat, Michel; Tölke, René; Bieberle-Hütter, Anja; Poulikakos, Dimos; Muralt, Paul; Niedermann, Philippe; Dommann, Alex; Maeder, Thomas; Heeb, Peter; Straessle, Valentin; Muller, Claude; Gauckler, Ludwig J.

    2014-07-01

    Low temperature micro-solid oxide fuel cell (micro-SOFC) systems are an attractive alternative power source for small-size portable electronic devices due to their high energy efficiency and density. Here, we report on a thermally self-sustainable reformer-micro-SOFC assembly. The device consists of a micro-reformer bonded to a silicon chip containing 30 micro-SOFC membranes and a functional glass carrier with gas channels and screen-printed heaters for start-up. Thermal independence of the device from the externally powered heater is achieved by exothermic reforming reactions above 470 °C. The reforming reaction and the fuel gas flow rate of the n-butane/air gas mixture controls the operation temperature and gas composition on the micro-SOFC membrane. In the temperature range between 505 °C and 570 °C, the gas composition after the micro-reformer consists of 12 vol.% to 28 vol.% H2. An open-circuit voltage of 1.0 V and maximum power density of 47 mW cm-2 at 565 °C is achieved with the on-chip produced hydrogen at the micro-SOFC membranes.

  9. Large-Area, Multi-Junction, Epitaxial Lift-Off Solar Cells with Backside Contacts, Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — In this Phase II program we propose to develop a manufacturable production process to introduce backside contacts to MicroLink Devices? large-area, multi-junction...

  10. Large-Area, Multi-Junction, Epitaxial Lift-Off Solar Cells with Backside Contacts, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — In this Phase I program we propose to develop an innovative fabrication process to introduce backside contacts to MicroLink Devices' large-area, multi-junction...

  11. Modelization of three-dimensional bone micro-architecture using Markov random fields with a multi-level clique system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lamotte, T.; Dinten, J.M.; Peyrin, F.

    2004-01-01

    Imaging trabecular bone micro-architecture in vivo non-invasively is still a challenging issue due to the complexity and small size of the structure. Thus, having a realistic 3D model of bone micro-architecture could be useful in image segmentation or image reconstruction. The goal of this work was to develop a 3D model of trabecular bone micro-architecture which can be seen as a problem of texture synthesis. We investigated a statistical model based on 3D Markov Random Fields (MRF's). Due to the Hammersley-Clifford theorem MRF's may equivalently be defined by an energy function on some set of cliques. In order to model 3D binary bone texture images (bone / background), we first used a particular well-known subclass of MRFs: the Ising model. The local energy function at some voxel depends on the closest neighbors of the voxels and on some parameters which control the shape and the proportion of bone. However, simulations yielded textures organized as connected clusters which even when varying the parameters did not approach the complexity of bone micro-architecture. Then, we introduced a second level of cliques taking into account neighbors located at some distance d from the site s and a new set of cliques allowing to control the plate thickness and spacing. The 3D bone texture images generated using the proposed model were analyzed using the usual bone-architecture quantification tools in order to relate the parameters of the MRF model to the characteristic parameters of bone micro-architecture (trabecular spacing, trabecular thickness, number of trabeculae...). (authors)

  12. In vitro evaluation of a basic fibroblast growth factor-containing hydrogel toward vocal fold lamina propria scar treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erndt-Marino, Josh D; Jimenez-Vergara, Andrea C; Diaz-Rodriguez, Patricia; Kulwatno, Jonathan; Diaz-Quiroz, Juan Felipe; Thibeault, Susan; Hahn, Mariah S

    2018-04-01

    Scarring of the vocal fold lamina propria can lead to debilitating voice disorders that can significantly impair quality of life. The reduced pliability of the scar tissue-which diminishes proper vocal fold vibratory efficiency-results in part from abnormal extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition by vocal fold fibroblasts (VFF) that have taken on a fibrotic phenotype. To address this issue, bioactive materials containing cytokines and/or growth factors may provide a platform to transition fibrotic VFF within the scarred tissue toward an anti-fibrotic phenotype, thereby improving the quality of ECM within the scar tissue. However, for such an approach to be most effective, the acute host response resulting from biomaterial insertion/injection likely also needs to be considered. The goal of the present work was to evaluate the anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory capacity of an injectable hydrogel containing tethered basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in the dual context of scar and biomaterial-induced acute inflammation. An in vitro co-culture system was utilized containing both activated, fibrotic VFF and activated, pro-inflammatory macrophages (MΦ) within a 3D poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel containing tethered bFGF. Following 72 h of culture, alterations in VFF and macrophage phenotype were evaluated relative to mono-culture and co-culture controls. In our co-culture system, bFGF reduced the production of fibrotic markers collagen type I, α smooth muscle actin, and biglycan by activated VFF and promoted wound-healing/anti-inflammatory marker expression in activated MΦ. Cumulatively, these data indicate that bFGF-containing hydrogels warrant further investigation for the treatment of vocal fold lamina propria scar. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 1258-1267, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. An IFNG SNP with an estrogen-like response element selectively enhances promoter expression in peripheral but not lamina propria T cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonsky, R; Deem, R L; Bream, J H; Young, H A; Targan, S R

    2006-07-01

    This study examines mucosa-specific regulatory pathways involved in modulation of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in lamina propria T cells. Previous studies identified mucosa-specific CD2 cis-elements within the -204 to -108 bp IFNG promoter. Within this region, a single-site nucleotide polymorphism, -179G/T, imparts tumor necrosis factor-alpha stimulation of IFNG in peripheral blood lymphocytes, and is linked with accelerated AIDS progression. We discovered a putative estrogen response element (ERE) introduced by the -179T, which displays selective activation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) vs lamina propria mononuclear cells (LPMC). Transfection of PBMC with constructs containing the -179G or -179T site revealed CD2-mediated enhancement of the -179T compared to -179G allele, although, in LPMC, a similar level of expression was detected. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) analysis demonstrated CD2-mediated nucleoprotein binding to the -179T but not the -179G in PBMC. In LPMC, binding is constitutive to both -179G and -179T regions. Sequence and EMSA analysis suggests that the -179T allele creates an ERE-like binding site capable of binding recombinant estrogen receptor. Estrogen response element transactivation is enhanced by CD2 signaling, but inhibited by estrogen in PBMC but not in LPMC, although expression of estrogen receptor was similar. This is the first report to describe a potential molecular mechanism responsible for selectively controlling IFN-gamma production in LPMC.

  14. Multi-Scale Modelling of Fatigue of Wind Turbine Rotor Blade Composites

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Qian, C.

    2013-01-01

    In this research, extensive fatigue tests were performed on single glass fibres and composite coupons. Comparison of the test results shows that there is a significant difference between the fibre and composite fatigue behaviour. In order to clarify this difference, a multi-scale micro-mechanical

  15. A Quasi-Feed-In-Tariff policy formulation in micro-grids: A bi-level multi-period approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taha, Ahmad F.; Hachem, Nadim A.; Panchal, Jitesh H.

    2014-01-01

    A Quasi-Feed-In-Tariff (QFIT) policy formulation is presented for micro-grids that integrates renewable energy generation considering Policy Makers' and Generation Companies' (GENCOs) objectives assuming a bi-level multi-period formulation that integrates physical characteristics of the power-grid. The upper-level problem corresponds to the PM, whereas the lower-level decisions are made by GENCOs. We consider that some GENCOs are green energy producers, while others are black energy producers. Policy makers incentivize green energy producers to generate energy through the payment of optimal time-varying subsidy price. The policy maker's main objective is to maximize an overall social welfare that includes factors such as demand surplus, energy cost, renewable energy subsidy price, and environmental standards. The lower-level problem corresponding to the GENCOs is based on maximizing the players' profits. The proposed QFIT policy differs from the FIT policy in the sense that the subsidy price-based contracts offered to green energy producers dynamically change over time, depending on the physical properties of the grid, demand, and energy price fluctuations. The integrated problem solves for time-varying subsidy price and equilibrium energy quantities that optimize the system welfare under different grid and system conditions. - Highlights: • We present a bi-level optimization problem formulation for Quasi-Feed-In-Tariff (QFIT) policy. • QFIT dictates that subsidy prices dynamically vary over time depending on conditions. • Power grid's physical characteristics affect optimal subsidy prices and energy generation. • To maximize welfare, policy makers ought to increase subsidy prices during the peak-load

  16. Thermal performance of a micro-combustor for micro-gas turbine system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cao, H.L.; Xu, J.L.

    2007-01-01

    Premixed combustion of hydrogen gas and air was performed in a stainless steel based micro-annular combustor for a micro-gas turbine system. Micro-scale combustion has proved to be stable in the micro-combustor with a gap of 2 mm. The operating range of the micro-combustor was measured, and the maximum excess air ratio is up to 4.5. The distribution of the outer wall temperature and the temperature of exhaust gas of the micro-combustor with excess air ratio were obtained, and the wall temperature of the micro-combustor reaches its maximum value at the excess air ratio of 0.9 instead of 1 (stoichiometric ratio). The heat loss of the micro-combustor to the environment was calculated and even exceeds 70% of the total thermal power computed from the consumed hydrogen mass flow rate. Moreover, radiant heat transfer covers a large fraction of the total heat loss. Measures used to reduce the heat loss were proposed to improve the thermal performance of the micro-combustor. The optimal operating status of the micro-combustor and micro-gas turbine is analyzed and proposed by analyzing the relationship of the temperature of the exhaust gas of the micro-combustor with thermal power and excess air ratio. The investigation of the thermal performance of the micro-combustor is helpful to design an improved micro-combustor

  17. Isolation of microRNA targets using biotinylated synthetic microRNAs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ørom, Ulf Andersson; Lund, Anders H

    2007-01-01

    MicroRNAs are small regulatory RNAs found in multicellular organisms where they post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. In animals, microRNAs bind mRNAs via incomplete base pairings making the identification of microRNA targets inherently difficult. Here, we present a detailed method...... for experimental identification of microRNA targets based on affinity purification of tagged microRNAs associated with their targets. Udgivelsesdato: 2007-Oct...

  18. Field tests applying multi-agent technology for distributed control. Virtual power plants and wind energy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schaeffer, G.J.; Warmer, C.J.; Hommelberg, M.P.F.; Kamphuis, I.G.; Kok, J.K. [Energy in the Built Environment and Networks, Petten (Netherlands)

    2007-01-15

    Multi-agent technology is state of the art ICT. It is not yet widely applied in power control systems. However, it has a large potential for bottom-up, distributed control of a network with large-scale renewable energy sources (RES) and distributed energy resources (DER) in future power systems. At least two major European R and D projects (MicroGrids and CRISP) have investigated its potential. Both grid-related as well as market-related applications have been studied. This paper will focus on two field tests, performed in the Netherlands, applying multi-agent control by means of the PowerMatcher concept. The first field test focuses on the application of multi-agent technology in a commercial setting, i.e. by reducing the need for balancing power in the case of intermittent energy sources, such as wind energy. In this case the flexibility is used of demand and supply of industrial and residential consumers and producers. Imbalance reduction rates of over 40% have been achieved applying the PowerMatcher, and with a proper portfolio even larger rates are expected. In the second field test the multi-agent technology is used in the design and implementation of a virtual power plant (VPP). This VPP digitally connects a number of micro-CHP units, installed in residential dwellings, into a cluster that is controlled to reduce the local peak demand of the common low-voltage grid segment the micro-CHP units are connected to. In this way the VPP supports the local distribution system operator (DSO) to defer reinforcements in the grid infrastructure (substations and cables)

  19. Field tests applying multi-agent technology for distributed control. Virtual power plants and wind energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schaeffer, G.J.; Warmer, C.J.; Hommelberg, M.P.F.; Kamphuis, I.G.; Kok, J.K.

    2007-01-01

    Multi-agent technology is state of the art ICT. It is not yet widely applied in power control systems. However, it has a large potential for bottom-up, distributed control of a network with large-scale renewable energy sources (RES) and distributed energy resources (DER) in future power systems. At least two major European R and D projects (MicroGrids and CRISP) have investigated its potential. Both grid-related as well as market-related applications have been studied. This paper will focus on two field tests, performed in the Netherlands, applying multi-agent control by means of the PowerMatcher concept. The first field test focuses on the application of multi-agent technology in a commercial setting, i.e. by reducing the need for balancing power in the case of intermittent energy sources, such as wind energy. In this case the flexibility is used of demand and supply of industrial and residential consumers and producers. Imbalance reduction rates of over 40% have been achieved applying the PowerMatcher, and with a proper portfolio even larger rates are expected. In the second field test the multi-agent technology is used in the design and implementation of a virtual power plant (VPP). This VPP digitally connects a number of micro-CHP units, installed in residential dwellings, into a cluster that is controlled to reduce the local peak demand of the common low-voltage grid segment the micro-CHP units are connected to. In this way the VPP supports the local distribution system operator (DSO) to defer reinforcements in the grid infrastructure (substations and cables)

  20. Mastering multi-depth bio-chip patterns with DVD LBRs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carson, Doug

    2017-08-01

    Bio chip and bio disc are rapidly growing technologies used in medical, health and other industries. While there are numerous unique designs and features, these products all rely on precise three-dimensional micro-fluidic channels or arrays to move, separate and combine samples under test. These bio chip and bio disc consumables are typically manufactured by molding these parts to a precise three-dimensional pattern on a negative metal stamper, or they can be made in smaller quantities using an appropriate curable resin and a negative mold/stamper. Stampers required for bio chips have been traditionally made using either micro machining or XY stepping lithography. Both of these technologies have their advantages as well as limitations when it comes to creating micro-fluidic patterns. Significant breakthroughs in continuous maskless lithography have enabled accurate and efficient manufacturing of micro-fluidic masters using LBRs (Laser Beam Recorders) and DRIE (Deep Reactive Ion Etching). The important advantages of LBR continuous lithography vs. XY stepping lithography and micro machining are speed and cost. LBR based continuous lithography is >100x faster than XY stepping lithography and more accurate than micro machining. Several innovations were required in order to create multi-depth patterns with sub micron accuracy. By combining proven industrial LBRs with DCA's G3-VIA pattern generator and DRIE, three-dimensional bio chip masters and stampers are being manufactured efficiently and accurately.

  1. Integrated micro-economic modelling and multi-criteria methodology to support public decision-making: the case of liquid bio-fuels in France

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rozakis, S.; Sourie, J.-C.; Vanderpooten, D.

    2001-01-01

    Decision making to determine government support policy for agro-energy industry can be assisted by mathematical programming and Multiple Criteria procedures. In this case study, tax credit policy in the French bio-fuel industry producing ethanol and esters is determined. Micro-economic models simulate the agricultural sector and the bio-fuel industry through multi-level mixed integer linear programming. Aggregate supply of energy crops at the national level is estimated using a staircase model of 450 individual farm sub-models specialising in arable cropping. The government acts as a leader, since bio-fuel chains depend on subsidies. The model provides rational responses of the industry, taking into account of the energy crops' supply, to any public policy scheme (unitary tax exemptions for bio-fuels subject to budgetary constraints) as well as the performance of each response regarding total greenhouse gases emissions (GHG), budgetary expenditure and agents' surpluses. Budgetary, environmental and social concerns will affect policy decisions, and a multi-criteria optimisation module projects the decision maker aims at the closest feasible compromise solutions. When public expenditure is the first priority, the best compromise solution corresponds to tax exemptions of about 2 FF l -1 [FF: French Franc (1Euro equivalent to 6.559FF)] for ester and 3FF l -1 for ethanol (current tax exemptions amount at 2.30FF l -1 for ester and 3.30FF l -1 for ethanol). On the other hand, a priority on the reduction of GHG emissions requires an increase of ester volume produced at the expense of ethanol production (2.30 FF l -1 for both ester and ethanol chains proposed by the model). (Author)

  2. MicroRNAs and the metabolic hallmarks of aging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Victoria, Berta; Nunez Lopez, Yury O; Masternak, Michal M

    2017-11-05

    Aging, the natural process of growing older, is characterized by a progressive deterioration of physiological homeostasis at the cellular, tissue, and organismal level. Metabolically, the aging process is characterized by extensive changes in body composition, multi-tissue/multi-organ insulin resistance, and physiological declines in multiple signaling pathways including growth hormone, insulin/insulin-like growth factor 1, and sex steroids regulation. With this review, we intend to consolidate published information about microRNAs that regulate critical metabolic processes relevant to aging. In certain occasions we uncover relationships likely relevant to aging, which has not been directly described before, such as the miR-451/AMPK axis. We have also included a provocative section highlighting the potential role in aging of a new designation of miRNAs, namely fecal miRNAs, recently discovered to regulate intestinal microbiota in mammals. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  3. Up-scaling of multi-variable flood loss models from objects to land use units at the meso-scale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kreibich, Heidi; Schröter, Kai; Merz, Bruno

    2016-05-01

    Flood risk management increasingly relies on risk analyses, including loss modelling. Most of the flood loss models usually applied in standard practice have in common that complex damaging processes are described by simple approaches like stage-damage functions. Novel multi-variable models significantly improve loss estimation on the micro-scale and may also be advantageous for large-scale applications. However, more input parameters also reveal additional uncertainty, even more in upscaling procedures for meso-scale applications, where the parameters need to be estimated on a regional area-wide basis. To gain more knowledge about challenges associated with the up-scaling of multi-variable flood loss models the following approach is applied: Single- and multi-variable micro-scale flood loss models are up-scaled and applied on the meso-scale, namely on basis of ATKIS land-use units. Application and validation is undertaken in 19 municipalities, which were affected during the 2002 flood by the River Mulde in Saxony, Germany by comparison to official loss data provided by the Saxon Relief Bank (SAB).In the meso-scale case study based model validation, most multi-variable models show smaller errors than the uni-variable stage-damage functions. The results show the suitability of the up-scaling approach, and, in accordance with micro-scale validation studies, that multi-variable models are an improvement in flood loss modelling also on the meso-scale. However, uncertainties remain high, stressing the importance of uncertainty quantification. Thus, the development of probabilistic loss models, like BT-FLEMO used in this study, which inherently provide uncertainty information are the way forward.

  4. Ecological and Economic Assessment of Micro-/Milli-Continuous Campaign Manufacturing: The Case of Writing Ink

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Grundemann

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Many products from the fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals industries are currently manufactured batch-wise in multi-product plants. However, this processing scheme suffers from severe drawbacks, such as a high specific energy demand, cleaning costs and high staff requirements. Transferring batch into continuous campaign productions may overcome these drawbacks. Using the case of writing ink, such a continuous manufacturing scheme was developed employing micro- and milli-structured components in order to intensify certain unit operations. In this paper, an ecological and economic assessment of both production concepts considering all lifecycle stages is presented. The aim of our work is to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the two multi-product plants and to derive recommendations for the most efficient design and operation of a continuous campaign manufacturing plant. The results show that lower environmental impacts are related to continuous processing, which is due to the option for energy integration in this case. Furthermore, in the economic assessment, continuous processing proved to be economically viable. In this case, reduced staff requirements based on a highly automated manufacturing plant are the key to lower personnel costs. In general, the results emphasize the importance of such micro-/milli-continuous multi-product plants for the future manufacturing of newly developed products in the mentioned industries.

  5. Bio-inspired multi-mode optic flow sensors for micro air vehicles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Seokjun; Choi, Jaehyuk; Cho, Jihyun; Yoon, Euisik

    2013-06-01

    Monitoring wide-field surrounding information is essential for vision-based autonomous navigation in micro-air-vehicles (MAV). Our image-cube (iCube) module, which consists of multiple sensors that are facing different angles in 3-D space, can be applied to the wide-field of view optic flows estimation (μ-Compound eyes) and to attitude control (μ- Ocelli) in the Micro Autonomous Systems and Technology (MAST) platforms. In this paper, we report an analog/digital (A/D) mixed-mode optic-flow sensor, which generates both optic flows and normal images in different modes for μ- Compound eyes and μ-Ocelli applications. The sensor employs a time-stamp based optic flow algorithm which is modified from the conventional EMD (Elementary Motion Detector) algorithm to give an optimum partitioning of hardware blocks in analog and digital domains as well as adequate allocation of pixel-level, column-parallel, and chip-level signal processing. Temporal filtering, which may require huge hardware resources if implemented in digital domain, is remained in a pixel-level analog processing unit. The rest of the blocks, including feature detection and timestamp latching, are implemented using digital circuits in a column-parallel processing unit. Finally, time-stamp information is decoded into velocity from look-up tables, multiplications, and simple subtraction circuits in a chip-level processing unit, thus significantly reducing core digital processing power consumption. In the normal image mode, the sensor generates 8-b digital images using single slope ADCs in the column unit. In the optic flow mode, the sensor estimates 8-b 1-D optic flows from the integrated mixed-mode algorithm core and 2-D optic flows with an external timestamp processing, respectively.

  6. In vivo endoscopic multi-beam optical coherence tomography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Standish, Beau A; Mariampillai, Adrian; Munce, Nigel R; Leung, Michael K K; Vitkin, I Alex [Deptartment of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto (Canada); Lee, Kenneth K C; Yang, Victor X D [Ontario Cancer Institute/University Health Network, Toronto (Canada)], E-mail: standish@ee.ryerson.ca

    2010-02-07

    A multichannel optical coherence tomography (multi-beam OCT) system and an in vivo endoscopic imaging probe were developed using a swept-source OCT system. The distal optics were micro-machined to produce a high numerical aperture, multi-focus fibre optic array. This combination resulted in a transverse design resolution of <10 {mu}m full width half maximum (FWHM) throughout the entire imaging range, while also increasing the signal intensity within the focus of the individual channels. The system was used in a pre-clinical rabbit study to acquire in vivo structural images of the colon and ex vivo images of the oesophagus and trachea. A good correlation between the structural multi-beam OCT images and H and E histology was achieved, demonstrating the feasibility of this high-resolution system and its potential for in vivo human endoscopic imaging.

  7. In vivo endoscopic multi-beam optical coherence tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Standish, Beau A; Mariampillai, Adrian; Munce, Nigel R; Leung, Michael K K; Vitkin, I Alex; Lee, Kenneth K C; Yang, Victor X D

    2010-01-01

    A multichannel optical coherence tomography (multi-beam OCT) system and an in vivo endoscopic imaging probe were developed using a swept-source OCT system. The distal optics were micro-machined to produce a high numerical aperture, multi-focus fibre optic array. This combination resulted in a transverse design resolution of <10 μm full width half maximum (FWHM) throughout the entire imaging range, while also increasing the signal intensity within the focus of the individual channels. The system was used in a pre-clinical rabbit study to acquire in vivo structural images of the colon and ex vivo images of the oesophagus and trachea. A good correlation between the structural multi-beam OCT images and H and E histology was achieved, demonstrating the feasibility of this high-resolution system and its potential for in vivo human endoscopic imaging.

