Blind source separation problem in GPS time series

Science.gov (United States)

Gualandi, A.; Serpelloni, E.; Belardinelli, M. E.

2016-04-01

A critical point in the analysis of ground displacement time series, as those recorded by space geodetic techniques, is the development of data-driven methods that allow the different sources of deformation to be discerned and characterized in the space and time domains. Multivariate statistic includes several approaches that can be considered as a part of data-driven methods. A widely used technique is the principal component analysis (PCA), which allows us to reduce the dimensionality of the data space while maintaining most of the variance of the dataset explained. However, PCA does not perform well in finding the solution to the so-called blind source separation (BSS) problem, i.e., in recovering and separating the original sources that generate the observed data. This is mainly due to the fact that PCA minimizes the misfit calculated using an L2 norm (χ 2), looking for a new Euclidean space where the projected data are uncorrelated. The independent component analysis (ICA) is a popular technique adopted to approach the BSS problem. However, the independence condition is not easy to impose, and it is often necessary to introduce some approximations. To work around this problem, we test the use of a modified variational Bayesian ICA (vbICA) method to recover the multiple sources of ground deformation even in the presence of missing data. The vbICA method models the probability density function (pdf) of each source signal using a mix of Gaussian distributions, allowing for more flexibility in the description of the pdf of the sources with respect to standard ICA, and giving a more reliable estimate of them. Here we present its application to synthetic global positioning system (GPS) position time series, generated by simulating deformation near an active fault, including inter-seismic, co-seismic, and post-seismic signals, plus seasonal signals and noise, and an additional time-dependent volcanic source. We evaluate the ability of the PCA and ICA decomposition

Convolutive Blind Source Separation Methods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Michael Syskind; Larsen, Jan; Kjems, Ulrik

2008-01-01

During the past decades, much attention has been given to the separation of mixed sources, in particular for the blind case where both the sources and the mixing process are unknown and only recordings of the mixtures are available. In several situations it is desirable to recover all sources from...... the recorded mixtures, or at least to segregate a particular source. Furthermore, it may be useful to identify the mixing process itself to reveal information about the physical mixing system. In some simple mixing models each recording consists of a sum of differently weighted source signals. However, in many...... real-world applications, such as in acoustics, the mixing process is more complex. In such systems, the mixtures are weighted and delayed, and each source contributes to the sum with multiple delays corresponding to the multiple paths by which an acoustic signal propagates to a microphone...

Removal of micropollutants in source separated sanitation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Butkovskyi, A.

2015-01-01

Source separated sanitation is an innovative sanitation method designed for minimizing use of energy and clean drinking water, and maximizing reuse of water, organics and nutrients from waste water. This approach is based on separate collection and treatment of toilet wastewater (black water) and

Source signature estimation from multimode surface waves via mode-separated virtual real source method

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Lingli; Pan, Yudi

2018-05-01

The correct estimation of the seismic source signature is crucial to exploration geophysics. Based on seismic interferometry, the virtual real source (VRS) method provides a model-independent way for source signature estimation. However, when encountering multimode surface waves, which are commonly seen in the shallow seismic survey, strong spurious events appear in seismic interferometric results. These spurious events introduce errors in the virtual-source recordings and reduce the accuracy of the source signature estimated by the VRS method. In order to estimate a correct source signature from multimode surface waves, we propose a mode-separated VRS method. In this method, multimode surface waves are mode separated before seismic interferometry. Virtual-source recordings are then obtained by applying seismic interferometry to each mode individually. Therefore, artefacts caused by cross-mode correlation are excluded in the virtual-source recordings and the estimated source signatures. A synthetic example showed that a correct source signature can be estimated with the proposed method, while strong spurious oscillation occurs in the estimated source signature if we do not apply mode separation first. We also applied the proposed method to a field example, which verified its validity and effectiveness in estimating seismic source signature from shallow seismic shot gathers containing multimode surface waves.

Underdetermined Blind Source Separation in Echoic Environments Using DESPRIT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melia Thomas

2007-01-01

Full Text Available The DUET blind source separation algorithm can demix an arbitrary number of speech signals using anechoic mixtures of the signals. DUET however is limited in that it relies upon source signals which are mixed in an anechoic environment and which are sufficiently sparse such that it is assumed that only one source is active at a given time frequency point. The DUET-ESPRIT (DESPRIT blind source separation algorithm extends DUET to situations where sparsely echoic mixtures of an arbitrary number of sources overlap in time frequency. This paper outlines the development of the DESPRIT method and demonstrates its properties through various experiments conducted on synthetic and real world mixtures.

Source separation of household waste: A case study in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhuang Ying; Wu Songwei; Wang Yunlong; Wu Weixiang; Chen Yingxu

2008-01-01

A pilot program concerning source separation of household waste was launched in Hangzhou, capital city of Zhejiang province, China. Detailed investigations on the composition and properties of household waste in the experimental communities revealed that high water content and high percentage of food waste are the main limiting factors in the recovery of recyclables, especially paper from household waste, and the main contributors to the high cost and low efficiency of waste disposal. On the basis of the investigation, a novel source separation method, according to which household waste was classified as food waste, dry waste and harmful waste, was proposed and performed in four selected communities. In addition, a corresponding household waste management system that involves all stakeholders, a recovery system and a mechanical dehydration system for food waste were constituted to promote source separation activity. Performances and the questionnaire survey results showed that the active support and investment of a real estate company and a community residential committee play important roles in enhancing public participation and awareness of the importance of waste source separation. In comparison with the conventional mixed collection and transportation system of household waste, the established source separation and management system is cost-effective. It could be extended to the entire city and used by other cities in China as a source of reference

Prospects of Source-Separation-Based Sanitation Concepts: A Model-Based Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cees Buisman

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Separation of different domestic wastewater streams and targeted on-site treatment for resource recovery has been recognized as one of the most promising sanitation concepts to re-establish the balance in carbon, nutrient and water cycles. In this study a model was developed based on literature data to compare energy and water balance, nutrient recovery, chemical use, effluent quality and land area requirement in four different sanitation concepts: (1 centralized; (2 centralized with source-separation of urine; (3 source-separation of black water, kitchen refuse and grey water; and (4 source-separation of urine, feces, kitchen refuse and grey water. The highest primary energy consumption of 914 MJ/capita(cap/year was attained within the centralized sanitation concept, and the lowest primary energy consumption of 437 MJ/cap/year was attained within source-separation of urine, feces, kitchen refuse and grey water. Grey water bio-flocculation and subsequent grey water sludge co-digestion decreased the primary energy consumption, but was not energetically favorable to couple with grey water effluent reuse. Source-separation of urine improved the energy balance, nutrient recovery and effluent quality, but required larger land area and higher chemical use in the centralized concept.

Residents’ Household Solid Waste (HSW Source Separation Activity: A Case Study of Suzhou, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hua Zhang

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Though the Suzhou government has provided household solid waste (HSW source separation since 2000, the program remains largely ineffective. Between January and March 2014, the authors conducted an intercept survey in five different community groups in Suzhou, and 505 valid surveys were completed. Based on the survey, the authors used an ordered probit regression to study residents’ HSW source separation activities for both Suzhou and for the five community groups. Results showed that 43% of the respondents in Suzhou thought they knew how to source separate HSW, and 29% of them have source separated HSW accurately. The results also found that the current HSW source separation pilot program in Suzhou is valid, as HSW source separation facilities and residents’ separation behavior both became better and better along with the program implementation. The main determinants of residents’ HSW source separation behavior are residents’ age, HSW source separation facilities and government preferential policies. The accessibility to waste management service is particularly important. Attitudes and willingness do not have significant impacts on residents’ HSW source separation behavior.

Removal of micropollutants in source separated sanitation

OpenAIRE

Butkovskyi, A.

2015-01-01

Source separated sanitation is an innovative sanitation method designed for minimizing use of energy and clean drinking water, and maximizing reuse of water, organics and nutrients from waste water. This approach is based on separate collection and treatment of toilet wastewater (black water) and the rest of the domestic wastewater (grey water). Different characteristics of wastewater streams facilitate recovery of energy, nutrients and fresh water. To ensure agricultural or ecological reuse ...

Multiple Speech Source Separation Using Inter-Channel Correlation and Relaxed Sparsity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maoshen Jia

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In this work, a multiple speech source separation method using inter-channel correlation and relaxed sparsity is proposed. A B-format microphone with four spatially located channels is adopted due to the size of the microphone array to preserve the spatial parameter integrity of the original signal. Specifically, we firstly measure the proportion of overlapped components among multiple sources and find that there exist many overlapped time-frequency (TF components with increasing source number. Then, considering the relaxed sparsity of speech sources, we propose a dynamic threshold-based separation approach of sparse components where the threshold is determined by the inter-channel correlation among the recording signals. After conducting a statistical analysis of the number of active sources at each TF instant, a form of relaxed sparsity called the half-K assumption is proposed so that the active source number in a certain TF bin does not exceed half the total number of simultaneously occurring sources. By applying the half-K assumption, the non-sparse components are recovered by regarding the extracted sparse components as a guide, combined with vector decomposition and matrix factorization. Eventually, the final TF coefficients of each source are recovered by the synthesis of sparse and non-sparse components. The proposed method has been evaluated using up to six simultaneous speech sources under both anechoic and reverberant conditions. Both objective and subjective evaluations validated that the perceptual quality of the separated speech by the proposed approach outperforms existing blind source separation (BSS approaches. Besides, it is robust to different speeches whilst confirming all the separated speeches with similar perceptual quality.

Application of independent component analysis for speech-music separation using an efficient score function estimation

Science.gov (United States)

Pishravian, Arash; Aghabozorgi Sahaf, Masoud Reza

2012-12-01

In this paper speech-music separation using Blind Source Separation is discussed. The separating algorithm is based on the mutual information minimization where the natural gradient algorithm is used for minimization. In order to do that, score function estimation from observation signals (combination of speech and music) samples is needed. The accuracy and the speed of the mentioned estimation will affect on the quality of the separated signals and the processing time of the algorithm. The score function estimation in the presented algorithm is based on Gaussian mixture based kernel density estimation method. The experimental results of the presented algorithm on the speech-music separation and comparing to the separating algorithm which is based on the Minimum Mean Square Error estimator, indicate that it can cause better performance and less processing time

Underdetermined Blind Audio Source Separation Using Modal Decomposition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdeldjalil Aïssa-El-Bey

2007-03-01

Full Text Available This paper introduces new algorithms for the blind separation of audio sources using modal decomposition. Indeed, audio signals and, in particular, musical signals can be well approximated by a sum of damped sinusoidal (modal components. Based on this representation, we propose a two-step approach consisting of a signal analysis (extraction of the modal components followed by a signal synthesis (grouping of the components belonging to the same source using vector clustering. For the signal analysis, two existing algorithms are considered and compared: namely the EMD (empirical mode decomposition algorithm and a parametric estimation algorithm using ESPRIT technique. A major advantage of the proposed method resides in its validity for both instantaneous and convolutive mixtures and its ability to separate more sources than sensors. Simulation results are given to compare and assess the performance of the proposed algorithms.

Underdetermined Blind Audio Source Separation Using Modal Decomposition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aïssa-El-Bey Abdeldjalil

2007-01-01

Full Text Available This paper introduces new algorithms for the blind separation of audio sources using modal decomposition. Indeed, audio signals and, in particular, musical signals can be well approximated by a sum of damped sinusoidal (modal components. Based on this representation, we propose a two-step approach consisting of a signal analysis (extraction of the modal components followed by a signal synthesis (grouping of the components belonging to the same source using vector clustering. For the signal analysis, two existing algorithms are considered and compared: namely the EMD (empirical mode decomposition algorithm and a parametric estimation algorithm using ESPRIT technique. A major advantage of the proposed method resides in its validity for both instantaneous and convolutive mixtures and its ability to separate more sources than sensors. Simulation results are given to compare and assess the performance of the proposed algorithms.

Separation of non-stationary multi-source sound field based on the interpolated time-domain equivalent source method

Science.gov (United States)

Bi, Chuan-Xing; Geng, Lin; Zhang, Xiao-Zheng

2016-05-01

In the sound field with multiple non-stationary sources, the measured pressure is the sum of the pressures generated by all sources, and thus cannot be used directly for studying the vibration and sound radiation characteristics of every source alone. This paper proposes a separation model based on the interpolated time-domain equivalent source method (ITDESM) to separate the pressure field belonging to every source from the non-stationary multi-source sound field. In the proposed method, ITDESM is first extended to establish the relationship between the mixed time-dependent pressure and all the equivalent sources distributed on every source with known location and geometry information, and all the equivalent source strengths at each time step are solved by an iterative solving process; then, the corresponding equivalent source strengths of one interested source are used to calculate the pressure field generated by that source alone. Numerical simulation of two baffled circular pistons demonstrates that the proposed method can be effective in separating the non-stationary pressure generated by every source alone in both time and space domains. An experiment with two speakers in a semi-anechoic chamber further evidences the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Comparison of methods for separating vibration sources in rotating machinery

Science.gov (United States)

Klein, Renata

2017-12-01

Vibro-acoustic signatures are widely used for diagnostics of rotating machinery. Vibration based automatic diagnostics systems need to achieve a good separation between signals generated by different sources. The separation task may be challenging, since the effects of the different vibration sources often overlap. In particular, there is a need to separate between signals related to the natural frequencies of the structure and signals resulting from the rotating components (signal whitening), as well as a need to separate between signals generated by asynchronous components like bearings and signals generated by cyclo-stationary components like gears. Several methods were proposed to achieve the above separation tasks. The present study compares between some of these methods. The paper also presents a new method for whitening, Adaptive Clutter Separation, as well as a new efficient algorithm for dephase, which separates between asynchronous and cyclo-stationary signals. For whitening the study compares between liftering of the high quefrencies and adaptive clutter separation. For separating between the asynchronous and the cyclo-stationary signals the study compares between liftering in the quefrency domain and dephase. The methods are compared using both simulated signals and real data.

Carbon footprint of urban source separation for nutrient recovery.

Science.gov (United States)

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

2017-07-15

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

Blind Separation of Nonstationary Sources Based on Spatial Time-Frequency Distributions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Yimin

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Blind source separation (BSS based on spatial time-frequency distributions (STFDs provides improved performance over blind source separation methods based on second-order statistics, when dealing with signals that are localized in the time-frequency (t-f domain. In this paper, we propose the use of STFD matrices for both whitening and recovery of the mixing matrix, which are two stages commonly required in many BSS methods, to provide robust BSS performance to noise. In addition, a simple method is proposed to select the auto- and cross-term regions of time-frequency distribution (TFD. To further improve the BSS performance, t-f grouping techniques are introduced to reduce the number of signals under consideration, and to allow the receiver array to separate more sources than the number of array sensors, provided that the sources have disjoint t-f signatures. With the use of one or more techniques proposed in this paper, improved performance of blind separation of nonstationary signals can be achieved.

6 CFR 13.14 - Separation of functions.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 6 Domestic Security 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Separation of functions. 13.14 Section 13.14 Domestic Security DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY PROGRAM FRAUD CIVIL REMEDIES § 13.14 Separation of functions. (a) The Investigating Official, the Reviewing Official, and any...

The Effects of Environmental Management Systems on Source Separation in the Work and Home Settings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chris von Borgstede

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Measures that challenge the generation of waste are needed to address the global problem of the increasing volumes of waste that are generated in both private homes and workplaces. Source separation at the workplace is commonly implemented by environmental management systems (EMS. In the present study, the relationship between source separation at work and at home was investigated. A questionnaire that maps psychological and behavioural predictors of source separation was distributed to employees at different workplaces. The results show that respondents with awareness of EMS report higher levels of source separation at work, stronger environmental concern, personal and social norms, and perceive source separation to be less difficult. Furthermore, the results support the notion that after the adoption of EMS at the workplace, source separation at work spills over into source separation in the household. The potential implications for environmental management systems are discussed.

Municipal solid waste source-separated collection in China: A comparative analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tai Jun; Zhang Weiqian; Che Yue; Feng Di

2011-01-01

A pilot program focusing on municipal solid waste (MSW) source-separated collection was launched in eight major cities throughout China in 2000. Detailed investigations were carried out and a comprehensive system was constructed to evaluate the effects of the eight-year implementation in those cities. This paper provides an overview of different methods of collection, transportation, and treatment of MSW in the eight cities; as well as making a comparative analysis of MSW source-separated collection in China. Information about the quantity and composition of MSW shows that the characteristics of MSW are similar, which are low calorific value, high moisture content and high proportion of organisms. Differences which exist among the eight cities in municipal solid waste management (MSWM) are presented in this paper. Only Beijing and Shanghai demonstrated a relatively effective result in the implementation of MSW source-separated collection. While the six remaining cities result in poor performance. Considering the current status of MSWM, source-separated collection should be a key priority. Thus, a wider range of cities should participate in this program instead of merely the eight pilot cities. It is evident that an integrated MSWM system is urgently needed. Kitchen waste and recyclables are encouraged to be separated at the source. Stakeholders involved play an important role in MSWM, thus their responsibilities should be clearly identified. Improvement in legislation, coordination mechanisms and public education are problematic issues that need to be addressed.

Low Complexity Bayesian Single Channel Source Separation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Beierholm, Thomas; Pedersen, Brian Dam; Winther, Ole

2004-01-01

can be estimated quite precisely using ML-II, but the estimation is quite sensitive to the accuracy of the priors as opposed to the source separation quality for known mixing coefficients, which is quite insensitive to the accuracy of the priors. Finally, we discuss how to improve our approach while...

Empirical Study on Factors Influencing Residents' Behavior of Separating Household Wastes at Source

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Qu Ying; Zhu Qinghua; Murray Haight

2007-01-01

Source separation is the basic premise for making effective use of household wastes. In eight cities of China, however, several pilot projects of source separation finally failed because of the poor participation rate of residents. In order to solve this problem, identifying those factors that influence residents' behavior of source separation becomes crucial. By means of questionnaire survey, we conducted descriptive analysis and exploratory factor analysis. The results show that trouble-feeling, moral notion, environment protection, public education, environment value and knowledge deficiency are the main factors that play an important role for residents in deciding to separate their household wastes. Also, according to the contribution percentage of the six main factors to the total behavior of source separation, their influencing power is analyzed, which will provide suggestions on household waste management for policy makers and decision makers in China.

Blind separation of more sources than sensors in convolutive mixtures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsson, Rasmus Kongsgaard; Hansen, Lars Kai

2006-01-01

We demonstrate that blind separation of more sources than sensors can be performed based solely on the second order statistics of the observed mixtures. This a generalization of well-known robust algorithms that are suited for equal number of sources and sensors. It is assumed that the sources...

Overcomplete Blind Source Separation by Combining ICA and Binary Time-Frequency Masking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Michael Syskind; Wang, DeLiang; Larsen, Jan

2005-01-01

a novel method for over-complete blind source separation. Two powerful source separation techniques have been combined, independent component analysis and binary time-frequency masking. Hereby, it is possible to iteratively extract each speech signal from the mixture. By using merely two microphones we...

A Separation Algorithm for Sources with Temporal Structure Only Using Second-order Statistics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.G. Wang

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Unlike conventional blind source separation (BSS deals with independent identically distributed (i.i.d. sources, this paper addresses the separation from mixtures of sources with temporal structure, such as linear autocorrelations. Many sequential extraction algorithms have been reported, resulting in inevitable cumulated errors introduced by the deflation scheme. We propose a robust separation algorithm to recover original sources simultaneously, through a joint diagonalizer of several average delayed covariance matrices at positions of the optimal time delay and its integers. The proposed algorithm is computationally simple and efficient, since it is based on the second-order statistics only. Extensive simulation results confirm the validity and high performance of the algorithm. Compared with related extraction algorithms, its separation signal-to-noise rate for a desired source can reach 20dB higher, and it seems rather insensitive to the estimation error of the time delay.

Joint Matrices Decompositions and Blind Source Separation

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Chabriel, G.; Kleinsteuber, M.; Moreau, E.; Shen, H.; Tichavský, Petr; Yeredor, A.

2014-01-01

Roč. 31, č. 3 (2014), s. 34-43 ISSN 1053-5888 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA102/09/1278 Institutional support: RVO:67985556 Keywords : joint matrices decomposition * tensor decomposition * blind source separation Subject RIV: BB - Applied Statistics, Operational Research Impact factor: 5.852, year: 2014 http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2014/SI/tichavsky-0427607.pdf

Blind source separation advances in theory, algorithms and applications

CERN Document Server

Wang, Wenwu

2014-01-01

Blind Source Separation intends to report the new results of the efforts on the study of Blind Source Separation (BSS). The book collects novel research ideas and some training in BSS, independent component analysis (ICA), artificial intelligence and signal processing applications. Furthermore, the research results previously scattered in many journals and conferences worldwide are methodically edited and presented in a unified form. The book is likely to be of interest to university researchers, R&D engineers and graduate students in computer science and electronics who wish to learn the core principles, methods, algorithms, and applications of BSS. Dr. Ganesh R. Naik works at University of Technology, Sydney, Australia; Dr. Wenwu Wang works at University of Surrey, UK.

Fate of pharmaceuticals in full-scale source separated sanitation system

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Butkovskyi, A.; Hernandez Leal, L.; Rijnaarts, H.H.M.; Zeeman, G.

2015-01-01

Removal of 14 pharmaceuticals and 3 of their transformation products was studied in a full-scale source separated sanitation system with separate collection and treatment of black water and grey water. Black water is treated in an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor followed by

Audio Source Separation in Reverberant Environments Using β-Divergence-Based Nonnegative Factorization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fakhry, Mahmoud; Svaizer, Piergiorgio; Omologo, Maurizio

2017-01-01

-maximization algorithm and used to separate the signals by means of multichannel Wiener filtering. We propose to estimate these parameters by applying nonnegative factorization based on prior information on source variances. In the nonnegative factorization, spectral basis matrices can be defined as the prior...... information. The matrices can be either extracted or indirectly made available through a redundant library that is trained in advance. In a separate step, applying nonnegative tensor factorization, two algorithms are proposed in order to either extract or detect the basis matrices that best represent......In Gaussian model-based multichannel audio source separation, the likelihood of observed mixtures of source signals is parametrized by source spectral variances and by associated spatial covariance matrices. These parameters are estimated by maximizing the likelihood through an expectation...

Energy conversion of source separated packaging; Energiutvinning ur kaellsorterade foerpackningsfraktioner

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blidholm, O; Wiklund, S E [AaF-Energikonsult (Sweden); Bauer, A C [Energikonsult A. Bauer (Sweden)

1997-02-01

The basic idea of this project is to study the possibilities to use source separated combustible material for energy conversion in conventional solid fuel boilers (i.e. not municipal waste incineration plants). The project has been carried out in three phases. During phase 1 and 2 a number of fuel analyses of different fractions were carried out. During phase 3 two combustion tests were carried out; (1) a boiler with grate equipped with cyclone, electrostatic precipitator and flue gas condenser, and (2) a bubbling fluidized bed boiler with electrostatic precipitator and flue gas condenser. During the tests source separated paper and plastic packagings were co-fired with biomass fuels. The mixing rate of packagings was approximately 15%. This study reports the results of phase 3 and the conclusions of the whole project. The technical terms of using packaging as fuel are good. The technique is available for shredding both paper and plastic packaging. The material can be co-fired with biomass. The economical terms of using source separated packaging for energy conversion can be very advantageous, but can also form obstacles. The result is to a high degree guided by such facts as how the fuel is collected, transported, reduced in size and handled at the combustion plant. The results of the combustion tests show that the environmental terms of using source separated packaging for energy conversion are good. The emissions of heavy metals into the atmosphere are very low. The emissions are well below the emission standards for waste incineration plants. 35 figs, 13 tabs, 8 appendices

An incentive-based source separation model for sustainable municipal solid waste management in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Wanying; Zhou, Chuanbin; Lan, Yajun; Jin, Jiasheng; Cao, Aixin

2015-05-01

Municipal solid waste (MSW) management (MSWM) is most important and challenging in large urban communities. Sound community-based waste management systems normally include waste reduction and material recycling elements, often entailing the separation of recyclable materials by the residents. To increase the efficiency of source separation and recycling, an incentive-based source separation model was designed and this model was tested in 76 households in Guiyang, a city of almost three million people in southwest China. This model embraced the concepts of rewarding households for sorting organic waste, government funds for waste reduction, and introducing small recycling enterprises for promoting source separation. Results show that after one year of operation, the waste reduction rate was 87.3%, and the comprehensive net benefit under the incentive-based source separation model increased by 18.3 CNY tonne(-1) (2.4 Euros tonne(-1)), compared to that under the normal model. The stakeholder analysis (SA) shows that the centralized MSW disposal enterprises had minimum interest and may oppose the start-up of a new recycling system, while small recycling enterprises had a primary interest in promoting the incentive-based source separation model, but they had the least ability to make any change to the current recycling system. The strategies for promoting this incentive-based source separation model are also discussed in this study. © The Author(s) 2015.

Ion source development for the on-line isotope separator at GSI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirchner, R.; Burkard, K.; Hueller, W.; Klepper, O.

1991-08-01

The progress in the understanding of ion sources for isotope separation on-line and the feasibility of bunched beams of relatively refractory elements is reported. The ultra-high temperature FEBIAD-H ion source, facilitating the mounting of catchers and window compared to the earlier F-version, enables bunched beams of the elements with adsorption enthalpies up to almost 6 eV, e.g. of Be, Al, Ca, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Sr, Pd, Ba, Yb, and Au. This way also chemical selectivity for these elements may be achieved, at least to some extent, for isotopes with halflives > or approx.1 minute, including especially the difficult separation of alkaline-earth isotopes from isobaric alkalines. These studies reveal, however, also a principal difficulty in the on-line separation of refractory elements, namely their tendency, increasing with ΔH a , to re-diffuse after release from the catcher into the bulk of the hot source enclosure. (orig.)

Constrained Null Space Component Analysis for Semiblind Source Separation Problem.

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Wen-Liang; Lu, Keng-Shih; Ho, Jinn

2018-02-01

The blind source separation (BSS) problem extracts unknown sources from observations of their unknown mixtures. A current trend in BSS is the semiblind approach, which incorporates prior information on sources or how the sources are mixed. The constrained independent component analysis (ICA) approach has been studied to impose constraints on the famous ICA framework. We introduced an alternative approach based on the null space component (NCA) framework and referred to the approach as the c-NCA approach. We also presented the c-NCA algorithm that uses signal-dependent semidefinite operators, which is a bilinear mapping, as signatures for operator design in the c-NCA approach. Theoretically, we showed that the source estimation of the c-NCA algorithm converges with a convergence rate dependent on the decay of the sequence, obtained by applying the estimated operators on corresponding sources. The c-NCA can be formulated as a deterministic constrained optimization method, and thus, it can take advantage of solvers developed in optimization society for solving the BSS problem. As examples, we demonstrated electroencephalogram interference rejection problems can be solved by the c-NCA with proximal splitting algorithms by incorporating a sparsity-enforcing separation model and considering the case when reference signals are available.

Gearbox Fault Diagnosis in a Wind Turbine Using Single Sensor Based Blind Source Separation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuning Qian

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a single sensor based blind source separation approach, namely, the wavelet-assisted stationary subspace analysis (WSSA, for gearbox fault diagnosis in a wind turbine. Continuous wavelet transform (CWT is used as a preprocessing tool to decompose a single sensor measurement data into a set of wavelet coefficients to meet the multidimensional requirement of the stationary subspace analysis (SSA. The SSA is a blind source separation technique that can separate the multidimensional signals into stationary and nonstationary source components without the need for independency and prior information of the source signals. After that, the separated nonstationary source component with the maximum kurtosis value is analyzed by the enveloping spectral analysis to identify potential fault-related characteristic frequencies. Case studies performed on a wind turbine gearbox test system verify the effectiveness of the WSSA approach and indicate that it outperforms independent component analysis (ICA and empirical mode decomposition (EMD, as well as the spectral-kurtosis-based enveloping, for wind turbine gearbox fault diagnosis.

High-functionalization of fiber-forming materials. Polymer membrane as separation media

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kamide, Kenji; Iijima, Hideki (Asahi Chemical Industry Co. Ltd., Osaka, (Japan))

1989-07-05

For obtaining higher functions by donating specific functions to the fiber, it is effective to change its structure. Various separating films which is known as an example of the high-functionalization of the fiber materials is an example of the fiber structure conversion from the view-point of substance-permeating function. This report firstly describes the features and types of the film separation method and the production of films, and then on the correlation between the structure and functions of the fibers, the correlation of the structure and the separating characteristics of the films, and the mechanism of the emergence of the film structure. Finally, applied examples of the film separating method in the medical field are described. In the medical liquid film separation, blood or plasma are the object of the separation. Blood has various components whose concentration and particle size are multiplicated, and yet requires a tremendous separating accuracy when compared with the industrial separation. Examples are a blood dialyzer film and an ultrafiltration film (film for plasma separation and virus separation), etc.. 28 refs., 6 figs., 2 tabs.

Lunar neutron source function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kornblum, J.J.