  8. Simultaneous inhibition of multiple oncogenic miRNAs by a multi-potent microRNA sponge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Jaeyun; Yeom, Chanjoo; Choi, Yeon-Sook; Kim, Sinae; Lee, EunJi; Park, Min Ji; Kang, Sang Wook; Kim, Sung Bae; Chang, Suhwan

    2015-08-21

    The roles of oncogenic miRNAs are widely recognized in many cancers. Inhibition of single miRNA using antagomiR can efficiently knock-down a specific miRNA. However, the effect is transient and often results in subtle phenotype, as there are other miRNAs contribute to tumorigenesis. Here we report a multi-potent miRNA sponge inhibiting multiple miRNAs simultaneously. As a model system, we targeted miR-21, miR-155 and miR-221/222, known as oncogenic miRNAs in multiple tumors including breast and pancreatic cancers. To achieve efficient knockdown, we generated perfect and bulged-matched miRNA binding sites (MBS) and introduced multiple copies of MBS, ranging from one to five, in the multi-potent miRNA sponge. Luciferase reporter assay showed the multi-potent miRNA sponge efficiently inhibited 4 miRNAs in breast and pancreatic cancer cells. Furthermore, a stable and inducible version of the multi-potent miRNA sponge cell line showed the miRNA sponge efficiently reduces the level of 4 target miRNAs and increase target protein level of these oncogenic miRNAs. Finally, we showed the miRNA sponge sensitize cells to cancer drug and attenuate cell migratory activity. Altogether, our study demonstrates the multi-potent miRNA sponge is a useful tool to examine the functional impact of simultaneous inhibition of multiple miRNAs and proposes a therapeutic potential.

  9. Clinical Assessment of Lamina Cribrosa Curvature in Eyes with Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yong Woo Kim

    Full Text Available Quantitative evaluation of lamina cribrosa (LC posterior bowing in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG eyes using swept-source optical coherence tomography.Patients with POAG (n = 123 eyes and healthy individuals of a similar age (n = 92 eyes were prospectively recruited. Anterior laminar insertion depth (ALID was defined as the vertical distance between the anterior laminar insertion and a reference plane connecting the Bruch's membrane openings (BMO. The mean LC depth (mLCD was approximated by dividing the area enclosed by the anterior LC, the BMO reference plane, and the two vertical lines for ALID measurement by the length between those two vertical lines. The LC curvature index was defined as the difference between the mLCD and the ALID. The factors influencing the LC curvature index were evaluated.The ALID and mLCD were significantly larger in POAG eyes than in healthy controls (P -6 dB and moderate-to-advanced glaucoma (MD < -6 dB, P = 0.95.LC posterior bowing was increased in POAG eyes, and was significantly associated with structural optic nerve head (ONH changes but not with functional glaucoma severity. Quantitative evaluation of LC curvature can facilitate assessment of glaucomatous ONH change.

  10. Basigin/EMMPRIN/CD147 mediates neuron-glia interactions in the optic lamina of Drosophila.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curtin, Kathryn D; Wyman, Robert J; Meinertzhagen, Ian A

    2007-11-15

    Basigin, an IgG family glycoprotein found on the surface of human metastatic tumors, stimulates fibroblasts to secrete matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) that remodel the extracellular matrix, and is thus also known as Extracellular Matrix MetalloPRotease Inducer (EMMPRIN). Using Drosophila we previously identified novel roles for basigin. Specifically, photoreceptors of flies with basigin eyes show misplaced nuclei, rough ER and mitochondria, and swollen axon terminals, suggesting cytoskeletal disruptions. Here we demonstrate that basigin is required for normal neuron-glia interactions in the Drosophila visual system. Flies with basigin mutant photoreceptors have misplaced epithelial glial cells within the first optic neuropile, or lamina. In addition, epithelial glia insert finger-like projections--capitate projections (CPs)--sites of vesicle endocytosis and possibly neurotransmitter recycling. When basigin is missing from photoreceptors terminals, CP formation between glia and photoreceptor terminals is disrupted. Visual system function is also altered in flies with basigin mutant eyes. While photoreceptors depolarize normally to light, synaptic transmission is greatly diminished, consistent with a defect in neurotransmitter release. Basigin expression in photoreceptor neurons is required for normal structure and placement of glia cells.

  11. Micro-Inspector Spacecraft for Space Exploration Missions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mueller, Juergen; Alkalai, Leon; Lewis, Carol

    2005-01-01

    NASA is seeking to embark on a new set of human and robotic exploration missions back to the Moon, to Mars, and destinations beyond. Key strategic technical challenges will need to be addressed to realize this new vision for space exploration, including improvements in safety and reliability to improve robustness of space operations. Under sponsorship by NASA's Exploration Systems Mission, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), together with its partners in government (NASA Johnson Space Center) and industry (Boeing, Vacco Industries, Ashwin-Ushas Inc.) is developing an ultra-low mass (missions. The micro-inspector will provide remote vehicle inspections to ensure safety and reliability, or to provide monitoring of in-space assembly. The micro-inspector spacecraft represents an inherently modular system addition that can improve safety and support multiple host vehicles in multiple applications. On human missions, it may help extend the reach of human explorers, decreasing human EVA time to reduce mission cost and risk. The micro-inspector development is the continuation of an effort begun under NASA's Office of Aerospace Technology Enabling Concepts and Technology (ECT) program. The micro-inspector uses miniaturized celestial sensors; relies on a combination of solar power and batteries (allowing for unlimited operation in the sun and up to 4 hours in the shade); utilizes a low-pressure, low-leakage liquid butane propellant system for added safety; and includes multi-functional structure for high system-level integration and miniaturization. Versions of this system to be designed and developed under the H&RT program will include additional capabilities for on-board, vision-based navigation, spacecraft inspection, and collision avoidance, and will be demonstrated in a ground-based, space-related environment. These features make the micro-inspector design unique in its ability to serve crewed as well as robotic spacecraft, well beyond Earth-orbit and into arenas such

  12. Monitoring dynamic reactions of red blood cells to UHF electromagnetic waves radiation using a novel micro-imaging technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruan, Ping; Yong, Junguang; Shen, Hongtao; Zheng, Xianrong

    2012-12-01

    Multiple state-of-the-art techniques, such as multi-dimensional micro-imaging, fast multi-channel micro-spetrophotometry, and dynamic micro-imaging analysis, were used to dynamically investigate various effects of cell under the 900 MHz electromagnetic radiation. Cell changes in shape, size, and parameters of Hb absorption spectrum under different power density electromagnetic waves radiation were presented in this article. Experimental results indicated that the isolated human red blood cells (RBCs) do not have obviously real-time responses to the ultra-low density (15 μW/cm(2), 31 μW/cm(2)) electromagnetic wave radiation when the radiation time is not more than 30 min; however, the cells do have significant reactions in shape, size, and the like, to the electromagnetic waves radiation with power densities of 1 mW/cm(2) and 5 mW/cm(2). The data also reveal the possible influences and statistical relationships among living human cell functions, radiation amount, and exposure time with high-frequency electromagnetic waves. The results of this study may be significant on protection of human being and other living organisms against possible radiation affections of the high-frequency electromagnetic waves.

  13. Optimal resource allocation and load scheduling for a multi-commodity smart energy system

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Blaauwbroek, N.; Nguyen, H.P.; Shi, H.; Kamphuis, I.G.; Kling, W.L.; Konsman, M.J.

    2015-01-01

    The increasing introduction of district heating systems together with hybrid energy appliances as heat pumps and micro-combined heat and power installations, results in new opportunities for optimizing the available resources in multi-commodity smart energy systems, including electricity, heat and

  14. Micro-Organ Device

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonda, Steve R. (Inventor); Chang, Robert C. (Inventor); Starly, Binil (Inventor); Culbertson, Christopher (Inventor); Holtorf, Heidi L. (Inventor); Sun, Wei (Inventor); Leslie, Julia (Inventor)

    2013-01-01

    A method for fabricating a micro-organ device comprises providing a microscale support having one or more microfluidic channels and one or more micro-chambers for housing a micro-organ and printing a micro-organ on the microscale support using a cell suspension in a syringe controlled by a computer-aided tissue engineering system, wherein the cell suspension comprises cells suspended in a solution containing a material that functions as a three-dimensional scaffold. The printing is performed with the computer-aided tissue engineering system according to a particular pattern. The micro-organ device comprises at least one micro-chamber each housing a micro-organ; and at least one microfluidic channel connected to the micro-chamber, wherein the micro-organ comprises cells arranged in a configuration that includes microscale spacing between portions of the cells to facilitate diffusion exchange between the cells and a medium supplied from the at least one microfluidic channel.

  15. Build-up of the silicon micro-strip detector array in ETF of HIRFL-CSR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Pengfei; Li Zhankui; Li Haixia

    2014-01-01

    Silicon micro-strip detectors have been widely used in the world-famous nuclear physics laboratories due to their better position resolution and energy resolution. Double-sided silicon micro-strip detectors with a position resolution of 0.5 mm × 0.5 mm, have been fabricated in the IMP (Institute of Modern Physics, CAS) by using microelectronics technology. These detectors have been used in the ETF (External Target Facility) of HIRFL-CSR, as ΔE detectors of the ΔE-E telescope system and the track detectors. With the help of flexibility printed circuit board (FPCB) and the integrated ASIC chips, a compact multi-channel front-end electronic board has been designed to fulfill the acquisition of the energy and position information of the Silicon micro-strip detectors. It is described in this paper that the build-up of the Silicon micro-strip detector array in ETF of HIRFL-CSR, the determination of the energy resolution of the detector units, and the energy resolution of approximately 1% obtained for 5∼9 MeV α particles in vacuum. (authors)

  16. Micro-Vibration Performance Prediction of SEPTA24 Using SMeSim (RUAG Space Mechanism Simulator Tool)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Omiciuolo, Manolo; Lang, Andreas; Wismer, Stefan; Barth, Stephan; Szekely, Gerhard

    2013-09-01

    Scientific space missions are currently challenging the performances of their payloads. The performances can be dramatically restricted by micro-vibration loads generated by any moving parts of the satellites, thus by Solar Array Drive Assemblies too. Micro-vibration prediction of SADAs is therefore very important to support their design and optimization in the early stages of a programme. The Space Mechanism Simulator (SMeSim) tool, developed by RUAG, enhances the capability of analysing the micro-vibration emissivity of a Solar Array Drive Assembly (SADA) under a specified set of boundary conditions. The tool is developed in the Matlab/Simulink® environment throughout a library of blocks simulating the different components a SADA is made of. The modular architecture of the blocks, assembled by the user, and the set up of the boundary conditions allow time-domain and frequency-domain analyses of a rigid multi-body model with concentrated flexibilities and coupled- electronic control of the mechanism. SMeSim is used to model the SEPTA24 Solar Array Drive Mechanism and predict its micro-vibration emissivity. SMeSim and the return of experience earned throughout its development and use can now support activities like verification by analysis of micro-vibration emissivity requirements and/or design optimization to minimize the micro- vibration emissivity of a SADA.

  17. Development of a Multi-User Polyimide-MEMS Fabrication Process and its Application to MicroHotplates

    KAUST Repository

    Lizardo, Ernesto B.

    2013-01-01

    Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) became possible thanks to the silicon based technology used to fabricate integrated circuits. Originally, MEMS fabrication was limited to silicon based techniques and materials, but the expansion of MEMS

  18. CONSTRUCTING A MULTI-REGIONAL SOCIAL ACCOUNTING MATRIX FOR TURKEY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Metin Piskin

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Regional impacts of public policies in Turkey have led to Regional Development Agencies and related institutions having responsibility for setting and achieving sustainability policies at the regional level. As a result, there is a significant interest in developing empirical models that can deal with the macro, micro and regional impacts of economic policies and interregional spillover effects. Spatial or Multi-Regional Computable General Equilibrium models are the most capable models to handle a wide range of policy relevant regional questions and the effects of policies on a comprehensive set of regional and national economic variables. However, an important ingredient in meeting the Multi-Regional CGE analysis is Multi-Regional Social Accounting Matrices. This study is focusing on the building the first Multi-Regional Social Accounting Matrix for Turkey with 11 regions and 8 sectors. We utilize from the most updated available datasets and implement the most conveninent non-survey methods which fit to data availability in Turkey.

  19. 'Micro-8' micro-computer system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yagi, Hideyuki; Nakahara, Yoshinori; Yamada, Takayuki; Takeuchi, Norio; Koyama, Kinji

    1978-08-01

    The micro-computer Micro-8 system has been developed to organize a data exchange network between various instruments and a computer group including a large computer system. Used for packet exchangers and terminal controllers, the system consists of ten kinds of standard boards including a CPU board with INTEL-8080 one-chip-processor. CPU architecture, BUS architecture, interrupt control, and standard-boards function are explained in circuit block diagrams. Operations of the basic I/O device, digital I/O board and communication adapter are described with definitions of the interrupt ramp status, I/O command, I/O mask, data register, etc. In the appendixes are circuit drawings, INTEL-8080 micro-processor specifications, BUS connections, I/O address mappings, jumper connections of address selection, and interface connections. (author)

  20. Integrated HT-PEMFC and multi-fuel reformer for micro CHP. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    2010-07-01

    The project was initiated in April 2008 and completed by the end of March 2010. The project consortium consisted of: Dantherm Power, Serenergy and Department of Energy Technology at Aalborg University (project manager). The activities were coordinated with the project ''Nordjysk H2FC Center'' funded by the Region of Northern Jutland. A number of experimental characterization methods were developed through this project to improve the understanding in fuel cell performance under different operating conditions. In particular the application of Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy was found useful and lead to new information about individual losses in the fuel cell. Techniques to measure local temperatures of the MEA were also successfully developed. Durability studies were made on single cells as well as complete stacks. A dedicated test facility was constructed in a container to isolate the test from disturbances that occur in the laboratory. The stack tests were run for just above 6 months with few interruptions and it was found that single cell and stack degradation rates were comparable. Operation temperature was found to have the most pronounced influence on degradation. The information formed the basis for a simple modeling tool to optimize the stack operating temperature versus reformate gas CO concentration. The activities on multi-fuel reformer development were mostly focused on two issues; manufacturability and analyses of flow distribution and heat transfer. The latter was required since these areas these turned out to cause challenges in the reactor design. Through a combination of experimental tests, CFD analyses and flow network modeling design modifications were suggested to improve flow distribution on both the flue gas side and the reformate side. Most of these design changes were not validated in this project through the construction and test of a new reformer. In spite of the problems identifies, the reformed successfully

  1. Concept of subsurface micro-sensing; Chika joho no micro sensing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Niitsuma, H [Tohoku University, Sendai (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

    1997-05-27

    This paper describes concept of subsurface micro-sensing. It is intended to achieve an epoch-making development of subsurface engineerings by developing such technologies as micro measurement of well interior, micro measurement while drilling (MWD), and micro intelligent logging. These technologies are supported by development of micro sensors and micro drilling techniques using micro machine technologies. Micronizing the subsurface sensors makes mass production of sensors with equivalent performance possible, and the production cost can be reduced largely. The sensors can be embedded or used disposably, resulting in increased mobility in measurement and higher performance. Installing multiple number of sensors makes high-accuracy measurement possible, such as array measurement. The sensors can be linked easily with photo-electronics components, realizing remote measurement at low price and high accuracy. Control in micro-drilling and MWD also become possible. Such advantages may also be expected as installing the sensors on the outer side of wells in use and monitoring subsurface information during production. Expectation on them is large as a new paradigm of underground exploration and measurement. 1 fig.

  2. A derived heuristics based multi-objective optimization procedure for micro-grid scheduling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xin; Deb, Kalyanmoy; Fang, Yanjun

    2017-06-01

    With the availability of different types of power generators to be used in an electric micro-grid system, their operation scheduling as the load demand changes with time becomes an important task. Besides satisfying load balance constraints and the generator's rated power, several other practicalities, such as limited availability of grid power and restricted ramping of power output from generators, must all be considered during the operation scheduling process, which makes it difficult to decide whether the optimization results are accurate and satisfactory. In solving such complex practical problems, heuristics-based customized optimization algorithms are suggested. However, due to nonlinear and complex interactions of variables, it is difficult to come up with heuristics in such problems off-hand. In this article, a two-step strategy is proposed in which the first task deciphers important heuristics about the problem and the second task utilizes the derived heuristics to solve the original problem in a computationally fast manner. Specifically, the specific operation scheduling is considered from a two-objective (cost and emission) point of view. The first task develops basic and advanced level knowledge bases offline from a series of prior demand-wise optimization runs and then the second task utilizes them to modify optimized solutions in an application scenario. Results on island and grid connected modes and several pragmatic formulations of the micro-grid operation scheduling problem clearly indicate the merit of the proposed two-step procedure.

  3. Cobalt micro-magnet integration on silicon MOS quantum dots

    Science.gov (United States)

    Camirand Lemyre, Julien; Rochette, Sophie; Anderson, John; Manginell, Ronald P.; Pluym, Tammy; Ward, Dan; Carroll, Malcom S.; Pioro-Ladrière, Michel

    Integration of cobalt micro-magnets on silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) quantum dot devices has been investigated. The micro-magnets are fabricated in a lift-off process with e-beam lithography and deposited directly on top of an etched poly-silicon gate stack. Among the five resist stacks tested, one is found to be compatible with our MOS specific materials (Si and SiO2) . Moreover, devices with and without additional Al2O3 insulating layer show no additional gate leakage after processing. Preliminary transport data indicates electrostatic stability of our devices with integrated magnets. This work was performed, in part, at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, an Office of Science User Facility operated for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed-Martin Company, for the U. S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC04-94AL85000.

  4. Role of microProteins in controlling diverse biological pathways

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dolde, Ulla Margrit

    MicroProteins are small, single-domain proteins that dimerize with larger multi-domain proteins and prevent them from forming functional complexes. To date, 22 microProteins have been identified in plants that regulate their target by sequestering them into non-productive protein complexes. The two......Proteins that regulate their target by forming a higher order protein complex. They form an at least trimeric complex with CO and the transcriptional repressor TOPLESS (TPL). Ectopic expression of miP1a or miP1b in plants causes a late flowering phenotype, due to the failure in COdependent activation of FLOWERING LOCUS...... T (FT) expression. In agreement with the late flowering of overexpression plants, loss-of-function mutants of both miP1a and miP1b, generated using CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering, showed also a slightly early flowering phenotype. In a forward genetic screen using transgenic plants overexpressing mi...

  5. Three degree-of-freedom piezoelectric ultrasonic micro-motor with a major diameter of 350 µm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rogers, G

    2010-01-01

    A three degree-of-freedom (DOF) micro-motor comprising a hollow cylindrical transducer with slots novelly inserted, mounted to a lead zirconium titanate (PZT) piezoelectric element, was developed. Reversible rotation about three orthogonal axes was obtained at frequencies above 190 kHz. The peak torque about the transverse (x and y) and longitudinal (z) axes was 1.33, 1.23 and 2.38 nNm, respectively, at 21.2 V RMS . An electrical control scheme was employed to demonstrate the ability to operate these micro-motors at the low speeds necessary for many applications, including minimally invasive surgery (MIS). This micro-motor represents a significant step towards the development of true microscopic multi-DOF actuators, which can be integrated with MIS equipment, for example, in order to provide surgeons with better operability, dexterity and control deep within a patient's body

  6. Flexible micro flow sensor for micro aerial vehicles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Rong; Que, Ruiyi; Liu, Peng

    2017-12-01

    This article summarizes our studies on micro flow sensors fabricated on a flexible polyimide circuit board by a low-cost hybrid process of thin-film deposition and circuit printing. The micro flow sensor has merits of flexibility, structural simplicity, easy integrability with circuits, and good sensing performance. The sensor, which adheres to an object surface, can detect the surface flow around the object. In our study, we install the fabricated micro flow sensors on micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) to detect the surface flow variation around the aircraft wing and deduce the aerodynamic parameters of the MAVs in flight. Wind tunnel experiments using the sensors integrated with the MAVs are also conducted.

  7. Estimated Trans-Lamina Cribrosa Pressure Differences in Low-Teen and High-Teen Intraocular Pressure Normal Tension Glaucoma: The Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

    OpenAIRE

    Lee, Si Hyung; Kwak, Seung Woo; Kang, Eun Min; Kim, Gyu Ah; Lee, Sang Yeop; Bae, Hyoung Won; Seong, Gong Je; Kim, Chan Yun

    2016-01-01

    Background To investigate the association between estimated trans-lamina cribrosa pressure difference (TLCPD) and prevalence of normal tension glaucoma (NTG) with low-teen and high-teen intraocular pressure (IOP) using a population-based study design. Methods A total of 12,743 adults (? 40 years of age) who participated in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) from 2009 to 2012 were included. Using a previously developed formula, cerebrospinal fluid pressure (C...

  8. The nanostructure of myoendothelial junctions contributes to signal rectification between endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brasen, Jens Christian; Jacobsen, Jens Christian Brings; von Holstein-Rathlou, Niels-Henrik

    2012-01-01

    Micro-anatomical structures in tissues have potential physiological effects. In arteries and arterioles smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells are separated by the internal elastic lamina, but the two cell layers often make contact through micro protrusions called myoendothelial junctions. Cross...... types and the myoendothelial junction. The model is implemented as a 2D axi-symmetrical model and solved using the finite element method. We have simulated diffusion of Ca(2+) and IP(3) between the two cell types and we show that the micro-anatomical structure of the myoendothelial junction in itself...

  9. Micro Vision

    OpenAIRE

    Ohba, Kohtaro; Ohara, Kenichi

    2007-01-01

    In the field of the micro vision, there are few researches compared with macro environment. However, applying to the study result for macro computer vision technique, you can measure and observe the micro environment. Moreover, based on the effects of micro environment, it is possible to discovery the new theories and new techniques.

  10. Up-scaling of multi-variable flood loss models from objects to land use units at the meso-scale

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Kreibich

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Flood risk management increasingly relies on risk analyses, including loss modelling. Most of the flood loss models usually applied in standard practice have in common that complex damaging processes are described by simple approaches like stage-damage functions. Novel multi-variable models significantly improve loss estimation on the micro-scale and may also be advantageous for large-scale applications. However, more input parameters also reveal additional uncertainty, even more in upscaling procedures for meso-scale applications, where the parameters need to be estimated on a regional area-wide basis. To gain more knowledge about challenges associated with the up-scaling of multi-variable flood loss models the following approach is applied: Single- and multi-variable micro-scale flood loss models are up-scaled and applied on the meso-scale, namely on basis of ATKIS land-use units. Application and validation is undertaken in 19 municipalities, which were affected during the 2002 flood by the River Mulde in Saxony, Germany by comparison to official loss data provided by the Saxon Relief Bank (SAB.In the meso-scale case study based model validation, most multi-variable models show smaller errors than the uni-variable stage-damage functions. The results show the suitability of the up-scaling approach, and, in accordance with micro-scale validation studies, that multi-variable models are an improvement in flood loss modelling also on the meso-scale. However, uncertainties remain high, stressing the importance of uncertainty quantification. Thus, the development of probabilistic loss models, like BT-FLEMO used in this study, which inherently provide uncertainty information are the way forward.

  11. Integrated micro-economic modelling and multi-criteria methodology to support public decision-making: the case of liquid bio-fuels in France

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rozakis, S.; Sourie, J.-C. [Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Economie et Sociologie Rurales, Thiveral-Grignon, 78 (France); Vanderpooten, D. [Universite Paris-Dauphine, LAMSADE, Paris, 75 (France)

    2001-07-01

    Decision making to determine government support policy for agro-energy industry can be assisted by mathematical programming and Multiple Criteria procedures. In this case study, tax credit policy in the French bio-fuel industry producing ethanol and esters is determined. Micro-economic models simulate the agricultural sector and the bio-fuel industry through multi-level mixed integer linear programming. Aggregate supply of energy crops at the national level is estimated using a staircase model of 450 individual farm sub-models specialising in arable cropping. The government acts as a leader, since bio-fuel chains depend on subsidies. The model provides rational responses of the industry, taking into account of the energy crops' supply, to any public policy scheme (unitary tax exemptions for bio-fuels subject to budgetary constraints) as well as the performance of each response regarding total greenhouse gases emissions (GHG), budgetary expenditure and agents' surpluses. Budgetary, environmental and social concerns will affect policy decisions, and a multi-criteria optimisation module projects the decision maker aims at the closest feasible compromise solutions. When public expenditure is the first priority, the best compromise solution corresponds to tax exemptions of about 2 FF l{sup -1} [FF: French Franc (1Euro equivalent to 6.559FF)] for ester and 3FF l{sup -1} for ethanol (current tax exemptions amount at 2.30FF l{sup -1} for ester and 3.30FF l{sup -1} for ethanol). On the other hand, a priority on the reduction of GHG emissions requires an increase of ester volume produced at the expense of ethanol production (2.30 FF l{sup -1} for both ester and ethanol chains proposed by the model). (Author)

  12. Micro-bunching diagnostics for the ICA by coherent transition radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Y.; Bogacz, S.A.; Cline, D.B.; Wang, X.J.; Pogorelsky, I.V.; Kimura, W.D.

    1995-01-01

    Here, the authors propose an effective method to detect micro-bunching effects (10 fs bunch length), produced by the ICA interaction, by using the CTR spectrum. The re-bunching of initially energy modulated e-beam passing through a Hydrogen gas cell (ICA interaction) is studied via a Monte Carlo simulation code (STI), as well as in a space-charge dominated region by a multi-particle time domain tracking code (PARMELA). The results show that even in a strong space-charge dominated region the re-bunching effect is still very pronounced. The erosion of bunching due to the space-charge defocusing washes out the final bunching peak only by about 10% (FWHM). The longitudinal distribution of a micro-bunched beam is Fourier analyzed to find the dominant harmonics contributing to the CTR. The CTR spectrum is calculated analytically for the ICA situation. A schematic of the experimental set up is also proposed

  13. A Micro-Grid Simulator Tool (SGridSim) using Effective Node-to-Node Complex Impedance (EN2NCI) Models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Udhay Ravishankar; Milos manic

    2013-08-01

    This paper presents a micro-grid simulator tool useful for implementing and testing multi-agent controllers (SGridSim). As a common engineering practice it is important to have a tool that simplifies the modeling of the salient features of a desired system. In electric micro-grids, these salient features are the voltage and power distributions within the micro-grid. Current simplified electric power grid simulator tools such as PowerWorld, PowerSim, Gridlab, etc, model only the power distribution features of a desired micro-grid. Other power grid simulators such as Simulink, Modelica, etc, use detailed modeling to accommodate the voltage distribution features. This paper presents a SGridSim micro-grid simulator tool that simplifies the modeling of both the voltage and power distribution features in a desired micro-grid. The SGridSim tool accomplishes this simplified modeling by using Effective Node-to-Node Complex Impedance (EN2NCI) models of components that typically make-up a micro-grid. The term EN2NCI models means that the impedance based components of a micro-grid are modeled as single impedances tied between their respective voltage nodes on the micro-grid. Hence the benefit of the presented SGridSim tool are 1) simulation of a micro-grid is performed strictly in the complex-domain; 2) faster simulation of a micro-grid by avoiding the simulation of detailed transients. An example micro-grid model was built using the SGridSim tool and tested to simulate both the voltage and power distribution features with a total absolute relative error of less than 6%.

  14. Micro structural analysis of nanocomposite of metallic matrix of aluminum reinforced by 2% of NTC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dias, Fabio Saldanha; LavaredaCarlos Romulo; Mendes, Luiz Fernando; Queiroz, Jennyson Luz

    2016-01-01

    The study of based on aluminum materials has a high importance level, mainly when is intense wanted in automobile and aerospace industry to transform in light and high perform parts. Aluminum has low specific weight and easiness to join with other materials and these qualities can supply excellent properties and lots of technological applications. Components based on aluminum represents good examples to develop optimized micro structures during the fabrication process that can be basic on properties mechanical performance. As a result this work analyses the micro structure's composites with metallic matrix reinforced by 2% of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes manufactured by aluminum splinters mixed to CNT (author)

  15. Micro-manufacturing: design and manufacturing of micro-products

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Koç, Muammer; Özel, Tuğrul

    2011-01-01

    .... After addressing the fundamentals and non-metallic-based micro-manufacturing processes in the semiconductor industry, it goes on to address specific metallic-based micro-manufacturing processes...

  16. Based on a multi-agent system for multi-scale simulation and application of household's LUCC: a case study for Mengcha village, Mizhi county, Shaanxi province.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Hai; Liang, Xiaoying; Li, Rui

    2013-01-01

    Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) offer a conceptual approach to include multi-actor decision making into models of land use change. Through the simulation based on the MAS, this paper tries to show the application of MAS in the micro scale LUCC, and reveal the transformation mechanism of difference scale. This paper starts with a description of the context of MAS research. Then, it adopts the Nested Spatial Choice (NSC) method to construct the multi-scale LUCC decision-making model. And a case study for Mengcha village, Mizhi County, Shaanxi Province is reported. Finally, the potentials and drawbacks of the following approach is discussed and concluded. From our design and implementation of the MAS in multi-scale model, a number of observations and conclusions can be drawn on the implementation and future research directions. (1) The use of the LUCC decision-making and multi-scale transformation framework provides, according to us, a more realistic modeling of multi-scale decision making process. (2) By using continuous function, rather than discrete function, to construct the decision-making of the households is more realistic to reflect the effect. (3) In this paper, attempts have been made to give a quantitative analysis to research the household interaction. And it provides the premise and foundation for researching the communication and learning among the households. (4) The scale transformation architecture constructed in this paper helps to accumulate theory and experience for the interaction research between the micro land use decision-making and the macro land use landscape pattern. Our future research work will focus on: (1) how to rational use risk aversion principle, and put the rule on rotation between household parcels into model. (2) Exploring the methods aiming at researching the household decision-making over a long period, it allows us to find the bridge between the long-term LUCC data and the short-term household decision-making. (3) Researching the

  17. Micro-Lid For Sealing Sample Reservoirs of micro-Extraction Systems

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — We propose to develop a proof-of-concept micro-Lid (µLid) to tightly seal a micro-sampler or micro-extraction system. Fabrication of µLid would be conducted in the...

  18. Pathophysiological understanding of HFpEF: microRNAs as part of the puzzle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rech, Monika; Barandiarán Aizpurua, Arantxa; van Empel, Vanessa; van Bilsen, Marc; Schroen, Blanche

    2018-05-01

    Half of all heart failure patients have preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Comorbidities associated with and contributing to HFpEF include obesity, diabetes and hypertension. Still, the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of HFpEF are unknown. A preliminary consensus proposes that the multi-morbidity triggers a state of systemic, chronic low-grade inflammation, and microvascular dysfunction, causing reduced nitric oxide bioavailability to adjacent cardiomyocytes. As a result, the cardiomyocyte remodels its contractile elements and fails to relax properly, causing diastolic dysfunction, and eventually HFpEF. HFpEF is a complex syndrome for which currently no efficient therapies exist. This is notably due to the current one-size-fits-all therapy approach that ignores individual patient differences. MicroRNAs have been studied in relation to pathophysiological mechanisms and comorbidities underlying and contributing to HFpEF. As regulators of gene expression, microRNAs may contribute to the pathophysiology of HFpEF. In addition, secreted circulating microRNAs are potential biomarkers and as such, they could help stratify the HFpEF population and open new ways for individualized therapies. In this review, we provide an overview of the ever-expanding world of non-coding RNAs and their contribution to the molecular mechanisms underlying HFpEF. We propose prospects for microRNAs in stratifying the HFpEF population. MicroRNAs add a new level of complexity to the regulatory network controlling cardiac function and hence the understanding of gene regulation becomes a fundamental piece in solving the HFpEF puzzle.

  19. Evaluation of convergence behavior of metamodeling techniques for bridging scales in multi-scale multimaterial simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sen, Oishik; Davis, Sean; Jacobs, Gustaaf; Udaykumar, H.S.

    2015-01-01

    The effectiveness of several metamodeling techniques, viz. the Polynomial Stochastic Collocation method, Adaptive Stochastic Collocation method, a Radial Basis Function Neural Network, a Kriging Method and a Dynamic Kriging Method is evaluated. This is done with the express purpose of using metamodels to bridge scales between micro- and macro-scale models in a multi-scale multimaterial simulation. The rate of convergence of the error when used to reconstruct hypersurfaces of known functions is studied. For sufficiently large number of training points, Stochastic Collocation methods generally converge faster than the other metamodeling techniques, while the DKG method converges faster when the number of input points is less than 100 in a two-dimensional parameter space. Because the input points correspond to computationally expensive micro/meso-scale computations, the DKG is favored for bridging scales in a multi-scale solver

  20. Laser direct-write and crystallization of FeSi II micro-dot array for NIR light-emitting device application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narazaki, Aiko; Kurosaki, Ryozo; Sato, Tadatake; Kawaguchi, Yoshizo; Niino, Hiroyuki

    2007-02-01

    We printed FeSi II micro-dot array on various kinds of substrates utilizing laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT). An amorphous FeSi II was deposited by sputtering on a transparent plate as a source film. A single KrF excimer laser pulse through a mask-projection system was imaged with a small micrometer-sized grid pattern onto a film/plate interface, resulting in the deposition of FeSi II micro-dot array on a facing substrate with a high number density of 10 4 mm -2. FeSi II in the β crystalline phase is a promising eco-friendly semiconductor because of NIR electroluminescence used for optical networking as well as abundant components reserve on the earth and non-toxicity. However, the β-FeSi II film fabrication generally required high-temperature multi-processes which hamper its integration and performance reproducibility. Using the LIFT of micro-dot array, we succeeded in room-temperature preparation of β-FeSi II. Micro-Raman spectroscopy confirmed the β crystalline phase in the micro-dots deposited on an unheated silica glass substrate. Thus, the LIFT is useful for integrating functional micro-dot array accompanied by the crystallization at lower temperatures.

  1. Enhanced cycle stability of micro-sized Si/C anode material with low carbon content fabricated via spray drying and in situ carbonization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Dingsheng; Gao, Mingxia, E-mail: gaomx@zju.edu.cn; Pan, Hongge; Liu, Yongfeng; Wang, Junhua; Li, Shouquan; Ge, Hongwei

    2014-08-01

    Highlights: • Micro-sized Si/C composites were fabricated via. spray drying and carbonization. • Multi-morphology carbon was formed in the Si/C composites. • Si/C composite with 5.6 wt.% C provides significant improved cycling stability. • Multi-morphology carbon plays effective role in improving the electrochemical property. • The method provides potential for mass production of superior Si-based anode materials. - Abstract: Micro-sized Si/C composites with in situ introduced carbon of multi-morphology were fabricated via spray drying a suspension of commercial micro-sized Si and citric acid followed by a carbonization. Different ratios of Si to citric acid were used to optimize the composition and structure of the composites and thus the electrochemical performance. Carbon flakes including crooked and flat ones were well dispersed in between the Si particles, forming Si/C composites. Floc-like carbon layers and carbon fragments were also found to cover partially the Si particles. The Si/C composite with a low carbon content of 5.6 wt.% provides an initial reversible capacity of 2700 mA h/g and a capacity of 1860 mA h/g after 60 cycles at a current density of 100 mA/g as anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), which are much higher than those of pristine Si and the Si/C composites with higher carbon content. The mechanism of the enhancement of electrochemical performance of the micro-sized Si/C composite is discussed. The fabrication method and the structure design of the composites offer valuable potential in developing adaptable Si-based anode materials for industrial applications.

  2. Non-Photolithographic Manufacturing Processes for Micro-Channels Functioned by Micro-Contact-Printed SAMs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saigusa, Hiroki; Suga, Yasuo; Miki, Norihisa

    In this paper we propose non-photolithographic fabrication processes of micro-fluid channels with patterned SAMs (Self-Assembled-Monolayers). SAMs with a thiol group are micro-contact printed on a patterned Au/Ti layer, which is vapor-deposited through a shadow mask. Ti is an adhesion layer. Subsequently, the micro-channels are formed by bonding surface-activated PDMS onto the silicon substrate via a silanol group, producing a SAMs-functioned bottom wall of the micro-channel. No photolithographic processes are necessary and thus, the proposed processes are very simple, quick and low cost. The micro-reactors can have various functions associated with the micro-contact-printed SAMs. We demonstrate successful manufacturing of micro-reactors with two types of SAMs. The micro-reactor with patterned AUT (11-amino-1-undecanethiol) successfully trapped nano-particles with a carboxylic acid group, indicating that micro-contact-printed SAMs remain active after the manufacturing processes of the micro-reactor. AUT -functioned micro-channels are applicable to bioassay and to immobilize proteins for DNA arrays. ODT (1-octadecanethiol) makes surfaces hydrophobic with the methyl terminal group. When water was introduced into the micro-reactor with ODT-patterned surfaces, water droplets remained only in the hydrophilic areas where ODT was not patterned. ODT -functioned micro-channels are applicable to fluid handling.

  3. Multi drop bus controller for IBM PC/AT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bardik, Yu.I.; Kalistratov, E.N.; Matyushin, A.A.; Obukhov, G.A.; Trofimov, N.N.

    1993-01-01

    The module PC-AT-PBC gives a possibility to create a working place based on the computer IBM PC/AT for testing of hardware which is compatible with the multi drop bus. The KP1830BE31 micro program change turns the module into timing generator for power supply controllers of the UNK correction system. The structure of the module, functional parts, library functions and two application programs have been described. 4 refs., 9 figs

  4. Modulation of microRNA activity by semi-microRNAs (smiRNAs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Isabelle ePlante

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available The ribonuclease Dicer plays a central role in the microRNA pathway by catalyzing the formation of 19 to 24-nucleotide (nt long microRNAs. Subsequently incorporated into Ago2 effector complexes, microRNAs are known to regulate messenger RNA (mRNA translation. Whether shorter RNA species derived from microRNAs exist and play a role in mRNA regulation remains unknown. Here, we report the serendipitous discovery of a 12-nt long RNA species corresponding to the 5’ region of the microRNA let-7, and tentatively termed semi-microRNA, or smiRNA. Using a smiRNA derived from the precursor of miR-223 as a model, we show that 12-nt long smiRNA species are devoid of any direct mRNA regulatory activity, as assessed in a reporter gene activity assay in transfected cultured human cells. However, smiR-223 was found to modulate the ability of the microRNA from which it derives to mediate translational repression or cleavage of reporter mRNAs. Our findings suggest that smiRNAs may be generated along the microRNA pathway and participate to the control of gene expression by regulating the activity of the related full-length mature microRNA in vivo.

  5. ELECTROPHORETIC DEPOSITION OF TIO2-MULTI-WALLED CARBON NANOTUBE COMPOSITE COATINGS: MORPHOLOGICAL STUDY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. S. MAHMOUDI JOZEE

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available A homogenous TiO2 / multi-walled carbon nanotubes(MWCNTs composite film were prepared by electrophoretic co-deposition from organic suspension on a stainless steel substrate.  In this study, MWCNTs was incorporated to the coating because of their long structure and their capability to be functionalized by different inorganic groups on the surface. FTIR spectroscopy showed the existence of carboxylic groups on the modified carbon nanotubes surface. The effect of applied electrical fields, deposition time and concentration of nanoparticulates on coatings morphology were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. It was found that combination of MWCNTs within TiO2 matrix eliminating micro cracks presented on TiO2 coating. Also, by increasing the deposition voltages, micro cracks were increased. SEM observation of the coatings revealed that TiO2/multi-walled carbon nanotubes coatings produced from optimized electric field was uniform and had good adhesive to the substrate.

  6. Pore-scale Simulation and Imaging of Multi-phase Flow and Transport in Porous Media (Invited)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crawshaw, J.; Welch, N.; Daher, I.; Yang, J.; Shah, S.; Grey, F.; Boek, E.

    2013-12-01

    We combine multi-scale imaging and computer simulation of multi-phase flow and reactive transport in rock samples to enhance our fundamental understanding of long term CO2 storage in rock formations. The imaging techniques include Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM), micro-CT and medical CT scanning, with spatial resolutions ranging from sub-micron to mm respectively. First, we report a new sample preparation technique to study micro-porosity in carbonates using CLSM in 3 dimensions. Second, we use micro-CT scanning to generate high resolution 3D pore space images of carbonate and cap rock samples. In addition, we employ micro-CT to image the processes of evaporation in fractures and cap rock degradation due to exposure to CO2 flow. Third, we use medical CT scanning to image spontaneous imbibition in carbonate rock samples. Our imaging studies are complemented by computer simulations of multi-phase flow and transport, using the 3D pore space images obtained from the scanning experiments. We have developed a massively parallel lattice-Boltzmann (LB) code to calculate the single phase flow field in these pore space images. The resulting flow fields are then used to calculate hydrodynamic dispersion using a novel scheme to predict probability distributions for molecular displacements using the LB method and a streamline algorithm, modified for optimal solid boundary conditions. We calculate solute transport on pore-space images of rock cores with increasing degree of heterogeneity: a bead pack, Bentheimer sandstone and Portland carbonate. We observe that for homogeneous rock samples, such as bead packs, the displacement distribution remains Gaussian with time increasing. In the more heterogeneous rocks, on the other hand, the displacement distribution develops a stagnant part. We observe that the fraction of trapped solute increases from the beadpack (0 %) to Bentheimer sandstone (1.5 %) to Portland carbonate (8.1 %), in excellent agreement with PFG

  7. Micro tooling technologies for polymer micro replication: direct, indirect and hybrid process chains

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tosello, Guido; Hansen, Hans Nørgaard

    2009-01-01

    The increasing employment of micro products, of products containing micro parts and of products with micro-structured surfaces calls for mass fabrication technologies based on replication processes. In many cases, a suitable solution is given by the use of polymer micro products, whose production...... and performance of the corresponding micro mould. Traditional methods of micro tooling, such as various machining processes (e.g. micro milling, micro electrical discharge machining) have already reached their limitations with decreasing dimensions of mould inserts and cavities. To this respect, tooling process...... chains based on combination of micro manufacturing processes (defined as hybrid tooling) have been established in order to obtain further features miniaturization and increased accuracy. In this paper, examples and performance of different hybrid tooling approaches as well as challenges, opportunities...

  8. Multi-beam synchronous measurement based on PSD phase detection using frequency-domain multiplexing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duan, Ying; Qin, Lan; Xue, Lian; Xi, Feng; Mao, Jiubing

    2013-10-01

    According to the principle of centroid measurement, position-sensitive detectors (PSD) are commonly used for micro displacement detection. However, single-beam detection method cannot satisfy such tasks as multi-dimension position measurement, three dimension vision reconstruction, and robot precision positioning, which require synchronous measurement of multiple light beams. Consequently, we designed PSD phase detection method using frequency-domain multiplexing for synchronous detection of multiple modulated light beams. Compared to previous PSD amplitude detection method, the phase detection method using FDM has advantages of simplified measuring system, low cost, high capability of resistance to light interference as well as improved resolution. The feasibility of multi-beam synchronous measurement based on PSD phase detection using FDM was validated by multi-beam measuring experiments. The maximum non-linearity error of the multi-beam synchronous measurement is 6.62%.

  9. Rhythmic patterns in ancient shells: Can we reconstruct sub-annual cyclicity in trace element and stable isotope profiles from rudist bivalves?

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Winter, N.; Sinnesael, M.; Vansteenberge, S.; Goderis, S.; Snoeck, C.; Van Malderen, S. J. M.; Vanhaecke, F. F.; Claeys, P.