1974-01-01

The search for a quantitative neutron source function for the lunar surface region is justified because it contributes to our understanding of the history of the lunar surface and of nuclear process occurring on the moon since its formation. A knowledge of the neutron source function and neutron flux distribution is important for the interpretation of many experimental measurements. This dissertation uses the available pertinent experimental measurements together with theoretical calculations to obtain an estimate of the lunar neutron source function below 15 MeV. Based upon reasonable assumptions a lunar neutron source function having adjustable parameters is assumed for neutrons below 15 MeV. The lunar neutron source function is composed of several components resulting from the action of cosmic rays with lunar material. A comparison with previous neutron calculations is made and significant differences are discussed. Application of the results to the problem of lunar soil histories is examined using the statistical model for soil development proposed by Fireman. The conclusion is drawn that the moon is losing mass

Separation of radiation from two sources from their known radiated sum field

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Laitinen, Tommi; Pivnenko, Sergey

2011-01-01

This paper presents a technique for complete and exact separation of the radiated fields of two sources (at the same frequency) from the knowledge of their radiated sum field. The two sources can be arbitrary but it must be possible to enclose the sources inside their own non-intersecting minimum...

Surface-ionization ion source designed for in-beam operation with the BEMS-2 isotope separator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bogdanov, D.D.; Voboril, J.; Demyanov, A.V.; Karnaukhov, V.A.; Petrov, L.A.

1976-01-01

A surface-ionization ion source designed to operate in combination with the BEMS-2 isotope separator in a heavy ion beam is described. The ion source is adjusted for the separation of rare-earth elements. The separation efficiency for 150 Dy is determined to be equal to about 20% at the ionizer temperature of 2600 deg K. The hold-up times for praseodymium, promethium and dysprosium in the ion source range from 5 to 10 sec at the ionizer temperature of 2500-2700 deg K

Depth sensitivity and source-detector separations for near infrared spectroscopy based on the Colin27 brain template.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gary E Strangman

Full Text Available Understanding the spatial and depth sensitivity of non-invasive near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS measurements to brain tissue-i.e., near-infrared neuromonitoring (NIN - is essential for designing experiments as well as interpreting research findings. However, a thorough characterization of such sensitivity in realistic head models has remained unavailable. In this study, we conducted 3,555 Monte Carlo (MC simulations to densely cover the scalp of a well-characterized, adult male template brain (Colin27. We sought to evaluate: (i the spatial sensitivity profile of NIRS to brain tissue as a function of source-detector separation, (ii the NIRS sensitivity to brain tissue as a function of depth in this realistic and complex head model, and (iii the effect of NIRS instrument sensitivity on detecting brain activation. We found that increasing the source-detector (SD separation from 20 to 65 mm provides monotonic increases in sensitivity to brain tissue. For every 10 mm increase in SD separation (up to ~45 mm, sensitivity to gray matter increased an additional 4%. Our analyses also demonstrate that sensitivity in depth (S decreases exponentially, with a "rule-of-thumb" formula S=0.75*0.85(depth. Thus, while the depth sensitivity of NIRS is not strictly limited, NIN signals in adult humans are strongly biased towards the outermost 10-15 mm of intracranial space. These general results, along with the detailed quantitation of sensitivity estimates around the head, can provide detailed guidance for interpreting the likely sources of NIRS signals, as well as help NIRS investigators design and plan better NIRS experiments, head probes and instruments.

Functionalized Mesoporous Silica Membranes for CO2 Separation Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyung-Ju Kim

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Mesoporous silica molecular sieves are emerging candidates for a number of potential applications involving adsorption and molecular transport due to their large surface areas, high pore volumes, and tunable pore sizes. Recently, several research groups have investigated the potential of functionalized mesoporous silica molecular sieves as advanced materials in separation devices, such as membranes. In particular, mesoporous silica with a two- or three-dimensional pore structure is one of the most promising types of molecular sieve materials for gas separation membranes. However, several important challenges must first be addressed regarding the successful fabrication of mesoporous silica membranes. First, a novel, high throughput process for the fabrication of continuous and defect-free mesoporous silica membranes is required. Second, functionalization of mesopores on membranes is desirable in order to impart selective properties. Finally, the separation characteristics and performance of functionalized mesoporous silica membranes must be further investigated. Herein, the synthesis, characterization, and applications of mesoporous silica membranes and functionalized mesoporous silica membranes are reviewed with a focus on CO2 separation.

The value function as a criterion of analysis in separation technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peculea, Marius

2005-01-01

Production costs of heavy water are described by two functions: φ(ε), the energy function which represents the variable costs and φ(τ), the technologic function which represents the stable costs. The Dirac value function related to the circulation in the separation cascade allows calculating φ(ε) and consequently the technologic function may be represented in relation to the specific separation process. This representation allows the qualitative analysis of different separation processes or, for a given process, provides the analysis of different technological solutions which were worked out. An example is given referring to the analysis of heavy water technologies of separation through the dual temperature process of H 2 O-H 2 S isotopic exchange

Technologies for the treatment of source-separated urine in the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Technologies for the treatment of source-separated urine in the eThekwini ... This practice can lead to environmental pollution, since urine contains high amounts of ... produces only distilled water and a small amount of sludge as by-products.

Rhythmic entrainment source separation: Optimizing analyses of neural responses to rhythmic sensory stimulation

OpenAIRE

Cohen, M.S.; Gulbinaite, R.

2017-01-01

Steady-state evoked potentials (SSEPs) are rhythmic brain responses to rhythmic sensory stimulation, and are often used to study perceptual and attentional processes. We present a data analysis method for maximizing the signal-to-noise ratio of the narrow-band steady-state response in the frequency and time-frequency domains. The method, termed rhythmic entrainment source separation (RESS), is based on denoising source separation approaches that take advantage of the simultaneous but differen...

Range-separated density-functional theory for molecular excitation energies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rebolini, E.

2014-01-01

Linear-response time-dependent density-functional theory (TDDFT) is nowadays a method of choice to compute molecular excitation energies. However, within the usual adiabatic semi-local approximations, it is not able to describe properly Rydberg, charge-transfer or multiple excitations. Range separation of the electronic interaction allows one to mix rigorously density-functional methods at short range and wave function or Green's function methods at long range. When applied to the exchange functional, it already corrects most of these deficiencies but multiple excitations remain absent as they need a frequency-dependent kernel. In this thesis, the effects of range separation are first assessed on the excitation energies of a partially-interacting system in an analytic and numerical study in order to provide guidelines for future developments of range-separated methods for excitation energy calculations. It is then applied on the exchange and correlation TDDFT kernels in a single-determinant approximation in which the long-range part of the correlation kernel vanishes. A long-range frequency-dependent second-order correlation kernel is then derived from the Bethe-Salpeter equation and added perturbatively to the range-separated TDDFT kernel in order to take into account the effects of double excitations. (author)

Life cycle assessment of a household solid waste source separation programme: a Swedish case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernstad, Anna; la Cour Jansen, Jes; Aspegren, Henrik

2011-10-01

The environmental impact of an extended property close source-separation system for solid household waste (i.e., a systems for collection of recyclables from domestic properties) is investigated in a residential area in southern Sweden. Since 2001, households have been able to source-separate waste into six fractions of dry recyclables and food waste sorting. The current system was evaluated using the EASEWASTE life cycle assessment tool. Current status is compared with an ideal scenario in which households display perfect source-separation behaviour and a scenario without any material recycling. Results show that current recycling provides substantial environmental benefits compared to a non-recycling alternative. The environmental benefit varies greatly between recyclable fractions, and the recyclables currently most frequently source-separated by households are often not the most beneficial from an environmental perspective. With optimal source-separation of all recyclables, the current net contribution to global warming could be changed to a net-avoidance while current avoidance of nutrient enrichment, acidification and photochemical ozone formation could be doubled. Sensitivity analyses show that the type of energy substituted by incineration of non-recycled waste, as well as energy used in recycling processes and in the production of materials substituted by waste recycling, is of high relevance for the attained results.

When do evolutionary algorithms optimize separable functions in parallel?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Doerr, Benjamin; Sudholt, Dirk; Witt, Carsten

2013-01-01

is that evolutionary algorithms make progress on all subfunctions in parallel, so that optimizing a separable function does not take not much longer than optimizing the hardest subfunction-subfunctions are optimized "in parallel." We show that this is only partially true, already for the simple (1+1) evolutionary...... algorithm ((1+1) EA). For separable functions composed of k Boolean functions indeed the optimization time is the maximum optimization time of these functions times a small O(log k) overhead. More generally, for sums of weighted subfunctions that each attain non-negative integer values less than r = o(log1...

Methods for selective functionalization and separation of carbon nanotubes

Science.gov (United States)

Strano, Michael S. (Inventor); Usrey, Monica (Inventor); Barone, Paul (Inventor); Dyke, Christopher A. (Inventor); Tour, James M. (Inventor); Kittrell, W. Carter (Inventor); Hauge, Robert H (Inventor); Smalley, Richard E. (Inventor); Marek, legal representative, Irene Marie (Inventor)

2011-01-01

The present invention is directed toward methods of selectively functionalizing carbon nanotubes of a specific type or range of types, based on their electronic properties, using diazonium chemistry. The present invention is also directed toward methods of separating carbon nanotubes into populations of specific types or range(s) of types via selective functionalization and electrophoresis, and also to the novel compositions generated by such separations.

24 CFR 180.220 - Separation of functions.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... AND BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY CONSOLIDATED HUD HEARING PROCEDURES FOR CIVIL RIGHTS MATTERS Administrative Law Judge § 180.220 Separation of functions. No officer, employee, or agent of the Federal Government...

How Many Separable Sources? Model Selection In Independent Components Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Woods, Roger P.; Hansen, Lars Kai; Strother, Stephen

2015-01-01

Unlike mixtures consisting solely of non-Gaussian sources, mixtures including two or more Gaussian components cannot be separated using standard independent components analysis methods that are based on higher order statistics and independent observations. The mixed Independent Components Analysis/Principal Components Analysis (mixed ICA/PCA) model described here accommodates one or more Gaussian components in the independent components analysis model and uses principal components analysis to characterize contributions from this inseparable Gaussian subspace. Information theory can then be used to select from among potential model categories with differing numbers of Gaussian components. Based on simulation studies, the assumptions and approximations underlying the Akaike Information Criterion do not hold in this setting, even with a very large number of observations. Cross-validation is a suitable, though computationally intensive alternative for model selection. Application of the algorithm is illustrated using Fisher's iris data set and Howells' craniometric data set. Mixed ICA/PCA is of potential interest in any field of scientific investigation where the authenticity of blindly separated non-Gaussian sources might otherwise be questionable. Failure of the Akaike Information Criterion in model selection also has relevance in traditional independent components analysis where all sources are assumed non-Gaussian. PMID:25811988

Cultured Cortical Neurons Can Perform Blind Source Separation According to the Free-Energy Principle

Science.gov (United States)

Isomura, Takuya; Kotani, Kiyoshi; Jimbo, Yasuhiko

2015-01-01

Blind source separation is the computation underlying the cocktail party effect––a partygoer can distinguish a particular talker’s voice from the ambient noise. Early studies indicated that the brain might use blind source separation as a signal processing strategy for sensory perception and numerous mathematical models have been proposed; however, it remains unclear how the neural networks extract particular sources from a complex mixture of inputs. We discovered that neurons in cultures of dissociated rat cortical cells could learn to represent particular sources while filtering out other signals. Specifically, the distinct classes of neurons in the culture learned to respond to the distinct sources after repeating training stimulation. Moreover, the neural network structures changed to reduce free energy, as predicted by the free-energy principle, a candidate unified theory of learning and memory, and by Jaynes’ principle of maximum entropy. This implicit learning can only be explained by some form of Hebbian plasticity. These results are the first in vitro (as opposed to in silico) demonstration of neural networks performing blind source separation, and the first formal demonstration of neuronal self-organization under the free energy principle. PMID:26690814

Cultured Cortical Neurons Can Perform Blind Source Separation According to the Free-Energy Principle.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takuya Isomura

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Blind source separation is the computation underlying the cocktail party effect--a partygoer can distinguish a particular talker's voice from the ambient noise. Early studies indicated that the brain might use blind source separation as a signal processing strategy for sensory perception and numerous mathematical models have been proposed; however, it remains unclear how the neural networks extract particular sources from a complex mixture of inputs. We discovered that neurons in cultures of dissociated rat cortical cells could learn to represent particular sources while filtering out other signals. Specifically, the distinct classes of neurons in the culture learned to respond to the distinct sources after repeating training stimulation. Moreover, the neural network structures changed to reduce free energy, as predicted by the free-energy principle, a candidate unified theory of learning and memory, and by Jaynes' principle of maximum entropy. This implicit learning can only be explained by some form of Hebbian plasticity. These results are the first in vitro (as opposed to in silico demonstration of neural networks performing blind source separation, and the first formal demonstration of neuronal self-organization under the free energy principle.

A particle velocity based method for separating all multi incoherent sound sources

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Winkel, J.C.; Yntema, Doekle Reinder; Druyvesteyn, W.F.; de Bree, H.E.

2006-01-01

In this paper we present a method to separate the contributions of different uncorrelated sound sources to the total sound field. When the contribution of each sound source to the total sound field is known, techniques with array-applications like direct sound field measurements or inverse acoustics

Development of the high temperature ion-source for the Grenoble electromagnetic isotope separator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouriant, M.

1968-01-01

The production of high purity stable or radioactive isotopes (≥ 99.99 per cent) using electromagnetic separation require for equipment having a high resolving power. Besides, and in order to collect rare or short half-life isotopes, the efficiency of the ion-source must be high (η > 5 to 10 per cent). With this in view, the source built operates at high temperatures (2500-3000 C) and makes use of ionisation by electronic bombardment or of thermo-ionisation. A summary is given in the first part of this work on the essential characteristics of the isotope separator ion Sources; a diagram of the principle of the source built is then given together with its characteristics. In the second part are given the values of the resolving power and of the efficiency of the Grenoble isotope separator fitted with such a source. The resolving power measured at 10 per cent of the peak height is of the order of 200. At the first magnetic stage the efficiency is between 1 and 26 per cent for a range of elements evaporating between 200 and 3000 C. Thus equipped, the separator has for example given, at the first stage, 10 mg of 180 Hf at (99.69 ± 0.1) per cent corresponding to an enrichment coefficient of 580; recently 2 mg of 150 Nd at (99.996 ± 0.002) per cent corresponding to an enrichment coefficient of 4.2 x 10 5 has been obtained at the second stage. (author) [fr

Separation of source and propagation effects at regional distances

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goldstein, P.; Jarpe, S.; Mayeda, K. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)] [and others

1994-12-31

Improved estimates of the contributions of source and propagation effects to regional seismic signals are needed to explain the performance of existing discriminants and to help develop more robust methods for identifying underground explosions. In this paper, we use close-in, local, and regional estimates of explosion source time functions to remove source effects from regional recordings of the Non-Proliferation Experiment (NPE), a one kiloton chemical explosion in N-tunnel at Rainier Mesa on the Nevada Test Site, and nearby nuclear explosions and earthquakes. Using source corrected regional waveforms, we find that regional Pg and Lg spectra of shallow explosions have significant low frequency ({approximately}1Hz) enhancements when compared to normal depth earthquakes. Data and simulations suggest that such enhancements are most sensitive to source depth, but may also be a function of mechanism, source receiver distance, and regional structure.

Full-Scale Turbofan Engine Noise-Source Separation Using a Four-Signal Method

Science.gov (United States)

Hultgren, Lennart S.; Arechiga, Rene O.

2016-01-01

Contributions from the combustor to the overall propulsion noise of civilian transport aircraft are starting to become important due to turbofan design trends and expected advances in mitigation of other noise sources. During on-ground, static-engine acoustic tests, combustor noise is generally sub-dominant to other engine noise sources because of the absence of in-flight effects. Consequently, noise-source separation techniques are needed to extract combustor-noise information from the total noise signature in order to further progress. A novel four-signal source-separation method is applied to data from a static, full-scale engine test and compared to previous methods. The new method is, in a sense, a combination of two- and three-signal techniques and represents an attempt to alleviate some of the weaknesses of each of those approaches. This work is supported by the NASA Advanced Air Vehicles Program, Advanced Air Transport Technology Project, Aircraft Noise Reduction Subproject and the NASA Glenn Faculty Fellowship Program.

Factors influencing source separation intention and willingness to pay for improving waste management in Bangkok, Thailand

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sujitra Vassanadumrongdee

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Source separation for recycling has been recognized as a way to achieve sustainable municipal solid waste (MSW management. However, most developing countries including Thailand have been facing with lack of recycling facilities and low level of source separation practice. By employing questionnaire surveys, this study investigated Bangkok residents' source separation intention and willingness to pay (WTP for improving MSW service and recycling facilities (n = 1076. This research extended the theory of planned behavior to explore the effects of both internal and external factors. The survey highlighted perceived inconvenience and mistrust on MSW collection being major barriers to carrying out source separation in Bangkok. Promoting source separation at workplace may possibly create spill-over effect to people's intention to recycle their waste at home. Both subjective norms and knowledge on MSW situation were found to be a positive correlation with Bangkok residents' source separation intention and WTP (p < 0.001. Besides, the average WTP values are higher than the existing rate of waste collection service, which shows that Bangkok residents have preference for recycling programs. However, the WTP figures are still much lower than the average MSW management cost. These findings suggest that Bangkok Metropolitan Administration targets improving people knowledge on waste problems that could have adverse impact on the economy and well-being of Bangkok residents and improve its MSW collection service as these factors have positive influence on residents' WTP.

Theoretical investigation of gas separation in functionalized nanoporous graphene membranes

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yong; Yang, Qingyuan; Zhong, Chongli; Li, Jinping

2017-06-01

Graphene has enormous potential as a membrane-separation material with ultrahigh permeability and selectivity. The understanding of mass-transport mechanism in graphene membranes is crucial for applications in gas separation field. We computationally investigated the capability and mechanisms of functionalized nanoporous graphene membranes for gas separation. The functionalized graphene membranes with appropriate pore size and geometry possess excellent high selectivity for separating CO2/N2, CO2/CH4 and N2/CH4 gas mixtures with a gas permeance of ∼103-105 GPU, compared with ∼100 GPU for typical polymeric membranes. More important, we found that, for ultrathin graphene membranes, the gas separation performance has a great dependence not only with the energy barrier for gas getting into the pore of the graphene membranes, but also with the energy barrier for gas escaping from the pore to the other side of the membranes. The gas separation performance can be tuned by changing the two energy barriers, which can be realized by varying the chemical functional groups on the pore rim of the graphene. The novel mass-transport mechanism obtained in current study may provide a theoretical foundation for guiding the future design of graphene membranes with outstanding separation performance.

A Review of Function Allocation and En Route Separation Assurance

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Timothy A.; Aweiss, Arwa S.; Guerreiro, Nelson M.; Daiker, Ronald J.

2016-01-01

Today's air traffic control system has reached a limit to the number of aircraft that can be safely managed at the same time. This air traffic capacity bottleneck is a critical problem along the path to modernization for air transportation. The design of the next separation assurance system to address this problem is a cornerstone of air traffic management research today. This report reviews recent work by NASA and others in the areas of function allocation and en route separation assurance. This includes: separation assurance algorithms and technology prototypes; concepts of operations and designs for advanced separation assurance systems; and specific investigations into air-ground and human-automation function allocation.

Back-trajectory modeling of high time-resolution air measurement data to separate nearby sources

Science.gov (United States)

Strategies to isolate air pollution contributions from sources is of interest as voluntary or regulatory measures are undertaken to reduce air pollution. When different sources are located in close proximity to one another and have similar emissions, separating source emissions ...

Life cycle assessment and costing of urine source separation: Focus on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug removal.

Science.gov (United States)

Landry, Kelly A; Boyer, Treavor H

2016-11-15

Urine source separation has the potential to reduce pharmaceutical loading to the environment, while enhancing nutrient recovery. The focus of this life cycle assessment (LCA) was to evaluate the environmental impacts and economic costs to manage nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (i.e., diclofenac, ibuprofen, ketoprofen and naproxen) and nutrients in human urine. Urine source separation was compared with centralized wastewater treatment (WWT) (biological or upgraded with ozonation). The current treatment method (i.e., centralized biological WWT) was compared with hypothetical treatment scenarios (i.e., centralized biological WWT upgraded with ozonation, and urine source separation). Alternative urine source separation scenarios included varying collection and handling methods (i.e., collection by vacuum truck, vacuum sewer, or decentralized treatment), pharmaceuticals removal by ion-exchange, and struvite precipitation. Urine source separation scenarios had 90% lower environmental impact (based on the TRACI impact assessment method) compared with the centralized wastewater scenarios due to reduced potable water production for flush water, reduced electricity use at the wastewater treatment plant, and nutrient offsets from struvite precipitation. Despite the greatest reduction of pharmaceutical toxicity, centralized treatment upgraded with ozone had the greatest ecotoxicity impacts due to ozonation operation and infrastructure. Among urine source separation scenarios, decentralized treatment of urine and centralized treatment of urine collected by vacuum truck had negligible cost differences compared with centralized wastewater treatment. Centralized treatment of urine collected by vacuum sewer and centralized treatment with ozone cost 30% more compared with conventional wastewater treatment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Residents’ Preferences for Household Kitchen Waste Source Separation Services in Beijing: A Choice Experiment Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yalin Yuan

2014-12-01

Full Text Available A source separation program for household kitchen waste has been in place in Beijing since 2010. However, the participation rate of residents is far from satisfactory. This study was carried out to identify residents’ preferences based on an improved management strategy for household kitchen waste source separation. We determine the preferences of residents in an ad hoc sample, according to their age level, for source separation services and their marginal willingness to accept compensation for the service attributes. We used a multinomial logit model to analyze the data, collected from 394 residents in Haidian and Dongcheng districts of Beijing City through a choice experiment. The results show there are differences of preferences on the services attributes between young, middle, and old age residents. Low compensation is not a major factor to promote young and middle age residents accept the proposed separation services. However, on average, most of them prefer services with frequent, evening, plastic bag attributes and without instructor. This study indicates that there is a potential for local government to improve the current separation services accordingly.

Rhythmic entrainment source separation: Optimizing analyses of neural responses to rhythmic sensory stimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Michael X; Gulbinaite, Rasa

2017-02-15

Steady-state evoked potentials (SSEPs) are rhythmic brain responses to rhythmic sensory stimulation, and are often used to study perceptual and attentional processes. We present a data analysis method for maximizing the signal-to-noise ratio of the narrow-band steady-state response in the frequency and time-frequency domains. The method, termed rhythmic entrainment source separation (RESS), is based on denoising source separation approaches that take advantage of the simultaneous but differential projection of neural activity to multiple electrodes or sensors. Our approach is a combination and extension of existing multivariate source separation methods. We demonstrate that RESS performs well on both simulated and empirical data, and outperforms conventional SSEP analysis methods based on selecting electrodes with the strongest SSEP response, as well as several other linear spatial filters. We also discuss the potential confound of overfitting, whereby the filter captures noise in absence of a signal. Matlab scripts are available to replicate and extend our simulations and methods. We conclude with some practical advice for optimizing SSEP data analyses and interpreting the results. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Life Cycle Assessment of pretreatment technologies for anaerobic digestion of source-separated organic household waste

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Naroznova, Irina; Møller, Jacob; Scheutz, Charlotte

2013-01-01

The environmental performance of two pretreatment technologies for source-separated organic waste was compared using life cycle assessment (LCA). An innovative pulping process where source-separated organic waste is pulped with cold water forming a volatile solid rich biopulp was compared to a more...... including a number of non-toxic and toxic impact categories were assessed. No big difference in the overall performance of the two technologies was observed. The difference for the separate life cycle steps was, however, more pronounced. More efficient material transfer in the scenario with waste pulping...

Materials recovery system for source-separated noncombustible rubbish and bulky waste in Nishinomiya

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adachi, Yoshihiro

1987-01-01

Since 1980, the city of Nishinomiya has been recovering materials from source-separated non-combustible and bulky waste to reduce the amount of final disposal. Materials amounting to 33-39% of the throughput are recovered in the Shredding and Separation Facility, which consists of a manual separation system, a mechanical separation system, a shredder, a pair of shears and incinerators. The facility system is shown in order of processing of the waste. The secondary pollution control, safety equipment, instrumentation, etc., are also described. The recovery percentage and use of revenues are explained in detail.

Selective Attention, Working Memory, and Executive Function as Potential Independent Sources of Cognitive Dysfunction in Schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Gold, James M; Robinson, Benjamin; Leonard, Carly J; Hahn, Britta; Chen, Shuo; McMahon, Robert P; Luck, Steven J

2017-11-11

People with schizophrenia demonstrate impairments in selective attention, working memory, and executive function. Given the overlap in these constructs, it is unclear if these represent distinct impairments or different manifestations of one higher-order impairment. To examine this question, we administered tasks from the basic cognitive neuroscience literature to measure visual selective attention, working memory capacity, and executive function in 126 people with schizophrenia and 122 healthy volunteers. Patients demonstrated deficits on all tasks with the exception of selective attention guided by strong bottom-up inputs. Although the measures of top-down control of selective attention, working memory, and executive function were all intercorrelated, several sources of evidence indicate that working memory and executive function are separate sources of variance. Specifically, both working memory and executive function independently contributed to the discrimination of group status and independently accounted for variance in overall general cognitive ability as assessed by the MATRICS battery. These two cognitive functions appear to be separable features of the cognitive impairments observed in schizophrenia. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Survival of enteric bacteria in source-separated human urine used ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

MAKAYA

Urine in Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) Cultivation. Agric. Food Sci. 18:57-68. Pronk W, Koné D (2010). Options for urine treatment in developing countries. Desalination 251:360-368. Schönning C, Leeming R, Stenström TA (2002). Faecal contamination of source-separated human urine based on the content of faecal sterols ...

Efficient image enhancement using sparse source separation in the Retinex theory

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Jongsu; Choi, Jangwon; Choe, Yoonsik

2017-11-01

Color constancy is the feature of the human vision system (HVS) that ensures the relative constancy of the perceived color of objects under varying illumination conditions. The Retinex theory of machine vision systems is based on the HVS. Among Retinex algorithms, the physics-based algorithms are efficient; however, they generally do not satisfy the local characteristics of the original Retinex theory because they eliminate global illumination from their optimization. We apply the sparse source separation technique to the Retinex theory to present a physics-based algorithm that satisfies the locality characteristic of the original Retinex theory. Previous Retinex algorithms have limited use in image enhancement because the total variation Retinex results in an overly enhanced image and the sparse source separation Retinex cannot completely restore the original image. In contrast, our proposed method preserves the image edge and can very nearly replicate the original image without any special operation.

Blind source separation of ex-vivo aorta tissue multispectral images.

Science.gov (United States)

Galeano, July; Perez, Sandra; Montoya, Yonatan; Botina, Deivid; Garzón, Johnson

2015-05-01

Blind Source Separation methods (BSS) aim for the decomposition of a given signal in its main components or source signals. Those techniques have been widely used in the literature for the analysis of biomedical images, in order to extract the main components of an organ or tissue under study. The analysis of skin images for the extraction of melanin and hemoglobin is an example of the use of BSS. This paper presents a proof of concept of the use of source separation of ex-vivo aorta tissue multispectral Images. The images are acquired with an interference filter-based imaging system. The images are processed by means of two algorithms: Independent Components analysis and Non-negative Matrix Factorization. In both cases, it is possible to obtain maps that quantify the concentration of the main chromophores present in aortic tissue. Also, the algorithms allow for spectral absorbance of the main tissue components. Those spectral signatures were compared against the theoretical ones by using correlation coefficients. Those coefficients report values close to 0.9, which is a good estimator of the method's performance. Also, correlation coefficients lead to the identification of the concentration maps according to the evaluated chromophore. The results suggest that Multi/hyper-spectral systems together with image processing techniques is a potential tool for the analysis of cardiovascular tissue.

Electrostatic separation for functional food ingredient production

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wang, J.

2016-01-01

Summary

Dry fractionation is a promising alternative to wet extraction processes for production of food ingredients, since it uses hardly any water, consumes less energy and retains the native functionality of the ingredients. It combines milling and dry separation to

Resonance ionization laser ion sources for on-line isotope separators (invited)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marsh, B. A.