    2017-12-01

    Well-preserved shells of Torreites rudists from the Late Campanian Saiwan Formation in Oman exhibit fine internal layering. These fine (±20 µm) laminae are rhythmically bundled (±400 µm) and subdivide the shells' larger scale annual lamination (±15 mm), suggesting the presence of several interfering cycles in shell growth rate. The aim of the present study is to determine the duration and chemical signature of these rhythmic variations in shell composition. To achieve this, a range of micro-analytical techniques is applied on cross sections through the shells. Firstly, microscopy-based layer counting and colorimetric analysis are carried out on thin sections of shell calcite. Secondly, X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) mapping of cross sections of the shells reveal chemical and structural differences between laminae in 2D. Thirdly, high-resolution XRF (25 µm) and Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS; 10 µm) trace element profiles are used to quantify variations in chemical composition between shell laminae. Fourthly, annual chronology is established based on micro-sampled stable carbon and oxygen stable isotope measurements (250 µm) along the growth axis of the shells. Finally, spectral analysis routines are applied to extract rhythmic patterns matched to the shell laminae from the structural, chemical and colorimetric data. Combining these methods allows for a full evaluation of the structural and chemical characteristics as well as the timing of sub-annual lamination in rudist shells. The results of this study shed light on the external factors that influenced growth rates in rudist bivalves. A better understanding of the timing of deposition of these laminae allows them to be used to improve age models of geochemical records in rudist shells. Characterization of small scale variations in shell composition will characterize the uncertainties contained within lower resolution proxy records from

  10. Assessment of a novel multi-array normalization method based on spike-in control probes suitable for microRNA datasets with global decreases in expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sewer, Alain; Gubian, Sylvain; Kogel, Ulrike; Veljkovic, Emilija; Han, Wanjiang; Hengstermann, Arnd; Peitsch, Manuel C; Hoeng, Julia

    2014-05-17

    High-quality expression data are required to investigate the biological effects of microRNAs (miRNAs). The goal of this study was, first, to assess the quality of miRNA expression data based on microarray technologies and, second, to consolidate it by applying a novel normalization method. Indeed, because of significant differences in platform designs, miRNA raw data cannot be normalized blindly with standard methods developed for gene expression. This fundamental observation motivated the development of a novel multi-array normalization method based on controllable assumptions, which uses the spike-in control probes to adjust the measured intensities across arrays. Raw expression data were obtained with the Exiqon dual-channel miRCURY LNA™ platform in the "common reference design" and processed as "pseudo-single-channel". They were used to apply several quality metrics based on the coefficient of variation and to test the novel spike-in controls based normalization method. Most of the considerations presented here could be applied to raw data obtained with other platforms. To assess the normalization method, it was compared with 13 other available approaches from both data quality and biological outcome perspectives. The results showed that the novel multi-array normalization method reduced the data variability in the most consistent way. Further, the reliability of the obtained differential expression values was confirmed based on a quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction experiment performed for a subset of miRNAs. The results reported here support the applicability of the novel normalization method, in particular to datasets that display global decreases in miRNA expression similarly to the cigarette smoke-exposed mouse lung dataset considered in this study. Quality metrics to assess between-array variability were used to confirm that the novel spike-in controls based normalization method provided high-quality miRNA expression data

  11. Three-dimensional micro assembly of a hinged nickel micro device by magnetic lifting and micro resistance welding

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, Chun-Wei; Hsu, Wensyang

    2009-01-01

    The three-dimensional micro assembly of hinged nickel micro devices by magnetic lifting and micro resistance welding is proposed here. By an electroplating-based surface machining process, the released nickel structure with the hinge mechanism can be fabricated. Lifting of the released micro structure to different tilted angles is accomplished by controlling the positions of a magnet beneath the device. An in situ electro-thermal actuator is used here to provide the pressing force in micro resistance welding for immobilizing the tilted structure. The proposed technique is shown to immobilize micro devices at controlled angles ranging from 14° to 90° with respect to the substrate. Design parameters such as the electro-thermal actuator and welding beam width are also investigated. It is found that there is a trade-off in beam width design between large contact pressure and low thermal deformation. Different dominated effects from resistivity enhancement and contact area enlargement during the welding process are also observed in the dynamic resistance curves. Finally, a lifted and immobilized electro-thermal bent-beam actuator is shown to displace upward about 27.7 µm with 0.56 W power input to demonstrate the capability of electrical transmission at welded joints by the proposed 3D micro assembly technique

  12. Bi-Modal Micro-Cathode Arc Thruster for Cube Satellites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiu, Dereck

    A new concept design, named the Bi-Modal Micro-Cathode Arc Thruster (BM-muCAT), has been introduced utilizing features from previous generations of muCATs and incorporating a multi-propellant functionality. This arc thruster is a micro-Newton level thruster based off of vacuum arc technology utilizing an enhanced magnetic field. Adjusting the magnetic field allows the thrusters performance to be varied. The goal of this thesis is to present a new generation of micro-cathode arc thrusters utilizing a bi-propellant, nickel and titanium, system. Three experimental procedures were run to test the new designs capabilities. Arc rotation experiment was used as a base experiment to ensure erosion was occurring uniformly along each electrode. Ion utilization efficiency was found, using an ion collector, to be up to 2% with the nickel material and 2.5% with the titanium material. Ion velocities were also studied using a time-of-flight method with an enhanced ion detection system. This system utilizes double electrostatic probes to measure plasma propagation. Ion velocities were measured to be 10km/s and 20km/s for nickel and titanium without a magnetic field. With an applied magnetic field of 0.2T, nickel ion velocities almost doubled to about 17km/s, while titanium ion velocities also increased to about 30km/s.

  13. Analysing barriers to service improvement using a multi-level theory of innovation: the case of glaucoma outpatient clinics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turner, Simon; Vasilakis, Christos; Utley, Martin; Foster, Paul; Kotecha, Aachal; Fulop, Naomi J

    2018-05-01

    The development and implementation of innovation by healthcare providers is understood as a multi-determinant and multi-level process. Theories at different analytical levels (i.e. micro and organisational) are needed to capture the processes that influence innovation by providers. This article combines a micro theory of innovation, actor-network theory, with organisational level processes using the 'resource based view of the firm'. It examines the influence of, and interplay between, innovation-seeking teams (micro) and underlying organisational capabilities (meso) during innovation processes. We used ethnographic methods to study service innovations in relation to ophthalmology services run by a specialist English NHS Trust at multiple locations. Operational research techniques were used to support the ethnographic methods by mapping the care process in the existing and redesigned clinics. Deficiencies in organisational capabilities for supporting innovation were identified, including manager-clinician relations and organisation-wide resources. The article concludes that actor-network theory can be combined with the resource-based view to highlight the influence of organisational capabilities on the management of innovation. Equally, actor-network theory helps to address the lack of theory in the resource-based view on the micro practices of implementing change. © 2018 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Foundation for SHIL.

  14. Polyimide and Metals MEMS Multi-User Processes

    KAUST Repository

    Arevalo, Arpys

    2016-11-01

    The development of a polyimide and metals multi-user surface micro-machining process for Micro-electro-mechanical Systems (MEMS) is presented. The process was designed to be as general as possible, and designed to be capable to fabricate different designs on a single silicon wafer. The process was not optimized with the purpose of fabricating any one specific device but can be tweaked to satisfy individual needs depending on the application. The fabrication process uses Polyimide as the structural material and three separated metallization layers that can be interconnected depending on the desired application. The technology allows the development of out-of-plane compliant mechanisms, which can be combined with six variations of different physical principles for actuation and sensing on a single processed silicon wafer. These variations are: electrostatic motion, thermal bimorph actuation, capacitive sensing, magnetic sensing, thermocouple-based sensing and radio frequency transmission and reception.

  15. Micro-hole array fluorescent sensor based on AC-Dielectrophoresis (DEP) for simultaneous analysis of nano-molecules

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hye Jin; Kang, Dong-Hoon; Lee, Eunji; Hwang, Kyo Seon; Shin, Hyun-Joon; Kim, Jinsik

    2018-02-01

    We propose a simple fluorescent bio-chip based on two types of alternative current-dielectrophoretic (AC-DEP) force, attractive (positive DEP) and repulsive (negative DEP) force, for simultaneous nano-molecules analysis. Various radius of micro-holes on the bio-chip are designed to apply the different AC-DEP forces, and the nano-molecules are concentrated inside the micro-hole arrays according to the intensity of the DEP force. The bio-chip was fabricated by Micro Electro Mechanical system (MEMS) technique, and was composed of two layers; a SiO2 layer and Ta/Pt layer were accomplished for an insulation layer and a top electrode with micro-hole arrays to apply electric fields for DEP force, respectively. Each SiO2 and Ta/Pt layers were deposited by thermal oxidation and sputtering, and micro-hole arrays were fabricated with Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) etching process. For generation of each positive and negative DEP at micro-holes, we applied two types of sine-wave AC voltage with different frequency range alternately. The intensity of the DEP force was controlled by the radius of the micro-hole and size of nano-molecule, and calculated with COMSOL multi-physics. Three types of nano-molecules labelled with different fluorescent dye were used and the intensity of nano-molecules was examined by the fluorescent optical analysis after applying the DEP force. By analyzing the fluorescent intensities of the nano-molecules, we verify the various nano-molecules in analyte are located successfully inside corresponding micro-holes with different radius according to their size.

  16. A procedure for solving the neutron diffusion equation on a parallel micro-processor; modifications to the nodal expansion codes RECNEC and HEXNEC to implement the procedure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Putney, J.M.

    1983-05-01

    The characteristics of a simple parallel micro-processor (PMP) are reviewed and its software requirements discussed. One of the more immediate applications is the multi-spatial simulation of a nuclear reactor station. This is of particular interest because 3D reactor simulation might then be possible as part of operating procedure for PFR and CDFR. A major part of a multi-spatial reactor simulator is the solution of the neutron diffusion equation. A procedure is described for solving the equation on a PMP, which is applied to the nodal expansion method with modifications to the nodal expansion codes RECNEC and HEXNEC. Estimations of the micro-processor requirements for the simulation of both PFR and CDFR are given. (U.K.)

  17. Large micro-mirror arrays: key components in future space instruments for Universe and Earth Observation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zamkotsian Frederic

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available In future space missions for Universe and Earth Observation, scientific return could be optimized using MOEMS devices. Micro-mirror arrays are used for designing new generation of instruments, multi-object spectrographs in Universe Observation and programmable wide field spectrographs in Earth Observation. Mock-ups have been designed and built for both applications and they show very promising results.

  18. Static and dynamic characterization of robust superhydrophobic surfaces built from nano-flowers on silicon micro-post arrays

    KAUST Repository

    Chen, Longquan

    2010-09-01

    Superhydrophobic nano-flower surfaces were fabricated using MEMS technology and microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) of carbon nanotubes on silicon micro-post array surfaces. The nano-flower structures can be readily formed within 1-2 min on the micro-post arrays with the spacing ranging from 25 to 30 μm. The petals of the nano-flowers consisted of clusters of multi-wall carbon nanotubes. Patterned nano-flower structures were characterized using various microscopy techniques. After MPCVD, the apparent contact angle (160 ± 0.2°), abbreviated as ACA (defined as the measured angle between the apparent solid surface and the tangent to the liquid-fluid interface), of the nano-flower surfaces increased by 139% compared with that of the silicon micro-post arrays. The measured ACA of the nano-flower surface is consistent with the predicted ACA from a modified Cassie-Baxter equation. A high-speed CCD camera was used to study droplet impact dynamics on various micro/nanostructured surfaces. Both static testing (ACA and sliding angle) and droplet impact dynamics demonstrated that, among seven different micro/nanostructured surfaces, the nano-flower surfaces are the most robust superhydrophobic surfaces. © 2010 IOP Publishing Ltd.

  19. Static and dynamic characterization of robust superhydrophobic surfaces built from nano-flowers on silicon micro-post arrays

    KAUST Repository

    Chen, Longquan; Xiao, Zhiyong; Chan, Philip C H; Lee, Yi-Kuen

    2010-01-01

    Superhydrophobic nano-flower surfaces were fabricated using MEMS technology and microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) of carbon nanotubes on silicon micro-post array surfaces. The nano-flower structures can be readily formed within 1-2 min on the micro-post arrays with the spacing ranging from 25 to 30 μm. The petals of the nano-flowers consisted of clusters of multi-wall carbon nanotubes. Patterned nano-flower structures were characterized using various microscopy techniques. After MPCVD, the apparent contact angle (160 ± 0.2°), abbreviated as ACA (defined as the measured angle between the apparent solid surface and the tangent to the liquid-fluid interface), of the nano-flower surfaces increased by 139% compared with that of the silicon micro-post arrays. The measured ACA of the nano-flower surface is consistent with the predicted ACA from a modified Cassie-Baxter equation. A high-speed CCD camera was used to study droplet impact dynamics on various micro/nanostructured surfaces. Both static testing (ACA and sliding angle) and droplet impact dynamics demonstrated that, among seven different micro/nanostructured surfaces, the nano-flower surfaces are the most robust superhydrophobic surfaces. © 2010 IOP Publishing Ltd.

  20. Independent collimators are sufficient to conform and combine adjacent fields?; Os colimadores independentes sao suficientes para conformar e combinar campos adjacentes?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Andrade Neto, Enock de A. [Hospital Sirio Libanes, Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil). Sociedade Beneficente de Senhoras. Servico de Radioterapia; Santos Neto, Geraldo [Grupo COI, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Servico de Radioterapia; Sant' Anna, Marcelo C., E-mail: enock92@gmail.com [RADCLIN Centro de Oncologia, Volta Redonda, RJ (Brazil). Servico de Radioterapia

    2014-12-15

    Consider a radiotherapy treatment in which the tumor is located in the region of head and neck. In general, isocentric technique combined with three tangents half-beam fields are used. How these fields must be collimated? We show that the combination of independent collimators and multi-leaf results in a uniform dose in the region which these fields touch each other. Moreover, we recommend a setup that minimizes the heterogeneity for LINAC's that doesn't possess a multi-leaf collimator. (author)

  1. A self-heating study on multi-finger AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Liyuan; Ai Shan; Chen Yonghe; Cao Mengyi; Zhang Kai; Ma Xiaohua; Hao Yue

    2013-01-01

    Self-heating in multi-finger AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) is investigated by measurements and modeling of device junction temperature under steady-state operation. Measurements are carried out using micro-Raman scattering to obtain the detailed and accurate temperature distribution of the device. The device peak temperature corresponds to the high field region at the drain side of gate edge. The channel temperature of the device is modeled using a combined electro-thermal model considering 2DEG transport characteristics and the Joule heating power distribution. The results reveal excellent correlation to the micro-Raman measurements, validating our model for the design of better cooled structures. Furthermore, the influence of layout design on the channel temperature of multi-finger AlGaN/GaN HEMTs is studied using the proposed electro-thermal model, allowing for device optimization. (semiconductor devices)

  2. Energy sprawl, land taking and distributed generation: towards a multi-layered density

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moroni, Stefano; Antoniucci, Valentina; Bisello, Adriano

    2016-01-01

    The transition from fossil fuels to renewable resources is highly desirable to reduce air pollution, and improve energy efficiency and security. Many observers are concerned, however, that the diffusion of systems based on renewable resources may give rise to energy sprawl, i.e. an increasing occupation of available land to build new energy facilities of this kind. These critics foresee a transition from the traditional fossil-fuel systems, towards a renewable resource system likewise based on large power stations and extensive energy grids. A different approach can be taken to reduce the risk of energy sprawl, and this will happen if the focus is as much on renewable sources as on the introduction of distributed renewable energy systems based on micro plants (photovoltaic panels on the roofs of buildings, micro wind turbines, etc.) and on multiple micro-grids. Policy makers could foster local energy enterprises by: introducing new enabling rules; making more room for contractual communities; simplifying the compliance process; proposing monetary incentives and tax cuts. We conclude that the diffusion of innovation in this field will lead not to an energy sprawl but to a new energy system characterized by a multi-layered density: a combination of technology, organization, and physical development. - Highlights: • Energy sprawl is not a necessary consequence of the transition to renewable sources. • A polycentric, distributed renewable energy system reduces land consumption. • This polycentric model is founded on building-related renewable energy production and micro-grids. • Enabling rules, simplified compliance, and tax cuts can foster this result. • The concept of multi-layered density is proposed as a new framework for interpreting this scenario.

  3. A modular (almost) automatic set-up for elastic multi-tenants cloud (micro)infrastructures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amoroso, A.; Astorino, F.; Bagnasco, S.; Balashov, N. A.; Bianchi, F.; Destefanis, M.; Lusso, S.; Maggiora, M.; Pellegrino, J.; Yan, L.; Yan, T.; Zhang, X.; Zhao, X.

    2017-10-01

    An auto-installing tool on an usb drive can allow for a quick and easy automatic deployment of OpenNebula-based cloud infrastructures remotely managed by a central VMDIRAC instance. A single team, in the main site of an HEP Collaboration or elsewhere, can manage and run a relatively large network of federated (micro-)cloud infrastructures, making an highly dynamic and elastic use of computing resources. Exploiting such an approach can lead to modular systems of cloud-bursting infrastructures addressing complex real-life scenarios.

  4. Deposition dynamics of multi-solvent bioinks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaneelil, Paul; Pack, Min; Cui, Chunxiao; Han, Li-Hsin; Sun, Ying

    2017-11-01

    Inkjet printing cellular scaffolds using bioinks is gaining popularity due to the advancement of printing technology as well as the growing demands of regenerative medicine. Numerous studies have been conducted on printing scaffolds of biomimetic structures that support the cell production of human tissues. However, the underlying physics of the deposition dynamics of bioinks remains elusive. Of particular interest is the unclear deposition dynamics of multi-solvent bioinks, which is often used to tune the micro-architecture formation. Here we systematically studied the effects of jetting frequency, solvent properties, substrate wettability, and temperature on the three-dimensional deposition patterns of bioinks made of Methacrylated Gelatin and Carboxylated Gelatin. The microflows inside the inkjet-printed picolitre drops were visualized using fluorescence tracer particles to decipher the complex processes of multi-solvent evaporation and solute self-assembly. The evolution of droplet shape was observed using interferometry. With the integrated techniques, the interplay of solvent evaporation, biopolymer deposition, and multi-drop interactions were directly observed for various ink and substrate properties, and printing conditions. Such knowledge enables the design and fabrication of a variety of tissue engineering scaffolds for potential use in regenerative medicine.

  5. Micro robot bible

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoon, Jin Yeong

    2000-08-01

    This book deals with micro robot, which tells of summary of robots like entertainment robots and definition of robots, introduction of micro mouse about history, composition and rules, summary of micro controller with its history, appearance and composition, introduction of stepping motor about types, structure, basic characteristics, and driving ways, summary of sensor section, power, understanding of 80C196KC micro controller, basic driving program searching a maze algorithm, smooth turn and making of tracer line.

  6. Micro robot bible

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoon, Jin Yeong

    2000-08-15

    This book deals with micro robot, which tells of summary of robots like entertainment robots and definition of robots, introduction of micro mouse about history, composition and rules, summary of micro controller with its history, appearance and composition, introduction of stepping motor about types, structure, basic characteristics, and driving ways, summary of sensor section, power, understanding of 80C196KC micro controller, basic driving program searching a maze algorithm, smooth turn and making of tracer line.

  7. Laser-Driven Ion Acceleration from Plasma Micro-Channel Targets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zou, D. B.; Pukhov, A.; Yi, L. Q.; Zhou, H. B.; Yu, T. P.; Yin, Y.; Shao, F. Q.

    2017-02-01

    Efficient energy boost of the laser-accelerated ions is critical for their applications in biomedical and hadron research. Achiev-able energies continue to rise, with currently highest energies, allowing access to medical therapy energy windows. Here, a new regime of simultaneous acceleration of ~100 MeV protons and multi-100 MeV carbon-ions from plasma micro-channel targets is proposed by using a ~1020 W/cm2 modest intensity laser pulse. It is found that two trains of overdense electron bunches are dragged out from the micro-channel and effectively accelerated by the longitudinal electric-field excited in the plasma channel. With the optimized channel size, these “superponderomotive” energetic electrons can be focused on the front surface of the attached plastic substrate. The much intense sheath electric-field is formed on the rear side, leading to up to ~10-fold ionic energy increase compared to the simple planar geometry. The analytical prediction of the optimal channel size and ion maximum energies is derived, which shows good agreement with the particle-in-cell simulations.

  8. Heat-electricity convertion systems for a Brazilian space micro nuclear reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guimaraes, Lamartine N.F.; Marcelino, Natalia B.; Placco, Guilherme M.; Nascimento, Jamil A.; Borges, Eduardo M., E-mail: guimarae@ieav.cta.br, E-mail: lamartine.guimaraes@pq.cnpq.br, E-mail: jamil@ieav.cta.br, E-mail: jalnsgf@outlook.com, E-mail: borges.em@hotmail.com, E-mail: ecorborges@hotmail.com, E-mail: ivayolini@gmail.com, E-mail: guilherme_placco@ig.com.br [Instituto de Estudos Avancados (IEAv/DCTA), Sao Jose dos Campos, SP (Brazil); Barrios Junior, Ary Garcia, E-mail: arygarcia89@yahoo.com [Faculdade de Tecnologia Sao Francisco (FATESF), Jacarei, SP (Brazil)

    2013-07-01

    This contribution will discuss the evolution work in the development of thermal cycles to allow the development of heat-electricity conversion for the Brazilian space micro nuclear Reactor. Namely, innovative core and nuclear fuel elements, Brayton cycle, Stirling engine, heat pipes, passive multi-fluid turbine, among others. This work is basically to set up the experimental labs that will allow the specification and design of the space equipment. Also, some discussion of the cost so far, and possible other applications will be presented. (author)

  9. Heat-electricity convertion systems for a Brazilian space micro nuclear reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guimaraes, Lamartine N.F.; Marcelino, Natalia B.; Placco, Guilherme M.; Nascimento, Jamil A.; Borges, Eduardo M.; Barrios Junior, Ary Garcia

    2013-01-01

    This contribution will discuss the evolution work in the development of thermal cycles to allow the development of heat-electricity conversion for the Brazilian space micro nuclear Reactor. Namely, innovative core and nuclear fuel elements, Brayton cycle, Stirling engine, heat pipes, passive multi-fluid turbine, among others. This work is basically to set up the experimental labs that will allow the specification and design of the space equipment. Also, some discussion of the cost so far, and possible other applications will be presented. (author)

  10. Micro intelligence robot

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeon, Yon Ho

    1991-07-01

    This book gives descriptions of micro robot about conception of robots and micro robot, match rules of conference of micro robots, search methods of mazes, and future and prospect of robots. It also explains making and design of 8 beat robot like making technique, software, sensor board circuit, and stepping motor catalog, speedy 3, Mr. Black and Mr. White, making and design of 16 beat robot, such as micro robot artist, Jerry 2 and magic art of shortening distances algorithm of robot simulation.

  11. Geometry and surface damage in micro electrical discharge machining of micro-holes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ekmekci, Bülent; Sayar, Atakan; Tecelli Öpöz, Tahsin; Erden, Abdulkadir

    2009-10-01

    Geometry and subsurface damage of blind micro-holes produced by micro electrical discharge machining (micro-EDM) is investigated experimentally to explore the relational dependence with respect to pulse energy. For this purpose, micro-holes are machined with various pulse energies on plastic mold steel samples using a tungsten carbide tool electrode and a hydrocarbon-based dielectric liquid. Variations in the micro-hole geometry, micro-hole depth and over-cut in micro-hole diameter are measured. Then, unconventional etching agents are applied on the cross sections to examine micro structural alterations within the substrate. It is observed that the heat-damaged segment is composed of three distinctive layers, which have relatively high thicknesses and vary noticeably with respect to the drilling depth. Crack formation is identified on some sections of the micro-holes even by utilizing low pulse energies during machining. It is concluded that the cracking mechanism is different from cracks encountered on the surfaces when machining is performed by using the conventional EDM process. Moreover, an electrically conductive bridge between work material and debris particles is possible at the end tip during machining which leads to electric discharges between the piled segments of debris particles and the tool electrode during discharging.

  12. Geometry and surface damage in micro electrical discharge machining of micro-holes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ekmekci, Bülent; Sayar, Atakan; Öpöz, Tahsin Tecelli; Erden, Abdulkadir

    2009-01-01

    Geometry and subsurface damage of blind micro-holes produced by micro electrical discharge machining (micro-EDM) is investigated experimentally to explore the relational dependence with respect to pulse energy. For this purpose, micro-holes are machined with various pulse energies on plastic mold steel samples using a tungsten carbide tool electrode and a hydrocarbon-based dielectric liquid. Variations in the micro-hole geometry, micro-hole depth and over-cut in micro-hole diameter are measured. Then, unconventional etching agents are applied on the cross sections to examine micro structural alterations within the substrate. It is observed that the heat-damaged segment is composed of three distinctive layers, which have relatively high thicknesses and vary noticeably with respect to the drilling depth. Crack formation is identified on some sections of the micro-holes even by utilizing low pulse energies during machining. It is concluded that the cracking mechanism is different from cracks encountered on the surfaces when machining is performed by using the conventional EDM process. Moreover, an electrically conductive bridge between work material and debris particles is possible at the end tip during machining which leads to electric discharges between the piled segments of debris particles and the tool electrode during discharging

  13. Distributed generation of sustainable energy as a common pool resource: social acceptance in rural setting of smart (micro-)grid configurations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wolsink, M.; Frantál, B.; Martinát, S.

    2014-01-01

    According to the major trend in the literature on distributed generation adoption of composite multi-generation systems may yield significant benefits in terms of energy efficiency and reduced carbon emissions. The microgrid is a cluster of loads of electricity users and micro-sources that operate

  14. GAMDB: a web resource to connect microRNAs with autophagy in gerontology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Lan; Xie, Tao; Tian, Mao; Li, Jingjing; Song, Sicheng; Ouyang, Liang; Liu, Bo; Cai, Haoyang

    2016-04-01

    MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous ~23 nucleotides (nt) RNAs, regulating gene expression by pairing to the mRNAs of protein-coding genes to direct their post-transcriptional repression. Both in normal and aberrant activities, miRNAs contribute to a recurring paradigm of cellular behaviors in pathological settings, especially in gerontology. Autophagy, a multi-step lysosomal degradation process with function to degrade long-lived proteins and damaged organelles, has significant impact on gerontology. Thus, elucidating how miRNAs participate in autophagy may enlarge the scope of miRNA in autophagy and facilitate researches in gerontology. Herein, based upon the published studies, predicted targets and gerontology-related diseases, we constructed a web resource named Gerontology-Autophagic-MicroRNA Database (GAMDB) (http://gamdb.liu-lab.com/index.php), which contained 836 autophagy-related miRNAs, 197 targeted genes/proteins and 56 aging-related diseases such as Parkinson' disease, Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease. We made use of large amounts of data to elucidate the intricate relationships between microRNA-regulated autophagic mechanisms and gerontology. This database will facilitate better understanding of autophagy regulation network in gerontology and thus promoting gerontology-related therapy in the future. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. The effect of micro nano multi-scale structures on the surface wettability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Sang Min; Jung, Im Deok; Ko, Jong Soo

    2008-01-01

    Surface wettability in terms of the size of the micro nano structures has been examined. To evaluate the influence of the nano structures on the contact angles, we fabricated two different kinds of structures: square-pillar-type microstructure with nano-protrusions and without nano-protrusions. Microstructure and nanostructure arrays were fabricated by Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE) and Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) processes, respectively. And Plasma Polymerized FluoroCarbon (PPFC) was finally deposited onto the fabricated structures. Average value of the measured contact angles from microstructures with nano-protrusions was 6.37 .deg. higher than that from microstructures without nano-protrusions. This result indicates that the nano-protrusions give a crucial effect to increase the contact angle

  16. Fabrication of a Flexible Micro CO Sensor for Micro Reformer Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yi-Man Lo

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available Integration of a reformer and a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC is problematic due to the presence in the gas from the reforming process of a slight amount of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide poisons the catalyst of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell subsequently degrading the fuel cell performance, and necessitating the sublimation of the reaction gas before supplying to fuel cells. Based on the use of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS technology to manufacture flexible micro CO sensors, this study elucidates the relation between a micro CO sensor and different SnO2 thin film thicknesses. Experimental results indicate that the sensitivity increases at temperatures ranging from 100–300 °C. Additionally, the best sensitivity is obtained at a specific temperature. For instance, the best sensitivity of SnO2 thin film thickness of 100 nm at 300 °C is 59.3%. Moreover, a flexible micro CO sensor is embedded into a micro reformer to determine the CO concentration in each part of a micro reformer in the future, demonstrating the inner reaction of a micro reformer in depth and immediate detection.

  17. A versatile multi-user polyimide surface micromachinning process for MEMS applications

    KAUST Repository

    Carreno, Armando Arpys Arevalo

    2015-04-01

    This paper reports a versatile multi-user micro-fabrication process for MEMS devices, the \\'Polyimide MEMS Multi-User Process\\' (PiMMPs). The reported process uses polyimide as the structural material and three separate metallization layers that can be interconnected depending on the desired application. This process enables for the first time the development of out-of-plane compliant mechanisms that can be designed using six different physical principles for actuation and sensing on a wafer from a single fabrication run. These principles are electrostatic motion, thermal bimorph actuation, capacitive sensing, magnetic sensing, thermocouple-based sensing and radio frequency transmission and reception. © 2015 IEEE.

  18. Multi-Objective Design Optimization of an Over-Constrained Flexure-Based Amplifier

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuan Ni

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The optimizing design for enhancement of the micro performance of manipulator based on analytical models is investigated in this paper. By utilizing the established uncanonical linear homogeneous equations, the quasi-static analytical model of the micro-manipulator is built, and the theoretical calculation results are tested by FEA simulations. To provide a theoretical basis for a micro-manipulator being used in high-precision engineering applications, this paper investigates the modal property based on the analytical model. Based on the finite element method, with multipoint constraint equations, the model is built and the results have a good match with the simulation. The following parametric influences studied show that the influences of other objectives on one objective are complicated.  Consequently, the multi-objective optimization by the derived analytical models is carried out to find out the optimal solutions of the manipulator. Besides the inner relationships among these design objectives during the optimization process are discussed.

  19. Virtual commissioning of automated micro-optical assembly

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schlette, Christian; Losch, Daniel; Haag, Sebastian; Zontar, Daniel; Roßmann, Jürgen; Brecher, Christian

    2015-02-01

    In this contribution, we present a novel approach to enable virtual commissioning for process developers in micro-optical assembly. Our approach aims at supporting micro-optics experts to effectively develop assisted or fully automated assembly solutions without detailed prior experience in programming while at the same time enabling them to easily implement their own libraries of expert schemes and algorithms for handling optical components. Virtual commissioning is enabled by a 3D simulation and visualization system in which the functionalities and properties of automated systems are modeled, simulated and controlled based on multi-agent systems. For process development, our approach supports event-, state- and time-based visual programming techniques for the agents and allows for their kinematic motion simulation in combination with looped-in simulation results for the optical components. First results have been achieved for simply switching the agents to command the real hardware setup after successful process implementation and validation in the virtual environment. We evaluated and adapted our system to meet the requirements set by industrial partners-- laser manufacturers as well as hardware suppliers of assembly platforms. The concept is applied to the automated assembly of optical components for optically pumped semiconductor lasers and positioning of optical components for beam-shaping

  20. Characterization and linear array LA48 Commissioner for measuring the position of the multi leaf collimator; Caracterizacion y comisionado del linear array LA48 para medir el posicionamiento del colimador multilaminas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Conles Picos, I.; Cenizo de Castro, E.; Aparicio martin, A. R.; Barrio Lazo, F.; Cesteros Morante, M. J.

    2011-07-01

    The protocol of Quality Control of electron accelerators for medical use of SEFM proposed for multi leaf collimation system (MLC) to verify the positioning of the blades connect. To do this you must find a system with sufficient accuracy and precision and, if possible, easy to assemble and offers real-time results. One of these teams is the Linear Array of PTW-Freiburg (LA48), which consists of a row of 47 ionization chambers, of 0008 cc and 8 mm apart from each other. In this paper, we describe our process of characterization and LA48 commissioner. (Author)

  1. Confocal Analysis of Nuclear Lamina Behavior during Male Meiosis and Spermatogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fabiana Fabbretti

    Full Text Available Lamin family proteins are structural components of a filamentous framework, the nuclear lamina (NL, underlying the inner membrane of nuclear envelope. The NL not only plays a role in nucleus mechanical support and nuclear shaping, but is also involved in many cellular processes including DNA replication, gene expression and chromatin positioning. Spermatogenesis is a very complex differentiation process in which each stage is characterized by nuclear architecture dramatic changes, from the early mitotic stage to the sperm differentiation final stage. Nevertheless, very few data are present in the literature on the NL behavior during this process. Here we show the first and complete description of NL behavior during meiosis and spermatogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster. By confocal imaging, we characterized the NL modifications from mitotic stages, through meiotic divisions to sperm differentiation with an anti-laminDm0 antibody against the major component of the Drosophila NL. We observed that continuous changes in the NL structure occurred in parallel with chromatin reorganization throughout the whole process and that meiotic divisions occurred in a closed context. Finally, we analyzed NL in solofuso meiotic mutant, where chromatin segregation is severely affected, and found the strict correlation between the presence of chromatin and that of NL.

  2. Correlating Corneal Biomechanics and Ocular Biometric Properties with Lamina Cribrosa Measurements in Healthy Subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pérez Bartolomé, Francisco; Martínez de la Casa, Jose María; Camacho Bosca, Irene; Sáenz-Francés, Federico; Aguilar Munoa, Soledad; Martín Juan, Alberto; Garcia-Feijoo, Julian

    2018-01-01

    To examine interrelations between corneal biomechanics, ocular biometric variables and optic disc size (ODS), lamina cribosa depth (LCD) or thickness (LCT) in a healthy population. In a cross-sectional case-control study, the following measurements were made in 81 eyes of 81 participants: axial length, anterior chamber depth, lens thickness, and central corneal thickness using the optical biometer Lenstar LS900; and corneal hysteresis (CH), corneal resistance factor (CRF), Goldman-correlated intraocular pressure (IOPg), and corneal-compensated IOP (IOPcc) using the Ocular Response Analyzer. Serial horizontal enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI OCT) B-scans of the optic nerve head were obtained in each participant. Mean ODS, mean LCD, and mean LCT were measured in 11 equally spaced horizontal B-scans, excluding the LC insertion area under Bruch's membrane and scleral rim. LCD was measured in 74 of 81 eyes (91.36%); LCT in 60/81 (75.3%); ODS in 81/81 (100%). CRF was poorly, but significantly, correlated with LCT (Pearson's R = 0.264; P = 0.045). IOPcc, IOPg, CH, and ocular biometrics variables were poorly (non-significantly) correlated with LCD, LCT, and ODS. CRF was poorly but directly correlated with LCT. No association was detected between CH or ocular biometric variables and ODS, LCD, or LCT.

  3. CASPER: Embedding Power Estimation and Hardware-Controlled Power Management in a Cycle-Accurate Micro-Architecture Simulation Platform for Many-Core Multi-Threading Heterogeneous Processors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arun Ravindran

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Despite the promising performance improvement observed in emerging many-core architectures in high performance processors, high power consumption prohibitively affects their use and marketability in the low-energy sectors, such as embedded processors, network processors and application specific instruction processors (ASIPs. While most chip architects design power-efficient processors by finding an optimal power-performance balance in their design, some use sophisticated on-chip autonomous power management units, which dynamically reduce the voltage or frequencies of idle cores and hence extend battery life and reduce operating costs. For large scale designs of many-core processors, a holistic approach integrating both these techniques at different levels of abstraction can potentially achieve maximal power savings. In this paper we present CASPER, a robust instruction trace driven cycle-accurate many-core multi-threading micro-architecture simulation platform where we have incorporated power estimation models of a wide variety of tunable many-core micro-architectural design parameters, thus enabling processor architects to explore a sufficiently large design space and achieve power-efficient designs. Additionally CASPER is designed to accommodate cycle-accurate models of hardware controlled power management units, enabling architects to experiment with and evaluate different autonomous power-saving mechanisms to study the run-time power-performance trade-offs in embedded many-core processors. We have implemented two such techniques in CASPER–Chipwide Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling, and Performance Aware Core-Specific Frequency Scaling, which show average power savings of 35.9% and 26.2% on a baseline 4-core SPARC based architecture respectively. This power saving data accounts for the power consumption of the power management units themselves. The CASPER simulation platform also provides users with complete support of SPARCV9

  4. Stage I surface crack formation in thermal fatigue: A predictive multi-scale approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Osterstock, S.; Robertson, C.; Sauzay, M.; Aubin, V.; Degallaix, S.

    2010-01-01

    A multi-scale numerical model is developed, predicting the formation of stage I cracks, in thermal fatigue loading conditions. The proposed approach comprises 2 distinct calculation steps. Firstly, the number of cycles to micro-crack initiation is determined, in individual grains. The adopted initiation model depends on local stress-strain conditions, relative to sub-grain plasticity, grain orientation and grain deformation incompatibilities. Secondly, 2-4 grains long surface cracks (stage I) is predicted, by accounting for micro-crack coalescence, in 3 dimensions. The method described in this paper is applied to a 500 grains aggregate, loaded in representative thermal fatigue conditions. Preliminary results provide quantitative insight regarding position, density, spacing and orientations of stage I surface cracks and subsequent formation of crack networks. The proposed method is fully deterministic, provided all grain crystallographic orientations and micro-crack linking thresholds are specified. (authors)

  5. Synchronized motion control and precision positioning compensation of a 3-DOFs macro-micro parallel manipulator fully actuated by piezoelectric actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Quan; Li, Chaodong; Zhang, Jiantao; Zhang, Xu

    2017-11-01

    The macro-micro combined approach, as an effective way to realize trans-scale nano-precision positioning with multi-dimensions and high velocity, plays a significant role in integrated circuit manufacturing field. A 3-degree-of-freedoms (3-DOFs) macro-micro manipulator is designed and analyzed to compromise the conflictions among the large stroke, high precision and multi-DOFs. The macro manipulator is a 3-Prismatic-Revolute-Revolute (3-PRR) structure parallel manipulator which is driven by three linear ultrasonic motors. The dynamic model and the cross-coupling error based synchronized motion controller of the 3-PRR parallel manipulator are theoretical analyzed and experimental tested. To further improve the positioning accuracy, a 3-DOFs monolithic compliant manipulator actuated by three piezoelectric stack actuators is designed. Then a multilayer BP neural network based inverse kinematic model identifier is developed to perform the positioning control. Finally, by forming the macro-micro structure, the dual stage manipulator successfully achieved the positioning task from the point (2 mm, 2 mm, 0 rad) back to the original point (0 mm, 0 mm, 0 rad) with the translation errors in X and Y directions less than ±50 nm and the rotation error around Z axis less than ±1 μrad, respectively.

  6. Mesoscopic Strains Maps in Woven Composite Laminas During Off-axis Tension

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicoletto G.

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available The mechanics of woven carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP composites is influenced by the complex architecture of the reinforcement phase. Computational (i.e. finite element based approaches have been used increasingly to model not only the global laminate stiffness, but also damage evolution and laminate strength. The modeling combines the identification of the architectural unit cell (UC, the selection of suitable constitutive models of the different phases, the creation of a fine discretization of the UC in finite elements, the application of an incremental solution procedure that solves iteratively for the stresses and strains in the UC, [1]. The experimental validation of computational models is carried out mainly at the macroscopical level, i.e. simulation of the macroscopic stress-strain curve. Damage, however, is a localized, straindependent phenomenon and therefore only accurate strain distribution within the UC (at the mesolevel can identify critical conditions in terms of damage location, extension and evolution. The validation of computational damage procedures is a key task and full-field optical strain analysis methods appear the ideal instrument. However, only limited examples of direct finte element method (FEM vs experimental strain correlation are found because of the limited sensitivity and spatial resolution of some techniques and the complexity and applicative difficulty of others. The aim of the present paper is to present the application of the digital image correlation (DIC technique, [2], to the full-field strain analysis at the mesoscopic level (i.e. within the UC of a woven CFRP lamina when the direction of loading forms an angle to the material direction. The material under consideration is a woven carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composite. Orthogonal yarns, each made of of several thousand fibers, are woven according the twill-weave architecture is shown in Fig. 1a. Single-ply laminas were manufactured and tested to

  7. sRNAbench: profiling of small RNAs and its sequence variants in single or multi-species high-throughput experiments

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Barturen, G.; Rueda, A.; Hamberg, M.; Alganza, A.; Lebron, R.; Kotsyfakis, Michalis; Shi, B.-J.; Koppers-Lalic, D.; Hackenberg, M.

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 1, SEP 30 2014 (2014), s. 21-31 ISSN 2084-7173 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : microRNA * small RNA * isomiRs * expression profiling * multi-species experiment * webserver Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology

  8. 4E analysis and multi objective optimization of a micro gas turbine and solid oxide fuel cell hybrid combined heat and power system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanaye, Sepehr; Katebi, Arash

    2014-02-01

    Energy, exergy, economic and environmental (4E) analysis and optimization of a hybrid solid oxide fuel cell and micro gas turbine (SOFC-MGT) system for use as combined generation of heat and power (CHP) is investigated in this paper. The hybrid system is modeled and performance related results are validated using available data in literature. Then a multi-objective optimization approach based on genetic algorithm is incorporated. Eight system design parameters are selected for the optimization procedure. System exergy efficiency and total cost rate (including capital or investment cost, operational cost and penalty cost of environmental emissions) are the two objectives. The effects of fuel unit cost, capital investment and system power output on optimum design parameters are also investigated. It is observed that the most sensitive and important design parameter in the hybrid system is fuel cell current density which has a significant effect on the balance between system cost and efficiency. The selected design point from the Pareto distribution of optimization results indicates a total system exergy efficiency of 60.7%, with estimated electrical energy cost 0.057 kW-1 h-1, and payback period of about 6.3 years for the investment.

  9. Numerical and Experimental Investigations of Humping Phenomena in Laser Micro Welding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Otto, Andreas; Patschger, Andreas; Seiler, Michael

    The Humping effect is a phenomenon which is observed approximately since 50 years in various welding procedures and is characterized by droplets due to a pile-up of the melt pool. It occurs within a broad range of process parameters. Particularly during micro welding, humping effect is critical due to typically high feed rates. In the past, essentially two approaches (fluid-dynamic approach of streaming melt within the molten pool and the Plateau-Rayleigh instability of a liquid jet) were discussed in order to explain the occurrence of the humping effect. But none of both can fully explain all observed effects. For this reason, experimental studies in micro welding of thin metal foils were performed in order to determine the influence of process parameters on the occurrence of humping effects. The experimental observations were compared with results from numerical multi-physical simulations (incorporating beam propagation, incoupling, heat transfer, fluid dynamics etc.) to provide a deeper understanding of the causes for hump formation.

  10. A horizontal multi-purpose microbeam system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Y.; Randers-Pehrson, G.; Marino, S. A.; Garty, G.; Harken, A.; Brenner, D. J.

    2018-04-01

    A horizontal multi-purpose microbeam system with a single electrostatic quadruplet focusing lens has been developed at the Columbia University Radiological Research Accelerator Facility (RARAF). It is coupled with the RARAF 5.5 MV Singleton accelerator (High Voltage Engineering Europa, the Netherlands) and provides micrometer-size beam for single cell irradiation experiments. It is also used as the primary beam for a neutron microbeam and microPIXE (particle induced x-ray emission) experiment because of its high particle fluence. The optimization of this microbeam has been investigated with ray tracing simulations and the beam spot size has been verified by different measurements.

  11. Prediction of residual stress distribution in multi-stacked thin film by curvature measurement and iterative FEA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Hyeon Chang; Park, Jun Hyub

    2005-01-01

    In this study, residual stress distribution in multi-stacked film by MEMS (Micro-Electro Mechanical System) process is predicted using Finite Element Method (FEM). We develop a finite element program for REsidual Stress Analysis (RESA) in multi-stacked film. The RESA predicts the distribution of residual stress field in multi-stacked film. Curvatures of multi-stacked film and single layers which consist of the multi-stacked film are used as the input to the RESA. To measure those curvatures is easier than to measure a distribution of residual stress. To verify the RESA, mean stresses and stress gradients of single and multilayers are measured. The mean stresses are calculated from curvatures of deposited wafer by using Stoney's equation. The stress gradients are calculated from the vertical deflection at the end of cantilever beam. To measure the mean stress of each layer in multi-stacked film, we measure the curvature of wafer with the film after etching layer by layer in multi-stacked film

  12. Design and fabrication of self-powered micro-harvesters rotating and vibrated micro-power systems

    CERN Document Server

    Pan, C T; Lin, Liwei; Chen, Ying-Chung

    2013-01-01

    Presents the latest methods for designing and fabricating self-powered micro-generators and energy harvester systems Design and Fabrication of Self-Powered Micro-Harvesters introduces the latest trends of self-powered generators and energy harvester systems, including the design, analysis and fabrication of micro power systems. Presented in four distinct parts, the authors explore the design and fabrication of: vibration-induced electromagnetic micro-generators; rotary electromagnetic micro-generators; flexible piezo-micro-generator with various widths; and PVDF electrospunpiezo-energy with

  13. Excellent endurance of MWCNT anode in micro-sized Microbial Fuel Cell

    KAUST Repository

    Mink, Justine E.; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

    2012-01-01

    Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) are a sustainable technology for energy production using bioelectrochemical reactions from bacteria. Microfabrication of micro-sized MFCs allows rapid and precise production of devices that can be integrated into Lab-on-a-chip or other ultra low power devices. We show a multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) integrated anode in a biocompatible and high power and current producing device. Long term testing of the MWCNT anode also reveals a high endurance and durable anode material that can be adapted as a long-lasting power source. © 2012 IEEE.

  14. Excellent endurance of MWCNT anode in micro-sized Microbial Fuel Cell

    KAUST Repository

    Mink, Justine E.

    2012-08-01

    Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) are a sustainable technology for energy production using bioelectrochemical reactions from bacteria. Microfabrication of micro-sized MFCs allows rapid and precise production of devices that can be integrated into Lab-on-a-chip or other ultra low power devices. We show a multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) integrated anode in a biocompatible and high power and current producing device. Long term testing of the MWCNT anode also reveals a high endurance and durable anode material that can be adapted as a long-lasting power source. © 2012 IEEE.

  15. Multi-level functionality of social media in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Joo-Young; Moro, Munehito

    2014-07-01

    This study examines the multi-level functionalities of social media in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake of 11 March 2011. Based on a conceptual model of multi-level story flows of social media (Jung and Moro, 2012), the study analyses the multiple functionalities that were ascribed to social media by individuals, organisations, and macro-level social systems (government and the mass media) after the earthquake. Based on survey data, a review of Twitter timelines and secondary sources, the authors derive five functionalities of social media: interpersonal communications with others (micro level); channels for local governments; organisations and local media (meso level); channels for mass media (macro level); information sharing and gathering (cross level); and direct channels between micro-/meso- and macro-level agents. The study sheds light on the future potential of social media in disaster situations and suggests how to design an effective communication network to prepare for emergency situations. © 2014 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2014.