2014-01-01

A Resonance Ionization Laser Ion Source (RILIS) is today considered an essential component of the majority of Isotope Separator On Line (ISOL) facilities; there are seven laser ion sources currently operational at ISOL facilities worldwide and several more are under development. The ionization mechanism is a highly element selective multi-step resonance photo-absorption process that requires a specifically tailored laser configuration for each chemical element. For some isotopes, isomer selective ionization may even be achieved by exploiting the differences in hyperfine structures of an atomic transition for different nuclear spin states. For many radioactive ion beam experiments, laser resonance ionization is the only means of achieving an acceptable level of beam purity without compromising isotope yield. Furthermore, by performing element selection at the location of the ion source, the propagation of unwanted radioactivity downstream of the target assembly is reduced. Whilst advances in laser technology have improved the performance and reliability of laser ion sources and broadened the range of suitable commercially available laser systems, many recent developments have focused rather on the laser/atom interaction region in the quest for increased selectivity and/or improved spectral resolution. Much of the progress in this area has been achieved by decoupling the laser ionization from competing ionization processes through the use of a laser/atom interaction region that is physically separated from the target chamber. A new application of gas catcher laser ion source technology promises to expand the capabilities of projectile fragmentation facilities through the conversion of otherwise discarded reaction fragments into high-purity low-energy ion beams. A summary of recent RILIS developments and the current status of laser ion sources worldwide is presented

Iterative algorithm for joint zero diagonalization with application in blind source separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Wei-Tao; Lou, Shun-Tian

2011-07-01

A new iterative algorithm for the nonunitary joint zero diagonalization of a set of matrices is proposed for blind source separation applications. On one hand, since the zero diagonalizer of the proposed algorithm is constructed iteratively by successive multiplications of an invertible matrix, the singular solutions that occur in the existing nonunitary iterative algorithms are naturally avoided. On the other hand, compared to the algebraic method for joint zero diagonalization, the proposed algorithm requires fewer matrices to be zero diagonalized to yield even better performance. The extension of the algorithm to the complex and nonsquare mixing cases is also addressed. Numerical simulations on both synthetic data and blind source separation using time-frequency distributions illustrate the performance of the algorithm and provide a comparison to the leading joint zero diagonalization schemes.

The Crowding-Out Effects of Garbage Fees and Voluntary Source Separation Programs on Waste Reduction: Evidence from China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongyun Han

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This paper examines how and to what degree government policies of garbage fees and voluntary source separation programs, with free indoor containers and garbage bags, can affect the effectiveness of municipal solid waste (MSW management, in the sense of achieving a desirable reduction of per capita MSW generation. Based on city-level panel data for years 1998–2012 in China, our empirical analysis indicates that per capita MSW generated is increasing with per capita disposable income, average household size, education levels of households, and the lagged per capita MSW. While both garbage fees and source separation programs have separately led to reductions in per capita waste generation, the interaction of the two policies has resulted in an increase in per capita waste generation due to the following crowding-out effects: Firstly, the positive effect of income dominates the negative effect of the garbage fee. Secondly, there are crowding-out effects of mandatory charging system and the subsidized voluntary source separation on per capita MSW generation. Thirdly, small subsidies and tax punishments have reduced the intrinsic motivation for voluntary source separation of MSW. Thus, compatible fee charging system, higher levels of subsidies, and well-designed public information and education campaigns are required to promote household waste source separation and reduction.

Vermicomposting of source-separated human faeces for nutrient recycling.

Science.gov (United States)

Yadav, Kunwar D; Tare, Vinod; Ahammed, M Mansoor

2010-01-01

The present study examined the suitability of vermicomposting technology for processing source-separated human faeces. Since the earthworm species Eisenia fetida could not survive in fresh faeces, modification in the physical characteristics of faeces was necessary before earthworms could be introduced to faeces. A preliminary study with six different combinations of faeces, soil and bulking material (vermicompost) in different layers was conducted to find out the best condition for biomass growth and reproduction of earthworms. The results indicated that SVFV combination (soil, vermicompost, faeces and vermicompost - bottom to top layers) was the best for earthworm biomass growth indicating the positive role of soil layer in earthworm biomass growth. Further studies with SVFV and VFV combinations, however, showed that soil layer did not enhance vermicompost production rate. Year-long study conducted with VFV combination to assess the quality and quantity of vermicompost produced showed an average vermicompost production rate of 0.30kg-cast/kg-worm/day. The vermicompost produced was mature as indicated by low dissolved organic carbon (2.4+/-0.43mg/g) and low oxygen uptake rate (0.15+/-0.09mg O(2)/g VS/h). Complete inactivation of total coliforms was noted during the study, which is one of the important objectives of human faeces processing. Results of the study thus indicated the potential of vermicomposting for processing of source-separated human faeces.

Investigation of gas discharge ion sources for on-line mass separation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirchner, R.

1976-03-01

The development of efficient gas discharge ion sources with axial beam extraction for on-line mass separation is described. The aim of the investigation was to increase the ion source temperature, the lifetime and the ionisation yield in comparison to present low-pressure are discharge ion sources and to reduce the ion current density from usually 1 to 100 mA/cm 3 . In all ion sources the pressure range below the minimal ignition pressure of the arc discharge was investigated. As a result an ion source was developed which works at small changes in geometry and in electric device of a Nielsen source with high ionization yield (up to 50% for xenon) stabil and without ignition difficulties up to 10 -5 Torr. At a typical pressure of 3 x 10 -5 Torr ion current and ion current density are about 1 μA and 0.1 mA/cm 3 respectively besides high yield and a great emission aperture (diameter 1.2 mm). (orig.) [de

Stationary plasma source of heavy ions for imitating research at the separator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuferov, V.B.; Sharyj, S.V.; Seroshtanov, V.A.

2008-01-01

The imitation gas mix choice for experimenting on the demonstration imitation separator have been grounded. The construction of plasma source is changed. The research of operating conditions and contrastive analysis of received characteristics have been carry out

Functionalized inorganic membranes for gas separation

Science.gov (United States)

Ku, Anthony Yu-Chung [Rexford, NY; Ruud, James Anthony [Delmar, NY; Molaison, Jennifer Lynn [Marietta, GA; Schick, Louis Andrew ,; Ramaswamy, Vidya [Niskayuna, NY

2008-07-08

A porous membrane for separation of carbon dioxide from a fluid stream at a temperature higher than about 200.degree. C. with selectivity higher than Knudsen diffusion selectivity. The porous membrane comprises a porous support layer comprising alumina, silica, zirconia or stabilized zirconia; a porous separation layer comprising alumina, silica, zirconia or stabilized zirconia, and a functional layer comprising a ceramic oxide contactable with the fluid stream to preferentially transport carbon dioxide. In particular, the functional layer may be MgO, CaO, SrO, BaO, La.sub.2O.sub.3, CeO.sub.2, ATiO.sub.3, AZrO.sub.3, AAl.sub.2O.sub.4, A.sup.1FeO.sub.3, A.sup.1MnO.sub.3, A.sup.1CoO.sub.3, A.sup.1NiO.sub.3, A.sup.2HfO.sub.3, A.sup.3CeO.sub.3, Li.sub.2ZrO.sub.3, Li.sub.2SiO.sub.3, Li.sub.2TiO.sub.3 or a mixture thereof; wherein A is Mg, Ca, Sr or Ba; A.sup.1 is La, Ca, Sr or Ba; A.sup.2 is Ca, Sr or Ba; and A.sup.3 is Sr or Ba.

Consciousness cannot be separated from function.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Michael A; Dennett, Daniel C

2011-08-01

Numerous theories of consciousness hold that there are separate neural correlates of conscious experience and cognitive function, aligning with the assumption that there are 'hard' and 'easy' problems of consciousness. Here, we argue that any neurobiological theory based on an experience/function division cannot be empirically confirmed or falsified and is thus outside the scope of science. A 'perfect experiment' illustrates this point, highlighting the unbreachable boundaries of the scientific study of consciousness. We describe a more nuanced notion of cognitive access that captures personal experience without positing the existence of inaccessible conscious states. Finally, we discuss the criteria necessary for forming and testing a falsifiable theory of consciousness. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Basic studies of a gas-jet-coupled ion source for on-line isotope separation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderl, R.A.; Novick, V.J.; Greenwood, R.C.

1980-01-01

A hollow-cathode ion source was used in a gas-jet-coupled configuration to produce ion beams of fission products transported to it from a 252 Cf fission source. Solid aerosols of NaCl and Ag were used effectively as activity carriers in the gas-jet system. Flat-plate skimmers provided an effective coupling of the ion source to the gas jet. Ge(Li) spectrometric measurements of the activity deposited on an ion-beam collector relative to that deposited on a pre-skimmer collector were used to obtain separation efficiencies ranging from 0.1% to > 1% for Sr, Y, Tc, Te, Cs, Ba, Ce, Pr, Nd and Sm. The use of CCl 4 as a support gas resulted in a significant enhancement of the alkaline-earth and rare-earth separation efficiencies

Function Allocation between Automation and Human Pilot for Airborne Separation Assurance

Science.gov (United States)

Idris, Husni; Enea, Gabriele; Lewis, TImothy A.

2016-01-01

Maintaining safe separation between aircraft is a key determinant of the airspace capacity to handle air transportation. With the advent of satellite-based surveillance, aircraft equipped with the needed technologies are now capable of maintaining awareness of their location in the airspace and sharing it with their surrounding traffic. As a result, concepts and cockpit automation are emerging to enable delegating the responsibility of maintaining safe separation from traffic to the pilot; thus increasing the airspace capacity by alleviating the limitation of the current non-scalable centralized ground-based system. In this paper, an analysis of allocating separation assurance functions to the human pilot and cockpit automation is presented to support the design of these concepts and technologies. A task analysis was conducted with the help of Petri nets to identify the main separation assurance functions and their interactions. Each function was characterized by three behavior levels that may be needed to perform the task: skill, rule and knowledge based levels. Then recommendations are made for allocating each function to an automation scale based on their behavior level characterization and with the help of Subject matter experts.

A general range-separated double-hybrid density-functional theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalai, Cairedine; Toulouse, Julien

2018-04-28

A range-separated double-hybrid (RSDH) scheme which generalizes the usual range-separated hybrids and double hybrids is developed. This scheme consistently uses a two-parameter Coulomb-attenuating-method (CAM)-like decomposition of the electron-electron interaction for both exchange and correlation in order to combine Hartree-Fock exchange and second-order Møller-Plesset (MP2) correlation with a density functional. The RSDH scheme relies on an exact theory which is presented in some detail. Several semi-local approximations are developed for the short-range exchange-correlation density functional involved in this scheme. After finding optimal values for the two parameters of the CAM-like decomposition, the RSDH scheme is shown to have a relatively small basis dependence and to provide atomization energies, reaction barrier heights, and weak intermolecular interactions globally more accurate or comparable to range-separated MP2 or standard MP2. The RSDH scheme represents a new family of double hybrids with minimal empiricism which could be useful for general chemical applications.

Concepts and Criteria for Blind Quantum Source Separation and Blind Quantum Process Tomography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alain Deville

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Blind Source Separation (BSS is an active domain of Classical Information Processing, with well-identified methods and applications. The development of Quantum Information Processing has made possible the appearance of Blind Quantum Source Separation (BQSS, with a recent extension towards Blind Quantum Process Tomography (BQPT. This article investigates the use of several fundamental quantum concepts in the BQSS context and establishes properties already used without justification in that context. It mainly considers a pair of electron spins initially separately prepared in a pure state and then submitted to an undesired exchange coupling between these spins. Some consequences of the existence of the entanglement phenomenon, and of the probabilistic aspect of quantum measurements, upon BQSS solutions, are discussed. An unentanglement criterion is established for the state of an arbitrary qubit pair, expressed first with probability amplitudes and secondly with probabilities. The interest of using the concept of a random quantum state in the BQSS context is presented. It is stressed that the concept of statistical independence of the sources, widely used in classical BSS, should be used with care in BQSS, and possibly replaced by some disentanglement principle. It is shown that the coefficients of the development of any qubit pair pure state over the states of an orthonormal basis can be expressed with the probabilities of results in the measurements of well-chosen spin components.

A chemically selective laser ion source for the on-line isotope separation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scheerer, F.

1993-03-01

In this thesis a laser ion source is presented. In a hot chamber the atoms of the elements to be studied are resonantly by light of pulsed dye lasers, which are pumped by pulsed copper-vapor lasers with extremely high pulse repetition rate (ν rep ∼ 10 kHz), stepwise excited and ionized. By the storage of the atoms in a hot chamber and the high pulse repetition rate of the copper-vapor lasers beyond the required high efficiency (ε ∼ 10%) can be reached. First preparing measurements were performed at the off-line separator at CERN with the rare earth elements ytterbium and thulium. Starting from the results of these measurements further tests of the laser ion source were performed at the on-line separator with in a thick tantalum target produced neutron-deficient ytterbium isotopes. Under application of a time-of-flight mass spectrometer in Mainz an efficient excitation scheme on the resonance ionization of tin was found. This excitation scheme is condition for an experiment at the GSI for the production of the extremely neutron-deficient, short-lived nucleus 102 Sn. In the summer 1993 is as first application of the newly developed laser ion source at the PSB-ISOLDE at CERN an astrophysically relevant experiment for the nuclear spectroscopy of the neutron-rich silver isotopes 124-129 Ag is planned. This experiment can because of the lacking selectivity of conventional ion sources only be performed by means of the here presented laser ion source. The laser ion source shall at the PSB-ISOLDE 1993 also be applied for the selective ionization of manganese. (orig./HSI) [de

Property-close source separation of hazardous waste and waste electrical and electronic equipment - A Swedish case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernstad, Anna; Cour Jansen, Jes la; Aspegren, Henrik

2011-01-01

Through an agreement with EEE producers, Swedish municipalities are responsible for collection of hazardous waste and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). In most Swedish municipalities, collection of these waste fractions is concentrated to waste recycling centres where households can source-separate and deposit hazardous waste and WEEE free of charge. However, the centres are often located on the outskirts of city centres and cars are needed in order to use the facilities in most cases. A full-scale experiment was performed in a residential area in southern Sweden to evaluate effects of a system for property-close source separation of hazardous waste and WEEE. After the system was introduced, results show a clear reduction in the amount of hazardous waste and WEEE disposed of incorrectly amongst residual waste or dry recyclables. The systems resulted in a source separation ratio of 70 wt% for hazardous waste and 76 wt% in the case of WEEE. Results show that households in the study area were willing to increase source separation of hazardous waste and WEEE when accessibility was improved and that this and similar collection systems can play an important role in building up increasingly sustainable solid waste management systems.

Alternative separation of exchange and correlation energies in range-separated density-functional perturbation theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cornaton, Y.; Stoyanova, A.; Jensen, Hans Jørgen Aagaard

2013-01-01

of the noninteracting Kohn-Sham one. When second-order corrections to the density are neglected, the energy expression reduces to a range-separated double-hybrid (RSDH) type of functional, RSDHf, where "f" stands for "full-range integrals" as the regular full-range interaction appears explicitly in the energy...

On the Relativistic Separable Functions for the Breakup Reactions

Science.gov (United States)

Bondarenko, Serge G.; Burov, Valery V.; Rogochaya, Elena P.

2018-02-01

In the paper the so-called modified Yamaguchi function for the Bethe-Salpeter equation with a separable kernel is discussed. The type of the functions is defined by the analytic stucture of the hadron current with breakup - the reactions with interacting nucleon-nucleon pair in the final state (electro-, photo-, and nucleon-disintegration of the deuteron).

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

2006-09-01

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

Fate of pharmaceuticals in full-scale source separated sanitation system.

Science.gov (United States)

Butkovskyi, A; Hernandez Leal, L; Rijnaarts, H H M; Zeeman, G

2015-11-15

Removal of 14 pharmaceuticals and 3 of their transformation products was studied in a full-scale source separated sanitation system with separate collection and treatment of black water and grey water. Black water is treated in an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor followed by oxygen-limited autotrophic nitrification-denitrification in a rotating biological contactor and struvite precipitation. Grey water is treated in an aerobic activated sludge process. Concentration of 10 pharmaceuticals and 2 transformation products in black water ranged between low μg/l to low mg/l. Additionally, 5 pharmaceuticals were also present in grey water in low μg/l range. Pharmaceutical influent loads were distributed over two streams, i.e. diclofenac was present for 70% in grey water, while the other compounds were predominantly associated to black water. Removal in the UASB reactor fed with black water exceeded 70% for 9 pharmaceuticals out of the 12 detected, with only two pharmaceuticals removed by sorption to sludge. Ibuprofen and the transformation product of naproxen, desmethylnaproxen, were removed in the rotating biological contactor. In contrast, only paracetamol removal exceeded 90% in the grey water treatment system while removal of other 7 pharmaceuticals was below 40% or even negative. The efficiency of pharmaceutical removal in the source separated sanitation system was compared with removal in the conventional sewage treatment plants. Furthermore, effluent concentrations of black water and grey water treatment systems were compared with predicted no-effect concentrations to assess toxicity of the effluent. Concentrations of diclofenac, ibuprofen and oxazepam in both effluents were higher than predicted no-effect concentrations, indicating the necessity of post-treatment. Ciprofloxacin, metoprolol and propranolol were found in UASB sludge in μg/g range, while pharmaceutical concentrations in struvite did not exceed the detection limits. Copyright © 2015

PSFGAN: a generative adversarial network system for separating quasar point sources and host galaxy light

Science.gov (United States)

Stark, Dominic; Launet, Barthelemy; Schawinski, Kevin; Zhang, Ce; Koss, Michael; Turp, M. Dennis; Sartori, Lia F.; Zhang, Hantian; Chen, Yiru; Weigel, Anna K.

2018-06-01

The study of unobscured active galactic nuclei (AGN) and quasars depends on the reliable decomposition of the light from the AGN point source and the extended host galaxy light. The problem is typically approached using parametric fitting routines using separate models for the host galaxy and the point spread function (PSF). We present a new approach using a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) trained on galaxy images. We test the method using Sloan Digital Sky Survey r-band images with artificial AGN point sources added that are then removed using the GAN and with parametric methods using GALFIT. When the AGN point source is more than twice as bright as the host galaxy, we find that our method, PSFGAN, can recover point source and host galaxy magnitudes with smaller systematic error and a lower average scatter (49 per cent). PSFGAN is more tolerant to poor knowledge of the PSF than parametric methods. Our tests show that PSFGAN is robust against a broadening in the PSF width of ± 50 per cent if it is trained on multiple PSFs. We demonstrate that while a matched training set does improve performance, we can still subtract point sources using a PSFGAN trained on non-astronomical images. While initial training is computationally expensive, evaluating PSFGAN on data is more than 40 times faster than GALFIT fitting two components. Finally, PSFGAN is more robust and easy to use than parametric methods as it requires no input parameters.

An approach for evaluating the effects of source separation on municipal solid waste management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanskanen, J.H. [Finnish Environment Institute, Helsinki (Finland)

2000-07-01

An approach was developed for integrated analysis of recovery rates, waste streams, costs and emissions of municipal solid waste management (MSWM). The approach differs from most earlier models used in the strategic planning of MSWM because of a comprehensive analysis of on-site collection systems of waste materials separated at source for recovery. As a result, the recovery rates and sizes of waste streams can be calculated on the basis of the characteristics of separation strategies instead of giving them as input data. The modelling concept developed can also be applied in other regions, municipalities and districts. This thesis consists of four case studies. Three of these were performed to test the approach developed and to evaluate the effects of separation on MSWM in Finland. In these case studies the approach was applied for modelling: (1) Finland's national separation strategy for municipal solid waste, (2) the effects of separation on MSWM systems in the Helsinki region and (3) the efficiency of various waste collection methods in the Helsinki region. The models developed for these three case studies are static and linear simulation models which were constructed in the format of an Excel spreadsheet. In addition, a new version of the original Swedish MIMES/Waste model was constructed and applied in one of the case studies. The case studies proved that the approach is an applicable tool for various research settings and circumstances in the strategic planning of MSWM. The following main results were obtained from the case studies: A high recovery rate level (around 70 %wt) can be achieved in MSWM without incineration; Central sorting of mixed waste must be included in Finland's national separation strategy in order to reach the recovery rate targets of 50 %wt (year 2000) and 70 %wt (year 2005) adopted for municipal solid waste in the National Waste Plan. The feasible source separation strategies result in recovery rates around 35-40 %wt with the

Blind Source Separation For Ion Mobility Spectra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marco, S.; Pomareda, V.; Pardo, A.; Kessler, M.; Goebel, J.; Mueller, G.

2009-01-01

Miniaturization is a powerful trend for smart chemical instrumentation in a diversity of applications. It is know that miniaturization in IMS leads to a degradation of the system characteristics. For the present work, we are interested in signal processing solutions to mitigate limitations introduced by limited drift tube length that basically involve a loss of chemical selectivity. While blind source separation techniques (BSS) are popular in other domains, their application for smart chemical instrumentation is limited. However, in some conditions, basically linearity, BSS may fully recover the concentration time evolution and the pure spectra with few underlying hypothesis. This is extremely helpful in conditions where non-expected chemical interferents may appear, or unwanted perturbations may pollute the spectra. SIMPLISMA has been advocated by Harrington et al. in several papers. However, more modern methods of BSS for bilinear decomposition with the restriction of positiveness have appeared in the last decade. In order to explore and compare the performances of those methods a series of experiments were performed.

Trinucleon wave functions from separable expansions of the N-N interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Birrell, N.D.

1976-09-01

This work is intended to determine whether a separable expansion for the N-N interaction can be used to obtain trinucleon wave functions of high quality. The expansions used in the study are the Unitary Pole expansion of Harms, Afnan and Read, and the expansion of Adhikari and Sloan. We first compare the calculation of the RSC potential Triton binding energy with the two methods, and find that the results agree quite closely. However, while it is found necessary to use t-matrix perturbation theory to obtain the UPE result, such is not the case with the ASE, thus offering a considerable improvement on the previously used method. We then proceed to calculate the L-S coupling probabilities for the wave function, and in so doing, discover a source of inaccuracy in the work of other authors. We also find that the UPE and ASE give probabilities in good agreement with one another. The calculation of the He 3 charge form factor turns out to be the most critical judge of the accuracy of the wave function. Although both expansions give quite satisfactory results for the charge form factor, those obtained with the ASE are exceptionally pleasing. We finally apply both methods to the OBEP of Holinde and Machleidt, and find that the UPE is quite unsuitable for such application. The ASE, however, once again gives very good results, indicating the high quality of the trinucleon wave function obtained with it. (author)

45 CFR 302.20 - Separation of cash handling and accounting functions.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... accounting functions. The State plan shall provide that the following requirements and criteria to separate the cash handling and accounting functions are in effect. (a) IV-D responsibility. The IV-D agency... receipts of support do not participate in accounting or operating functions which would permit them to...

Life cycle comparison of centralized wastewater treatment and urine source separation with struvite precipitation: Focus on urine nutrient management.

Science.gov (United States)

Ishii, Stephanie K L; Boyer, Treavor H

2015-08-01

Alternative approaches to wastewater management including urine source separation have the potential to simultaneously improve multiple aspects of wastewater treatment, including reduced use of potable water for waste conveyance and improved contaminant removal, especially nutrients. In order to pursue such radical changes, system-level evaluations of urine source separation in community contexts are required. The focus of this life cycle assessment (LCA) is managing nutrients from urine produced in a residential setting with urine source separation and struvite precipitation, as compared with a centralized wastewater treatment approach. The life cycle impacts evaluated in this study pertain to construction of the urine source separation system and operation of drinking water treatment, decentralized urine treatment, and centralized wastewater treatment. System boundaries include fertilizer offsets resulting from the production of urine based struvite fertilizer. As calculated by the Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and Other Environmental Impacts (TRACI), urine source separation with MgO addition for subsequent struvite precipitation with high P recovery (Scenario B) has the smallest environmental cost relative to existing centralized wastewater treatment (Scenario A) and urine source separation with MgO and Na3PO4 addition for subsequent struvite precipitation with concurrent high P and N recovery (Scenario C). Preliminary economic evaluations show that the three urine management scenarios are relatively equal on a monetary basis (<13% difference). The impacts of each urine management scenario are most sensitive to the assumed urine composition, the selected urine storage time, and the assumed electricity required to treat influent urine and toilet water used to convey urine at the centralized wastewater treatment plant. The importance of full nutrient recovery from urine in combination with the substantial chemical inputs required for N recovery

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

2007-06-01

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

PSFGAN: a generative adversarial network system for separating quasar point sources and host galaxy light

Science.gov (United States)

Stark, Dominic; Launet, Barthelemy; Schawinski, Kevin; Zhang, Ce; Koss, Michael; Turp, M. Dennis; Sartori, Lia F.; Zhang, Hantian; Chen, Yiru; Weigel, Anna K.

2018-03-01

The study of unobscured active galactic nuclei (AGN) and quasars depends on the reliable decomposition of the light from the AGN point source and the extended host galaxy light. The problem is typically approached using parametric fitting routines using separate models for the host galaxy and the point spread function (PSF). We present a new approach using a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) trained on galaxy images. We test the method using Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) r-band images with artificial AGN point sources added which are then removed using the GAN and with parametric methods using GALFIT. When the AGN point source PS is more than twice as bright as the host galaxy, we find that our method, PSFGAN, can recover PS and host galaxy magnitudes with smaller systematic error and a lower average scatter (49%). PSFGAN is more tolerant to poor knowledge of the PSF than parametric methods. Our tests show that PSFGAN is robust against a broadening in the PSF width of ±50% if it is trained on multiple PSF's. We demonstrate that while a matched training set does improve performance, we can still subtract point sources using a PSFGAN trained on non-astronomical images. While initial training is computationally expensive, evaluating PSFGAN on data is more than 40 times faster than GALFIT fitting two components. Finally, PSFGAN it is more robust and easy to use than parametric methods as it requires no input parameters.

The management challenge for household waste in emerging economies like Brazil: realistic source separation and activation of reverse logistics.

Science.gov (United States)

Fehr, M

2014-09-01

Business opportunities in the household waste sector in emerging economies still evolve around the activities of bulk collection and tipping with an open material balance. This research, conducted in Brazil, pursued the objective of shifting opportunities from tipping to reverse logistics in order to close the balance. To do this, it illustrated how specific knowledge of sorted waste composition and reverse logistics operations can be used to determine realistic temporal and quantitative landfill diversion targets in an emerging economy context. Experimentation constructed and confirmed the recycling trilogy that consists of source separation, collection infrastructure and reverse logistics. The study on source separation demonstrated the vital difference between raw and sorted waste compositions. Raw waste contained 70% biodegradable and 30% inert matter. Source separation produced 47% biodegradable, 20% inert and 33% mixed material. The study on collection infrastructure developed the necessary receiving facilities. The study on reverse logistics identified private operators capable of collecting and processing all separated inert items. Recycling activities for biodegradable material were scarce and erratic. Only farmers would take the material as animal feed. No composting initiatives existed. The management challenge was identified as stimulating these activities in order to complete the trilogy and divert the 47% source-separated biodegradable discards from the landfills. © The Author(s) 2014.

A multilevel reuse system with source separation process for printing and dyeing wastewater treatment: A case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Rui; Jin, Xin; Wang, Ziyuan; Gu, Wantao; Wei, Zhechao; Huang, Yuanjie; Qiu, Zhuang; Jin, Pengkang

2018-01-01

This paper proposes a new system of multilevel reuse with source separation in printing and dyeing wastewater (PDWW) treatment in order to dramatically improve the water reuse rate to 35%. By analysing the characteristics of the sources and concentrations of pollutants produced in different printing and dyeing processes, special, highly, and less contaminated wastewaters (SCW, HCW, and LCW, respectively) were collected and treated separately. Specially, a large quantity of LCW was sequentially reused at multiple levels to meet the water quality requirements for different production processes. Based on this concept, a multilevel reuse system with a source separation process was established in a typical printing and dyeing enterprise. The water reuse rate increased dramatically to 62%, and the reclaimed water was reused in different printing and dyeing processes based on the water quality. This study provides promising leads in water management for wastewater reclamation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Severe congenital malformations, family functioning and parents' separation/divorce: a longitudinal study.

Science.gov (United States)

Brenner, M; Côté, S M; Boivin, M; Tremblay, R E

2016-01-01

We aim to explore the association of a severe congenital malformation (SCM) with postnatal family functioning and parents' separation/divorce and to examine if this association might be moderated by birth order of the child and parental level of education. SCM refers to malformations that, without medical intervention, cause handicap or death. Using the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, an ongoing population-based birth cohort study initiated in 1998, we compared 1675 families of children with and without a SCM to identify if having a child with a SCM was associated with maternal perception of family functioning. We examined if an SCM was associated with parents' separation and examined parents' education level and birth order of the children to evaluate whether these factors had any moderating effect on the results. There were no significant differences in family functioning between families with and without a SCM child at 5 and 17 months. At 5 months, family functioning was significantly better (P = 0.03) for families with a SCM firstborn child than for families with a SCM child that is not firstborn. For parental separation, no significant differences were observed at 5 and 29 months and 4 years. No significant moderating effects were observed for birth order and parental education on parental separation. Families of children with a SCM do not appear to be at higher risk of family dysfunction within the first 17 months after birth nor of parental separation within the first 4 years after birth. Family functioning tends to be worst in families where the child with SCM is the second or subsequent child born. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A system dynamics model to evaluate effects of source separation of municipal solid waste management: A case of Bangkok, Thailand.

Science.gov (United States)

Sukholthaman, Pitchayanin; Sharp, Alice

2016-06-01

Municipal solid waste has been considered as one of the most immediate and serious problems confronting urban government in most developing and transitional economies. Providing solid waste performance highly depends on the effectiveness of waste collection and transportation process. Generally, this process involves a large amount of expenditures and has very complex and dynamic operational problems. Source separation has a major impact on effectiveness of waste management system as it causes significant changes in quantity and quality of waste reaching final disposal. To evaluate the impact of effective source separation on waste collection and transportation, this study adopts a decision support tool to comprehend cause-and-effect interactions of different variables in waste management system. A system dynamics model that envisages the relationships of source separation and effectiveness of waste management in Bangkok, Thailand is presented. Influential factors that affect waste separation attitudes are addressed; and the result of change in perception on waste separation is explained. The impacts of different separation rates on effectiveness of provided collection service are compared in six scenarios. 'Scenario 5' gives the most promising opportunities as 40% of residents are willing to conduct organic and recyclable waste separation. The results show that better service of waste collection and transportation, less monthly expense, extended landfill life, and satisfactory efficiency of the provided service at 60.48% will be achieved at the end of the simulation period. Implications of how to get public involved and conducted source separation are proposed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Blind Source Separation of Event-Related EEG/MEG.

Science.gov (United States)

Metsomaa, Johanna; Sarvas, Jukka; Ilmoniemi, Risto Juhani

2017-09-01

Blind source separation (BSS) can be used to decompose complex electroencephalography (EEG) or magnetoencephalography data into simpler components based on statistical assumptions without using a physical model. Applications include brain-computer interfaces, artifact removal, and identifying parallel neural processes. We wish to address the issue of applying BSS to event-related responses, which is challenging because of nonstationary data. We introduce a new BSS approach called momentary-uncorrelated component analysis (MUCA), which is tailored for event-related multitrial data. The method is based on approximate joint diagonalization of multiple covariance matrices estimated from the data at separate latencies. We further show how to extend the methodology for autocovariance matrices and how to apply BSS methods suitable for piecewise stationary data to event-related responses. We compared several BSS approaches by using simulated EEG as well as measured somatosensory and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) evoked EEG. Among the compared methods, MUCA was the most tolerant one to noise, TMS artifacts, and other challenges in the data. With measured somatosensory data, over half of the estimated components were found to be similar by MUCA and independent component analysis. MUCA was also stable when tested with several input datasets. MUCA is based on simple assumptions, and the results suggest that MUCA is robust with nonideal data. Event-related responses and BSS are valuable and popular tools in neuroscience. Correctly designed BSS is an efficient way of identifying artifactual and neural processes from nonstationary event-related data.

Source Separation and Treament of Anthropogenic Urine (WERF Report INFR4SG09b)

Science.gov (United States)

Abstract: Anthropogenic urine, although only 1% of domestic wastewater flow, is responsible for 50-80% of the nutrients and a substantial portion of the pharmaceuticals and hormones present in the influent to wastewater treatment plants. Source separation and treatment of urine...

Instantaneous and Frequency-Warped Signal Processing Techniques for Auditory Source Separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Avery Li-Chun

This thesis summarizes several contributions to the areas of signal processing and auditory source separation. The philosophy of Frequency-Warped Signal Processing is introduced as a means for separating the AM and FM contributions to the bandwidth of a complex-valued, frequency-varying sinusoid p (n), transforming it into a signal with slowly-varying parameters. This transformation facilitates the removal of p (n) from an additive mixture while minimizing the amount of damage done to other signal components. The average winding rate of a complex-valued phasor is explored as an estimate of the instantaneous frequency. Theorems are provided showing the robustness of this measure. To implement frequency tracking, a Frequency-Locked Loop algorithm is introduced which uses the complex winding error to update its frequency estimate. The input signal is dynamically demodulated and filtered to extract the envelope. This envelope may then be remodulated to reconstruct the target partial, which may be subtracted from the original signal mixture to yield a new, quickly-adapting form of notch filtering. Enhancements to the basic tracker are made which, under certain conditions, attain the Cramer -Rao bound for the instantaneous frequency estimate. To improve tracking, the novel idea of Harmonic -Locked Loop tracking, using N harmonically constrained trackers, is introduced for tracking signals, such as voices and certain musical instruments. The estimated fundamental frequency is computed from a maximum-likelihood weighting of the N tracking estimates, making it highly robust. The result is that harmonic signals, such as voices, can be isolated from complex mixtures in the presence of other spectrally overlapping signals. Additionally, since phase information is preserved, the resynthesized harmonic signals may be removed from the original mixtures with relatively little damage to the residual signal. Finally, a new methodology is given for designing linear-phase FIR filters

Sources and speciation of heavy metals in municipal solid waste (MSW) and its effect on the separation technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Biollaz, S; Ludwig, Ch; Stucki, S [Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland)

1999-08-01

A literature search was carried out to determine sources and speciation of heavy metals in MSW. A combination of thermal and mechanical separation techniques is necessary to achieve the required high degrees of metal separation. Metallic goods should be separated mechanically, chemically bound heavy metals by a thermal process. (author) 1 fig., 1 tab., 6 refs.

SEPARATION OF CELL POPULATIONS BY SUPER-PARAMAGNETIC PARTICLES WITH CONTROLLED SURFACE FUNCTIONALITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lootsik M. D.

2014-02-01

Full Text Available The recognition and isolation of specific mammalian cells by the biocompatible polymer coated super-paramagnetic particles with determined surface functionality were studied. The method of synthesis of nanoscaled particles on a core of iron III oxide (Fe2O3, magemit coated with a polymer shell containing reactive oligoperoxide groups for attachment of ligands is described. By using the developed superparamagnetic particles functionalized with peanut agglutinin (PNA we have separated the sub-populations of PNA+ and PNA– cells from ascites of murine Nemeth-Kellner lymphoma. In another type of experiment, the particles were opsonized with proteins of the fetal calf serum that improved biocompatibility of the particles and their ingestion by cultivated murine macrophages J774.2. Macrophages loaded with the particles were effeciently separated from the particles free cells by using the magnet. Thus, the developed surface functionalized superparamagnetic particles showed to be a versatile tool for cell separation independent on the mode of particles’ binding with cell surface or their engulfment by the targeted cells.

Treatment of Source-Separated Blackwater: A Decentralized Strategy for Nutrient Recovery towards a Circular Economy

OpenAIRE

Melesse Eshetu Moges; Daniel Todt; Arve Heistad

2018-01-01

Using a filter medium for organic matter removal and nutrient recovery from blackwater treatment is a novel concept and has not been investigated sufficiently to date. This paper demonstrates a combined blackwater treatment and nutrient-recovery strategy and establishes mechanisms for a more dependable source of plant nutrients aiming at a circular economy. Source-separated blackwater from a student dormitory was used as feedstock for a sludge blanket anaerobic-baffled reactor. The effluent f...

PWC-ICA: A Method for Stationary Ordered Blind Source Separation with Application to EEG

Science.gov (United States)

Bigdely-Shamlo, Nima; Mullen, Tim; Robbins, Kay

2016-01-01

Independent component analysis (ICA) is a class of algorithms widely applied to separate sources in EEG data. Most ICA approaches use optimization criteria derived from temporal statistical independence and are invariant with respect to the actual ordering of individual observations. We propose a method of mapping real signals into a complex vector space that takes into account the temporal order of signals and enforces certain mixing stationarity constraints. The resulting procedure, which we call Pairwise Complex Independent Component Analysis (PWC-ICA), performs the ICA in a complex setting and then reinterprets the results in the original observation space. We examine the performance of our candidate approach relative to several existing ICA algorithms for the blind source separation (BSS) problem on both real and simulated EEG data. On simulated data, PWC-ICA is often capable of achieving a better solution to the BSS problem than AMICA, Extended Infomax, or FastICA. On real data, the dipole interpretations of the BSS solutions discovered by PWC-ICA are physically plausible, are competitive with existing ICA approaches, and may represent sources undiscovered by other ICA methods. In conjunction with this paper, the authors have released a MATLAB toolbox that performs PWC-ICA on real, vector-valued signals. PMID:27340397

PWC-ICA: A Method for Stationary Ordered Blind Source Separation with Application to EEG.

Science.gov (United States)

Ball, Kenneth; Bigdely-Shamlo, Nima; Mullen, Tim; Robbins, Kay

2016-01-01

Independent component analysis (ICA) is a class of algorithms widely applied to separate sources in EEG data. Most ICA approaches use optimization criteria derived from temporal statistical independence and are invariant with respect to the actual ordering of individual observations. We propose a method of mapping real signals into a complex vector space that takes into account the temporal order of signals and enforces certain mixing stationarity constraints. The resulting procedure, which we call Pairwise Complex Independent Component Analysis (PWC-ICA), performs the ICA in a complex setting and then reinterprets the results in the original observation space. We examine the performance of our candidate approach relative to several existing ICA algorithms for the blind source separation (BSS) problem on both real and simulated EEG data. On simulated data, PWC-ICA is often capable of achieving a better solution to the BSS problem than AMICA, Extended Infomax, or FastICA. On real data, the dipole interpretations of the BSS solutions discovered by PWC-ICA are physically plausible, are competitive with existing ICA approaches, and may represent sources undiscovered by other ICA methods. In conjunction with this paper, the authors have released a MATLAB toolbox that performs PWC-ICA on real, vector-valued signals.

Blind Source Separation and Dynamic Fuzzy Neural Network for Fault Diagnosis in Machines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Haifeng; Ouyang, Huajiang; Gao, Hongli

2015-01-01

Many assessment and detection methods are used to diagnose faults in machines. High accuracy in fault detection and diagnosis can be achieved by using numerical methods with noise-resistant properties. However, to some extent, noise always exists in measured data on real machines, which affects the identification results, especially in the diagnosis of early- stage faults. In view of this situation, a damage assessment method based on blind source separation and dynamic fuzzy neural network (DFNN) is presented to diagnose the early-stage machinery faults in this paper. In the processing of measurement signals, blind source separation is adopted to reduce noise. Then sensitive features of these faults are obtained by extracting low dimensional manifold characteristics from the signals. The model for fault diagnosis is established based on DFNN. Furthermore, on-line computation is accelerated by means of compressed sensing. Numerical vibration signals of ball screw fault modes are processed on the model for mechanical fault diagnosis and the results are in good agreement with the actual condition even at the early stage of fault development. This detection method is very useful in practice and feasible for early-stage fault diagnosis. (paper)

Gaussian process based independent analysis for temporal source separation in fMRI

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hald, Ditte Høvenhoff; Henao, Ricardo; Winther, Ole

2017-01-01

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) gives us a unique insight into the processes of the brain, and opens up for analyzing the functional activation patterns of the underlying sources. Task-inferred supervised learning with restrictive assumptions in the regression set-up, restricts...... the exploratory nature of the analysis. Fully unsupervised independent component analysis (ICA) algorithms, on the other hand, can struggle to detect clear classifiable components on single-subject data. We attribute this shortcoming to inadequate modeling of the fMRI source signals by failing to incorporate its...

Life cycle and economic assessment of source-separated MSW collection with regard to greenhouse gas emissions: a case study in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Jun; Ni, Mingjiang; Chi, Yong; Zou, Daoan; Fu, Chao

2013-08-01

In China, the continuously increasing amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) has resulted in an urgent need for changing the current municipal solid waste management (MSWM) system based on mixed collection. A pilot program focusing on source-separated MSW collection was thus launched (2010) in Hangzhou, China, to lessen the related environmental loads. And greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (Kyoto Protocol) are singled out in particular. This paper uses life cycle assessment modeling to evaluate the potential environmental improvement with regard to GHG emissions. The pre-existing MSWM system is assessed as baseline, while the source separation scenario is compared internally. Results show that 23 % GHG emissions can be decreased by source-separated collection compared with the base scenario. In addition, the use of composting and anaerobic digestion (AD) is suggested for further optimizing the management of food waste. 260.79, 82.21, and -86.21 thousand tonnes of GHG emissions are emitted from food waste landfill, composting, and AD, respectively, proving the emission reduction potential brought by advanced food waste treatment technologies. Realizing the fact, a modified MSWM system is proposed by taking AD as food waste substitution option, with additional 44 % GHG emissions saved than current source separation scenario. Moreover, a preliminary economic assessment is implemented. It is demonstrated that both source separation scenarios have a good cost reduction potential than mixed collection, with the proposed new system the most cost-effective one.

An application of the theory of planned behaviour to study the influencing factors of participation in source separation of food waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karim Ghani, Wan Azlina Wan Ab.; Rusli, Iffah Farizan; Biak, Dayang Radiah Awang; Idris, Azni

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Theory of planned behaviour (TPB) has been conducted to identify the influencing factors for participation in source separation of food waste using self administered questionnaires. ► The findings suggested several implications for the development and implementation of waste separation at home programme. ► The analysis indicates that the attitude towards waste separation is determined as the main predictors where this in turn could be a significant predictor of the repondent’s actual food waste separation behaviour. ► To date, none of similar have been reported elsewhere and this finding will be beneficial to local Authorities as indicator in designing campaigns to promote the use of waste separation programmes to reinforce the positive attitudes. - Abstract: Tremendous increases in biodegradable (food waste) generation significantly impact the local authorities, who are responsible to manage, treat and dispose of this waste. The process of separation of food waste at its generation source is identified as effective means in reducing the amount food waste sent to landfill and can be reused as feedstock to downstream treatment processes namely composting or anaerobic digestion. However, these efforts will only succeed with positive attitudes and highly participations rate by the public towards the scheme. Thus, the social survey (using questionnaires) to analyse public’s view and influencing factors towards participation in source separation of food waste in households based on the theory of planned behaviour technique (TPB) was performed in June and July 2011 among selected staff in Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor. The survey demonstrates that the public has positive intention in participating provided the opportunities, facilities and knowledge on waste separation at source are adequately prepared by the respective local authorities. Furthermore, good moral values and situational factors such as storage convenience and

An application of the theory of planned behaviour to study the influencing factors of participation in source separation of food waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karim Ghani, Wan Azlina Wan Ab., E-mail: wanaz@eng.upm.edu.my [Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan (Malaysia); Rusli, Iffah Farizan, E-mail: iffahrusli@yahoo.com [Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan (Malaysia); Biak, Dayang Radiah Awang, E-mail: dayang@eng.upm.edu.my [Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan (Malaysia); Idris, Azni, E-mail: azni@eng.upm.edu.my [Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan (Malaysia)

2013-05-15

Highlights: ► Theory of planned behaviour (TPB) has been conducted to identify the influencing factors for participation in source separation of food waste using self administered questionnaires. ► The findings suggested several implications for the development and implementation of waste separation at home programme. ► The analysis indicates that the attitude towards waste separation is determined as the main predictors where this in turn could be a significant predictor of the repondent’s actual food waste separation behaviour. ► To date, none of similar have been reported elsewhere and this finding will be beneficial to local Authorities as indicator in designing campaigns to promote the use of waste separation programmes to reinforce the positive attitudes. - Abstract: Tremendous increases in biodegradable (food waste) generation significantly impact the local authorities, who are responsible to manage, treat and dispose of this waste. The process of separation of food waste at its generation source is identified as effective means in reducing the amount food waste sent to landfill and can be reused as feedstock to downstream treatment processes namely composting or anaerobic digestion. However, these efforts will only succeed with positive attitudes and highly participations rate by the public towards the scheme. Thus, the social survey (using questionnaires) to analyse public’s view and influencing factors towards participation in source separation of food waste in households based on the theory of planned behaviour technique (TPB) was performed in June and July 2011 among selected staff in Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor. The survey demonstrates that the public has positive intention in participating provided the opportunities, facilities and knowledge on waste separation at source are adequately prepared by the respective local authorities. Furthermore, good moral values and situational factors such as storage convenience and

Ionomers of intrinsic microporosity: in silico development of ionic-functionalized gas-separation membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Hart, Kyle E; Colina, Coray M

2014-10-14

This work presents the predictive molecular simulations of a functionalized polymer of intrinsic microporosity (PIM) with an ionic backbone (carboxylate) and extra-framework counterions (Na(+)) for CO2 gas storage and separation applications. The CO2-philic carboxylate-functionalized polymers are predicted to contain similar degrees of free volume to PIM-1, with Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface areas from 510 to 890 m(2)/g, depending on concentration of ionic groups from 100% to 17%. As a result of ionic groups enhancing the CO2 enthalpy of adsorption (to 42-50 kJ/mol), the uptake of the proposed polymers at 293 K exceeded 1.7 mmol/g at 10 kPa and 3.3 mmol/g at 100 kPa for the polymers containing 100% and 50% ionic functional groups, respectively. In addition, CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 mixed-gas separation performance was evaluated under several industrially relevant conditions, where the IonomIMs are shown to increase both the working capacity and selection performance in certain pressure swing applications (e.g., natural gas separations). These simulations reveal that intrinsically microporous ionomers show great potential as the future of energy-efficient gas-separation polymeric materials.

Weight adjusted tensor method for blind separation of underdetermined mixtures of nonstationary sources

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Tichavský, Petr; Koldovský, Zbyněk

2011-01-01

Roč. 59, č. 3 (2011), s. 1037-1047 ISSN 1053-587X R&D Projects: GA MŠk 1M0572; GA ČR GA102/09/1278 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10750506 Keywords : blind source separation * tensor decomposition * Cramer-Rao lower bound Subject RIV: BB - Applied Statistics, Operational Research Impact factor: 2.628, year: 2011 http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2011/SI/tichavsky-0356666. pdf

Waste disposal and households' heterogeneity. Identifying factors shaping attitudes towards source-separated recycling in Bogotá, Colombia.

Science.gov (United States)

J Padilla, Alcides; Trujillo, Juan C

2018-04-01

Solid waste management in many cities of developing countries is not environmentally sustainable. People traditionally dispose of their solid waste in unsuitable urban areas like sidewalks and satellite dumpsites. This situation nowadays has become a serious public health problem in big Latin American conurbations. Among these densely-populated urban spaces, the Colombia's capital and main city stands out as a special case. In this study, we aim to identify the factors that shape the attitudes towards source-separated recycling among households in Bogotá. Using data from the Colombian Department of Statistics and Bogotá's multi-purpose survey, we estimated a multivariate Probit model. In general, our results show that the higher the household's socioeconomic class, the greater its effort for separating solid wastes. Likewise, our findings also allowed us to characterize household profiles regarding solid waste separation and considering each socioeconomic class. Among these profiles, we found that at lower socioeconomic classes, the attitudes towards solid waste separation are influenced by the use of Internet, the membership to an environmentalist organization, the level of education of the head of household and the homeownership. Hence, increasing the education levels within the poorest segment of the population, promoting affordable housing policies and facilitating Internet access for the vulnerable population could reinforce households' attitudes towards a greater source-separated recycling effort. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Distinctive Correspondence Between Separable Visual Attention Functions and Intrinsic Brain Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiz-Rizzo, Adriana L; Neitzel, Julia; Müller, Hermann J; Sorg, Christian; Finke, Kathrin

2018-01-01

Separable visual attention functions are assumed to rely on distinct but interacting neural mechanisms. Bundesen's "theory of visual attention" (TVA) allows the mathematical estimation of independent parameters that characterize individuals' visual attentional capacity (i.e., visual processing speed and visual short-term memory storage capacity) and selectivity functions (i.e., top-down control and spatial laterality). However, it is unclear whether these parameters distinctively map onto different brain networks obtained from intrinsic functional connectivity, which organizes slowly fluctuating ongoing brain activity. In our study, 31 demographically homogeneous healthy young participants performed whole- and partial-report tasks and underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Report accuracy was modeled using TVA to estimate, individually, the four TVA parameters. Networks encompassing cortical areas relevant for visual attention were derived from independent component analysis of rs-fMRI data: visual, executive control, right and left frontoparietal, and ventral and dorsal attention networks. Two TVA parameters were mapped on particular functional networks. First, participants with higher (vs. lower) visual processing speed showed lower functional connectivity within the ventral attention network. Second, participants with more (vs. less) efficient top-down control showed higher functional connectivity within the dorsal attention network and lower functional connectivity within the visual network. Additionally, higher performance was associated with higher functional connectivity between networks: specifically, between the ventral attention and right frontoparietal networks for visual processing speed, and between the visual and executive control networks for top-down control. The higher inter-network functional connectivity was related to lower intra-network connectivity. These results demonstrate that separable visual attention

Distinctive Correspondence Between Separable Visual Attention Functions and Intrinsic Brain Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiz-Rizzo, Adriana L.; Neitzel, Julia; Müller, Hermann J.; Sorg, Christian; Finke, Kathrin

2018-01-01

Separable visual attention functions are assumed to rely on distinct but interacting neural mechanisms. Bundesen's “theory of visual attention” (TVA) allows the mathematical estimation of independent parameters that characterize individuals' visual attentional capacity (i.e., visual processing speed and visual short-term memory storage capacity) and selectivity functions (i.e., top-down control and spatial laterality). However, it is unclear whether these parameters distinctively map onto different brain networks obtained from intrinsic functional connectivity, which organizes slowly fluctuating ongoing brain activity. In our study, 31 demographically homogeneous healthy young participants performed whole- and partial-report tasks and underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Report accuracy was modeled using TVA to estimate, individually, the four TVA parameters. Networks encompassing cortical areas relevant for visual attention were derived from independent component analysis of rs-fMRI data: visual, executive control, right and left frontoparietal, and ventral and dorsal attention networks. Two TVA parameters were mapped on particular functional networks. First, participants with higher (vs. lower) visual processing speed showed lower functional connectivity within the ventral attention network. Second, participants with more (vs. less) efficient top-down control showed higher functional connectivity within the dorsal attention network and lower functional connectivity within the visual network. Additionally, higher performance was associated with higher functional connectivity between networks: specifically, between the ventral attention and right frontoparietal networks for visual processing speed, and between the visual and executive control networks for top-down control. The higher inter-network functional connectivity was related to lower intra-network connectivity. These results demonstrate that separable visual attention

Distinctive Correspondence Between Separable Visual Attention Functions and Intrinsic Brain Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adriana L. Ruiz-Rizzo

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Separable visual attention functions are assumed to rely on distinct but interacting neural mechanisms. Bundesen's “theory of visual attention” (TVA allows the mathematical estimation of independent parameters that characterize individuals' visual attentional capacity (i.e., visual processing speed and visual short-term memory storage capacity and selectivity functions (i.e., top-down control and spatial laterality. However, it is unclear whether these parameters distinctively map onto different brain networks obtained from intrinsic functional connectivity, which organizes slowly fluctuating ongoing brain activity. In our study, 31 demographically homogeneous healthy young participants performed whole- and partial-report tasks and underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI. Report accuracy was modeled using TVA to estimate, individually, the four TVA parameters. Networks encompassing cortical areas relevant for visual attention were derived from independent component analysis of rs-fMRI data: visual, executive control, right and left frontoparietal, and ventral and dorsal attention networks. Two TVA parameters were mapped on particular functional networks. First, participants with higher (vs. lower visual processing speed showed lower functional connectivity within the ventral attention network. Second, participants with more (vs. less efficient top-down control showed higher functional connectivity within the dorsal attention network and lower functional connectivity within the visual network. Additionally, higher performance was associated with higher functional connectivity between networks: specifically, between the ventral attention and right frontoparietal networks for visual processing speed, and between the visual and executive control networks for top-down control. The higher inter-network functional connectivity was related to lower intra-network connectivity. These results demonstrate that separable

Validation of a simple isotopic technique for the measurement of global and separated renal function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chachati, A.; Meyers, A.; Rigo, P.; Godon, J.P.

1986-01-01

Schlegel and Gates described an isotopic method for the measurement of global and separated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and effective renal plasma flow (ERPF) based on the determination by scintillation camera of the fraction of the injected dose (99mTc-DTPA-[ 131 I]hippuran) present in the kidneys 1-3 min after its administration. This method requires counting of the injected dose and attenuation correction, but no blood or urine sampling. We validated this technique by the simultaneous infusion of inulin and para-amino hippuric acid (PAH) in patients with various levels of renal function (anuric to normal). To better define individual renal function we studied 9 kidneys in patients either nephrectomized or with a nephrostomy enabling separated function measurement. A good correlation between inulin, PAH clearance, and isotopic GFR-ERPF measurement for both global and separate renal function was observed

Separating Underdetermined Convolutive Speech Mixtures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Michael Syskind; Wang, DeLiang; Larsen, Jan

2006-01-01

a method for underdetermined blind source separation of convolutive mixtures. The proposed framework is applicable for separation of instantaneous as well as convolutive speech mixtures. It is possible to iteratively extract each speech signal from the mixture by combining blind source separation...

Blind source separation analysis of PET dynamic data: a simple method with exciting MR-PET applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oros-Peusquens, Ana-Maria; Silva, Nuno da [Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich (Germany); Weiss, Carolin [Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Cologne, 50924 Cologne (Germany); Stoffels, Gabrielle; Herzog, Hans; Langen, Karl J [Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich (Germany); Shah, N Jon [Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich (Germany); Jülich-Aachen Research Alliance (JARA) - Section JARA-Brain RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen (Germany)

2014-07-29

Denoising of dynamic PET data improves parameter imaging by PET and is gaining momentum. This contribution describes an analysis of dynamic PET data by blind source separation methods and comparison of the results with MR-based brain properties.

Functionalized copolyimide membranes for the separation of gaseous and liquid mixtures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadine Schmeling

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Functionalized copolyimides continue to attract much attention as membrane materials because they can fulfill the demands for industrial applications. Thus not only good separation characteristics but also high temperature stability and chemical resistance are required. Furthermore, it is very important that membrane materials are resistant to plasticization since it has been shown that this phenomenon leads to a significant increase in permeability with a dramatic loss in selectivity. Plasticization effects occur with most polymer membranes at high CO2 concentrations and pressures, respectively. Plasticization effects are also observed with higher hydrocarbons such as propylene, propane, aromatics or sulfur containing aromatics. Unfortunately, these components are present in mixtures of high commercial relevance and can be separated economically by single membrane units or hybrid processes where conventional separation units are combined with membrane-based processes. In this paper the advantages of carboxy group containing 6FDA (4,4′-hexafluoroisopropylidene diphthalic anhydride -copolyimides are discussed based on the experimental results for non cross-linked, ionically and covalently cross-linked membrane materials with respect to the separation of olefins/paraffins, e.g. propylene/propane, aromatic/aliphatic separation e.g. benzene/cyclohexane as well as high pressure gas separations, e.g. CO2/CH4 mixtures. In addition, opportunities for implementing the membrane units in conventional separation processes are discussed.

Generation of dynamo waves by spatially separated sources in the Earth and other celestial bodies

Science.gov (United States)

Popova, E.

2017-12-01

The amplitude and the spatial configuration of the planetary and stellar magnetic field can changing over the years. Celestial bodies can have cyclic, chaotic or unchanging in time magnetic activity which is connected with a dynamo mechanism. This mechanism is based on the consideration of the joint influence of the alpha-effect and differential rotation. Dynamo sources can be located at different depths (active layers) of the celestial body and can have different intensities. Application of this concept allows us to get different forms of solutions and some of which can include wave propagating inside the celestial body. We analytically showed that in the case of spatially separated sources of magnetic field each source generates a wave whose frequency depends on the physical parameters of its source. We estimated parameters of sources required for the generation nondecaying waves. We discus structure of such sources and matter motion (including meridional circulation) in the liquid outer core of the Earth and active layers of other celestial bodies.

Principles behind a He-jet system and its application for isotope separation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wollnik, H.

1976-01-01

The functioning of a He-jet transport system in explained paying special attention to the use of aerosols. Three applications of such a He-jet for an isotope separation are discussed: the use behind a recoil fission product separator, the transportation of activity into the ion source of a conventional mass separator, and the transportation into an α- or β-recoil time-of-flight spectrometer. (Auth.)

Separation of uranium isotopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Porter, J.T.

1980-01-01

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for separation of uranium isotopes by selective isotopic excitation of photochemically reactive uranyl salt source material at cryogenic temperatures, followed by chemical separation of selectively photochemically reduced U+4 thereby produced from remaining uranyl source material

A robust physiology-based source separation method for QRS detection in low amplitude fetal ECG recordings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vullings, R; Bergmans, J W M; Peters, C H L; Hermans, M J M; Wijn, P F F; Oei, S G

2010-01-01

The use of the non-invasively obtained fetal electrocardiogram (ECG) in fetal monitoring is complicated by the low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of ECG signals. Even after removal of the predominant interference (i.e. the maternal ECG), the SNR is generally too low for medical diagnostics, and hence additional signal processing is still required. To this end, several methods for exploiting the spatial correlation of multi-channel fetal ECG recordings from the maternal abdomen have been proposed in the literature, of which principal component analysis (PCA) and independent component analysis (ICA) are the most prominent. Both PCA and ICA, however, suffer from the drawback that they are blind source separation (BSS) techniques and as such suboptimum in that they do not consider a priori knowledge on the abdominal electrode configuration and fetal heart activity. In this paper we propose a source separation technique that is based on the physiology of the fetal heart and on the knowledge of the electrode configuration. This technique operates by calculating the spatial fetal vectorcardiogram (VCG) and approximating the VCG for several overlayed heartbeats by an ellipse. By subsequently projecting the VCG onto the long axis of this ellipse, a source signal of the fetal ECG can be obtained. To evaluate the developed technique, its performance is compared to that of both PCA and ICA and to that of augmented versions of these techniques (aPCA and aICA; PCA and ICA applied on preprocessed signals) in generating a fetal ECG source signal with enhanced SNR that can be used to detect fetal QRS complexes. The evaluation shows that the developed source separation technique performs slightly better than aPCA and aICA and outperforms PCA and ICA and has the main advantage that, with respect to aPCA/PCA and aICA/ICA, it performs more robustly. This advantage renders it favorable for employment in automated, real-time fetal monitoring applications

Separation of simultaneous sources using a structural-oriented median filter in the flattened dimension

Science.gov (United States)

Gan, Shuwei; Wang, Shoudong; Chen, Yangkang; Chen, Xiaohong; Xiang, Kui

2016-01-01

Simultaneous-source shooting can help tremendously shorten the acquisition period and improve the quality of seismic data for better subsalt seismic imaging, but at the expense of introducing strong interference (blending noise) to the acquired seismic data. We propose to use a structural-oriented median filter to attenuate the blending noise along the structural direction of seismic profiles. The principle of the proposed approach is to first flatten the seismic record in local spatial windows and then to apply a traditional median filter (MF) to the third flattened dimension. The key component of the proposed approach is the estimation of the local slope, which can be calculated by first scanning the NMO velocity and then transferring the velocity to the local slope. Both synthetic and field data examples show that the proposed approach can successfully separate the simultaneous-source data into individual sources. We provide an open-source toy example to better demonstratethe proposed methodology.