  16. Development of 3d micro-nano hybrid patterns using anodized aluminum and micro-indentation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, Hong Gue; Kwon, Jong Tae; Seo, Young Ho; Kim, Byeong Hee

    2008-01-01

    We developed a simple and cost-effective method of fabricating 3D micro-nano hybrid patterns in which micro-indentation is applied on the anodized aluminum substrate. Nano-patterns were formed first on the aluminum substrate, and then micro-patterns were fabricated by deforming the nano-patterned aluminum substrate. Hemispherical nano-patterns with a 150 nm-diameter on an aluminum substrate were fabricated by anodizing and alumina removing process. Then, micro-pyramid patterns with a side-length of 50 μm were formed on the nano-patterns using micro-indentation. To verify 3D micro-nano hybrid patterns, we replicated 3D micro-nano hybrid patterns by a hot-embossing process. 3D micro-nano hybrid patterns may be used in nano-photonic devices and nano-biochips applications

  17. Development of 3d micro-nano hybrid patterns using anodized aluminum and micro-indentation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shin, Hong Gue; Kwon, Jong Tae [Division of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics, Kangwon National University, 1 Kangwondaehakgil, Chunchon, Gangwon-do, 200-701 (Korea, Republic of); Seo, Young Ho [Division of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics, Kangwon National University, 1 Kangwondaehakgil, Chunchon, Gangwon-do, 200-701 (Korea, Republic of)], E-mail: mems@kangwon.ac.kr; Kim, Byeong Hee [Division of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics, Kangwon National University, 1 Kangwondaehakgil, Chunchon, Gangwon-do, 200-701 (Korea, Republic of)

    2008-07-31

    We developed a simple and cost-effective method of fabricating 3D micro-nano hybrid patterns in which micro-indentation is applied on the anodized aluminum substrate. Nano-patterns were formed first on the aluminum substrate, and then micro-patterns were fabricated by deforming the nano-patterned aluminum substrate. Hemispherical nano-patterns with a 150 nm-diameter on an aluminum substrate were fabricated by anodizing and alumina removing process. Then, micro-pyramid patterns with a side-length of 50 {mu}m were formed on the nano-patterns using micro-indentation. To verify 3D micro-nano hybrid patterns, we replicated 3D micro-nano hybrid patterns by a hot-embossing process. 3D micro-nano hybrid patterns may be used in nano-photonic devices and nano-biochips applications.

  18. The bit slice micro-processor 'GESPRO' as a project in the UA2 experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Becam, C.; Bernaudin, P.; Delanghe, J.; Mencik, M.; Merkel, B.; Plothow, H.; Fest, H.M.; Lecoq, J.; Martin, H.; Meyer, J.M.

    1981-01-01

    The bit slice micro-processor GESPRO, as it is proposed for use in the UA 2 data acquisition chain and trigger system, is a CAMAC module plugged into a standard Elliott System crate via which it communicates as a slave with its host computer (ND, DEC). It has full control of CAMAC as a master unit. GESPRO is a 24 bit machine (150 ns effective cycle time) with multi-mode memory addressing capacity of 64 K words. The micro-processor structure uses 5 busses including pipe-line registers to mask access time and 16 interrupt levels. The micro-program memory capacity is 2 K (RAM) words of 48 bits each. A special hardwired module allows floating point (as well as integer) multiplication of 24 x 24 bits, result in 48 bits, in about 200 ns. This micro-processor could be used in the UA2 data acquisition chain and trigger system for the following tasks: a) online data reduction, i.e. to read DURANDAL (fast ADC's = the hardware trigger in the experiment), process the information (effective mass calculation, etc.) resulting in accepting or rejecting the event. b) read out and analysis of the accepted data (collect statistical information). c) preprocess the data (calculation of pointers, address decoding, etc.). The UA2 version of GESPRO is under construction, programs and micro-programs are under development. Hardware and software will be tested with simulated data. First results are expected in about one year from now. (orig.)

  19. Methods and systems for micro machines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stalford, Harold L.

    2018-03-06

    A micro machine may be in or less than the micrometer domain. The micro machine may include a micro actuator and a micro shaft coupled to the micro actuator. The micro shaft is operable to be driven by the micro actuator. A tool is coupled to the micro shaft and is operable to perform work in response to at least motion of the micro shaft.

  20. Microfluidic-Based Multi-Organ Platforms for Drug Discovery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmad Rezaei Kolahchi

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Development of predictive multi-organ models before implementing costly clinical trials is central for screening the toxicity, efficacy, and side effects of new therapeutic agents. Despite significant efforts that have been recently made to develop biomimetic in vitro tissue models, the clinical application of such platforms is still far from reality. Recent advances in physiologically-based pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PBPK-PD modeling, micro- and nanotechnology, and in silico modeling have enabled single- and multi-organ platforms for investigation of new chemical agents and tissue-tissue interactions. This review provides an overview of the principles of designing microfluidic-based organ-on-chip models for drug testing and highlights current state-of-the-art in developing predictive multi-organ models for studying the cross-talk of interconnected organs. We further discuss the challenges associated with establishing a predictive body-on-chip (BOC model such as the scaling, cell types, the common medium, and principles of the study design for characterizing the interaction of drugs with multiple targets.

  1. A Review of Distributed Control Techniques for Power Quality Improvement in Micro-grids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeeshan, Hafiz Muhammad Ali; Nisar, Fatima; Hassan, Ahmad

    2017-05-01

    Micro-grid is typically visualized as a small scale local power supply network dependent on distributed energy resources (DERs) that can operate simultaneously with grid as well as in standalone manner. The distributed generator of a micro-grid system is usually a converter-inverter type topology acting as a non-linear load, and injecting harmonics into the distribution feeder. Hence, the negative effects on power quality by the usage of distributed generation sources and components are clearly witnessed. In this paper, a review of distributed control approaches for power quality improvement is presented which encompasses harmonic compensation, loss mitigation and optimum power sharing in multi-source-load distributed power network. The decentralized subsystems for harmonic compensation and active-reactive power sharing accuracy have been analysed in detail. Results have been validated to be consistent with IEEE standards.

  2. Surface-sensitive conductivity measurement using a micro multi-point probe approach

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Perkins, Edward; Barreto, Lucas; Wells, Justin

    2013-01-01

    An instrument for microscale electrical transport measurements in ultra-high vacuum is presented. The setup is constructed around collinear lithographically-created multi-point probes with a contact spacing down to 500 nm. Most commonly, twelve-point probes are used. These probes are approached...... measurements with an equidistant four-point probe for a wide range of contact spacings. In this way, it is possible to distinguish between bulk-like and surface-like conduction. The paper describes the design of the instrument and the approach to data and error analysis. Application examples are given...

  3. DIANA-microT web server v5.0: service integration into miRNA functional analysis workflows.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paraskevopoulou, Maria D; Georgakilas, Georgios; Kostoulas, Nikos; Vlachos, Ioannis S; Vergoulis, Thanasis; Reczko, Martin; Filippidis, Christos; Dalamagas, Theodore; Hatzigeorgiou, A G

    2013-07-01

    MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small endogenous RNA molecules that regulate gene expression through mRNA degradation and/or translation repression, affecting many biological processes. DIANA-microT web server (http://www.microrna.gr/webServer) is dedicated to miRNA target prediction/functional analysis, and it is being widely used from the scientific community, since its initial launch in 2009. DIANA-microT v5.0, the new version of the microT server, has been significantly enhanced with an improved target prediction algorithm, DIANA-microT-CDS. It has been updated to incorporate miRBase version 18 and Ensembl version 69. The in silico-predicted miRNA-gene interactions in Homo sapiens, Mus musculus, Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans exceed 11 million in total. The web server was completely redesigned, to host a series of sophisticated workflows, which can be used directly from the on-line web interface, enabling users without the necessary bioinformatics infrastructure to perform advanced multi-step functional miRNA analyses. For instance, one available pipeline performs miRNA target prediction using different thresholds and meta-analysis statistics, followed by pathway enrichment analysis. DIANA-microT web server v5.0 also supports a complete integration with the Taverna Workflow Management System (WMS), using the in-house developed DIANA-Taverna Plug-in. This plug-in provides ready-to-use modules for miRNA target prediction and functional analysis, which can be used to form advanced high-throughput analysis pipelines.

  4. Integration of micro milling highspeed spindle on a microEDM-milling machine set-up

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    De Grave, Arnaud; Hansen, Hans Nørgaard; Andolfatto, Loic

    2009-01-01

    In order to cope with repositioning errors and to combine the fast removal rate of micro milling with the precision and small feature size achievable with micro EDM milling, a hybrid micro-milling and micro-EDM milling centre was built and tested. The aim was to build an affordable set-up, easy...... by micro milling. Examples of test parts are shown and used as an experimental validation....

  5. Aluminum Templates of Different Sizes with Micro-, Nano- and Micro/Nano-Structures for Cell Culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ming-Liang Yen

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available This study investigates the results of cell cultures on aluminum (Al templates with flat-structures, micro-structures, nano-structures and micro/nano-structures. An Al template with flat-structure was obtained by electrolytic polishing; an Al template with micro-structure was obtained by micro-powder blasting; an Al template with nano-structure was obtained by aluminum anodization; and an Al template with micro/nano-structure was obtained by micro-powder blasting and then anodization. Osteoblast-like cells were cultured on aluminum templates with various structures. The microculture tetrazolium test assay was utilized to assess the adhesion, elongation, and proliferation behaviors of cultured osteoblast-like cells on aluminum templates with flat-structures, micro-structures, nano-structures, and micro/nano-structures. The results showed that the surface characterization of micro/nano-structure of aluminum templates had superhydrophilic property, and these also revealed that an aluminum template with micro/nano-structure could provide the most suitable growth situation for cell culture.

  6. A new mechanism for maintaining diversity of Pareto archive in multi-objective optimization

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Hájek, J.; Szöllös, A.; Šístek, Jakub

    2010-01-01

    Roč. 41, 7-8 (2010), s. 1031-1057 ISSN 0965-9978 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA100760702 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10190503 Keywords : multi-objective optimization * micro-genetic algorithm * diversity * Pareto archive Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 1.004, year: 2010 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965997810000451

  7. A new mechanism for maintaining diversity of Pareto archive in multi-objective optimization

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Hájek, J.; Szöllös, A.; Šístek, Jakub

    2010-01-01

    Roč. 41, 7-8 (2010), s. 1031-1057 ISSN 0965-9978 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA100760702 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10190503 Keywords : multi-objective optimization * micro- genetic algorithm * diversity * Pareto archive Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 1.004, year: 2010 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965997810000451

  8. Vibration piezoelectric energy harvester with multi-beam

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cui, Yan, E-mail: yanc@dlut.edu.cn; Zhang, Qunying, E-mail: zhangqunying89@126.com; Yao, Minglei, E-mail: yaomingleiok@126.com [Key Laboratory for Precision and Non-traditional Machining Technology of the Ministry of Education, Dalian University of Technology, 116024, Dalian, Liaoning Province (China); Dong, Weijie, E-mail: dongwj@dlut.edu.cn [School of Electronic and Information Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, 116024, Dalian, Liaoning Province (China); Gao, Shiqiao, E-mail: gaoshq@bit.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Explosion Science and Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, 100081, Beijing Province (China)

    2015-04-15

    This work presents a novel vibration piezoelectric energy harvester, which is a micro piezoelectric cantilever with multi-beam. The characteristics of the PZT (Pb(Zr{sub 0.53}Ti{sub 0.47})O{sub 3}) thin film were measured; XRD (X-ray diffraction) pattern and AFM (Atomic Force Microscope) image of the PZT thin film were measured, and show that the PZT (Pb(Zr{sub 0.53}Ti{sub 0.47})O{sub 3}) thin film is highly (110) crystal oriented; the leakage current is maintained in nA magnitude, the residual polarisation Pr is 37.037 μC/cm{sup 2}, the coercive field voltage Ec is 27.083 kV/cm, and the piezoelectric constant d{sub 33} is 28 pC/N. In order to test the dynamic performance of the energy harvester, a new measuring system was set up. The maximum output voltage of the single beam of the multi-beam can achieve 80.78 mV under an acceleration of 1 g at 260 Hz of frequency; the maximum output voltage of the single beam of the multi-beam is almost 20 mV at 1400 Hz frequency. .

  9. Elementary particles as micro-universes or micro-black holes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodrigues Junior, W.A.

    1985-01-01

    The idea that elementary particles can be presented as micro-universes and/or micro-black holes (Lorentzian manifolds) is presented and the fundamental mathematical problem associated with the simplest world manifold that 'contains' both the macrocosm and the microcosmes is discussed. (Author) [pt

  10. Corrosion behaviour in saline environments of single-layer titanium and aluminium coatings, and of Ti/Al alternated multi-layers elaborated by a multi-beam PVD technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Merati, Abdenacer

    1994-01-01

    This research thesis reports the characterization of anti-corrosion titanium and aluminium coatings deposited on a 35CD4 steel under the form of mono-metallic layers or alternated Ti/Al multi-layers, and obtained by a multibeam PVD technique. The influence of different parameters is studied: single-layer thickness (5, 15 or 30 micro-metres), multi-layer distribution (5 to 6) and substrate (smooth or threaded). Layer nature and microstructure are studied by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), as well as corrosion toughness in aqueous saline environments. Coated threaded samples have been studied after tightening tests. It appears that titanium layers are denser and more uniform than aluminium layers, and that multi-layer coatings provide a better protection than single-layer coatings. The best behaviour is obtained when titanium is in contact with steel, and aluminium is the outer layer in contact with the corroding environment [fr

  11. [Researches on biomechanics of micro-implant-bone interface and optimum design of micro implant's neck].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Feng; Zhang, Lei; Zhang, Yi; Song, Jin-lin; Fan, Yuboa

    2007-07-01

    To compare and analyze the stress distribution at the micro-implant-bone interface based on the different micro-implant-bone conditioned under orthodontic load, and to optimize the design of micro implant's neck. An adult skull with all tooth was scanned by spiral CT, and the data were imported into computer for three-dimensional reconstruction with software Mimics 9.0. The three dimensional finite element models of three micro-implant-bone interfaces(initial stability, full osseointegration and fibrous integration) were analyzed by finite element analysis software ABAQUS6.5. The primary stress distributions of different micro-implant-bone conditions were evaluated when 2N force was loaded. Then the diameter less than 1.5 mm of the micro implant's neck was added with 0.2 mm, to compare the stress distribution of the modified micro-implant-bone interface with traditional type. The stress mostly concentrated on the neck of micro implant and the full osseointegration interface in all models showed the lowest strain level. Compared with the traditional type, the increasing diameter neck of the micro implant obviously decreased the stress level in all the three conditions. The micro-implant-bone interface and the diameter of micro implant's neck both are the important influence factors to the stress distribution of micro implant.

  12. Integration of electrochemistry in micro-total analysis systems for biochemical assays: recent developments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Xiaoli; Zhang, Song; Chen, Hui; Kong, Jilie

    2009-11-15

    Micro-total analysis systems (microTAS) integrate different analytical operations like sample preparation, separation and detection into a single microfabricated device. With the outstanding advantages of low cost, satisfactory analytical efficiency and flexibility in design, highly integrated and miniaturized devices from the concept of microTAS have gained widespread applications, especially in biochemical assays. Electrochemistry is shown to be quite compatible with microanalytical systems for biochemical assays, because of its attractive merits such as simplicity, rapidity, high sensitivity, reduced power consumption, and sample/reagent economy. This review presents recent developments in the integration of electrochemistry in microdevices for biochemical assays. Ingenious microelectrode design and fabrication methods, and versatility of electrochemical techniques are involved. Practical applications of such integrated microsystem in biochemical assays are focused on in situ analysis, point-of-care testing and portable devices. Electrochemical techniques are apparently suited to microsystems, since easy microfabrication of electrochemical elements and a high degree of integration with multi-analytical functions can be achieved at low cost. Such integrated microsystems will play an increasingly important role for analysis of small volume biochemical samples. Work is in progress toward new microdevice design and applications.

  13. Application of flexible micro temperature sensor in oxidative steam reforming by a methanol micro reformer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Chi-Yuan; Lee, Shuo-Jen; Shen, Chia-Chieh; Yeh, Chuin-Tih; Chang, Chi-Chung; Lo, Yi-Man

    2011-01-01

    Advances in fuel cell applications reflect the ability of reformers to produce hydrogen. This work presents a flexible micro temperature sensor that is fabricated based on micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology and integrated into a flat micro methanol reformer to observe the conditions inside that reformer. The micro temperature sensor has higher accuracy and sensitivity than a conventionally adopted thermocouple. Despite various micro temperature sensor applications, integrated micro reformers are still relatively new. This work proposes a novel method for integrating micro methanol reformers and micro temperature sensors, subsequently increasing the methanol conversion rate and the hydrogen production rate by varying the fuel supply rate and the water/methanol ratio. Importantly, the proposed micro temperature sensor adequately controls the interior temperature during oxidative steam reforming of methanol (OSRM), with the relevant parameters optimized as well.

  14. Application of Flexible Micro Temperature Sensor in Oxidative Steam Reforming by a Methanol Micro Reformer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yi-Man Lo

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Advances in fuel cell applications reflect the ability of reformers to produce hydrogen. This work presents a flexible micro temperature sensor that is fabricated based on micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS technology and integrated into a flat micro methanol reformer to observe the conditions inside that reformer. The micro temperature sensor has higher accuracy and sensitivity than a conventionally adopted thermocouple. Despite various micro temperature sensor applications, integrated micro reformers are still relatively new. This work proposes a novel method for integrating micro methanol reformers and micro temperature sensors, subsequently increasing the methanol conversion rate and the hydrogen production rate by varying the fuel supply rate and the water/methanol ratio. Importantly, the proposed micro temperature sensor adequately controls the interior temperature during oxidative steam reforming of methanol (OSRM, with the relevant parameters optimized as well.

  15. Climate technology transfer at the local, national and global levels: analyzing the relationships between multi-level structures

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tessema Abissa, Fisseha; Tessema Abissa, Fisseha

    2014-01-01

    This thesis examines the relationships between multi-leveled decision structures for climate technology transfer through an analysis of top-down macro-policy and bottom-up micro-implementation. It examines how international climate technology transfer policy under the UNFCCC filters down to the

  16. Microscopic modeling of multi-lane highway traffic flow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hodas, Nathan O.; Jagota, Anand

    2003-12-01

    We discuss a microscopic model for the study of multi-lane highway traffic flow dynamics. Each car experiences a force resulting from a combination of the desire of the driver to attain a certain velocity, aerodynamic drag, and change of the force due to car-car interactions. The model also includes multi-lane simulation capability and the ability to add and remove obstructions. We implement the model via a Java applet, which is used to simulate traffic jam formation, the effect of bottlenecks on traffic flow, and the existence of light, medium, and heavy traffic flow. The simulations also provide insight into how the properties of individual cars result in macroscopic behavior. Because the investigation of emergent characteristics is so common in physics, the study of traffic in this manner sheds new light on how the micro-to-macro transition works in general.

  17. Nozzle fabrication for Micro Propulsion of a Micro-Satellite

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Louwerse, M.C.; Jansen, Henricus V.; Groenendijk, M.N.W.; Elwenspoek, Michael Curt

    2008-01-01

    To enable formation flying of micro satellites, small sized propulsion systems are required. Our research focuses on the miniaturization of a feeding and thruster system by means of micro system technology (MST). Three fabrication methods have been investigated to make a conical converging-diverging

  18. Fabrication of Biochips with Micro Fluidic Channels by Micro End-milling and Powder Blasting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dong Sam Park

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available For microfabrications of biochips with micro fluidic channels, a large number of microfabrication techniques based on silicon or glass-based Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS technologies were proposed in the last decade. In recent years, for low cost and mass production, polymer-based microfabrication techniques by microinjection molding and micro hot embossing have been proposed. These techniques, which require a proper photoresist, mask, UV light exposure, developing, and electroplating as a preprocess, are considered to have some problems. In this study, we propose a new microfabrication technology which consists of micro end-milling and powder blasting. This technique could be directly applied to fabricate the metal mold without any preprocesses. The metal mold with micro-channels is machined by micro end-milling, and then, burrs generated in the end-milling process are removed by powder blasting. From the experimental results, micro end-milling combined with powder blasting could be applied effectively for fabrication of the injection mold of biochips with micro fluidic channels.

  19. Micro-droplet formation via 3D printed micro channel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jian, Zhen; Zhang, Jiaming; Li, Erqiang; Thoroddsen, Sigurdur T.

    2016-11-01

    Low cost, fast-designed and fast-fabricated 3D micro channel was used to create micro-droplets. Capillary with an outer diameter of 1.5 mm and an inner diameter of 150 μm was inserted into a 3D printed cylindrical channel with a diameter of 2 mm . Flow rate of the two inlets, insert depth, liquid (density, viscosity and surface tension) and solid (roughness, contact angle) properties all play a role in the droplet formation. Different regimes - dripping, jetting, unstable state - were observed in the micro-channel on varying these parameters. With certain parameter combinations, successive formation of micro-droplets with equal size was observed and its size can be much smaller than the smallest channel size. Based on our experimental results, the droplet formation via 3D printed micro T-junction was investigated through direct numerical simulations with a code called Gerris. Reynolds numbers Re = ρUL / μ and Weber numbers We = ρU2 L / σ of the two liquids were introduced to measure the liquid effect. The parameter regime where different physical dynamics occur was studied and the regime transition was observed with certain threshold values. Qualitative and quantitative analysis were performed as well between simulations and experiments.

  20. Levitating Micro-Actuators: A Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kirill V. Poletkin

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Through remote forces, levitating micro-actuators completely eliminate mechanical attachment between the stationary and moving parts of a micro-actuator, thus providing a fundamental solution to overcoming the domination of friction over inertial forces at the micro-scale. Eliminating the usual mechanical constraints promises micro-actuators with increased operational capabilities and low dissipation energy. Further reduction of friction and hence dissipation by means of vacuum leads to dramatic increases of performance when compared to mechanically tethered counterparts. In order to efficiently employ the benefits provided by levitation, micro-actuators are classified according to their physical principles as well as by their combinations. Different operating principles, structures, materials and fabrication methods are considered. A detailed analysis of the significant achievements in the technology of micro-optics, micro-magnets and micro-coil fabrication, along with the development of new magnetic materials during recent decades, which has driven the creation of new application domains for levitating micro-actuators is performed.

  1. Cavitational micro-particles: plasma formation mechanisms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bica, Ioan

    2005-01-01

    Cavitational micro-particles are a class to which the micro-spheres, the micro-tubes and the octopus-shaped micro-particles belong. The cavitational micro-particles (micro-spheres, micro-tubes and octopus-shaped micro-particles) at an environmental pressure. The micro-spheres, the micro-tubes and the ligaments of the octopus-shaped micro-particles are produced in the argon plasma and are formed of vapors with low values of the molar concentration in comparison with the molar density of the gas and vapor mixture, the first one on the unstable and the last two on the stable movement of the vapors. The ligaments of the octopus-shaped micro-particles are open at the top for well-chosen values of the sub-cooling of the vapor and gas cylinders. The nitrogen in the air favors the formation of pores in the wall of the micro-spheres. In this paper we present the cavitational micro-particles, their production in the plasma and some mechanisms for their formation in the plasma. (author)

  2. Micro-patterned agarose gel devices for single-cell high-throughput microscopy of E. coli cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Priest, David G; Tanaka, Nobuyuki; Tanaka, Yo; Taniguchi, Yuichi

    2017-12-21

    High-throughput microscopy of bacterial cells elucidated fundamental cellular processes including cellular heterogeneity and cell division homeostasis. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based microfluidic devices provide advantages including precise positioning of cells and throughput, however device fabrication is time-consuming and requires specialised skills. Agarose pads are a popular alternative, however cells often clump together, which hinders single cell quantitation. Here, we imprint agarose pads with micro-patterned 'capsules', to trap individual cells and 'lines', to direct cellular growth outwards in a straight line. We implement this micro-patterning into multi-pad devices called CapsuleHotel and LineHotel for high-throughput imaging. CapsuleHotel provides ~65,000 capsule structures per mm 2 that isolate individual Escherichia coli cells. In contrast, LineHotel provides ~300 line structures per mm that direct growth of micro-colonies. With CapsuleHotel, a quantitative single cell dataset of ~10,000 cells across 24 samples can be acquired and analysed in under 1 hour. LineHotel allows tracking growth of > 10 micro-colonies across 24 samples simultaneously for up to 4 generations. These easy-to-use devices can be provided in kit format, and will accelerate discoveries in diverse fields ranging from microbiology to systems and synthetic biology.