Use of oleaginous plants in phytotreatment of grey water and yellow water from source separation of sewage.

Science.gov (United States)

Lavagnolo, Maria Cristina; Malagoli, Mario; Alibardi, Luca; Garbo, Francesco; Pivato, Alberto; Cossu, Raffaello

2017-05-01

Efficient and economic reuse of waste is one of the pillars of modern environmental engineering. In the field of domestic sewage management, source separation of yellow (urine), brown (faecal matter) and grey waters aims to recover the organic substances concentrated in brown water, the nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous) in the urine and to ensure an easier treatment and recycling of grey waters. With the objective of emphasizing the potential of recovery of resources from sewage management, a lab-scale research study was carried out at the University of Padova in order to evaluate the performances of oleaginous plants (suitable for biodiesel production) in the phytotreatment of source separated yellow and grey waters. The plant species used were Brassica napus (rapeseed), Glycine max (soybean) and Helianthus annuus (sunflower). Phytotreatment tests were carried out using 20L pots. Different testing runs were performed at an increasing nitrogen concentration in the feedstock. The results proved that oleaginous species can conveniently be used for the phytotreatment of grey and yellow waters from source separation of domestic sewage, displaying high removal efficiencies of nutrients and organic substances (nitrogen>80%; phosphorous >90%; COD nearly 90%). No inhibition was registered in the growth of plants irrigated with different mixtures of yellow and grey waters, where the characteristics of the two streams were reciprocally and beneficially integrated. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Chemical characteristics and methane potentials of source-separated and pre-treated organic municipal solid waste

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Trine Lund; Svärd, Å; Angelidaki, Irini

2003-01-01

A research project has investigated the biogas potential of pre-screened source-separated organic waste. Wastes from five Danish cities have been pre-treated by three methods: screw press; disc screen; and shredder and magnet. This paper outlines the sampling procedure used, the chemical...... composition of the wastes and the estimated methane potentials....

Blind source separation based on time-frequency morphological characteristics for rigid acoustic scattering by underwater objects

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yang; Li, Xiukun

2016-06-01

Separation of the components of rigid acoustic scattering by underwater objects is essential in obtaining the structural characteristics of such objects. To overcome the problem of rigid structures appearing to have the same spectral structure in the time domain, time-frequency Blind Source Separation (BSS) can be used in combination with image morphology to separate the rigid scattering components of different objects. Based on a highlight model, the separation of the rigid scattering structure of objects with time-frequency distribution is deduced. Using a morphological filter, different characteristics in a Wigner-Ville Distribution (WVD) observed for single auto term and cross terms can be simplified to remove any cross-term interference. By selecting time and frequency points of the auto terms signal, the accuracy of BSS can be improved. An experimental simulation has been used, with changes in the pulse width of the transmitted signal, the relative amplitude and the time delay parameter, in order to analyzing the feasibility of this new method. Simulation results show that the new method is not only able to separate rigid scattering components, but can also separate the components when elastic scattering and rigid scattering exist at the same time. Experimental results confirm that the new method can be used in separating the rigid scattering structure of underwater objects.

Functionality of Sea Ice Data Sources on the NSR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tadeusz Pastusiak

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The functionality of available official sources of sea ice data for the Northern Sea Route to date is low. In recent years a large number of new publicly available sources have appeared. Their functionality for purposes of route planning has yet to be evaluated. This study presents results of qualitative and expert analyses of various sources. It is proposed to use new indicators to enable comparison of functionality of data sources. New sources provide the technical progress that is instrumental in reducing the amount of effort and influence of the human factor in the decision-making system. The study also presents solutions to the problem of limited bandwidth available at high latitudes with Iridium satellite system. Presented solutions can be used on any vessel by any company or navigator to implement or design the decision support system related to route planning in ice in accordance with the requirements of the ISM Code and concept of e-Navigation.

System identification through nonstationary data using Time-Frequency Blind Source Separation

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Yanlin; Kareem, Ahsan

2016-06-01

Classical output-only system identification (SI) methods are based on the assumption of stationarity of the system response. However, measured response of buildings and bridges is usually non-stationary due to strong winds (e.g. typhoon, and thunder storm etc.), earthquakes and time-varying vehicle motions. Accordingly, the response data may have time-varying frequency contents and/or overlapping of modal frequencies due to non-stationary colored excitation. This renders traditional methods problematic for modal separation and identification. To address these challenges, a new SI technique based on Time-Frequency Blind Source Separation (TFBSS) is proposed. By selectively utilizing "effective" information in local regions of the time-frequency plane, where only one mode contributes to energy, the proposed technique can successfully identify mode shapes and recover modal responses from the non-stationary response where the traditional SI methods often encounter difficulties. This technique can also handle response with closely spaced modes which is a well-known challenge for the identification of large-scale structures. Based on the separated modal responses, frequency and damping can be easily identified using SI methods based on a single degree of freedom (SDOF) system. In addition to the exclusive advantage of handling non-stationary data and closely spaced modes, the proposed technique also benefits from the absence of the end effects and low sensitivity to noise in modal separation. The efficacy of the proposed technique is demonstrated using several simulation based studies, and compared to the popular Second-Order Blind Identification (SOBI) scheme. It is also noted that even some non-stationary response data can be analyzed by the stationary method SOBI. This paper also delineates non-stationary cases where SOBI and the proposed scheme perform comparably and highlights cases where the proposed approach is more advantageous. Finally, the performance of the

Artificial receptor-functionalized nanoshell: facile preparation, fast separation and specific protein recognition

Science.gov (United States)

Ouyang, Ruizhuo; Lei, Jianping; Ju, Huangxian

2010-05-01

This work combined molecular imprinting technology with superparamagnetic nanospheres as the core to prepare artificial receptor-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles for separation of homologous proteins. Using dopamine as a functional monomer, novel surface protein-imprinted superparamagnetic polydopamine (PDA) core-shell nanoparticles were successfully prepared in physiological conditions, which could maintain the natural structure of a protein template and achieved the development of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) from one dimension to zero dimension for efficient recognition towards large biomolecules. The resultant nanoparticles could be used for convenient magnetic separation of homologous proteins with high specificity. The nanoparticles possessed good monodispersibility, uniform surface morphology and high saturation magnetization value. The bound amounts of template proteins measured by both indirect and direct methods were in good agreement. The maximum number of imprinted cavities on the surface of the bovine hemoglobin (Hb)-imprinted nanoshell was 2.21 × 1018 g - 1, which well matched their maximum binding capacity toward bovine Hb. Both the simple method for preparation of MIPs and the magnetic nanospheres showed good application potential in fast separation, effective concentration and selective biosensing of large protein molecules.

Artificial receptor-functionalized nanoshell: facile preparation, fast separation and specific protein recognition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ouyang, Ruizhuo; Lei Jianping; Ju Huangxian, E-mail: jpl@nju.edu.cn, E-mail: hxju@nju.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science (Education Ministry of China), Department of Chemistry, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China)

2010-05-07

This work combined molecular imprinting technology with superparamagnetic nanospheres as the core to prepare artificial receptor-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles for separation of homologous proteins. Using dopamine as a functional monomer, novel surface protein-imprinted superparamagnetic polydopamine (PDA) core-shell nanoparticles were successfully prepared in physiological conditions, which could maintain the natural structure of a protein template and achieved the development of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) from one dimension to zero dimension for efficient recognition towards large biomolecules. The resultant nanoparticles could be used for convenient magnetic separation of homologous proteins with high specificity. The nanoparticles possessed good monodispersibility, uniform surface morphology and high saturation magnetization value. The bound amounts of template proteins measured by both indirect and direct methods were in good agreement. The maximum number of imprinted cavities on the surface of the bovine hemoglobin (Hb)-imprinted nanoshell was 2.21 x 10{sup 18} g{sup -1}, which well matched their maximum binding capacity toward bovine Hb. Both the simple method for preparation of MIPs and the magnetic nanospheres showed good application potential in fast separation, effective concentration and selective biosensing of large protein molecules.

Acoustic wavefield evolution as a function of source location perturbation

KAUST Repository

Alkhalifah, Tariq Ali

2010-12-01

The wavefield is typically simulated for seismic exploration applications through solving the wave equation for a specific seismic source location. The direct relation between the form (or shape) of the wavefield and the source location can provide insights useful for velocity estimation and interpolation. As a result, I derive partial differential equations that relate changes in the wavefield shape to perturbations in the source location, especially along the Earth\\'s surface. These partial differential equations have the same structure as the wave equation with a source function that depends on the background (original source) wavefield. The similarity in form implies that we can use familiar numerical methods to solve the perturbation equations, including finite difference and downward continuation. In fact, we can use the same Green\\'s function to solve the wave equation and its source perturbations by simply incorporating source functions derived from the background field. The solutions of the perturbation equations represent the coefficients of a Taylor\\'s series type expansion of the wavefield as a function of source location. As a result, we can speed up the wavefield calculation as we approximate the wavefield shape for sources in the vicinity of the original source. The new formula introduces changes to the background wavefield only in the presence of lateral velocity variation or in general terms velocity variations in the perturbation direction. The approach is demonstrated on the smoothed Marmousi model.

Scale separation closure and Alfven wave turbulence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, C.Y.; Mahajan, S.M.

1985-04-01

Based on the concept of scale separation between coherent response function and incoherent source for renormalized turbulence theories, a closure scheme is proposed. A model problem dealing with shear-Alfven wave turbulence is numerically solved; the solution explicitly shows expected turbulence features such as frequency shift from linear modes, band-broadening, and a power law dependence for the turbulence spectrum

In vivo time-gated diffuse correlation spectroscopy at quasi-null source-detector separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Pagliazzi, M; Sekar, S Konugolu Venkata; Di Sieno, L; Colombo, L; Durduran, T; Contini, D; Torricelli, A; Pifferi, A; Mora, A Dalla

2018-06-01

We demonstrate time domain diffuse correlation spectroscopy at quasi-null source-detector separation by using a fast time-gated single-photon avalanche diode without the need of time-tagging electronics. This approach allows for increased photon collection, simplified real-time instrumentation, and reduced probe dimensions. Depth discriminating, quasi-null distance measurement of blood flow in a human subject is presented. We envision the miniaturization and integration of matrices of optical sensors of increased spatial resolution and the enhancement of the contrast of local blood flow changes.

EXOPLANET ALBEDO SPECTRA AND COLORS AS A FUNCTION OF PLANET PHASE, SEPARATION, AND METALLICITY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cahoy, Kerri L.; Marley, Mark S.; Fortney, Jonathan J.

2010-01-01

First generation space-based optical coronagraphic telescopes will obtain images of cool gas- and ice-giant exoplanets around nearby stars. Exoplanets lying at planet-star separations larger than about 1 AU-where an exoplanet can be resolved from its parent star-have spectra that are dominated by reflected light to beyond 1 μm and punctuated by molecular absorption features. Here, we consider how exoplanet albedo spectra and colors vary as a function of planet-star separation, metallicity, mass, and observed phase for Jupiter and Neptune analogs from 0.35 to 1 μm. We model Jupiter analogs with 1x and 3x the solar abundance of heavy elements, and Neptune analogs with 10x and 30x the solar abundance of heavy elements. Our model planets orbit a solar analog parent star at separations of 0.8 AU, 2 AU, 5 AU, and 10 AU. We use a radiative-convective model to compute temperature-pressure profiles. The giant exoplanets are found to be cloud-free at 0.8 AU, possess H 2 O clouds at 2 AU, and have both NH 3 and H 2 O clouds at 5 AU and 10 AU. For each model planet we compute moderate resolution (R = λ/Δλ ∼ 800) albedo spectra as a function of phase. We also consider low-resolution spectra and colors that are more consistent with the capabilities of early direct imaging capabilities. As expected, the presence and vertical structure of clouds strongly influence the albedo spectra since cloud particles not only affect optical depth but also have highly directional scattering properties. Observations at different phases also probe different volumes of atmosphere as the source-observer geometry changes. Because the images of the planets themselves will be unresolved, their phase will not necessarily be immediately obvious, and multiple observations will be needed to discriminate between the effects of planet-star separation, metallicity, and phase on the observed albedo spectra. We consider the range of these combined effects on spectra and colors. For example, we find that

Loading functions for assessment of water pollution from nonpoint sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McElroy, A.D.; Chiu, S.Y.; Nebgen, J.W.; Aleti, A.; Bennett, F.W.

1976-05-01

Methods for evaluating the quantity of water pollutants generated from nonpoint sources including agriculture, silviculture, construction, mining, runoff from urban areas and rural roads, and terrestrial disposal are developed and compiled for use in water quality planning. The loading functions, plus in some instances emission values, permit calculation of nonpoint source pollutants from available data and information. Natural background was considered to be a source and loading functions were presented to estimate natural or background loads of pollutants. Loading functions/values are presented for average conditions, i.e., annual average loads expressed as metric tons/hectare/year (tons/acre/year). Procedures for estimating seasonal or 30-day maximum and minimum loads are also presented. In addition, a wide variety of required data inputs to loading functions, and delineation of sources of additional information are included in the report. The report also presents an evaluation of limitations and constraints of various methodologies which will enable the user to employ the functions realistically

UWIS isotope separator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wojtasiewicz, A. [Warsaw Univ., Inst. of Experimental Physics, Nuclear Physics Div., Warsaw (Poland)

1997-12-31

Since 1995 the University of Warsaw Isotope Separator group has participated in the ISOL/IGISOL project at the Heavy Ion Cyclotron. This project consists in installation of an isotope separator (on line with cyclotron heavy ion beam) with a hot plasma ion source (ISOL system) and/or with an ion guide source (IGISOL system). In the report the short description of the present status of the project is presented. 2 figs, 10 refs.

Sources of variability among replicate samples separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis.

Science.gov (United States)

Bland, Alison M; Janech, Michael G; Almeida, Jonas S; Arthur, John M

2010-04-01

Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) offers high-resolution separation for intact proteins. However, variability in the appearance of spots can limit the ability to identify true differences between conditions. Variability can occur at a number of levels. Individual samples can differ because of biological variability. Technical variability can occur during protein extraction, processing, or storage. Another potential source of variability occurs during analysis of the gels and is not a result of any of the causes of variability named above. We performed a study designed to focus only on the variability caused by analysis. We separated three aliquots of rat left ventricle and analyzed differences in protein abundance on the replicate 2D gels. As the samples loaded on each gel were identical, differences in protein abundance are caused by variability in separation or interpretation of the gels. Protein spots were compared across gels by quantile values to determine differences. Fourteen percent of spots had a maximum difference in intensity of 0.4 quantile values or more between replicates. We then looked individually at the spots to determine the cause of differences between the measured intensities. Reasons for differences were: failure to identify a spot (59%), differences in spot boundaries (13%), difference in the peak height (6%), and a combination of these factors (21). This study demonstrates that spot identification and characterization make major contributions to variability seen with 2DE. Methods to highlight why measured protein spot abundance is different could reduce these errors.

Pilot and Controller Evaluations of Separation Function Allocation in Air Traffic Management

Science.gov (United States)

Wing, David; Prevot, Thomas; Morey, Susan; Lewis, Timothy; Martin, Lynne; Johnson, Sally; Cabrall, Christopher; Como, Sean; Homola, Jeffrey; Sheth-Chandra, Manasi; style="text-decoration: none; " href="javascript:void(0); " onClick="displayelement('author_20130014930'); toggleEditAbsImage('author_20130014930_show'); toggleEditAbsImage('author_20130014930_hide'); "> style="display:inline; width:12px; height:12px; " src="images/arrow-up.gif" width="12" height="12" border="0" alt="hide" id="author_20130014930_show"> style="width:12px; height:12px; display:none; " src="images/arrow-down.gif" width="12" height="12" border="0" alt="hide" id="author_20130014930_hide">

2013-01-01

Two human-in-the-loop simulation experiments were conducted in coordinated fashion to investigate the allocation of separation assurance functions between ground and air and between humans and automation. The experiments modeled a mixed-operations concept in which aircraft receiving ground-based separation services shared the airspace with aircraft providing their own separation service (i.e., self-separation). Ground-based separation was provided by air traffic controllers without automation tools, with tools, or by ground-based automation with controllers in a managing role. Airborne self-separation was provided by airline pilots using self-separation automation enabled by airborne surveillance technology. The two experiments, one pilot-focused and the other controller-focused, addressed selected key issues of mixed operations, assuming the starting point of current-day operations and modeling an emergence of NextGen technologies and procedures. In the controller-focused experiment, the impact of mixed operations on controller performance was assessed at four stages of NextGen implementation. In the pilot-focused experiment, the limits to which pilots with automation tools could take full responsibility for separation from ground-controlled aircraft were tested. Results indicate that the presence of self-separating aircraft had little impact on the controllers' ability to provide separation services for ground-controlled aircraft. Overall performance was best in the most automated environment in which all aircraft were data communications equipped, ground-based separation was highly automated, and self-separating aircraft had access to trajectory intent information for all aircraft. In this environment, safe, efficient, and highly acceptable operations could be achieved for twice today's peak airspace throughput. In less automated environments, reduced trajectory intent exchange and manual air traffic control limited the safely achievable airspace throughput and

Effect of acid- and alkaline-aided extractions on functional and rheological properties of proteins recovered from mechanically separated turkey meat (MSTM).

Science.gov (United States)

Hrynets, Yuliya; Omana, Dileep A; Xu, Yan; Betti, Mirko

2010-09-01

Functional and rheological characteristics of acid- and alkali-extracted proteins from mechanically separated turkey meat (MSTM) have been investigated. Extractions were carried out at 4 pH values (2.5, 3.5, 10.5, and 11.5). The study demonstrated that alkali and acid extractions resulted in significant (P hardness, chewiness, springiness, and cohesiveness) of recovered proteins were found to be unaffected (P > 0.05) by different extraction pH. The protein extracted at pH 3.5 formed a highly viscoelastic gel network as evidenced by storage modulus (G') values, whereas the gel formed from proteins extracted at pH 10.5 was found to be the weakest. The work also revealed that acid treatments were more effective for removal of total heme pigments from MSTM. Color characteristics of protein isolates were markedly improved compared to the initial material and tended to be better when subjected to acid extractions. Mechanically separated meat is one of the cheapest sources of protein obtained by grinding meat and bones together and forcing the mixture through a perforated drum. The use of mechanically separated turkey meat (MSTM) for the production of further processed poultry products is limited due to its undesirable color and textural properties. Recovery of proteins from MSTM using pH shifting process will help the poultry processors to get better returns and also create opportunity to produce functional food ingredients.

An application of the theory of planned behaviour to study the influencing factors of participation in source separation of food waste.

Science.gov (United States)

Karim Ghani, Wan Azlina Wan Ab; Rusli, Iffah Farizan; Biak, Dayang Radiah Awang; Idris, Azni

2013-05-01

Tremendous increases in biodegradable (food waste) generation significantly impact the local authorities, who are responsible to manage, treat and dispose of this waste. The process of separation of food waste at its generation source is identified as effective means in reducing the amount food waste sent to landfill and can be reused as feedstock to downstream treatment processes namely composting or anaerobic digestion. However, these efforts will only succeed with positive attitudes and highly participations rate by the public towards the scheme. Thus, the social survey (using questionnaires) to analyse public's view and influencing factors towards participation in source separation of food waste in households based on the theory of planned behaviour technique (TPB) was performed in June and July 2011 among selected staff in Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor. The survey demonstrates that the public has positive intention in participating provided the opportunities, facilities and knowledge on waste separation at source are adequately prepared by the respective local authorities. Furthermore, good moral values and situational factors such as storage convenience and collection times are also encouraged public's involvement and consequently, the participations rate. The findings from this study may provide useful indicator to the waste management authorities in Malaysia in identifying mechanisms for future development and implementation of food waste source separation activities in household programmes and communication campaign which advocate the use of these programmes. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Strategies for the design of functional MOFs: addressing energy-intensive separations

KAUST Repository

Eddaoudi, Mohamed

2017-12-19

Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are a promising class of crystalline solid-state materials amenable to tailoring their porosity and functionality towards various applications. MOF reticular chemistry using the Molecular Building Block (MBB) approach offers potential to construct robust made-to-order MOFs, where desired structural and geometrical information are incorporated into the building blocks prior to the assembly process. We will discuss two recently implemented conceptual approaches facilitating the design and deliberate construction of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), namely supermolecular building block (SBB) and supermolecular building layer (SBL) approaches. Additionally, the concept of net-coded building units (net-cBUs), where precise embedded geometrical information codes uniquely and matchlessly a selected net, as a compelling route for the rational design of MOFs will be presented. Our progress in the development of functional metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to address some energy-intensive separations will be discussed. Namely, the successful practice of reticular chemistry affording the fabrication of various stable MOFs with controlled pore-aperture size and allowing effective separation of various gas or vapors pairs.

Multi-configuration time-dependent density-functional theory based on range separation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fromager, E.; Knecht, S.; Jensen, Hans Jørgen Aagaard

2013-01-01

Multi-configuration range-separated density-functional theory is extended to the time-dependent regime. An exact variational formulation is derived. The approximation, which consists in combining a long-range Multi-Configuration- Self-Consistent Field (MCSCF) treatment with an adiabatic short...... (srGGA) approximations. As expected, when modeling long-range interactions with the MCSCF model instead of the adiabatic Buijse-Baerends density-matrix functional as recently proposed by Pernal [J. Chem. Phys. 136, 184105 (2012)10.1063/1.4712019], the description of both the 1D doubly-excited state...

Isotope separation by ionic cyclotron resonance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Compant La Fontaine, A.; Gil, C.; Louvet, P.

1986-10-01

The principle of the process of isotopic separation by ionic cyclotron resonance is explained succinctly. The theoretical calculation of the isotopic effect is given as functions of the electric and magnetic fields in the frame of single particle approximation and of plasma collective theory. Then, the main parts of the demonstration device which is in operation at the CEA, are described here: the supraconducting magnetic field, the used diagnostics, the principle of the source and the collecting apparatus. Some experimental results are given for chromium. The application of the process to ponderal separation of metal isotopes, as chromium, nickel and molybdenum is discussed in view of production of medical, structural and irradiation isotopes

Source-Free Exchange-Correlation Magnetic Fields in Density Functional Theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, S; Gross, E K U; Sanna, A; Dewhurst, J K

2018-03-13

Spin-dependent exchange-correlation energy functionals in use today depend on the charge density and the magnetization density: E xc [ρ, m]. However, it is also correct to define the functional in terms of the curl of m for physical external fields: E xc [ρ,∇ × m]. The exchange-correlation magnetic field, B xc , then becomes source-free. We study this variation of the theory by uniquely removing the source term from local and generalized gradient approximations to the functional. By doing so, the total Kohn-Sham moments are improved for a wide range of materials for both functionals. Significantly, the moments for the pnictides are now in good agreement with experiment. This source-free method is simple to implement in all existing density functional theory codes.

Online Artifact Removal for Brain-Computer Interfaces Using Support Vector Machines and Blind Source Separation

OpenAIRE

Halder, Sebastian; Bensch, Michael; Mellinger, Jürgen; Bogdan, Martin; Kübler, Andrea; Birbaumer, Niels; Rosenstiel, Wolfgang

2007-01-01

We propose a combination of blind source separation (BSS) and independent component analysis (ICA) (signal decomposition into artifacts and nonartifacts) with support vector machines (SVMs) (automatic classification) that are designed for online usage. In order to select a suitable BSS/ICA method, three ICA algorithms (JADE, Infomax, and FastICA) and one BSS algorithm (AMUSE) are evaluated to determine their ability to isolate electromyographic (EMG) and electrooculographic...

Variable separation solutions for the Nizhnik-Novikov-Veselov equation via the extended tanh-function method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Jiefang; Dai Chaoqing; Zong Fengde

2007-01-01

In this paper, with the variable separation approach and based on the general reduction theory, we successfully generalize this extended tanh-function method to obtain new types of variable separation solutions for the following Nizhnik-Novikov-Veselov (NNV) equation. Among the solutions, two solutions are new types of variable separation solutions, while the last solution is similar to the solution given by Darboux transformation in Hu et al 2003 Chin. Phys. Lett. 20 1413

Compilation of Instantaneous Source Functions for Varying ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Compilation of Instantaneous Source Functions for Varying Architecture of a Layered Reservoir with Mixed Boundaries and Horizontal Well Completion Part IV: Normal and Inverted Letter 'h' and 'H' Architecture.

Modeling the NPE with finite sources and empirical Green`s functions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hutchings, L.; Kasameyer, P.; Goldstein, P. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)] [and others

1994-12-31

In order to better understand the source characteristics of both nuclear and chemical explosions for purposes of discrimination, we have modeled the NPE chemical explosion as a finite source and with empirical Green`s functions. Seismograms are synthesized at four sties to test the validity of source models. We use a smaller chemical explosion detonated in the vicinity of the working point to obtain empirical Green`s functions. Empirical Green`s functions contain all the linear information of the geology along the propagation path and recording site, which are identical for chemical or nuclear explosions, and therefore reduce the variability in modeling the source of the larger event. We further constrain the solution to have the overall source duration obtained from point-source deconvolution results. In modeling the source, we consider both an elastic source on a spherical surface and an inelastic expanding spherical volume source. We found that the spherical volume solution provides better fits to observed seismograms. The potential to identify secondary sources was examined, but the resolution is too poor to be definitive.

Blind Source Separation Algorithms Using Hyperbolic and Givens Rotations for High-Order QAM Constellations

KAUST Repository

Shah, Syed Awais Wahab

2017-11-24

This paper addresses the problem of blind demixing of instantaneous mixtures in a multiple-input multiple-output communication system. The main objective is to present efficient blind source separation (BSS) algorithms dedicated to moderate or high-order QAM constellations. Four new iterative batch BSS algorithms are presented dealing with the multimodulus (MM) and alphabet matched (AM) criteria. For the optimization of these cost functions, iterative methods of Givens and hyperbolic rotations are used. A pre-whitening operation is also utilized to reduce the complexity of design problem. It is noticed that the designed algorithms using Givens rotations gives satisfactory performance only for large number of samples. However, for small number of samples, the algorithms designed by combining both Givens and hyperbolic rotations compensate for the ill-whitening that occurs in this case and thus improves the performance. Two algorithms dealing with the MM criterion are presented for moderate order QAM signals such as 16-QAM. The other two dealing with the AM criterion are presented for high-order QAM signals. These methods are finally compared with the state of art batch BSS algorithms in terms of signal-to-interference and noise ratio, symbol error rate and convergence rate. Simulation results show that the proposed methods outperform the contemporary batch BSS algorithms.

Blind Source Separation Algorithms Using Hyperbolic and Givens Rotations for High-Order QAM Constellations

KAUST Repository

Shah, Syed Awais Wahab; Abed-Meraim, Karim; Al-Naffouri, Tareq Y.

2017-01-01

This paper addresses the problem of blind demixing of instantaneous mixtures in a multiple-input multiple-output communication system. The main objective is to present efficient blind source separation (BSS) algorithms dedicated to moderate or high-order QAM constellations. Four new iterative batch BSS algorithms are presented dealing with the multimodulus (MM) and alphabet matched (AM) criteria. For the optimization of these cost functions, iterative methods of Givens and hyperbolic rotations are used. A pre-whitening operation is also utilized to reduce the complexity of design problem. It is noticed that the designed algorithms using Givens rotations gives satisfactory performance only for large number of samples. However, for small number of samples, the algorithms designed by combining both Givens and hyperbolic rotations compensate for the ill-whitening that occurs in this case and thus improves the performance. Two algorithms dealing with the MM criterion are presented for moderate order QAM signals such as 16-QAM. The other two dealing with the AM criterion are presented for high-order QAM signals. These methods are finally compared with the state of art batch BSS algorithms in terms of signal-to-interference and noise ratio, symbol error rate and convergence rate. Simulation results show that the proposed methods outperform the contemporary batch BSS algorithms.