  3. Agent based approach for engineering and control of micro-grids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Basso, Gillian

    2013-01-01

    Energy management is, nowadays, a subject of uttermost importance. Indeed, we are facing growing concerns such as petroleum reserve depletion, earth global warming or power quality (e.g. avoiding blackouts during peak times). Smart grids is an attempt to solve such problems, by adding to power grids bidirectional communications and ICT capabilities in order to provide an intelligent autonomic management for the grid. This thesis focuses on the management of micro-grids thanks to multi-agent systems (MAS). Micro-grids are low-power networks, composed of small and decentralized energy producers (possibly renewable) and consumers. These networks can be connected to the main grid or islanded, this make them more complex. Due to their complexity and their geographical distribution, smart grids and micro-grids can not be easily managed by a centralized system. Distributed artificial intelligences especially MAS appear to be a solution to resolve problems related to smart grids. Firstly we defined an approach implementing feedback loops. These feedback loops exist in complex systems which can be defined with several abstraction levels. Two levels are interacting. The micro-level contains a set of agents owning behaviours that can be combined. The result of the combination impact the state of the system. The macro-level processes these influences to define a new state of the system which will impact the agents behaviours at the micro-level. This feedback loop separates behaviours on several levels. This approach is used to defined a demand and supply matching problem in micro-grid. This problem afford to manage a set of goals which currently are independently processed. Finally, an application is developed using MAS that ensures grid stability thanks to storage systems. This application was thought to be integrated to the approach detailed above. Secondly, a grid simulator id developed. This simulator allows dynamic control of devices. It is based on three main principles

  4. Arquitecturas Centralizadas de Coordinación. Extrapolación del Fútbol de Robots al Control de Modo de Operaciones de Micro-Redes

    OpenAIRE

    GUARNIZO MARIN, JOSE GUILLERMO

    2016-01-01

    [EN] Coordination architectures in multi-agent systems represent an important topic, due to the agents must be organized in order to get a specific objective. In these kinds of systems, robot soccer is shown as an environment with a common frame for research in team coordination. The importance of these kinds of architectures is that the application in other kinds of systems which require coordination. An islanded micro-grid corresponds to a system which can be modeled as multi-agent system, ...

  5. Visibility of lamina dura and periodontal space on periapical radiographs and its comparison with cone beam computed tomography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nimish Prakash

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: To retrospectively evaluate the subjective quality of images of cone beam computed tomography and compare with periapical radiographs (PR to determine whether lamina dura (LD and periodontal ligament (PDL space can be detected and reported. Study Design: Sixty scans for anterior and posterior teeth with PR were included and scored on four point subjective scale. Scores assessed using Wilcoxon Signed rank test with the level of statistical significance P < 0.05. Results: Maximum number of ties for LD in anteriors was seen in coronal section (16 and in posteriors with sagittal section (17. Assessing PDL space in anteriors, high number of ties was seen with coronal section (25 and sagittal section (21, while for posteriors showed a high number of ties in all sections. Conclusions: LD could be observed and reported in coronal section for anteriors and in sagittal section for posteriors and PDL space in all the sections for both anteriors and posteriors.

  6. Micro-educational reproduction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andrade, Stefan Bastholm; Thomsen, Jens Peter

    2017-01-01

    This study analyzes the persistence of educational inequality in advanced industrialized societies with expanding and differentiated education systems. Using Denmark as a case, we investigate changes in immobility patterns for cohorts born 1960–1981 and develop a new micro-educational classificat...... forms of reproduction. In addition, the micro-educational approach far better explains the immobility of sons than it explains that of daughters, revealing important gender differences in the immobility patterns for sons and daughters......., in particular for sons. We also find great variation in immobility for specific micro-educations within the university level. Studies of educational immobility would therefore benefit from paying attention to micro-educational classifications, because they capture patterns of multidimensional, disaggregated...

  7. Multi Scale Finite Element Analyses By Using SEM-EBSD Crystallographic Modeling and Parallel Computing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakamachi, Eiji

    2005-01-01

    A crystallographic homogenization procedure is introduced to the conventional static-explicit and dynamic-explicit finite element formulation to develop a multi scale - double scale - analysis code to predict the plastic strain induced texture evolution, yield loci and formability of sheet metal. The double-scale structure consists of a crystal aggregation - micro-structure - and a macroscopic elastic plastic continuum. At first, we measure crystal morphologies by using SEM-EBSD apparatus, and define a unit cell of micro structure, which satisfy the periodicity condition in the real scale of polycrystal. Next, this crystallographic homogenization FE code is applied to 3N pure-iron and 'Benchmark' aluminum A6022 polycrystal sheets. It reveals that the initial crystal orientation distribution - the texture - affects very much to a plastic strain induced texture and anisotropic hardening evolutions and sheet deformation. Since, the multi-scale finite element analysis requires a large computation time, a parallel computing technique by using PC cluster is developed for a quick calculation. In this parallelization scheme, a dynamic workload balancing technique is introduced for quick and efficient calculations

  8. Raster-scanning serial protein crystallography using micro- and nano-focused synchrotron beams

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Coquelle, Nicolas [Université Grenoble Alpes, IBS, 38044 Grenoble (France); CNRS, IBS, 38044 Grenoble (France); CEA, IBS, 38044 Grenoble (France); Brewster, Aaron S. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Kapp, Ulrike; Shilova, Anastasya; Weinhausen, Britta [European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, BP 220, 38043 Grenoble (France); Burghammer, Manfred, E-mail: burgham@esrf.fr [European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, BP 220, 38043 Grenoble (France); Ghent University, Ghent B-9000 (Belgium); Colletier, Jacques-Philippe, E-mail: burgham@esrf.fr [Université Grenoble Alpes, IBS, 38044 Grenoble (France); CNRS, IBS, 38044 Grenoble (France); CEA, IBS, 38044 Grenoble (France)

    2015-05-01

    A raster scanning serial protein crystallography approach is presented, that consumes as low ∼200–700 nl of sedimented crystals. New serial data pre-analysis software, NanoPeakCell, is introduced. High-resolution structural information was obtained from lysozyme microcrystals (20 µm in the largest dimension) using raster-scanning serial protein crystallography on micro- and nano-focused beamlines at the ESRF. Data were collected at room temperature (RT) from crystals sandwiched between two silicon nitride wafers, thereby preventing their drying, while limiting background scattering and sample consumption. In order to identify crystal hits, new multi-processing and GUI-driven Python-based pre-analysis software was developed, named NanoPeakCell, that was able to read data from a variety of crystallographic image formats. Further data processing was carried out using CrystFEL, and the resultant structures were refined to 1.7 Å resolution. The data demonstrate the feasibility of RT raster-scanning serial micro- and nano-protein crystallography at synchrotrons and validate it as an alternative approach for the collection of high-resolution structural data from micro-sized crystals. Advantages of the proposed approach are its thriftiness, its handling-free nature, the reduced amount of sample required, the adjustable hit rate, the high indexing rate and the minimization of background scattering.

  9. PIXE application for measurement of bioaccumulation of lead by marine micro-algae

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iwata, Y.; Suzuki, M.

    2000-01-01

    Marine micro-algae (Nannochloropsis sp., and Phaeodactylum sp.,) were obtained from the Pacific Ocean of Iwate Pref., Japan and purely cultured in nutritive seawater as a culture solution. The culture size for algae was 10-250 ml and every apparatus was small and of low cost. Marine micro-algae were given in different culture solutions including Pb 2+ from 0.01 to 1.0 mg/l. The algae in 5 ml of the culture solution were collected on a polycarbonate filter (pore size: 1.0 μm) by suction filtration. The algae on the filter were subjected to PIXE analysis. Concentrations of Na, Mg, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Sr and Pb were simultaneously determined. PIXE can do multi-element analysis for a sample of below 1 mg. The quantity of lead in marine micro-algae increases in proportion to the Pb 2+ concentration in the culture solution. The concentration factor (wet weight base) for lead is given as 200±20 ml/g for Nannochloropsis sp. and 1900±400 ml/g for Phaeodactylum sp.. It is shown that PIXE is a powerful tool for the measurement of the bioaccumulation of trace elements. (author)

  10. Dynamic Appliances Scheduling in Collaborative MicroGrids System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bilil, Hasnae; Aniba, Ghassane; Gharavi, Hamid

    2017-01-01

    In this paper a new approach which is based on a collaborative system of MicroGrids (MG’s), is proposed to enable household appliance scheduling. To achieve this, appliances are categorized into flexible and non-flexible Deferrable Loads (DL’s), according to their electrical components. We propose a dynamic scheduling algorithm where users can systematically manage the operation of their electric appliances. The main challenge is to develop a flattening function calculus (reshaping) for both flexible and non-flexible DL’s. In addition, implementation of the proposed algorithm would require dynamically analyzing two successive multi-objective optimization (MOO) problems. The first targets the activation schedule of non-flexible DL’s and the second deals with the power profiles of flexible DL’s. The MOO problems are resolved by using a fast and elitist multi-objective genetic algorithm (NSGA-II). Finally, in order to show the efficiency of the proposed approach, a case study of a collaborative system that consists of 40 MG’s registered in the load curve for the flattening program has been developed. The results verify that the load curve can indeed become very flat by applying the proposed scheduling approach. PMID:28824226

  11. Multi-phase physicochemical modeling of soil-cementitious material interaction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakarai, Kenichiro; Ishida, Tetsuya; Maekawa, Koichi

    2005-01-01

    Multi-phase physicochemical modeling based on thermodynamic approach is studied on gel and capillary pores of nano-micrometers and large voids of micro-millimeters among soil foundation. A computational method about transportation of moisture and ions in pore structure for simulating concrete performance was extended for predicting time-dependent material properties of cemented soil. The proposed model was verified with experimental results of cement hydration, change of relative humidity and leaching of calcium ion from cement hydrate to underground water. (author)

  12. Maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index and circulating microRNAs in pregnancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Enquobahrie, Daniel A; Wander, Pandora L; Tadesse, Mahlet G; Qiu, Chunfang; Holzman, Claudia; Williams, Michelle A

    Maternal pre-pregnancy overweight and obese status has been associated with a number of pregnancy complications and adverse offspring outcomes. Mechanisms for observed associations, however, are largely unknown. We investigated associations of pre-pregnancy body mass index with early-mid pregnancy epigenetic biomarkers, circulating microRNAs. Peripheral blood was collected from participants (16-27 weeks gestation) of two multi-racial pregnancy cohorts, the Omega Study and the Pregnancy Outcomes and Community Health Study. Plasma miRNA expression was characterised using epigenome-wide (319 miRNAs) profiling among 20 pregnant women in each cohort. Cohort-specific linear regression models that included the predictor (pre-pregnancy body mass index), the outcome (microRNA expression), and adjustment factors (maternal age, gestational age at blood collection, and race) were fit. Expression of 27 miRNAs was positively associated with pre-pregnancy body mass index in both cohorts (p-values pregnancy body mass index is associated with circulating miRNAs in early-mid pregnancy. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  13. Regulation of Vapor Pressure Deficit by Greenhouse Micro-Fog Systems Improved Growth and Productivity of Tomato via Enhancing Photosynthesis during Summer Season.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Dalong; Zhang, Zhongdian; Li, Jianming; Chang, Yibo; Du, Qingjie; Pan, Tonghua

    2015-01-01

    The role of a proposed micro-fog system in regulating greenhouse environments and enhancing tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) productivity during summer season was studied. Experiments were carried out in a multi-span glass greenhouse, which was divided into two identical compartments involving different environments: (1) without environment control and (2) with a micro-fog system operating when the air vapor pressure deficit (VPD) of greenhouse was higher than 0.5 KPa. The micro-fog system effectively alleviated heat stress and evaporative demand in the greenhouse during summer season. The physiologically favourable environment maintained by micro-fog treatment significantly enhanced elongation of leaf and stem, which contributed to a substantial elevation of final leaf area and shoot biomass. These improvements in physiological and morphological traits resulted in around 12.3% increase of marketable tomato yield per plant. Relative growth rate (RGR) of micro-fog treatment was also significantly higher than control plants, which was mainly determined by the substantial elevation in net assimilation rate (NAR), and to a lesser extent caused by leaf area ratio (LAR). Measurement of leaf gas exchange parameters also demonstrated that micro-fog treatment significantly enhanced leaf photosynthesis capacity. Taken together, manipulation of VPD in greenhouses by micro-fog systems effectively enhanced tomato growth and productivity via improving photosynthesis during summer season.

  14. Modeling and analysis of micro-WEDM process of titanium alloy (Ti–6Al–4V using response surface approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Sivaprakasam

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Micro-machining technology is effectively used in modern manufacturing industries. This paper investigates the influence of three different input parameters such as voltage, capacitance and feed rate of micro-wire electrical discharge machining (micro-WEDM performances of material removal rate (MRR, Kerf width (KW and surface roughness (SR using response surface methodology with central composite design (CCD. The experiments are carried out on titanium alloy (Ti–6Al–4V. The machining characteristics are significantly influenced by the electrical and non-electrical parameters in micro-WEDM process. Analysis of variance (ANOVA was performed to find out the significant influence of each factor. The model developed can use a genetic algorithm (GA to determine the optimal machining conditions using multi-objective optimization technique. The optimal machining performance of material removal rate, Kerf width and surface roughness are 0.01802 mm3/min, 101.5 μm and 0.789 μm, respectively, using this optimal machining conditions viz. voltage 100 V, capacitance 10 nF and feed rate 15 μm/s.

  15. PIXE study on absorption of arsenate and arsenite by arsenic hyperaccumulating fern (Pteris vittata)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamazaki, H.; Ishii, K.; Matsuyama, S.

    2008-01-01

    Pytoremediation using an arsenic hyperaccumulator, Petris vittata L., has generated an increasing interest worldwide due to both environmentally sound and cost effectiveness. However the mechanism of arsenic accumulation by this fern is not clear at this time. This study examined the uptake of arsenate (As(V)) and arsenite (As(III)) by a hydroponic culture of Pteris vittata using both in-air submilli-PIXE for different parts of the fern and in-air micro-PIXE for the tissue cells. These PIXE analysis systems used 3 MeV proton beams from a 4.5-MV single-ended Dynamitron accelerator at Tohoku University, Japan. The fern took up both arsenate and arsenite from hydroponic solutions which were spiked with 50 mg of arsenic per litter. Final amount of arsenic accumulation in the fern is 1,500 mg per kg (wet weight) of the plant biomass in arsenite treatment and 1,100 mg per kg in arsenate treatment. Arsenic accumulation was not observed at the root parts of the ferns. The in-vivo mapping of elements by submilli-PIXE analyses on the fern laminas showed the arsenic accumulation in the edges of a pinna. The micro-PIXE analyses revealed arsenic maps homogeneously distributed in cells of the lamina, stem and rhizome of the fern. These results indicate that arsenic, both arsenate and arsenite in a contaminated medium are translocated quickly from roots to fronds of Pteris vittata, and distributes homogeneously into tissue cells of the fern laminas. (author)

  16. Experimental Tests on Steel Plate-to-Plate Splices Bonded by C-FRPS Laminas with and without Wrapping

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mario D’Aniello

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available The results of an experimental investigation carried out on steel splices bonded by (Carbon-Fiber–Reinforced Polymers C-FRPs are presented in this paper. The main aim of the study is to examine the influence of different parameters on the type of failure and on the ductility of splices. Different configurations of the specimens were considered, including butt and lapped joints using different arrangements for end anchorage of the bonded C-FRP laminas, such as (i external bonding; and (ii anchored jacketing with C-FRP sheets transversally wrapped to the longitudinal axis of the joints. The results in terms of failure modes and response curves are described and discussed, highlighting the potentiality of these types of bonded connections for metal structures. In particular, experimental results showed that (i the failure modes exhibited by both butt and lapped wrapped splices were substantially similar; (ii the wrapped anchoring is beneficial in order to achieve large deformations prior to failure, thus allowing a satisfactory ductility, even though a more timely installation process is necessary.

  17. MicroRNA-target binding structures mimic microRNA duplex structures in humans.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xi Chen

    Full Text Available Traditionally, researchers match a microRNA guide strand to mRNA sequences using sequence comparisons to predict its potential target genes. However, many of the predictions can be false positives due to limitations in sequence comparison alone. In this work, we consider the association of two related RNA structures that share a common guide strand: the microRNA duplex and the microRNA-target binding structure. We have analyzed thousands of such structure pairs and found many of them share high structural similarity. Therefore, we conclude that when predicting microRNA target genes, considering just the microRNA guide strand matches to gene sequences may not be sufficient--the microRNA duplex structure formed by the guide strand and its companion passenger strand must also be considered. We have developed software to translate RNA binding structure into encoded representations, and we have also created novel automatic comparison methods utilizing such encoded representations to determine RNA structure similarity. Our software and methods can be utilized in the other RNA secondary structure comparisons as well.

  18. Power and hydrogen production from ammonia in a micro-thermophotovoltaic device integrated with a micro-reformer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Um, Dong Hyun; Kim, Tae Young; Kwon, Oh Chae

    2014-01-01

    Power and hydrogen (H 2 ) production by burning and reforming ammonia (NH 3 ) in a micro-TPV (microscale-thermophotovoltaic) device integrated with a micro-reformer is studied experimentally. A heat-recirculating micro-emitter with the cyclone and helical adapters that enhance the residence time of fed fuel-air mixtures and uniform burning burns H 2 -added NH 3 -air mixtures. A micro-reformer that converts NH 3 to H 2 using ruthenium as a catalyst surrounds the micro-emitter as a heat source. The micro-reformer is surrounded by a chamber, the inner and outer walls of which have installations of gallium antimonide photovoltaic cells and cooling fins. For the micro-reformer-integrated micro-TPV device the maximum overall efficiency of 8.1% with electrical power of 4.5 W and the maximum NH 3 conversion rate of 96.0% with the H 2 production rate of 22.6 W (based on lower heating value) are obtained, indicating that the overall efficiency is remarkably enhanced compared with 2.0% when the micro-TPV device operates alone. This supports the potential of improving the overall efficiency of a micro-TPV device through integrating it with a micro-reformer. Also, the feasibility of using NH 3 as a carbon-free fuel for both burning and reforming in practical micro power and H 2 generation devices has been demonstrated. - Highlights: • Performance of micro-TPV device integrated with micro-reformer is evaluated. • Feasibility of using NH 3 –H 2 blends in integrated system has been demonstrated. • Integration with micro-reformer improves performance of micro-TPV device. • Maximum overall efficiency of 8.1% is found compared with 2.0% without integration

  19. Centrifugal Force Based Magnetic Micro-Pump Driven by Rotating Magnetic Fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, S H; Hashi, S; Ishiyama, K

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents a centrifugal force based magnetic micro-pump for the pumping of blood. Most blood pumps are driven by an electrical motor with wired control. To develop a wireless and battery-free blood pump, the proposed pump is controlled by external rotating magnetic fields with a synchronized impeller. Synchronization occurs because the rotor is divided into multi-stage impeller parts and NdFeB permanent magnet. Finally, liquid is discharged by the centrifugal force of multi-stage impeller. The proposed pump length is 30 mm long and 19 mm in diameter which much smaller than currently pumps; however, its pumping ability satisfies the requirement for a blood pump. The maximum pressure is 120 mmHg and the maximum flow rate is 5000ml/min at 100 Hz. The advantage of the proposed pump is that the general mechanical problems of a normal blood pump are eliminated by the proposed driving mechanism.

  20. Centrifugal Force Based Magnetic Micro-Pump Driven by Rotating Magnetic Fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, S. H.; Hashi, S.; Ishiyama, K.

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents a centrifugal force based magnetic micro-pump for the pumping of blood. Most blood pumps are driven by an electrical motor with wired control. To develop a wireless and battery-free blood pump, the proposed pump is controlled by external rotating magnetic fields with a synchronized impeller. Synchronization occurs because the rotor is divided into multi-stage impeller parts and NdFeB permanent magnet. Finally, liquid is discharged by the centrifugal force of multi-stage impeller. The proposed pump length is 30 mm long and19 mm in diameter which much smaller than currently pumps; however, its pumping ability satisfies the requirement for a blood pump. The maximum pressure is 120 mmHg and the maximum flow rate is 5000ml/min at 100 Hz. The advantage of the proposed pump is that the general mechanical problems of a normal blood pump are eliminated by the proposed driving mechanism.

  1. Direct observation of indium compositional fluctuation in GaInN/GaN multi-quantum wells using an X-ray micro-beam from the 8-GeV storage ring

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miyajima, Takao; Uemura, Shigeaki; Kudo, Yoshihiro; Fuutagawa, Noriyuki [Materials Laboratories, Sony Corporation, 4-14-1 Asahi-cho, Atsugi, Kanagawa 243-0014 (Japan); Terada, Yasuko [Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5198 (Japan)

    2008-07-01

    We measured the micrometer-scale fluctuation of the indium contents in a 50 {mu}m x 30 {mu}m region of annealed Ga{sub 0.8}In{sub 0.2}N/GaN multi quantum wells by mapping the counts of indium fluorescent X-rays excited by a 1.3 {mu}m x 3.8 {mu}m X-ray micro-beam. The mapping indicates that two distinct regions - indium-rich and indium-poor regions - are formed by the annealing. The indium contents in the island-shaped low-indium regions are 20% less than in the surrounding high-indium region. As the island-shaped low-indium regions clearly coincide with the low-radiative regions as observed by Hg-lamp-excited fluorescent microscopy, we believe that the low-radiative regions are a result not of indium segregation but of the generation of defects such as plane defects. (copyright 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  2. Study of squeeze film damping in a micro-beam resonator based on micro-polar theory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mina Ghanbari

    Full Text Available In this paper, squeeze film damping in a micro-beam resonator based on micro-polar theory has been investigated. The proposed model for this study consists of a clamped-clamped micro-beam bounded between two fixed layers. The gap between the micro-beam and layers is filled with air. As fluid behaves differently in micro scale than macro, the micro-scale fluid field in the gap has been modeled based on micro-polar theory. Equation of motion governing transverse deflection of the micro- beam based on modified couple stress theory and also non-linear Reynolds equation of the fluid field based on micropolar theory have been non-dimensionalized, linearized and solved simultaneously in order to calculate the quality factor of the resonator. The effect of micropolar parameters of air on the quality factor has been investigated. The quality factor of the of the micro-beam resonator for different values of non-dimensionalized length scale of the beam, squeeze number and also non-dimensionalized pressure has been calculated and compared to the obtained values of quality factor based on classical theory.