Compilation of Instantaneous Source Functions for Varying ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Compilation of Instantaneous Source Functions for Varying Architecture of a Layered Reservoir with Mixed Boundaries and Horizontal Well Completion Part III: B-Shaped Architecture with Vertical Well in the Upper Layer.

Preparation of a novel dual-function strong cation exchange/hydrophobic interaction chromatography stationary phase for protein separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Kailou; Yang, Li; Wang, Xuejiao; Bai, Quan; Yang, Fan; Wang, Fei

2012-08-30

We have explored a novel dual-function stationary phase which combines both strong cation exchange (SCX) and hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) characteristics. The novel dual-function stationary phase is based on porous and spherical silica gel functionalized with ligand containing sulfonic and benzyl groups capable of electrostatic and hydrophobic interaction functionalities, which displays HIC character in a high salt concentration, and IEC character in a low salt concentration in mobile phase employed. As a result, it can be employed to separate proteins with SCX and HIC modes, respectively. The resolution and selectivity of the dual-function stationary phase were evaluated under both HIC and SCX modes with standard proteins and can be comparable to that of conventional IEC and HIC columns. More than 96% of mass and bioactivity recoveries of proteins can be achieved in both HIC and SCX modes, respectively. The results indicated that the novel dual-function column could replace two individual SCX and HIC columns for protein separation. Mixed retention mechanism of proteins on this dual-function column based on stoichiometric displacement theory (SDT) in LC was investigated to find the optimal balance of the magnitude of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions between protein and the ligand on the silica surface in order to obtain high resolution and selectivity for protein separation. In addition, the effects of the hydrophobicity of the ligand of the dual-function packings and pH of the mobile phase used on protein separation were also investigated in detail. The results show that the ligand with suitable hydrophobicity to match the electrostatic interaction is very important to prepare the dual-function stationary phase, and a better resolution and selectivity can be obtained at pH 6.5 in SCX mode. Therefore, the dual-function column can replace two individual SCX and HIC columns for protein separation and be used to set up two-dimensional liquid

Electrospun Nanofibers for Sandwiched Polyimide/Poly (vinylidene fluoride)/Polyimide Separators with the Thermal Shutdown Function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Dezhi; Shi, Chuan; Huang, Shaohua; Qiu, Xiaochun; Wang, Huan; Zhan, Zhan; Zhang, Peng; Zhao, Jinbao; Sun, Daoheng; Lin, Liwei

2015-01-01

Nanofibers fabricated by the electrospinning process have been used to construct sandwich-type Polyimide/Poly (vinylidene fluoride)/Polyimide (PI/PVDF/PI) separators with the thermal shutdown function for lithium ion batteries. This architecture uses the good thermal stability of PI as the top and bottom structure layers. Under high temperature operations, the middle layer made of PVDF nanofibers can melt and form a pore-free film to shut down the battery operation. The electrolyte uptake and ionic conductivity of the PI/PVDF/PI separator are superior to those of commercial polyolefin separators at 476% and 3.46 mS cm −1 , respectively, resulting better battery performances in terms of impedance, discharge capacity and cycle life. Under high temperature treatments above 170 °C, the self-shutdown function of the PI/PVDF/PI has been observed within 10 minutes, which could serve as the safety mechanism to defend the thermal runaway issue of lithium ion batteries. The effects of heating temperature and different time on the morphologies of each layer and electrolyte uptake of the separator are characterized as well

Ion-source dependence of the distributions of internuclear separations in 2-MeV HeH+ beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanter, E.P.; Gemmell, D.S.; Plesser, I.; Vager, Z.

1981-01-01

Experiments involving the use of MeV molecular-ion beams have yielded new information on atomic collisions in solids. A central part of the analyses of such experiments is a knowledge of the distribution of internuclear separations contained in the incident beam. In an attempt to determine how these distributions depend on ion-source gas conditions, we have studied foil-induced dissociations of H 2+ , H 3+ , HeH + , and OH 2+ ions. Although changes of ion-source gas compositions and pressure were found to have no measurable influence on the vibrational state populations of the beams reaching our target, for HeH + we found that beams produced in our rf source were vibrationally hotter than beams produced in a duoplasmatron. This was also seen in studies of neutral fragments and transmitted molecules

Fabrication of Functionalized MOFs Incorporated Mixed Matrix Hollow Fiber Membrane for Gas Separation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haitao Zhu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The metal-organic framework (MOFs of MIL-53 was functionalized by aminosilane grafting and then incorporated into Ultem®1000 polymer matrix to fabricate mixed matrix hollow fiber membrane (MMHFM with high separation performance. SEM, XRD, and TGA were performed to characterize the functionalized MIL-53 and prepared MMHFM. The filler particles were embedded in membrane successfully and dispersed well in the polymer matrix. The incorporation of MOFs endowed MMHFM better thermal stability. Moreover, effects of solvent ratio in spinning dope, spinning condition, and testing temperature on gas separation performance of MMHFM were investigated. By optimizing dope composition, air gap distance, and bore fluid composition, MMHFM containing functionalized MIL-53 achieved excellent gas permeance and CO2/N2 selectivity. The CO2 permeance increased from 12.2 GPU for pure Ultem HFM to 30.9 GPU and the ideal CO2/N2 selectivity was enhanced from 25.4 to 34.7 simultaneously. Additionally, gas permeance increased but the selectivity decreased with the temperature increase, which followed the solution-diffusion based transport mechanism.

Anaerobic treatment as a core technology for energy, nutrients and water from source-separated domestic waste(water)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zeeman, G.; Kujawa, K.; Mes, de T.Z.D.; Graaff, de M.S.; Abu-Ghunmi, L.N.A.H.; Mels, A.R.; Meulman, B.; Temmink, B.G.; Buisman, C.J.N.; Lier, van J.B.; Lettinga, G.

2008-01-01

Based on results of pilot scale research with source-separated black water (BW) and grey water (GW), a new sanitation concept is proposed. BW and GW are both treated in a UASB (-septic tank) for recovery of CH4 gas. Kitchen waste is added to the anaerobic BW treatment for doubling the biogas

Separation of mycotoxin-containing sources in grain dust and determination of their mycotoxin potential.

Science.gov (United States)

Palmgren, M S; Lee, L S

1986-01-01

Two distinct reservoirs of mycotoxins exist in fungal-infected cereal grains--the fungal spores and the spore-free mycelium-substrate matrix. Many fungal spores are of respirable size and the mycelium-substrate matrix can be pulverized to form particles of respirable size during routine handling of grain. In order to determine the contribution of each source to the level of mycotoxin contamination of dust, we developed techniques to harvest and separate mycelium-substrate matrices from spores of fungi. Conventional quantitative chromatographic analyses of separated materials indicated that aflatoxin from Aspergillus parasiticus, norsolorinic acid from a mutant of A. parasiticus, and secalonic acid D from Penicillium oxalicum were concentrated in the mycelium-substrate matrices and not in the spores. In contrast, spores of Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus fumigatus contained significant concentrations of aurasperone C and fumigaclavine C, respectively; only negligible amounts of the toxins were detected in the mycelium-substrate matrices of these two fungi. PMID:3709472

Study of Low Work Function Materials for Hot Cavity Resonance Ionization Laser Ion Sources

CERN Document Server

Catherall, R; Fedosseev, V; Marsh, B; Mattolat, C; Menna, Mariano; Österdahl, F; Raeder, S; Schwellnus, F; Stora, T; Wendt, K; CERN. Geneva. AB Department

2008-01-01

The selectivity of a hot cavity resonance ionization laser ion source (RILIS) is most often limited by contributions from competing surface ionization on the hot walls of the ionization cavity. In this article we present investigations on the properties of designated high-temperature, low-work function materials regarding their performance and suitability as cavity material for RILIS. Tungsten test cavities, impregnated with a mixture of barium oxide and strontium oxide (BaOSrO on W), or alternatively gadolinium hexaboride (GdB6) were studied in comparison to a standard tungsten RILIS cavity as being routinely used for hot cavity laser ionization at ISOLDE. Measurement campaigns took place at the off-line mass separators at ISOLDE / CERN, Geneva and RISIKO / University of Mainz.

Study of low work function materials for hot cavity resonance ionization laser ion sources

CERN Document Server

Schwellnus, F; Crepieux, B; Fedosseev, V N; Marsh, B A; Mattolat, Ch; Menna, M; Österdahl, F K; Raeder, S; Stora, T; Wendta, K

2009-01-01

The selectivity of a hot cavity resonance ionization laser ion source (RILIS) is most often limited by contributions from competing surface ionization of the hot walls of the ionization cavity. In this article we present investigations on the properties of designated high temperature, low work function materials regarding their performance and suitability as cavity material for RILIS. Tungsten test cavities, impregnated with a mixture of barium oxide and strontium oxide (BaOSrO on W), or alternatively gadolinium hexaboride (GdB6) were studied in comparison to a standard tungsten RILIS cavity as being routinely used for hot cavity laser ionization at ISOLDE. Measurement campaigns took place at the off-line mass separators at ISOLDE/CERN, Geneva and RISIKO/University of Mainz.

Cross-functional Sourcing Teams – A Purchasing and Supply Management Literature Review

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Anders Peder Lysholm

2014-01-01

This paper presents a systematic literature review of scientific papers on cross-functional sourcing teams in top journals within Purchasing and Supply Management. The review identifies four common research topics within the field; Determining factors of sourcing team success, Performance...... management/goals of sourcing teams, Behavior and decisions in sourcing teams and Involvement of purchasing in sourcing teams. Further research on Performance Management and how to create a holistic, teams based perspective in cross-functional sourcing teams is suggested....

THE PRINCIPLE OF SEPARATION OF JUDICIAL FUNCTIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Denisa BARBU

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The fundamental principles of the criminal procedure are general rules applicable throughout the criminal procedure in order to achieve its purpose. The fundamental principles are covered by art. 2-12 C.C.P. and are: the legality of criminal procedure, separating the functions of the judiciary, the presumption of innocence, finding out the truth, ne bis in idem, a requirement for moving and exercising penal action, is fair and reasonable term of the criminal trial, the right to liberty and security, the right to defence, respect for human dignity and privacy, the official language and the right to an interpreter. The European Court of Human Rights is conscious that by protecting the fundamental principles it does not only aim at the protection of super eminence of the inextricably right tied to the state of law. These principles represent a set of obligations imposed on the State that has as the sole purpose the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms.

Laser separation of uranium isotopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Porter, J.T.

1981-01-01

Method and apparatus for separating uranium isotopes are claimed. The method comprises the steps of irradiating a uranyl source material at a wavelength selective to a desired isotope and at an effective temperature for isotope spectral line splitting below about 77 deg.K., further irradiating the source material within the fluorescent lifetime of the source material to selectively photochemically reduce the excited isotopic species, and chemically separating the reduced isotope species from the remaining uranyl salt compound

Separation of mouse testis cells on a Celsep (TM) apparatus and their usefulness as a source of high molecular weight DNA or RNA

Science.gov (United States)

Wolgemuth, D. J.; Gizang-Ginsberg, E.; Engelmyer, E.; Gavin, B. J.; Ponzetto, C.

1985-01-01

The use of a self-contained unit-gravity cell separation apparatus for separation of populations of mouse testicular cells is described. The apparatus, a Celsep (TM), maximizes the unit area over which sedimentation occurs, reduces the amount of separation medium employed, and is quite reproducible. Cells thus isolated have been good sources for isolation of DNA, and notably, high molecular weight RNA.

Sound field separation with cross measurement surfaces.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jin Mao

Full Text Available With conventional near-field acoustical holography, it is impossible to identify sound pressure when the coherent sound sources are located on the same side of the array. This paper proposes a solution, using cross measurement surfaces to separate the sources based on the equivalent source method. Each equivalent source surface is built in the center of the corresponding original source with a spherical surface. According to the different transfer matrices between equivalent sources and points on holographic surfaces, the weighting of each equivalent source from coherent sources can be obtained. Numerical and experimental studies have been performed to test the method. For the sound pressure including noise after separation in the experiment, the calculation accuracy can be improved by reconstructing the pressure with Tikhonov regularization and the L-curve method. On the whole, a single source can be effectively separated from coherent sources using cross measurement.

Functionalized Nanocellulose-Integrated Heterolayered Nanomats toward Smart Battery Separators.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jung-Hwan; Gu, Minsu; Lee, Do Hyun; Kim, Jeong-Hoon; Oh, Yeon-Su; Min, Sa Hoon; Kim, Byeong-Su; Lee, Sang-Young

2016-09-14

Alternative materials obtained from natural resources have recently garnered considerable attention as an innovative solution to bring unprecedented advances in various energy storage systems. Here, we present a new class of heterolayered nanomat-based hierarchical/asymmetric porous membrane with synergistically coupled chemical activity as a nanocellulose-mediated green material strategy to develop smart battery separator membranes far beyond their current state-of-the-art counterparts. This membrane consists of a terpyridine (TPY)-functionalized cellulose nanofibril (CNF) nanoporous thin mat as the top layer and an electrospun polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) macroporous thick mat as the support layer. The hierarchical/asymmetric porous structure of the heterolayered nanomat is rationally designed with consideration of the trade-off between leakage current and ion transport rate. The TPY (to chelate Mn(2+) ions) and PVP (to capture hydrofluoric acid)-mediated chemical functionalities bring a synergistic coupling in suppressing Mn(2+)-induced adverse effects, eventually enabling a substantial improvement in the high-temperature cycling performance of cells.

A radiochemical separation of spallogenic 88Zr in the carrier-free state for radioisotopic photoneutron sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whipple, R.E.; Grant, P.M.; Daniels, R.J.; Daniels, W.R.; O'Brien, H.A.Jr.

1976-01-01

As the precursor of its 88 Y daughter, 88 Zr could be advantageously included in the active component of the 88 Y-Be photoneutron source for several reasons. The spallation of Mo targets with medium-energy protons at LAMPF procedure has been developed to separate radiozirconium from the target material and various spallogenic impurities. 88 Zr can consequently be obtained carrier-free and in quantitative yield. (author)

Spatial separation and bidirectional trafficking of proteins using a multi-functional reporter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Klaubert Dieter H

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The ability to specifically label proteins within living cells can provide information about their dynamics and function. To study a membrane protein, we fused a multi-functional reporter protein, HaloTag®, to the extracellular domain of a truncated integrin. Results Using the HaloTag technology, we could study the localization, trafficking and processing of an integrin-HaloTag fusion, which we showed had cellular dynamics consistent with native integrins. By labeling live cells with different fluorescent impermeable and permeable ligands, we showed spatial separation of plasma membrane and internal pools of the integrin-HaloTag fusion, and followed these protein pools over time to study bi-directional trafficking. In addition to combining the HaloTag reporter protein with different fluorophores, we also employed an affinity tag to achieve cell capture. Conclusion The HaloTag technology was used successfully to study expression, trafficking, spatial separation and real-time translocation of an integrin-HaloTag fusion, thereby demonstrating that this technology can be a powerful tool to investigate membrane protein biology in live cells.

Functionalized carbon nanotubes mixed matrix membranes of polymers of intrinsic microporosity for gas separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Muntazim Munir; Filiz, Volkan; Bengtson, Gisela; Shishatskiy, Sergey; Rahman, Mushfequr; Abetz, Volker

2012-09-06

The present work reports on the gas transport behavior of mixed matrix membranes (MMM) which were prepared from multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and dispersed within polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIM-1) matrix. The MWCNTs were chemically functionalized with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) for a better dispersion in the polymer matrix. MMM-incorporating functionalized MWCNTs (f-MWCNTs) were fabricated by dip-coating method using microporous polyacrylonitrile membrane as a support and were characterized for gas separation performance. Gas permeation measurements show that MMM incorporated with pristine or functionalized MWCNTs exhibited improved gas separation performance compared to pure PIM-1. The f-MWCNTs MMM show better performance in terms of permeance and selectivity in comparison to pristine MWCNTs. The gas permeances of the derived MMM are increased to approximately 50% without sacrificing the selectivity at 2 wt.% of f-MWCNTs' loading. The PEG groups on the MWCNTs have strong interaction with CO2 which increases the solubility of polar gas and limit the solubility of nonpolar gas, which is advantageous for CO2/N2 selectivity. The addition of f-MWCNTs inside the polymer matrix also improved the long-term gas transport stability of MMM in comparison with PIM-1. The high permeance, selectivity, and long term stability of the fabricated MMM suggest that the reported approach can be utilized in practical gas separation technology.

Cerebral functional connectivity and Mayer waves in mice: Phenomena and separability.

Science.gov (United States)

Bumstead, Jonathan R; Bauer, Adam Q; Wright, Patrick W; Culver, Joseph P

2017-02-01

Resting-state functional connectivity is a growing neuroimaging approach that analyses the spatiotemporal structure of spontaneous brain activity, often using low-frequency (Mayer waves. Despite how close in frequency these phenomena exist, there is little research on how vasomotion and Mayer waves are related to or affect resting-state functional connectivity. In this study, we analyze spontaneous hemodynamic fluctuations over the mouse cortex using optical intrinsic signal imaging. We found spontaneous occurrence of oscillatory hemodynamics ∼0.2 Hz consistent with the properties of Mayer waves reported in the literature. Across a group of mice (n = 19), there was a large variability in the magnitude of Mayer waves. However, regardless of the magnitude of Mayer waves, functional connectivity patterns could be recovered from hemodynamic signals when filtered to the lower frequency band, 0.01-0.08 Hz. Our results demonstrate that both Mayer waves and resting-state functional connectivity patterns can co-exist simultaneously, and that they can be separated by applying bandpass filters.

Wind wave source functions in opposing seas

KAUST Repository

Langodan, Sabique; Cavaleri, Luigi; Viswanadhapalli, Yesubabu; Hoteit, Ibrahim

2015-01-01

that the currently available wave model source functions may not properly represent the evolution of the local fields that appear to be characterized by a less effective wind input and an enhanced white-capping. We propose and test a possible simple solution

Bayesian mixture models for source separation in MEG

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calvetti, Daniela; Homa, Laura; Somersalo, Erkki

2011-01-01

This paper discusses the problem of imaging electromagnetic brain activity from measurements of the induced magnetic field outside the head. This imaging modality, magnetoencephalography (MEG), is known to be severely ill posed, and in order to obtain useful estimates for the activity map, complementary information needs to be used to regularize the problem. In this paper, a particular emphasis is on finding non-superficial focal sources that induce a magnetic field that may be confused with noise due to external sources and with distributed brain noise. The data are assumed to come from a mixture of a focal source and a spatially distributed possibly virtual source; hence, to differentiate between those two components, the problem is solved within a Bayesian framework, with a mixture model prior encoding the information that different sources may be concurrently active. The mixture model prior combines one density that favors strongly focal sources and another that favors spatially distributed sources, interpreted as clutter in the source estimation. Furthermore, to address the challenge of localizing deep focal sources, a novel depth sounding algorithm is suggested, and it is shown with simulated data that the method is able to distinguish between a signal arising from a deep focal source and a clutter signal. (paper)

Development of the high temperature ion-source for the Grenoble electromagnetic isotope separator; Etude et realisation de la source d'ions a haute temperature du separateur electromagnetique d'isotopes de Grenoble

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bouriant, M [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Grenoble (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1967-12-01

The production of high purity stable or radioactive isotopes ({>=} 99.99 per cent) using electromagnetic separation require for equipment having a high resolving power. Besides, and in order to collect rare or short half-life isotopes, the efficiency of the ion-source must be high ({eta} > 5 to 10 per cent). With this in view, the source built operates at high temperatures (2500-3000 C) and makes use of ionisation by electronic bombardment or of thermo-ionisation. A summary is given in the first part of this work on the essential characteristics of the isotope separator ion Sources; a diagram of the principle of the source built is then given together with its characteristics. In the second part are given the values of the resolving power and of the efficiency of the Grenoble isotope separator fitted with such a source. The resolving power measured at 10 per cent of the peak height is of the order of 200. At the first magnetic stage the efficiency is between 1 and 26 per cent for a range of elements evaporating between 200 and 3000 C. Thus equipped, the separator has for example given, at the first stage, 10 mg of {sup 180}Hf at (99.69 {+-} 0.1) per cent corresponding to an enrichment coefficient of 580; recently 2 mg of {sup 150}Nd at (99.996 {+-} 0.002) per cent corresponding to an enrichment coefficient of 4.2 x 10{sup 5} has been obtained at the second stage. (author) [French] La production d'isotopes stables ou radioactifs de haute purete isotopique ({>=} 99.99 pour cent), par separation electromagnetique, exige des appareils de haut pouvoir de resolution. En outre, et en vue de collecter des isotopes de tres faible abondance ou de periode tres courte, le rendement des sources d'ions doit etre eleve ({eta} > 5 a 10 pour cent). Dans ce but, la source realisee fonctionne a haute temperature (2500-3000 C) et utilise l'ionisation par bombardement electronique, ou la thermoionisation. Dans la premiere partie de ce travail, on resume d'abord les caracteristiques

Micro-seismic imaging using a source function independent full waveform inversion method

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hanchen; Alkhalifah, Tariq

2018-03-01

At the heart of micro-seismic event measurements is the task to estimate the location of the source micro-seismic events, as well as their ignition times. The accuracy of locating the sources is highly dependent on the velocity model. On the other hand, the conventional micro-seismic source locating methods require, in many cases manual picking of traveltime arrivals, which do not only lead to manual effort and human interaction, but also prone to errors. Using full waveform inversion (FWI) to locate and image micro-seismic events allows for an automatic process (free of picking) that utilizes the full wavefield. However, full waveform inversion of micro-seismic events faces incredible nonlinearity due to the unknown source locations (space) and functions (time). We developed a source function independent full waveform inversion of micro-seismic events to invert for the source image, source function and the velocity model. It is based on convolving reference traces with these observed and modeled to mitigate the effect of an unknown source ignition time. The adjoint-state method is used to derive the gradient for the source image, source function and velocity updates. The extended image for the source wavelet in Z axis is extracted to check the accuracy of the inverted source image and velocity model. Also, angle gathers is calculated to assess the quality of the long wavelength component of the velocity model. By inverting for the source image, source wavelet and the velocity model simultaneously, the proposed method produces good estimates of the source location, ignition time and the background velocity for synthetic examples used here, like those corresponding to the Marmousi model and the SEG/EAGE overthrust model.

Micro-seismic imaging using a source function independent full waveform inversion method

KAUST Repository

Wang, Hanchen

2018-03-26

At the heart of micro-seismic event measurements is the task to estimate the location of the source micro-seismic events, as well as their ignition times. The accuracy of locating the sources is highly dependent on the velocity model. On the other hand, the conventional micro-seismic source locating methods require, in many cases manual picking of traveltime arrivals, which do not only lead to manual effort and human interaction, but also prone to errors. Using full waveform inversion (FWI) to locate and image micro-seismic events allows for an automatic process (free of picking) that utilizes the full wavefield. However, full waveform inversion of micro-seismic events faces incredible nonlinearity due to the unknown source locations (space) and functions (time). We developed a source function independent full waveform inversion of micro-seismic events to invert for the source image, source function and the velocity model. It is based on convolving reference traces with these observed and modeled to mitigate the effect of an unknown source ignition time. The adjoint-state method is used to derive the gradient for the source image, source function and velocity updates. The extended image for the source wavelet in Z axis is extracted to check the accuracy of the inverted source image and velocity model. Also, angle gathers is calculated to assess the quality of the long wavelength component of the velocity model. By inverting for the source image, source wavelet and the velocity model simultaneously, the proposed method produces good estimates of the source location, ignition time and the background velocity for synthetic examples used here, like those corresponding to the Marmousi model and the SEG/EAGE overthrust model.

Noise-Source Separation Using Internal and Far-Field Sensors for a Full-Scale Turbofan Engine

Science.gov (United States)

Hultgren, Lennart S.; Miles, Jeffrey H.

2009-01-01

Noise-source separation techniques for the extraction of the sub-dominant combustion noise from the total noise signatures obtained in static-engine tests are described. Three methods are applied to data from a static, full-scale engine test. Both 1/3-octave and narrow-band results are discussed. The results are used to assess the combustion-noise prediction capability of the Aircraft Noise Prediction Program (ANOPP). A new additional phase-angle-based discriminator for the three-signal method is also introduced.

Maternal separation affects dopamine transporter function in the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat: An in vivo electrochemical study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Womersley Jacqueline S

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD is a developmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity. The spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR is a well-characterised model of this disorder and has been shown to exhibit dopamine dysregulation, one of the hypothesised causes of ADHD. Since stress experienced in the early stages of life can have long-lasting effects on behaviour, it was considered that early life stress may alter development of the dopaminergic system and thereby contribute to the behavioural characteristics of SHR. It was hypothesized that maternal separation would alter dopamine regulation by the transporter (DAT in ways that distinguish SHR from control rat strains. Methods SHR and control Wistar-Kyoto (WKY rats were subjected to maternal separation for 3 hours per day from postnatal day 2 to 14. Rats were tested for separation-induced anxiety-like behaviour followed by in vivo chronoamperometry to determine whether changes had occurred in striatal clearance of dopamine by DAT. The rate of disappearance of ejected dopamine was used as a measure of DAT function. Results Consistent with a model for ADHD, SHR were more active than WKY in the open field. SHR entered the inner zone more frequently and covered a significantly greater distance than WKY. Maternal separation increased the time that WKY spent in the closed arms and latency to enter the open arms of the elevated plus maze, consistent with other rat strains. Of note is that, maternal separation failed to produce anxiety-like behaviour in SHR. Analysis of the chronoamperometric data revealed that there was no difference in DAT function in the striatum of non-separated SHR and WKY. Maternal separation decreased the rate of dopamine clearance (k-1 in SHR striatum. Consistent with this observation, the dopamine clearance time (T100 was increased in SHR. These results suggest that the chronic mild stress of

Sequential fitting-and-separating reflectance components for analytical bidirectional reflectance distribution function estimation.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Yu; Yu, Chanki; Lee, Sang Wook

2018-01-10

We present a sequential fitting-and-separating algorithm for surface reflectance components that separates individual dominant reflectance components and simultaneously estimates the corresponding bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) parameters from the separated reflectance values. We tackle the estimation of a Lafortune BRDF model, which combines a nonLambertian diffuse reflection and multiple specular reflectance components with a different specular lobe. Our proposed method infers the appropriate number of BRDF lobes and their parameters by separating and estimating each of the reflectance components using an interval analysis-based branch-and-bound method in conjunction with iterative K-ordered scale estimation. The focus of this paper is the estimation of the Lafortune BRDF model. Nevertheless, our proposed method can be applied to other analytical BRDF models such as the Cook-Torrance and Ward models. Experiments were carried out to validate the proposed method using isotropic materials from the Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories-Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MERL-MIT) BRDF database, and the results show that our method is superior to a conventional minimization algorithm.

Saline sewage treatment and source separation of urine for more sustainable urban water management.

Science.gov (United States)

Ekama, G A; Wilsenach, J A; Chen, G H

2011-01-01

While energy consumption and its associated carbon emission should be minimized in wastewater treatment, it has a much lower priority than human and environmental health, which are both closely related to efficient water quality management. So conservation of surface water quality and quantity are more important for sustainable development than green house gas (GHG) emissions per se. In this paper, two urban water management strategies to conserve fresh water quality and quantity are considered: (1) source separation of urine for improved water quality and (2) saline (e.g. sea) water toilet flushing for reduced fresh water consumption in coastal and mining cities. The former holds promise for simpler and shorter sludge age activated sludge wastewater treatment plants (no nitrification and denitrification), nutrient (Mg, K, P) recovery and improved effluent quality (reduced endocrine disruptor and environmental oestrogen concentrations) and the latter for significantly reduced fresh water consumption, sludge production and oxygen demand (through using anaerobic bioprocesses) and hence energy consumption. Combining source separation of urine and saline water toilet flushing can reduce sewer crown corrosion and reduce effluent P concentrations. To realize the advantages of these two approaches will require significant urban water management changes in that both need dual (fresh and saline) water distribution and (yellow and grey/brown) wastewater collection systems. While considerable work is still required to evaluate these new approaches and quantify their advantages and disadvantages, it would appear that the investment for dual water distribution and wastewater collection systems may be worth making to unlock their benefits for more sustainable urban development.

CO2 emission factors for waste incineration: Influence from source separation of recyclable materials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Anna Warberg; Astrup, Thomas

2011-01-01

variations between emission factors for different incinerators, but the background for these variations has not been thoroughly examined. One important reason may be variations in collection of recyclable materials as source separation alters the composition of the residual waste incinerated. The objective...... routed to incineration. Emission factors ranged from 27 to 40kg CO2/GJ. The results appeared most sensitive towards variations in waste composition and water content. Recycling rates and lower heating values could not be used as simple indicators of the resulting emission factors for residual household...... different studies and when using the values for environmental assessment purposes....