  3. The X-Ray Microscopy And Micro-Spectroscopy Facility At The ESRF

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Susini, J.; Somogyi, A.; Barrett, R.; Salome, M.; Bohic, S.; Fayard, B.; Eichert, D.; Dhez, O.; Bleuet, P.; Martinez-Criado, G.; Tucoulou, R.

    2004-01-01

    Among the 40 beamlines in operation at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, three beamlines are fully dedicated to X-ray microscopy and micro-spectroscopy techniques in the multi-keV range. Offering a unique combination of non destructive analytical techniques which aim to satisfy the growing demand from experimental research fields such as medicine, geology, archaeology, earth, planetary and environmental sciences. Following a brief discussion on the strengths and weaknesses of X-ray microscopy and spectro-microscopy techniques in the 1-20keV range, characteristics of the beamlines are briefly described. Examples of applications are given in the reference list

  4. Effects of Fuel and Nozzle Characteristics on Micro Gas Turbine System: A Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akasha Hashim, Muhammad; Khalid, Amir; Salleh, Hamidon; Sunar, Norshuhaila Mohamed

    2017-08-01

    For many decades, gas turbines have been used widely in the internal combustion engine industry. Due to the deficiency of fossil fuel and the concern of global warming, the used of bio-gas have been recognized as one of most clean fuels in the application of engine to improve performance of lean combustion and minimize the production of NOX and PM. This review paper is to understand the combustion performance using dual-fuel nozzle for a micro gas turbine that was basically designed as a natural gas fuelled engine, the nozzle characteristics of the micro gas turbine has been modelled and the effect of multi-fuel used were investigated. The used of biogas (hydrogen) as substitute for liquid fuel (methane) at constant fuel injection velocity, the flame temperature is increased, but the fuel low rate reduced. Applying the blended fuel at constant fuel rate will increased the flame temperature as the hydrogen percentages increased. Micro gas turbines which shows the uniformity of the flow distribution that can be improved without the increase of the pressure drop by applying the variable nozzle diameters into the fuel supply nozzle design. It also identifies the combustion efficiency, better fuel mixing in combustion chamber using duel fuel nozzle with the largest potential for the future. This paper can also be used as a reference source that summarizes the research and development activities on micro gas turbines.

  5. Micro-seismic Imaging Using a Source Independent Waveform Inversion Method

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Hanchen

    2016-04-18

    Overthrust model. On the other hand, a new imaging condition of natural Green’s function has been implemented to mitigate the effect of the unknown velocity model. It is based on putting receivers in a horizontal well close to the micro-seismic events so that only a small part of the velocity model is required for the imaging. In order to focus the multi scattering energy to the source location, as well as to suppress the influence of the noise in the data, we introduced a new method to compensate the energy in the receiver wavefield. It is based on reflection waveform inversion (RWI) theory. We simply migrate for the scatters (reflectors) in the medium, and set the image as a secondary source to compensate for the multi scattering energy in the receiver wavefield. By applying the same imaging condition, the energy of those scattering events can be traced to the source location. Thus the source point has higher energy in the source image. A simple two-layer medium test demonstrates the features.

  6. A novel integrated multifunction micro-sensor for three-dimensional micro-force measurements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Weizhong; Zhao, Yulong; Qin, Yafei

    2012-01-01

    An integrated multifunction micro-sensor for three-dimensional micro-force precision measurement under different pressure and temperature conditions is introduced in this paper. The integrated sensor consists of three kinds of sensors: a three-dimensional micro-force sensor, an absolute pressure sensor and a temperature sensor. The integrated multifunction micro-sensor is fabricated on silicon wafers by micromachining technology. Different doping doses of boron ion, placement and structure of resistors are tested for the force sensor, pressure sensor and temperature sensor to minimize the cross interference and optimize the properties. A glass optical fiber, with a ladder structure and sharp tip etched by buffer oxide etch solution, is glued on the micro-force sensor chip as the tactile probe. Experimental results show that the minimum force that can be detected by the force sensor is 300 nN; the lateral sensitivity of the force sensor is 0.4582 mV/μN; the probe length is linearly proportional to sensitivity of the micro-force sensor in lateral; the sensitivity of the pressure sensor is 0.11 mv/KPa; the sensitivity of the temperature sensor is 5.836 × 10(-3) KΩ/°C. Thus it is a cost-effective method to fabricate integrated multifunction micro-sensors with different measurement ranges that could be used in many fields.

  7. A Novel Integrated Multifunction Micro-Sensor for Three-Dimensional Micro-Force Measurements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yafei Qin

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available An integrated multifunction micro-sensor for three-dimensional micro-force precision measurement under different pressure and temperature conditions is introduced in this paper. The integrated sensor consists of three kinds of sensors: a three-dimensional micro-force sensor, an absolute pressure sensor and a temperature sensor. The integrated multifunction micro-sensor is fabricated on silicon wafers by micromachining technology. Different doping doses of boron ion, placement and structure of resistors are tested for the force sensor, pressure sensor and temperature sensor to minimize the cross interference and optimize the properties. A glass optical fiber, with a ladder structure and sharp tip etched by buffer oxide etch solution, is glued on the micro-force sensor chip as the tactile probe. Experimental results show that the minimum force that can be detected by the force sensor is 300 nN; the lateral sensitivity of the force sensor is 0.4582 mV/μN; the probe length is linearly proportional to sensitivity of the micro-force sensor in lateral; the sensitivity of the pressure sensor is 0.11 mv/KPa; the sensitivity of the temperature sensor is 5.836 × 10−3 KΩ/°C. Thus it is a cost-effective method to fabricate integrated multifunction micro-sensors with different measurement ranges that could be used in many fields.

  8. Multi-Objective Clustering Optimization for Multi-Channel Cooperative Spectrum Sensing in Heterogeneous Green CRNs

    KAUST Repository

    Celik, Abdulkadir

    2016-06-27

    In this paper, we address energy efficient (EE) cooperative spectrum sensing policies for large scale heterogeneous cognitive radio networks (CRNs) which consist of multiple primary channels and large number of secondary users (SUs) with heterogeneous sensing and reporting channel qualities. We approach this issue from macro and micro perspectives. Macro perspective groups SUs into clusters with the objectives: 1) total energy consumption minimization; 2) total throughput maximization; and 3) inter-cluster energy and throughput fairness. We adopt and demonstrate how to solve these using the nondominated sorting genetic algorithm-II. The micro perspective, on the other hand, operates as a sub-procedure on cluster formations decided by the macro perspective. For the micro perspectives, we first propose a procedure to select the cluster head (CH) which yields: 1) the best CH which gives the minimum total multi-hop error rate and 2) the optimal routing paths from SUs to the CH. Exploiting Poisson-Binomial distribution, a novel and generalized K-out-of-N voting rule is developed for heterogeneous CRNs to allow SUs to have different local detection performances. Then, a convex optimization framework is established to minimize the intra-cluster energy cost by jointly obtaining the optimal sensing durations and thresholds of feature detectors for the proposed voting rule. Likewise, instead of a common fixed sample size test, we developed a weighted sample size test for quantized soft decision fusion to obtain a more EE regime under heterogeneity. We have shown that the combination of proposed CH selection and cooperation schemes gives a superior performance in terms of energy efficiency and robustness against reporting error wall.

  9. Urban micro-grids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Faure, Maeva; Salmon, Martin; El Fadili, Safae; Payen, Luc; Kerlero, Guillaume; Banner, Arnaud; Ehinger, Andreas; Illouz, Sebastien; Picot, Roland; Jolivet, Veronique; Michon Savarit, Jeanne; Strang, Karl Axel

    2017-02-01

    ENEA Consulting published the results of a study on urban micro-grids conducted in partnership with the Group ADP, the Group Caisse des Depots, ENEDIS, Omexom, Total and the Tuck Foundation. This study offers a vision of the definition of an urban micro-grid, the value brought by a micro-grid in different contexts based on real case studies, and the upcoming challenges that micro-grid stakeholders will face (regulation, business models, technology). The electric production and distribution system, as the backbone of an increasingly urbanized and energy dependent society, is urged to shift towards a more resilient, efficient and environment-friendly infrastructure. Decentralisation of electricity production into densely populated areas is a promising opportunity to achieve this transition. A micro-grid enhances local production through clustering electricity producers and consumers within a delimited electricity network; it has the ability to disconnect from the main grid for a limited period of time, offering an energy security service to its customers during grid outages for example. However: The islanding capability is an inherent feature of the micro-grid concept that leads to a significant premium on electricity cost, especially in a system highly reliant on intermittent electricity production. In this case, a smart grid, with local energy production and no islanding capability, can be customized to meet relevant sustainability and cost savings goals at lower costs For industrials, urban micro-grids can be economically profitable in presence of high share of reliable energy production and thermal energy demand micro-grids face strong regulatory challenges that should be overcome for further development Whether islanding is or is not implemented into the system, end-user demand for a greener, more local, cheaper and more reliable energy, as well as additional services to the grid, are strong drivers for local production and consumption. In some specific cases

  10. Two-phase flow operational maps for multi-microchannel evaporators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Szczukiewicz, Sylwia; Borhani, Navid; Thome, John Richard

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • New operational maps for several different micro-evaporators are presented. • Inlet micro-orifices prevented flow instability, back flow, and flow maldistribution. • Eight different operating regimes were distinguished. • The flashing two-phase flow without back flow operating regime is preferred. -- Abstract: The current paper presents new operational maps for several different multi-microchannel evaporators, with and without any inlet restrictions (micro-orifices), for the two-phase flow of refrigerants R245fa, R236fa, and R1234ze(E). The test fluids flowed in 67 parallel channels, each having a cross-sectional area of 100 × 100 μm 2 . In order to emulate the power dissipated by active components in a 3D CMOS CPU chip, two aluminium microheaters were sputtered onto the back-side of the test section providing a 0.5 cm 2 each. Without any inlet restrictions in the micro-evaporator, significant parallel channel flow instabilities, vapor back flow, and flow maldistribution led to high-amplitude and high-frequency temperature and pressure oscillations. Such undesired phenomena were then prevented by placing restrictions at the inlet of each channel. High-speed flow visualization distinguished eight different operating regimes of the two-phase flow depending on the tested operating conditions. Therefore, the preferred operating regimes can be easily traced. In particular, flashing two-phase flow without back flow appeared to be the best operating regime without any flow and temperature instabilities

  11. Micro Loudspeaker Behaviour versus 6½" Driver, Micro Loudspeaker Parameter Drift

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Bo Rohde

    2010-01-01

    This study tested micro loudspeaker behavior from the perspective of loudspeaker parameter drift. The main difference between traditional transducers and micro loudspeakers, apart from their size, is their suspension construction. The suspension generally is a loudspeaker's most unstable parameter......, and the study investigated temperature drift and signal dependency. There is investigated three different micro loudspeakers and compared their behavior to that of a typical bass mid-range loudspeaker unit. There is measured all linear loudspeaker parameters at different temperatures....

  12. Determination of Specific Forces and Tool Deflections in Micro-milling of Ti-6Al-4V alloy using Finite Element Simulations and Analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farina, Simone; Ceretti, Elisabetta; Thepsonti, Thanongsak; Oezel, Tugrul

    2011-01-01

    Titanium alloys offer superb properties in strength, corrosion resistance and biocompatibility and are commonly utilized in medical devices and implants. Micro-end milling process is a direct and rapid fabrication method for manufacturing medical devices and implants in titanium alloys. Process performance and quality depend upon an understanding of the relationship between cutting parameters and forces and resultant tool deflections to avoid tool breakage. For this purpose, FE simulations of chip formation during micro-end milling of Ti-6Al-4V alloy with an ultra-fine grain solid carbide two-flute micro-end mill are investigated using DEFORM software.At first, specific forces in tangential and radial directions of cutting during micro-end milling for varying feed advance and rotational speeds have been determined using designed FE simulations for chip formation process. Later, these forces are applied to the micro-end mill geometry along the axial depth of cut in 3D analysis of ABAQUS. Consequently, 3D distributions for tool deflections and von Misses stress are determined. These analyses will yield in establishing integrated multi-physics process models for high performance micro-end milling and a leap-forward to process improvements.

  13. Combinatorial microRNA target predictions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Krek, Azra; Grün, Dominic; Poy, Matthew N.

    2005-01-01

    MicroRNAs are small noncoding RNAs that recognize and bind to partially complementary sites in the 3' untranslated regions of target genes in animals and, by unknown mechanisms, regulate protein production of the target transcript1, 2, 3. Different combinations of microRNAs are expressed...... in different cell types and may coordinately regulate cell-specific target genes. Here, we present PicTar, a computational method for identifying common targets of microRNAs. Statistical tests using genome-wide alignments of eight vertebrate genomes, PicTar's ability to specifically recover published micro......RNA targets, and experimental validation of seven predicted targets suggest that PicTar has an excellent success rate in predicting targets for single microRNAs and for combinations of microRNAs. We find that vertebrate microRNAs target, on average, roughly 200 transcripts each. Furthermore, our results...

  14. Design and fabrication of a micro parallel mechanism system using MEMS technologies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chin, Chi-Te

    A parallel mechanism is seen as an attractive method of fabricating a multi-degree of freedom micro-stage on a chip. The research team at Arizona State University has experience with several potential parallel mechanisms that would be scaled down to micron dimensions and fabricated by using the silicon process. The researcher developed a micro parallel mechanism that allows for planar motion having two translational motions and one rotational motion (e.g., x, y, theta). The mask design shown in Appendix B is an example of a planar parallel mechanism, however, this design would only have a few discrete positions given the nature of the fully extended or fully retracted electrostatic motor. The researcher proposes using a rotary motor (comb-drive actuator with gear chain system) coupled to a rack and pinion for finer increments of linear motion. The rotary motor can behave as a stepper motor by counting drive pulses, which is the basis for a simple open loop control system. This system was manufactured at the Central Regional MEMS Research Center (CMEMS), National Tsing-Hua University, and supported by the National Science Council, Taiwan. After the microstructures had been generated, the proceeding devices were released and an experiment study was performed to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed micro-stage devices. In this dissertation, the micro electromechanical system (MEMS) fabrication technologies were introduced. The development of this parallel mechanism system will initially focus on development of a planar micro-stage. The design of the micro-stage will build on the parallel mechanism technology, which has been developed for manufacturing, assembly, and flight simulator applications. Parallel mechanism will give the maximum operating envelope with a minimum number of silicon levels. The ideally proposed mechanism should comprise of a user interface, a micro-stage and a non-silicon tool, which is difficult to accomplish by current MEMS technology

  15. Accuracy and reproducibility of tumor positioning during prolonged and multi-modality animal imaging studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Mutian; Huang Minming; Le, Carl; Zanzonico, Pat B; Ling, C Clifton; Koutcher, Jason A; Humm, John L; Claus, Filip; Kolbert, Katherine S; Martin, Kyle

    2008-01-01

    Dedicated small-animal imaging devices, e.g. positron emission tomography (PET), computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners, are being increasingly used for translational molecular imaging studies. The objective of this work was to determine the positional accuracy and precision with which tumors in situ can be reliably and reproducibly imaged on dedicated small-animal imaging equipment. We designed, fabricated and tested a custom rodent cradle with a stereotactic template to facilitate registration among image sets. To quantify tumor motion during our small-animal imaging protocols, 'gold standard' multi-modality point markers were inserted into tumor masses on the hind limbs of rats. Three types of imaging examination were then performed with the animals continuously anesthetized and immobilized: (i) consecutive microPET and MR images of tumor xenografts in which the animals remained in the same scanner for 2 h duration, (ii) multi-modality imaging studies in which the animals were transported between distant imaging devices and (iii) serial microPET scans in which the animals were repositioned in the same scanner for subsequent images. Our results showed that the animal tumor moved by less than 0.2-0.3 mm over a continuous 2 h microPET or MR imaging session. The process of transporting the animal between instruments introduced additional errors of ∼0.2 mm. In serial animal imaging studies, the positioning reproducibility within ∼0.8 mm could be obtained.

  16. Multi-MHz micro-electro-mechanical sensors for atomic force microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Legrand, Bernard, E-mail: bernard.legrand@laas.fr [LAAS-CNRS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, 7 avenue du colonel Roche, F-31400 Toulouse (France); Salvetat, Jean-Paul [CRPP, 115 avenue Schweitzer, F-33600 Pessac (France); Walter, Benjamin; Faucher, Marc; Théron, Didier [IEMN, avenue Henri Poincaré, F-59652 Villeneuve d’Ascq (France); Aimé, Jean-Pierre [CBMN, allée Geoffroy Saint Hilaire, Bât. B14, F-33600 Pessac (France)

    2017-04-15

    Silicon ring-shaped micro-electro-mechanical resonators have been fabricated and used as probes for dynamic atomic force microscopy (AFM) experiments. They offer resotnance frequency above 10 MHz, which is notably greater than that of usual cantilevers and quartz-based AFM probes. On-chip electrical actuation and readout of the tip oscillation are obtained by means of built-in capacitive transducers. Displacement and force resolutions have been determined from noise analysis at 1.5 fm/√Hz and 0.4 pN/√Hz, respectively. Despite the high effective stiffness of the probes, the tip-surface interaction force is kept below 1 nN by using vibration amplitude significantly below 100 pm and setpoint close to the free vibration conditions. Imaging capabilities in amplitude- and frequency-modulation AFM modes have been demonstrated on block copolymer surfaces. Z-spectroscopy experiments revealed that the tip is vibrating in permanent contact with the viscoelastic material, with a pinned contact line. Results are compared to those obtained with commercial AFM cantilevers driven at large amplitudes (>10 nm). - Highlights: • Silicon MEMS resonators are used as AFM probes above 10 MHz. • Integrated capacitive transducers drive and sense sub-nanometer tip oscillation. • Force resolution is below 1 pN/√Hz. • Block copolymer surface is imaged using AM and FM AFM modes. • Probes are operated at small vibration amplitude in permanent viscoelastic contact.

  17. Multi-MHz micro-electro-mechanical sensors for atomic force microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Legrand, Bernard; Salvetat, Jean-Paul; Walter, Benjamin; Faucher, Marc; Théron, Didier; Aimé, Jean-Pierre

    2017-01-01

    Silicon ring-shaped micro-electro-mechanical resonators have been fabricated and used as probes for dynamic atomic force microscopy (AFM) experiments. They offer resotnance frequency above 10 MHz, which is notably greater than that of usual cantilevers and quartz-based AFM probes. On-chip electrical actuation and readout of the tip oscillation are obtained by means of built-in capacitive transducers. Displacement and force resolutions have been determined from noise analysis at 1.5 fm/√Hz and 0.4 pN/√Hz, respectively. Despite the high effective stiffness of the probes, the tip-surface interaction force is kept below 1 nN by using vibration amplitude significantly below 100 pm and setpoint close to the free vibration conditions. Imaging capabilities in amplitude- and frequency-modulation AFM modes have been demonstrated on block copolymer surfaces. Z-spectroscopy experiments revealed that the tip is vibrating in permanent contact with the viscoelastic material, with a pinned contact line. Results are compared to those obtained with commercial AFM cantilevers driven at large amplitudes (>10 nm). - Highlights: • Silicon MEMS resonators are used as AFM probes above 10 MHz. • Integrated capacitive transducers drive and sense sub-nanometer tip oscillation. • Force resolution is below 1 pN/√Hz. • Block copolymer surface is imaged using AM and FM AFM modes. • Probes are operated at small vibration amplitude in permanent viscoelastic contact.

  18. Effect of Nano and Micro Friction Modifier Based Lubricants on Wear behavior between Steel-Steel Contacts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Bhaumik

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The wear and surface morphology between steel (EN24, 22-24Rc-steel (EN 31, 58-60Rc contacts was investigated in presence of friction modifiers based (micro-graphite/nano particles- multi wall carbon nano tubes and zinc oxide mineral oil. Though a decrease in wear was observed (upto a certain concentration of nano friction modifiers but a weight-gain in pins after the tests was observed for all tests with ZnO nanoparticles while weight loss was observed in tests with multi wall carbon nano tubes and graphite particles based oil samples. Surface characterization of the worn surfaces showed more surface deteriorations in case of mineral oil (no friction modifiers and mineral oil with graphite as compared with nano particles/tubes based lubricants. The occurrence of a tribo film due to the deposition of nano particle and the formation of a modified layer on the pin surfaces are likely to be responsible for the reduction of coefficient of friction and better surface roughness. Apart from investigating the wear behaviour between two steel surfaces under micro and nano particles based lubricant and analysing the surfaces of the samples a part of the work was also focussed on the weight gain after tribo tests with ZnO nano particle additions.

  19. Nonsolvent-assisted fabrication of multi-scaled polylactide as superhydrophobic surfaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Yafang; Liu, Xuying; Yang, Huige; Zhang, Li; Cui, Zhe; Niu, Mingjun; Liu, Hongzhi; Chen, Jinzhou

    2016-03-14

    The solution-processing fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces is currently intriguing, owing to high-efficiency, low cost, and energy-consuming. Here, a facile nonsolvent-assisted process was proposed for the fabrication of the multi-scaled surface roughness in polylactide (PLA) films, thereby resulting in a significant transformation in the surface wettability from intrinsic hydrophilicity to superhydrophobicity. Moreover, it was found that the surface topographical structure of PLA films can be manipulated by varying the compositions of the PLA solutions. And the samples showed superhydrophobic surfaces as well as high melting enthalpy and crystallinity. In particular, a high contact angle of 155.8° together with a high adhesive force of 184 μN was yielded with the assistance of a multi-nonsolvent system, which contributed to the co-existence of micro-/nano-scale hierarchical structures.

  20. Preparation, characterization and nonlinear absorption studies of cuprous oxide nanoclusters, micro-cubes and micro-particles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sekhar, H.; Narayana Rao, D.

    2012-07-01

    Cuprous oxide nanoclusters, micro-cubes and micro-particles were successfully synthesized by reducing copper(II) salt with ascorbic acid in the presence of sodium hydroxide via a co-precipitation method. The X-ray diffraction and FTIR studies revealed that the formation of pure single-phase cubic. Raman and EPR spectral studies show the presence of CuO in as-synthesized powders of Cu2O. Transmission electron microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy data revealed that the morphology evolves from nanoclusters to micro-cubes and micro-particles by increasing the concentration of NaOH. Linear optical measurements show absorption peak maximum shifts towards red with changing morphology from nanoclusters to micro-cubes and micro-particles. The nonlinear optical properties were studied using open aperture Z-scan technique with 532 nm 6 ns laser pulses. Samples-exhibited both saturable as well as reverse saturable absorption. Due to confinement effects (enhanced band gap), we observed enhanced nonlinear absorption coefficient (β) in the case of nanoclusters compared to their micro-cubes and micro-particles.