Light mesons and separated J(PC) sources in N-antiN annihilations at rest

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lucaci-Timoce, Angela; Lazanu, I.

2002-01-01

N-antiN annihilations at rest and in flight are the most productive physics tools to investigate the spectroscopy of light mesons. The annihilations proceed from more sources of initial states, with different J (PC) quantum numbers. This makes the interpretation of the experimental data much more difficult than in the case of other annihilation process, as for example the e + e - annihilations, and introduces ambiguities in the results. In this talk, the possibilities to separate the N-antiN contributions of initial quantum states in different annihilation channels, are analyzed. The interference phenomena that appear are also discussed. (authors)

A Hybrid Technique for Blind Separation of Non-Gaussian and Time-Correlated Sources Using a Multicomponent Approach

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Tichavský, Petr; Koldovský, Zbyněk; Yeredor, A.; Gómez-Herrero, G.; Doron, E.

2008-01-01

Roč. 19, č. 3 (2008), s. 421-430 ISSN 1045-9227 R&D Projects: GA MŠk 1M0572 Grant - others:GA ČR(CZ) GP102/07/P384 Program:GP Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10750506 Keywords : blind source separation * independent component analysis Subject RIV: BB - Applied Statistics, Operational Research Impact factor: 3.726, year: 2008

Fate of personal care and household products in source separated sanitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Butkovskyi, A; Rijnaarts, H H M; Zeeman, G; Hernandez Leal, L

2016-12-15

Removal of twelve micropollutants, namely biocides, fragrances, ultraviolet (UV)-filters and preservatives in source separated grey and black water treatment systems was studied. All compounds were present in influent grey water in μg/l range. Seven compounds were found in influent black water. Their removal in an aerobic activated sludge system treating grey water ranged from 59% for avobenzone to >99% for hexylcinnamaldehyde. High concentrations of hydrophobic micropollutants in sludge of aerobic activated sludge system indicated the importance of sorption for their removal. Six micropollutants were found in sludge of an Up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor treating black water, with four of them being present at significantly higher concentrations after addition of grey water sludge to the reactor. Hence, addition of grey water sludge to the UASB reactor is likely to increase micropollutant content in UASB sludge. This approach should not be followed when excess UASB sludge is designed to be reused as soil amendment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Decentralized modal identification using sparse blind source separation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sadhu, A; Hazra, B; Narasimhan, S; Pandey, M D

2011-01-01

Popular ambient vibration-based system identification methods process information collected from a dense array of sensors centrally to yield the modal properties. In such methods, the need for a centralized processing unit capable of satisfying large memory and processing demands is unavoidable. With the advent of wireless smart sensor networks, it is now possible to process information locally at the sensor level, instead. The information at the individual sensor level can then be concatenated to obtain the global structure characteristics. A novel decentralized algorithm based on wavelet transforms to infer global structure mode information using measurements obtained using a small group of sensors at a time is proposed in this paper. The focus of the paper is on algorithmic development, while the actual hardware and software implementation is not pursued here. The problem of identification is cast within the framework of under-determined blind source separation invoking transformations of measurements to the time–frequency domain resulting in a sparse representation. The partial mode shape coefficients so identified are then combined to yield complete modal information. The transformations are undertaken using stationary wavelet packet transform (SWPT), yielding a sparse representation in the wavelet domain. Principal component analysis (PCA) is then performed on the resulting wavelet coefficients, yielding the partial mixing matrix coefficients from a few measurement channels at a time. This process is repeated using measurements obtained from multiple sensor groups, and the results so obtained from each group are concatenated to obtain the global modal characteristics of the structure

Decentralized modal identification using sparse blind source separation

Science.gov (United States)

Sadhu, A.; Hazra, B.; Narasimhan, S.; Pandey, M. D.

2011-12-01

Popular ambient vibration-based system identification methods process information collected from a dense array of sensors centrally to yield the modal properties. In such methods, the need for a centralized processing unit capable of satisfying large memory and processing demands is unavoidable. With the advent of wireless smart sensor networks, it is now possible to process information locally at the sensor level, instead. The information at the individual sensor level can then be concatenated to obtain the global structure characteristics. A novel decentralized algorithm based on wavelet transforms to infer global structure mode information using measurements obtained using a small group of sensors at a time is proposed in this paper. The focus of the paper is on algorithmic development, while the actual hardware and software implementation is not pursued here. The problem of identification is cast within the framework of under-determined blind source separation invoking transformations of measurements to the time-frequency domain resulting in a sparse representation. The partial mode shape coefficients so identified are then combined to yield complete modal information. The transformations are undertaken using stationary wavelet packet transform (SWPT), yielding a sparse representation in the wavelet domain. Principal component analysis (PCA) is then performed on the resulting wavelet coefficients, yielding the partial mixing matrix coefficients from a few measurement channels at a time. This process is repeated using measurements obtained from multiple sensor groups, and the results so obtained from each group are concatenated to obtain the global modal characteristics of the structure.

A new method for quantifying the performance of EEG blind source separation algorithms by referencing a simultaneously recorded ECoG signal.

Science.gov (United States)

Oosugi, Naoya; Kitajo, Keiichi; Hasegawa, Naomi; Nagasaka, Yasuo; Okanoya, Kazuo; Fujii, Naotaka

2017-09-01

Blind source separation (BSS) algorithms extract neural signals from electroencephalography (EEG) data. However, it is difficult to quantify source separation performance because there is no criterion to dissociate neural signals and noise in EEG signals. This study develops a method for evaluating BSS performance. The idea is neural signals in EEG can be estimated by comparison with simultaneously measured electrocorticography (ECoG). Because the ECoG electrodes cover the majority of the lateral cortical surface and should capture most of the original neural sources in the EEG signals. We measured real EEG and ECoG data and developed an algorithm for evaluating BSS performance. First, EEG signals are separated into EEG components using the BSS algorithm. Second, the EEG components are ranked using the correlation coefficients of the ECoG regression and the components are grouped into subsets based on their ranks. Third, canonical correlation analysis estimates how much information is shared between the subsets of the EEG components and the ECoG signals. We used our algorithm to compare the performance of BSS algorithms (PCA, AMUSE, SOBI, JADE, fastICA) via the EEG and ECoG data of anesthetized nonhuman primates. The results (Best case >JADE = fastICA >AMUSE = SOBI ≥ PCA >random separation) were common to the two subjects. To encourage the further development of better BSS algorithms, our EEG and ECoG data are available on our Web site (http://neurotycho.org/) as a common testing platform. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Gradient Flow Convolutive Blind Source Separation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Michael Syskind; Nielsen, Chinton Møller

2004-01-01

Experiments have shown that the performance of instantaneous gradient flow beamforming by Cauwenberghs et al. is reduced significantly in reverberant conditions. By expanding the gradient flow principle to convolutive mixtures, separation in a reverberant environment is possible. By use...... of a circular four microphone array with a radius of 5 mm, and applying convolutive gradient flow instead of just applying instantaneous gradient flow, experimental results show an improvement of up to around 14 dB can be achieved for simulated impulse responses and up to around 10 dB for a hearing aid...

Describing long-range charge-separation processes with subsystem density-functional theory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Solovyeva, Alisa; Neugebauer, Johannes, E-mail: j.neugebauer@uni-muenster.de [Theoretische Organische Chemie, Organisch-Chemisches Institut and Center for Multiscale Theory and Simulation, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstraße 40, 48149 Münster (Germany); Pavanello, Michele, E-mail: m.pavanello@rutgers.edu [Department of Chemistry, Rutgers University, 73 Warren St., Newark, New Jersey 07102 (United States)

2014-04-28

Long-range charge-transfer processes in extended systems are difficult to describe with quantum chemical methods. In particular, cost-effective (non-hybrid) approximations within time-dependent density functional theory (DFT) are not applicable unless special precautions are taken. Here, we show that the efficient subsystem DFT can be employed as a constrained DFT variant to describe the energetics of long-range charge-separation processes. A formal analysis of the energy components in subsystem DFT for such excitation energies is presented, which demonstrates that both the distance dependence and the long-range limit are correctly described. In addition, electronic couplings for these processes as needed for rate constants in Marcus theory can be obtained from this method. It is shown that the electronic structure of charge-separated states constructed by a positively charged subsystem interacting with a negatively charged one is difficult to converge — charge leaking from the negative subsystem to the positive one can occur. This problem is related to the delocalization error in DFT and can be overcome with asymptotically correct exchange–correlation (XC) potentials or XC potentials including a sufficiently large amount of exact exchange. We also outline an approximate way to obtain charge-transfer couplings between locally excited and charge-separated states.

Describing long-range charge-separation processes with subsystem density-functional theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Solovyeva, Alisa; Neugebauer, Johannes; Pavanello, Michele

2014-01-01

Long-range charge-transfer processes in extended systems are difficult to describe with quantum chemical methods. In particular, cost-effective (non-hybrid) approximations within time-dependent density functional theory (DFT) are not applicable unless special precautions are taken. Here, we show that the efficient subsystem DFT can be employed as a constrained DFT variant to describe the energetics of long-range charge-separation processes. A formal analysis of the energy components in subsystem DFT for such excitation energies is presented, which demonstrates that both the distance dependence and the long-range limit are correctly described. In addition, electronic couplings for these processes as needed for rate constants in Marcus theory can be obtained from this method. It is shown that the electronic structure of charge-separated states constructed by a positively charged subsystem interacting with a negatively charged one is difficult to converge — charge leaking from the negative subsystem to the positive one can occur. This problem is related to the delocalization error in DFT and can be overcome with asymptotically correct exchange–correlation (XC) potentials or XC potentials including a sufficiently large amount of exact exchange. We also outline an approximate way to obtain charge-transfer couplings between locally excited and charge-separated states

Loading functions for assessment of water pollution from nonpoint sources. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McElroy, A.D.; Chiu, S.Y.; Nebgen, J.W.; Aleti, A.; Bennett, F.W.

1976-05-01

Methods for evaluating the quantity of water pollutants generated from nonpoint sources including agriculture, silviculture, construction, mining, runoff from urban areas and rural roads, and terrestrial disposal are developed and compiled for use in water quality planning. The loading functions, plus in some instances emission values, permit calculation of nonpoint source pollutants from available data and information. Natural background was considered to be a source and loading functions were presented to estimate natural or background loads of pollutants. Loading functions/values are presented for average conditions, i.e., annual average loads expressed as metric tons/hectare/year (tons/acre/year). Procedures for estimating seasonal or 30-day maximum and minimum loads are also presented. In addition, a wide variety of required data inputs to loading functions, and delineation of sources of additional information are included in the report. The report also presents an evaluation of limitations and constraints of various methodologies which will enable the user to employ the functions realistically

Pattern separation: a common function for new neurons in hippocampus and olfactory bulb.

Science.gov (United States)

Sahay, Amar; Wilson, Donald A; Hen, René

2011-05-26

While adult-born neurons in the olfactory bulb (OB) and the dentate gyrus (DG) subregion of the hippocampus have fundamentally different properties, they may have more in common than meets the eye. Here, we propose that new granule cells in the OB and DG may function as modulators of principal neurons to influence pattern separation and that adult neurogenesis constitutes an adaptive mechanism to optimally encode contextual or olfactory information. See the related Perspective from Aimone, Deng, and Gage, "Resolving New Memories: A Critical Look at the Dentate Gyrus, Adult Neurogenesis, and Pattern Separation," in this issue of Neuron. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Genetic separation of Escherichia coli recA functions for SOS mutagenesis and repressor cleavage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ennis, D.G.; Ossanna, N.; Mount, D.W.

1989-01-01

Evidence is presented that recA functions which promote the SOS functions of mutagenesis, LexA protein proteolysis, and lambda cI repressor proteolysis are each genetically separable from the others. This separation was observed in recombination-proficient recA mutants and rec+ (F' recA56) heterodiploids. recA430, recA433, and recA435 mutants and recA+ (F' recA56) heterodiploids were inducible for only one or two of the three functions and defective for mutagenesis. recA80 and recA432 mutants were constitutively activated for two of the three functions in that these mutants did not have to be induced to express the functions. We propose that binding of RecA protein to damaged DNA and subsequent interaction with small inducer molecules gives rise to conformational changes in RecA protein. These changes promote surface-surface interactions with other target proteins, such as cI and LexA proteins. By this model, the recA mutants are likely to have incorrect amino acids substituted as sites in the RecA protein structure which affect surface regions required for protein-protein interactions. The constitutively activated mutants could likewise insert altered amino acids at sites in RecA which are involved in the activation of RecA protein by binding small molecules or polynucleotides which metabolically regulate RecA protein

Functionalized membranes for environmental remediation and selective separation

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Li

Membrane process including microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) have provided numerous successful applications ranging from drinking water purification, wastewater treatment, to material recovery. The addition of functional moiety in the membranes pores allows such membranes to be used in challenging areas including tunable separations, toxic metal capture, and catalysis. In this work, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) MF membrane was functionalized with temperature responsive (poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), PNIPAAm) and pH responsive (polyacrylic acid, PAA) polymers. It's revealed that the permeation of various molecules (water, salt and dextran) through the membrane can be thermally or pH controlled. The introduction of PAA as a polyelectrolyte offers an excellent platform for the immobilization of metal nanoparticles (NPs) applied for degradation of toxic chlorinated organics with significantly increased longevity and stability. The advantage of using temperature and pH responsive polymers/hydrogels also includes the high reactivity and effectiveness in dechlorination. Further advancement on the PVDF functionalization involved the alkaline treatment to create partially defluorinated membrane (Def-PVDF) with conjugated double bounds allowing for the covalent attachment of different polymers. The PAA-Def-PVDF membrane shows pH responsive behavior on both the hydraulic permeability and solute retention. The sponge-like PVDF (SPVDF) membranes by phase inversion were developed through casting PVDF solution on polyester backing. The SPVDF membrane was demonstrated to have 4 times more surface area than commercial PVDF MF membrane, allowing for enhanced nanoparticles loading for chloro-organics degradation. The advanced functionalization method and process were also validated to be able to be scaled-up through the evaluation of full-scale functionalized membrane provided by Ultura Inc. California, USA. Nanofiltration (NF

Acoustic wavefield evolution as a function of source location perturbation

KAUST Repository

Alkhalifah, Tariq Ali

2010-01-01

differential equations have the same structure as the wave equation with a source function that depends on the background (original source) wavefield. The similarity in form implies that we can use familiar numerical methods to solve the perturbation equations

Combining extrapolation with ghost interaction correction in range-separated ensemble density functional theory for excited states

Science.gov (United States)

Alam, Md. Mehboob; Deur, Killian; Knecht, Stefan; Fromager, Emmanuel

2017-11-01

The extrapolation technique of Savin [J. Chem. Phys. 140, 18A509 (2014)], which was initially applied to range-separated ground-state-density-functional Hamiltonians, is adapted in this work to ghost-interaction-corrected (GIC) range-separated ensemble density-functional theory (eDFT) for excited states. While standard extrapolations rely on energies that decay as μ-2 in the large range-separation-parameter μ limit, we show analytically that (approximate) range-separated GIC ensemble energies converge more rapidly (as μ-3) towards their pure wavefunction theory values (μ → +∞ limit), thus requiring a different extrapolation correction. The purpose of such a correction is to further improve on the convergence and, consequently, to obtain more accurate excitation energies for a finite (and, in practice, relatively small) μ value. As a proof of concept, we apply the extrapolation method to He and small molecular systems (viz., H2, HeH+, and LiH), thus considering different types of excitations such as Rydberg, charge transfer, and double excitations. Potential energy profiles of the first three and four singlet Σ+ excitation energies in HeH+ and H2, respectively, are studied with a particular focus on avoided crossings for the latter. Finally, the extraction of individual state energies from the ensemble energy is discussed in the context of range-separated eDFT, as a perspective.

Nanostructured Membranes Functionalized with Gold Nanoparticles for Separation and Recovery of Monoclonal Antibodies

KAUST Repository

Soldan, Giada

2017-11-01

The need of purified biomolecules, such as proteins or antibodies, has required the biopharmaceutical industries to look for new recovering solutions to reduce time and costs of bioseparations. In the last decade, the emergent field of membrane chromatography has gained attention as possible substituent of the common used protein A affinity chromatography for bioseparations. In this scenario, gold nanoparticles can be used as means for offering affinity, mainly because of their biocompatible and reversible binding behavior, together with their high surface area-to-volume ratio, which offers a large number of binding sites. This work introduces a new procedure for purification of monoclonal antibodies based on polymeric membranes functionalized with gold nanoparticles. This novel approach shortens the process of purification by promoting selective binding of antibodies, while separating a mixture of biomolecules during a filtration process. The effects of gold nanoparticles and the surrounding ligand on the proteins adsorption and filtration are investigated. The results confirm that the functionalization helps in inducing a selective binding, preventing the non-selective one, and it also improves the selectivity of the separation process.

Additive property of separative power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamamoto, Ichiro; Kanagawa, Akira

1980-01-01

A separative power of a separating element, whose heads and tails separation factors are α and β, is expressed by phi sub(b)(α, β) = [α(β - 1)1n α - (α - 1)1n β]/(αβ - 1) for the unit flow of the desired material and phi sub(a)(α, β) (= phi sub(b)(β, α)) for that of undesired material. The additive properties of the functions phi sub(b) and phi sub(a) were demonstrated by calculations of various types of ideal cascades, but the origin of the property is not obvious. The present study has furnished the mathematical basis of the additivity based on the special functional equation. First, for symmetric processes (α = β), the functional equation which describes the function representing the quality of separation f(α, α) concerning the desired material was obtained and solved to give the functional form of f(α, α). The result was extented to the function f(α, β) representing the quality of asymmetric separation (α not equal β). The derived function f(α, β) was demonstrated to be equal to phi sub(b)(α, β), and it was verified that functions phi sub(b)(α, β) and phi sub(a)(α, β) have the additive property in themselves. (author)

A simple alkali-metal and noble gas ion source for SIMS equipments with mass separation of the primary ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duesterhoeft, H.; Pippig, R.

1986-01-01

An alkali-metal ion source working without a store of alkali-metals is described. The alkali-metal ions are produced by evaporation of alkali salts and ionization in a low-voltage arc discharge stabilized with a noble gas plasma or in the case of small alkali-metal ion currents on the base of the well known thermic ionization at a hot tungsten wire. The source is very simple in construction and produces a stable ion current of 0.3 μA for more than 100 h. It is possible to change the ion species in a short time. This source is applicable to all SIMS equipments using mass separation for primary ions. (author)

Development of an Ionization Scheme for Gold using the Selective Laser Ion Source at the On-Line Isotope Separator ISOLDE

CERN Document Server

Fedosseev, V; Marsh, B A; CERN. Geneva. AB Department

2006-01-01

At the ISOLDE on-line isotope separation facility, the resonance ionization laser ion source (RILIS) can be used to ionize reaction products as they effuse from the target. The RILIS process of laser step-wise resonance ionization of atoms in a hot metal cavity provides a highly element selective stage in the preparation of the radioactive ion beam. As a result, the ISOLDE mass separators can provide beams of a chosen isotope with greatly reduced isobaric contamination. The number of elements available at RILIS has been extended to 26, with the addition of a new three-step ionization scheme for gold. The optimal ionization scheme was determined during an extensive study of the atomic energy levels and auto-ionizing states of gold, carried out by means of in-source resonance ionization spectroscopy. Details of the ionization scheme and a summary of the spectroscopy study are presented.

A Novel Partial Discharge Ultra-High Frequency Signal De-Noising Method Based on a Single-Channel Blind Source Separation Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liangliang Wei

2018-02-01

Full Text Available To effectively de-noise the Gaussian white noise and periodic narrow-band interference in the background noise of partial discharge ultra-high frequency (PD UHF signals in field tests, a novel de-noising method, based on a single-channel blind source separation algorithm, is proposed. Compared with traditional methods, the proposed method can effectively de-noise the noise interference, and the distortion of the de-noising PD signal is smaller. Firstly, the PD UHF signal is time-frequency analyzed by S-transform to obtain the number of source signals. Then, the single-channel detected PD signal is converted into multi-channel signals by singular value decomposition (SVD, and background noise is separated from multi-channel PD UHF signals by the joint approximate diagonalization of eigen-matrix method. At last, the source PD signal is estimated and recovered by the l1-norm minimization method. The proposed de-noising method was applied on the simulation test and field test detected signals, and the de-noising performance of the different methods was compared. The simulation and field test results demonstrate the effectiveness and correctness of the proposed method.

Amine-functionalized magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles for DNA separation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sheng, Wei; Wei, Wei; Li, Junjian; Qi, Xiaoliang; Zuo, Gancheng; Chen, Qi; Pan, Xihao; Dong, Wei, E-mail: weidong@njust.edu.cn

2016-11-30

Highlights: • Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}@SiO{sub 2}@EDPS with uniform size and good dispersity is prepared. • We fabricated MMSN@EDPS with distinct core-shell–shell triple-layer composition. • DNA adsorption capacity of MMSN@EDPS is considerable. - Abstract: We report a modified approach for the functionalized magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MMSN) using polymer microspheres incorporated with magnetic nanoparticles in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and the core-shell magnetic silica nanoparticles (MSN). These particles were functionalized with amino groups via the addition of aminosilane directly to the particle sol. We then evaluate their DNA separation abilities and find the capacity of DNA binding significantly increased (210.22 μg/mg) compared with normal magnetic silica spheres (138.44 μg/mg) by using an ultraviolet and visible spectrophotometer (UV). The morphologies, magnetic properties, particle size, pore size, core-shell structure and Zeta potential are characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). This work demonstrates that our MMSN own an excellent potential application in bioseparation and drug delivery.

Plasma Separation Process: Betacell (BCELL) code: User's manual. [Bipolar barrier junction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Taherzadeh, M.

1987-11-13

The emergence of clearly defined applications for (small or large) amounts of long-life and reliable power sources has given the design and production of betavoltaic systems a new life. Moreover, because of the availability of the plasma separation program, (PSP) at TRW, it is now possible to separate the most desirable radioisotopes for betacell power generating devices. A computer code, named BCELL, has been developed to model the betavoltaic concept by utilizing the available up-to-date source/cell parameters. In this program, attempts have been made to determine the betacell energy device maximum efficiency, degradation due to the emitting source radiation and source/cell lifetime power reduction processes. Additionally, comparison is made between the Schottky and PN junction devices for betacell battery design purposes. Certain computer code runs have been made to determine the JV distribution function and the upper limit of the betacell generated power for specified energy sources. A Ni beta emitting radioisotope was used for the energy source and certain semiconductors were used for the converter subsystem of the betacell system. Some results for a Promethium source are also given here for comparison. 16 refs.

The role of executive function in children's source monitoring with varying retrieval strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Earhart, Becky; Roberts, Kim P.

2014-01-01

Previous research on the relationship between executive function and source monitoring in young children has been inconclusive, with studies finding conflicting results about whether working memory and inhibitory control are related to source-monitoring ability. In this study, the role of working memory and inhibitory control in recognition memory and source monitoring with two different retrieval strategies were examined. Children (N = 263) aged 4–8 participated in science activities with two sources. They were later given a recognition and source-monitoring test, and completed measures of working memory and inhibitory control. During the source-monitoring test, half of the participants were asked about sources serially (one after the other) whereas the other half of the children were asked about sources in parallel (considering both sources simultaneously). Results demonstrated that working memory was a predictor of source-monitoring accuracy in both conditions, but inhibitory control was only related to source accuracy in the parallel condition. When age was controlled these relationships were no longer significant, suggesting that a more general cognitive development factor is a stronger predictor of source monitoring than executive function alone. Interestingly, the children aged 4–6 years made more accurate source decisions in the parallel condition than in the serial condition. The older children (aged 7–8) were overall more accurate than the younger children, and their accuracy did not differ as a function of interview condition. Suggestions are provided to guide further research in this area that will clarify the diverse results of previous studies examining whether executive function is a cognitive prerequisite for effective source monitoring. PMID:24847302

Alternative separation of exchange and correlation energies in multi-configuration range-separated density-functional theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Stoyanova, Alexandrina; Teale, Andrew M; Toulouse, Julien; Helgaker, Trygve; Fromager, Emmanuel

2013-10-07

The alternative separation of exchange and correlation energies proposed by Toulouse et al. [Theor. Chem. Acc. 114, 305 (2005)] is explored in the context of multi-configuration range-separated density-functional theory. The new decomposition of the short-range exchange-correlation energy relies on the auxiliary long-range interacting wavefunction rather than the Kohn-Sham (KS) determinant. The advantage, relative to the traditional KS decomposition, is that the wavefunction part of the energy is now computed with the regular (fully interacting) Hamiltonian. One potential drawback is that, because of double counting, the wavefunction used to compute the energy cannot be obtained by minimizing the energy expression with respect to the wavefunction parameters. The problem is overcome by using short-range optimized effective potentials (OEPs). The resulting combination of OEP techniques with wavefunction theory has been investigated in this work, at the Hartree-Fock (HF) and multi-configuration self-consistent-field (MCSCF) levels. In the HF case, an analytical expression for the energy gradient has been derived and implemented. Calculations have been performed within the short-range local density approximation on H2, N2, Li2, and H2O. Significant improvements in binding energies are obtained with the new decomposition of the short-range energy. The importance of optimizing the short-range OEP at the MCSCF level when static correlation becomes significant has also been demonstrated for H2, using a finite-difference gradient. The implementation of the analytical gradient for MCSCF wavefunctions is currently in progress.

Valence electronic structure of cobalt phthalocyanine from an optimally tuned range-separated hybrid functional.

Science.gov (United States)

Brumboiu, Iulia Emilia; Prokopiou, Georgia; Kronik, Leeor; Brena, Barbara

2017-07-28

We analyse the valence electronic structure of cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) by means of optimally tuning a range-separated hybrid functional. The tuning is performed by modifying both the amount of short-range exact exchange (α) included in the hybrid functional and the range-separation parameter (γ), with two strategies employed for finding the optimal γ for each α. The influence of these two parameters on the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of CoPc is thoroughly investigated. The electronic structure is found to be very sensitive to the amount and range in which the exact exchange is included. The electronic structure obtained using the optimal parameters is compared to gas-phase photo-electron data and GW calculations, with the unoccupied states additionally compared with inverse photo-electron spectroscopy measurements. The calculated spectrum with tuned γ, determined for the optimal value of α = 0.1, yields a very good agreement with both experimental results and with GW calculations that well-reproduce the experimental data.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging study of external source memory and its relation to cognitive insight in non-clinical subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Buchy, Lisa; Hawco, Colin; Bodnar, Michael; Izadi, Sarah; Dell'Elce, Jennifer; Messina, Katrina; Lepage, Martin

2014-09-01

Previous research has linked cognitive insight (a measure of self-reflectiveness and self-certainty) in psychosis with neurocognitive and neuroanatomical disturbances in the fronto-hippocampal neural network. The authors' goal was to use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural correlates of cognitive insight during an external source memory paradigm in non-clinical subjects. At encoding, 24 non-clinical subjects travelled through a virtual city where they came across 20 separate people, each paired with a unique object in a distinct location. fMRI data were then acquired while participants viewed images of the city, and completed source recognition memory judgments of where and with whom objects were seen, which is known to involve prefrontal cortex. Cognitive insight was assessed with the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale. External source memory was associated with neural activity in a widespread network consisting of frontal cortex, including ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), temporal and occipital cortices. Activation in VLPFC correlated with higher self-reflectiveness and activation in midbrain correlated with lower self-certainty during source memory attributions. Neither self-reflectiveness nor self-certainty significantly correlated with source memory accuracy. By means of virtual reality and in the context of an external source memory paradigm, the study identified a preliminary functional neural basis for cognitive insight in the VLPFC in healthy people that accords with our fronto-hippocampal theoretical model as well as recent neuroimaging data in people with psychosis. The results may facilitate the understanding of the role of neural mechanisms in psychotic disorders associated with cognitive insight distortions. © 2014 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2014 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Directional Unfolded Source Term (DUST) for Compton Cameras.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mitchell, Dean J.; Mitchell, Dean J.; Horne, Steven M.; O' Brien, Sean; Thoreson, Gregory G

2018-03-01

A Directional Unfolded Source Term (DUST) algorithm was developed to enable improved spectral analysis capabilities using data collected by Compton cameras. Achieving this objective required modification of the detector response function in the Gamma Detector Response and Analysis Software (GADRAS). Experimental data that were collected in support of this work include measurements of calibration sources at a range of separation distances and cylindrical depleted uranium castings.

A review of output-only structural mode identification literature employing blind source separation methods

Science.gov (United States)

Sadhu, A.; Narasimhan, S.; Antoni, J.

2017-09-01

Output-only modal identification has seen significant activity in recent years, especially in large-scale structures where controlled input force generation is often difficult to achieve. This has led to the development of new system identification methods which do not require controlled input. They often work satisfactorily if they satisfy some general assumptions - not overly restrictive - regarding the stochasticity of the input. Hundreds of papers covering a wide range of applications appear every year related to the extraction of modal properties from output measurement data in more than two dozen mechanical, aerospace and civil engineering journals. In little more than a decade, concepts of blind source separation (BSS) from the field of acoustic signal processing have been adopted by several researchers and shown that they can be attractive tools to undertake output-only modal identification. Originally intended to separate distinct audio sources from a mixture of recordings, mathematical equivalence to problems in linear structural dynamics have since been firmly established. This has enabled many of the developments in the field of BSS to be modified and applied to output-only modal identification problems. This paper reviews over hundred articles related to the application of BSS and their variants to output-only modal identification. The main contribution of the paper is to present a literature review of the papers which have appeared on the subject. While a brief treatment of the basic ideas are presented where relevant, a comprehensive and critical explanation of their contents is not attempted. Specific issues related to output-only modal identification and the relative advantages and limitations of BSS methods both from theoretical and application standpoints are discussed. Gap areas requiring additional work are also summarized and the paper concludes with possible future trends in this area.

Enhancement of biomembrane functions under phase-separated conditions: A self-organized criticality phenomenon?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eze, M.O.; Chela Flores, J.

1993-12-01

Self-organized criticality (SOC) is hereby proposed as a possible physical basis for explaining observations in the temperature-dependence of the rates of biological membrane-associated events. The biomembrane undergoes a reversible, cooperative, thermotropic gel-to-liquid crystalline phase transition which is broad, and involves lateral phase separation. The lateral phase separated (rather than the totally gel-, or the totally liquid crystalline-) membrane state has been observed to be the state in which vital membrane functions are facilitated. The membrane in this unique state is viewed, for our purposes here, as a dynamical, extended dissipative system with spatial and temporal degrees of freedom, exhibiting power law behaviour, typical of the self-organized critical state. Experiments are suggested for verifying this hypothesis. (author). 30 refs

The Functions of Sourcing Intermediaries in Global Supply Risk Management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vedel, Mette; Ellegaard, Chris

The aim of this work-in-progress paper is to uncover the supply risk management functions performed by sourcing intermediaries. The purchasing and supply chain management literature, including the part of it concerned with supply risk, pays little attention to sourcing intermediaries....... But the fields of marketing and international business have investigated the intermediary including its high supply risk reducing potentials, suggesting that this supply chain entity may be highly relevant to supply risk management. In order to get a better understanding of the supply risk reducing properties...... of sourcing intermediaries, we perform a study of the Danish clothing industry. The study incorporate interviews across a range of functions and companies in this industry including retailers, producers, suppliers, and various types of intermediaries. We contribute by coupling the supply risk management...

Importance of the correlation contribution for local hybrid functionals: range separation and self-interaction corrections.

Science.gov (United States)

Arbuznikov, Alexei V; Kaupp, Martin

2012-01-07

Local hybrid functionals with their position-dependent exact-exchange admixture are a conceptually simple and promising extension of the concept of a hybrid functional. Local hybrids based on a simple mixing of the local spin density approximation (LSDA) with exact exchange have been shown to be successful for thermochemistry, reaction barriers, and a range of other properties. So far, the combination of this generation of local hybrids with an LSDA correlation functional has been found to give the most favorable results for atomization energies, for a range of local mixing functions (LMFs) governing the exact-exchange admixture. Here, we show that the choice of correlation functional to be used with local hybrid exchange crucially influences the parameterization also of the exchange part as well as the overall performance. A novel ansatz for the correlation part of local hybrids is suggested based on (i) range-separation of LSDA correlation into short-range (SR) and long-range (LR) parts, and (ii) partial or full elimination of the one-electron self-correlation from the SR part. It is shown that such modified correlation functionals allow overall larger exact exchange admixture in thermochemically competitive local hybrids than before. This results in improvements for reaction barriers and for other properties crucially influenced by self-interaction errors, as demonstrated by a number of examples. Based on the range-separation approach, a fresh view on the breakdown of the correlation energy into dynamical and non-dynamical parts is suggested.

Uranium-isotope enrichment: application bounds of the separative power and separation work concepts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Novelli, P.

1981-05-01

The aim of this paper is a critical re-examination of the concepts of separative power, separation work and value function in order to understand if their extension to the new enrichment processes such as Laser Isotope Separation is possible.

Fast Monaural Separation of Speech

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pontoppidan, Niels Henrik; Dyrholm, Mads

2003-01-01

a Factorial Hidden Markov Model, with non-stationary assumptions on the source autocorrelations modelled through the Factorial Hidden Markov Model, leads to separation in the monaural case. By extending Hansens work we find that Roweis' assumptions are necessary for monaural speech separation. Furthermore we...

Morphospaces of functionally analogous traits show ecological separation between birds and pterosaurs.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Nicholas R

2017-10-25

Birds originated and radiated in the presence of another group of flying vertebrates, the pterosaurs. Opinion is divided as to whether birds competitively displaced pterosaurs from small-body size niches or whether the two groups coexisted with little competition. Previous studies of Mesozoic birds and pterosaurs compared measurements of homologous limb bones to test these hypotheses. However, these characters probably reflect differing ancestries rather than ecologies. Here, competition and ecological separation were tested for using multivariate analyses of functionally equivalent morphological characters. As well as using characters from the fore- and hindlimbs, these analyses also included measurements of the lower jaw. The results of this study indicate that pterosaurs had relatively longer jaws, shorter metatarsals and shorter brachial regions compared with birds of similar size. Contrary to the results of previous studies, the distal wing was not important for separating the two clades in morphospace owing to the inclusion of the primary feathers in this unit. The differences found here indicate ecological separation based on differences in size, locomotory features and feeding adaptations. Thus, instead of one group displacing the other, birds and pterosaurs appear to have adopted distinctive ecological strategies throughout their period of coexistence. © 2017 The Author(s).

Insulin in the brain: sources, localization and functions.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghasemi, Rasoul; Haeri, Ali; Dargahi, Leila; Mohamed, Zahurin; Ahmadiani, Abolhassan

2013-02-01

Historically, insulin is best known for its role in peripheral glucose homeostasis, and insulin signaling in the brain has received less attention. Insulin-independent brain glucose uptake has been the main reason for considering the brain as an insulin-insensitive organ. However, recent findings showing a high concentration of insulin in brain extracts, and expression of insulin receptors (IRs) in central nervous system tissues have gathered considerable attention over the sources, localization, and functions of insulin in the brain. This review summarizes the current status of knowledge of the peripheral and central sources of insulin in the brain, site-specific expression of IRs, and also neurophysiological functions of insulin including the regulation of food intake, weight control, reproduction, and cognition and memory formation. This review also considers the neuromodulatory and neurotrophic effects of insulin, resulting in proliferation, differentiation, and neurite outgrowth, introducing insulin as an attractive tool for neuroprotection against apoptosis, oxidative stress, beta amyloid toxicity, and brain ischemia.

Localization and separation of acoustic sources by using a 2.5-dimensional circular microphone array.

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, Mingsian R; Lai, Chang-Sheng; Wu, Po-Chen

2017-07-01

Circular microphone arrays (CMAs) are sufficient in many immersive audio applications because azimuthal angles of sources are considered more important than the elevation angles in those occasions. However, the fact that CMAs do not resolve the elevation angle well can be a limitation for some applications which involves three-dimensional sound images. This paper proposes a 2.5-dimensional (2.5-D) CMA comprised of a CMA and a vertical logarithmic-spacing linear array (LLA) on the top. In the localization stage, two delay-and-sum beamformers are applied to the CMA and the LLA, respectively. The direction of arrival (DOA) is estimated from the product of two array output signals. In the separation stage, Tikhonov regularization and convex optimization are employed to extract the source amplitudes on the basis of the estimated DOA. The extracted signals from two arrays are further processed by the normalized least-mean-square algorithm with the internal iteration to yield the source signal with improved quality. To validate the 2.5-D CMA experimentally, a three-dimensionally printed circular array comprised of a 24-element CMA and an eight-element LLA is constructed. Objective perceptual evaluation of speech quality test and a subjective listening test are also undertaken.

Household food waste separation behavior and the importance of convenience.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernstad, Anna

2014-07-01

Two different strategies aiming at increasing household source-separation of food waste were assessed through a case-study in a Swedish residential area (a) use of written information, distributed as leaflets amongst households and (b) installation of equipment for source-segregation of waste with the aim of increasing convenience food waste sorting in kitchens. Weightings of separately collected food waste before and after distribution of written information suggest that this resulted in neither a significant increased amount of separately collected food waste, nor an increased source-separation ratio. After installation of sorting equipment in households, both the amount of separately collected food waste as well as the source-separation ratio increased vastly. Long-term monitoring shows that results where longstanding. Results emphasize the importance of convenience and existence of infrastructure necessary for source-segregation of waste as important factors for household waste recycling, but also highlight the need of addressing these aspects where waste is generated, i.e. already inside the household. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Locating gamma radiation source by self collimating BGO detector system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Orion, I; Pernick, A; Ilzycer, D; Zafrir, H [Israel Atomic Energy Commission, Yavne (Israel). Soreq Nuclear Research Center; Shani, G [Ben-Gurion Univ. of the Negev, Beersheba (Israel)

1996-12-01

The need for airborne collimated gamma detector system to estimate the radiation released from a nuclear accident has been established. A BGO detector system has been developed as an array of separate seven cylindrical Bismuth Germanate scintillators, one central detector symmetrically surrounded by six detectors. In such an arrangement, each of the detectors reduced the exposure of other detectors in the array to a radiation incident from a possible specific spatial angle, around file array. This shielding property defined as `self-collimation`, differs the point source response function for each of the detectors. The BGO detector system has a high density and atomic number, and therefore provides efficient self-collimation. Using the response functions of the separate detectors enables locating point sources as well as the direction of a nuclear radioactive plume with satisfactory angular resolution, of about 10 degrees. The detector`s point source response, as function of the source direction, in a horizontal plane, has been predicted by analytical calculation, and was verified by Monte-Carlo simulation using the code EGS4. The detector`s response was tested in a laboratory-scale experiment for several gamma ray energies, and the experimental results validated the theoretical (analytical and Monte-Carlo) results. (authors).

Improved Tensor-Based Singular Spectrum Analysis Based on Single Channel Blind Source Separation Algorithm and Its Application to Fault Diagnosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dan Yang

2017-04-01

Full Text Available To solve the problem of multi-fault blind source separation (BSS in the case that the observed signals are under-determined, a novel approach for single channel blind source separation (SCBSS based on the improved tensor-based singular spectrum analysis (TSSA is proposed. As the most natural representation of high-dimensional data, tensor can preserve the intrinsic structure of the data to the maximum extent. Thus, TSSA method can be employed to extract the multi-fault features from the measured single-channel vibration signal. However, SCBSS based on TSSA still has some limitations, mainly including unsatisfactory convergence of TSSA in many cases and the number of source signals is hard to accurately estimate. Therefore, the improved TSSA algorithm based on canonical decomposition and parallel factors (CANDECOMP/PARAFAC weighted optimization, namely CP-WOPT, is proposed in this paper. CP-WOPT algorithm is applied to process the factor matrix using a first-order optimization approach instead of the original least square method in TSSA, so as to improve the convergence of this algorithm. In order to accurately estimate the number of the source signals in BSS, EMD-SVD-BIC (empirical mode decomposition—singular value decomposition—Bayesian information criterion method, instead of the SVD in the conventional TSSA, is introduced. To validate the proposed method, we applied it to the analysis of the numerical simulation signal and the multi-fault rolling bearing signals.

Isotope source apportionment of carbonaceous aerosol as a function of particle size and thermal refractiveness

Science.gov (United States)

Masalaite, Agne; Holzinger, Rupert; Remeikis, Vidmantas; Röckmann, Thomas; Dusek, Ulrike

2016-04-01

The stable carbon isotopes can be used to get information about sources and processing of carbonaceous aerosol. We will present results from source apportionment of carbonaceous aerosol as a function of particle size thermal refractiveness. Separate source apportionment for particles smaller than 200 nm and for different carbon volatility classes are rarely reported and give new insights into aerosol sources in the urban environment. Stable carbon isotope ratios were measured for the organic carbon (OC) fraction and total carbon (TC) of MOUDI impactor samples that were collected on a coastal site (Lithuania) during the winter 2012 and in the city of Vilnius (Lithuania) during the winter of 2009. The 11 impactor stages spanned a size range from 0.056 to 18 μm, but only the 6 stages in the submicron range were analysed. The δ13C values of bulk total carbon (δ13CTC) were determined with an elemental analyser (Flash EA 1112) coupled with an isotope ratio mass spectrometer (Thermo Finnigan Delta Plus Advantage) (EA - IRMS). Meanwhile δ13COC was measured using thermal-desorption isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) system. This allows a rough separation of the more volatile OC fraction (desorbed in the oven of IRMS up to 250 0C) from the more refractory fraction (desorbed up to 400 0C). In this study we investigated the composition of organic aerosol desorbed from filter samples at different temperatures using the thermal-desorption proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry (TD-PTR-MS) technique. During winter-time in Lithuania we expect photochemistry and biogenic emissions to be of minor importance. The main sources of aerosol carbon should be fossil fuel and biomass combustion. In both sites, the coastal and the urban site, δ13C measurements give a clear indication that the source contributions differ for small and large particles. Small particles < 200 nm are depleted in 13C with respect to larger particles by 1 - 2 ‰Ṫhis shows that OC in small particle

Evaluation of separate renal function by means of 99mTc-aprotinin uptake test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aprile, C.; Saponaro, R.; Villa, G.; Carena, M.; Chiari, G.; Salvadeo, A.; Lunghi, F.; Piazza, V.

1986-01-01

The possibility that relative kidney uptake of technetium-99m aprotinin (TcA) might be indicative of separate renal function was investigated in 89 patients who underwent both effective renal plasma flow (ERPFs) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) determination. A reference group consisted of 27 healthy volunteers, studied only with TcA. The correlation with ERPFs (r = .73) was similar to that previously reported and confirmed. The correlation with GFR (r = .68) was better if a subgroup of renal units with TcA uptake lower than 16% (lower normal limit) was considered. Most likely, glomerular filtration is a limiting factor of the tubular uptake of TcA, and when GFR is reduced, both parameters decrease in the same manner, while if GFR is normal the two parameters are relatively independent. The correlation between TcA and GFR in 32 children was very similar to that found in adults. TcA uptake test seems to be a useful indicator of separate renal function, providing morphological information at, the same time

THE ALL-SOURCE GREEN’S FUNCTION AND ITS APPLICATIONS TO TSUNAMI PROBLEMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ZHIGANG XU

2007-01-01

Full Text Available The classical Green’s function provides the global linear response to impulse forcing at a particular source location. It is a type of one-source-all-receiver Green’s function. This paper presents a new type of Green’s function, referred to as the all-source-one-receiver, or for short the all-source Green’s function (ASGF, in which the solution at a point of interest (POI can be written in terms of global forcing without requiring the solution at other locations. The ASGF is particularly applicable to tsunami problems. The response to forcing anywhere in the global ocean can be determined within a few seconds on an ordinary personal computer or on a web server. The ASGF also brings in two new types of tsunami charts, one for the arrival time and the second for the gain, without assuming the location of the epicenter or reversibility of the tsunami travel path. Thus it provides a useful tool for tsunami hazard preparedness and to rapidly calculate the real-time responses at selected POIs for a tsunami generated anywhere in the world’s oceans.

Heavy Water - Industrial Separation Processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peculea, M.

1984-01-01

This monograph devoted to the heavy water production mainly presents the Romanian experience in the field which started in early sixties from the laboratory scale production and reached now the level of large scale industrial production at ROMAG-Drobeta, Romania. The book is structured in eleven chapters entitled: Overview, The main physical properties, Sources, Uses, Separation factor and equilibrium constant, Mathematical modelling of the separation process, Thermodynamical considerations on the isotope separation, Selection criteria for heavy water separation processes, Industrial installations for heavy water production, Prospects, Acknowledgements. 200 Figs., 90 Tabs., 135 Refs

Amino-Functionalized ZIF-7 Nanocrystals: Improved Intrinsic Separation Ability and Interfacial Compatibility in Mixed-Matrix Membranes for CO2 /CH4 Separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiang, Long; Sheng, Luqian; Wang, Chongqing; Zhang, Lixiong; Pan, Yichang; Li, Yanshuo

2017-08-01

Highly permeable and selective, as well as plasticization-resistant membranes are desired as promising alternatives for cost- and energy-effective CO 2 separation. Here, robust mixed-matrix membranes based on an amino-functionalized zeolitic imidazolate framework ZIF-7 (ZIF-7-NH 2 ) and crosslinked poly(ethylene oxide) rubbery polymer are successfully fabricated with filler loadings up to 36 wt%. The ZIF-7-NH 2 materials synthesized from in situ substitution of 2-aminobenzimidazole into the ZIF-7 structure exhibit enlarged aperture size compared with monoligand ZIF-7. The intrinsic separation ability for CO 2 /CH 4 on ZIF-7-NH 2 is remarkably enhanced as a result of improved CO 2 uptake capacity and diffusion selectivity. The incorporation of ZIF-7-NH 2 fillers simultaneously makes the neat polymer more permeable and more selective, surpassing the state-of-the-art 2008 Robeson upper bound. The chelating effect between metal (zinc) nodes of fillers and ester groups of a polymer provides good bonding, enhancing the mechanical strength and plasticization resistance of the neat polymer membrane. The developed novel ZIF-7 structure with amino-function and the resulting nanocomposite membranes are very attractive for applications like natural-gas sweetening or biogas purification. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Separation by electrostatic equipments; Separacion por medios electrostaticos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miguel, R.; Larrauri, E.; Arnaiz, S.; Cacho, S.; Robertson, C.; Smallwood, J.; Coilt, J.; Ufer, R.; Kohnlecher, R.

2000-07-01

Development of automated separation technologies is essential in increasing recovery rates, particularly from highly mixed sources such municipal solid wastes and wastes from electric and electronic equipment, and in reducing recycling costs. This frame moved GAIKER Technological Centre to look for new technologies that allow to recover materials such metals, plastics, papers from those waste sources. Electrostatic separation technology has been successfully applied to separate these materials collaborating to get the targets specified by legislation. (Author)

Pair-Wise and Many-Body Dispersive Interactions Coupled to an Optimally Tuned Range-Separated Hybrid Functional.

Science.gov (United States)

Agrawal, Piyush; Tkatchenko, Alexandre; Kronik, Leeor

2013-08-13

We propose a nonempirical, pair-wise or many-body dispersion-corrected, optimally tuned range-separated hybrid functional. This functional retains the advantages of the optimal-tuning approach in the prediction of the electronic structure. At the same time, it gains accuracy in the prediction of binding energies for dispersively bound systems, as demonstrated on the S22 and S66 benchmark sets of weakly bound dimers.

Bayesian Blind Separation and Deconvolution of Dynamic Image Sequences Using Sparsity Priors

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Tichý, Ondřej; Šmídl, Václav

2015-01-01

Roč. 34, č. 1 (2015), s. 258-266 ISSN 0278-0062 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA13-29225S Keywords : Functional imaging * Blind source separation * Computer-aided detection and diagnosis * Probabilistic and statistical methods Subject RIV: BB - Applied Statistics, Operational Research Impact factor: 3.756, year: 2015 http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2014/AS/tichy-0431090.pdf

Source Separation of Heartbeat Sounds for Effective E-Auscultation

Science.gov (United States)

Geethu, R. S.; Krishnakumar, M.; Pramod, K. V.; George, Sudhish N.

2016-03-01

This paper proposes a cost effective solution for improving the effectiveness of e-auscultation. Auscultation is the most difficult skill for a doctor, since it can be acquired only through experience. The heart sound mixtures are captured by placing the four numbers of sensors at appropriate auscultation area in the body. These sound mixtures are separated to its relevant components by a statistical method independent component analysis. The separated heartbeat sounds can be further processed or can be stored for future reference. This idea can be used for making a low cost, easy to use portable instrument which will be beneficial to people living in remote areas and are unable to take the advantage of advanced diagnosis methods.

Basic separative power of multi-component isotopes separation in a gas centrifuge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Hongmin; Lei, Zengguang; Zhuge, Fu

2008-01-01

On condition that the overall separation factor per unit exists in centrifuge for multi-component isotopes separation, the relations between separative power of each component and molecular weight have been investigated in the paper while the value function and the separative power of binary-component separation are adopted. The separative power of each component is proportional to the square of the molecular weight difference between its molecular weight and the average molecular weight of other remnant components. In addition, these relations are independent on the number of the components and feed concentrations. The basic separative power and related expressions, suggested in the paper, can be used for estimating the separative power of each component and analyzing the separation characteristics. The most valuable application of the basic separative power is to evaluate the separative capacity of centrifuge for multi-component isotopes. (author)

Strain screening, fermentation, separation, and encapsulation for production of nattokinase functional food.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Xuetuan; Luo, Mingfang; Xie, Yuchun; Yang, Liangrong; Li, Haojian; Xu, Lin; Liu, Huizhou

2012-12-01

This study presents a novel and integrated preparation technology for nattokinase functional food, including strain screening, fermentation, separation, and encapsulation. To rapidly screen a nattokinase-productive strain, PCR-based screening method was combined with fibrinolytic activity-based method, and a high productive strain, Bacillus subtilis LSSE-22, was isolated from Chinese soybean paste. Reduction of poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) concentration may contribute to separation of nattokinase and reduction of late-onset anaphylaxis risk. Chickpeas were confirmed as the favorable substrate for enhancement of nattokinase production and reduction of γ-PGA yield. Using cracked chickpeas, the nattokinase activity reached 356.25 ± 17.18 FU/g (dry weight), which is much higher than previous reports. To further reduce γ-PGA concentration, ethanol fractional extraction and precipitation were applied for separation of nattokinase. By extraction with 50 % and precipitation with 75 % ethanol solution, 4,000.58 ± 192.98 FU/g of nattokinase powders were obtained, and the activity recovery reached 89 ± 1 %, while γ-PGA recovery was reduced to 21 ± 2 %. To improve the nattokinase stability at acidic pH condition, the nattokinase powders were encapsulated, and then coated with methacrylic acid-ethyl acrylate copolymer. After encapsulation, the nattokinase was protected from being denatured under various acid conditions, and pH-responsible controlled release at simulated intestinal fluid was realized.

Design of Smart Ion-Selective Electrode Arrays Based on Source Separation through Nonlinear Independent Component Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Duarte L.T.

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The development of chemical sensor arrays based on Blind Source Separation (BSS provides a promising solution to overcome the interference problem associated with Ion-Selective Electrodes (ISE. The main motivation behind this new approach is to ease the time-demanding calibration stage. While the first works on this problem only considered the case in which the ions under analysis have equal valences, the present work aims at developing a BSS technique that works when the ions have different charges. In this situation, the resulting mixing model belongs to a particular class of nonlinear systems that have never been studied in the BSS literature. In order to tackle this sort of mixing process, we adopted a recurrent network as separating system. Moreover, concerning the BSS learning strategy, we develop a mutual information minimization approach based on the notion of the differential of the mutual information. The method works requires a batch operation, and, thus, can be used to perform off-line analysis. The validity of our approach is supported by experiments where the mixing model parameters were extracted from actual data.

Far-Field Superresolution of Thermal Electromagnetic Sources at the Quantum Limit.

Science.gov (United States)

Nair, Ranjith; Tsang, Mankei

2016-11-04

We obtain the ultimate quantum limit for estimating the transverse separation of two thermal point sources using a given imaging system with limited spatial bandwidth. We show via the quantum Cramér-Rao bound that, contrary to the Rayleigh limit in conventional direct imaging, quantum mechanics does not mandate any loss of precision in estimating even deep sub-Rayleigh separations. We propose two coherent measurement techniques, easily implementable using current linear-optics technology, that approach the quantum limit over an arbitrarily large range of separations. Our bound is valid for arbitrary source strengths, all regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, and for any imaging system with an inversion-symmetric point-spread function. The measurement schemes can be applied to microscopy, optical sensing, and astrometry at all wavelengths.

Measurement of R = σL/σT and the Separated Longitudinal and Transverse Structure Functions in the Nucleon Resonance Region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yongguang Liang; Michael Christy; Abdellah Ahmidouch; Christopher Armstrong; John Arrington; Arshak Asaturyan; Steven Avery; Baker, O.; Douglas Beck; Henk Blok; Bochna, C.W.; Werner Boeglin; Peter Bosted; Maurice Bouwhuis; Herbert Breuer; Daniel Brown; Antje Bruell; Roger Carlini; Jinseok Cha; Nicholas Chant; Anthony Cochran; Leon Cole; Samuel Danagoulian; Donal Day; James Dunne; Dipangkar Dutta; Rolf Ent; Howard Fenker; Fox, B.; Liping Gan; Haiyan Gao; Kenneth Garrow; David Gaskell; Ashot Gasparian; Don Geesaman; Ronald Gilman; Paul Gueye; Mark Harvey; Roy Holt; Xiaodong Jiang; Mark Jones; Cynthia Keppel; Edward Kinney; Wolfgang Lorenzon; Allison Lung; David Mack; Pete Markowitz; Martin, J.W.; Kevin McIlhany; Daniella Mckee; David Meekins; Miller, M.A.; Richard Milner; Joseph Mitchell; Hamlet Mkrtchyan; Robert Mueller; Alan Nathan; Gabriel Niculescu; Maria-Ioana Niculescu; Thomas O'neill; Vassilios Papavassiliou; Stephen Pate; Rodney Piercey; David Potterveld; Ronald Ransome; Joerg Reinhold; Rollinde, E.; Oscar Rondon-Aramayo; Philip Roos; Adam Sarty; Reyad Sawafta; Elaine Schulte; Edwin Segbefia; Smith, C.; Samuel Stepanyan; Steffen Strauch; Vardan Tadevosyan; Liguang Tang; Raphael Tieulent; Vladas Tvaskis; Alicia Uzzle; William Vulcan; Stephen Wood; Feng Xiong; Lulin Yuan; Markus Zeier; Benedikt Zihlmann; Vitaliy Ziskin

2004-01-01

We report on a detailed study of longitudinal strength in the nucleon resonance region, presenting new results from inclusive electron-proton cross sections measured at Jefferson Lab Hall C in the four-momentum transfer range 0.2 2 2 . The data have been used to accurately perform over 170 Rosenbluth-type longitudinal/transverse separations. The precision R σ L /σ T data are presented here, along with the first separate values of the inelastic structure functions F 1 and F L in this regime. The resonance longitudinal component is found to be significant. With the new data, quark-hadron duality is observed above Q 2 = 1 GeV 2 in the separated structure functions independently

A mathematical model for source separation of MMG signals recorded with a coupled microphone-accelerometer sensor pair.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Jorge; Chau, Tom

2005-09-01

Recent advances in sensor technology for muscle activity monitoring have resulted in the development of a coupled microphone-accelerometer sensor pair for physiological acousti signal recording. This sensor can be used to eliminate interfering sources in practical settings where the contamination of an acoustic signal by ambient noise confounds detection but cannot be easily removed [e.g., mechanomyography (MMG), swallowing sounds, respiration, and heart sounds]. This paper presents a mathematical model for the coupled microphone-accelerometer vibration sensor pair, specifically applied to muscle activity monitoring (i.e., MMG) and noise discrimination in externally powered prostheses for below-elbow amputees. While the model provides a simple and reliable source separation technique for MMG signals, it can also be easily adapted to other aplications where the recording of low-frequency (< 1 kHz) physiological vibration signals is required.

Investigation of H2S separation from H2S/CH4 mixtures using functionalized and non-functionalized vertically aligned carbon nanotube membranes

Science.gov (United States)

Gilani, Neda; Towfighi, Jafar; Rashidi, Alimorad; Mohammadi, Toraj; Omidkhah, Mohammad Reza; Sadeghian, Ahmad

2013-04-01

Separation of H2S from binary mixtures of H2S/CH4 using vertically aligned carbon nanotube membranes fabricated in anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template was studied experimentally. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were grown in five AAO templates with different pore diameters using chemical vapor deposition, and CNT/AAO membranes with tubular carbon nanotube structure and open caps were selected for separation of H2S. For this, two tubular CNT/AAO membranes were fabricated with the CNT inner diameters of 23 and 8 nm. It was found that permeability and selectivity of the membrane with inner diameter of 23 nm for CNT were independent of upstream feed pressure and H2S feed concentration unlike that of CNT having an inner diameter of 8 nm. Selectivity of these membranes for separation of H2S was obtained in the ranges of 1.36-1.58 and 2.11-2.86, for CNTs with internal diameters of 23 and 8 nm, respectively. In order to enhance the separation of H2S from H2S/CH4 mixtures, dodecylamine was used to functionalize the CNT/AAO membrane with higher selectivity. The results showed that for amido-functionalized membrane, both upstream feed pressure and H2S partial pressure in the feed significantly increased H2S permeability, and selectivity for H2S being in the range of 3.0-5.57 respectively.

Blind speech separation system for humanoid robot with FastICA for audio filtering and separation

Science.gov (United States)

Budiharto, Widodo; Santoso Gunawan, Alexander Agung

2016-07-01

Nowadays, there are many developments in building intelligent humanoid robot, mainly in order to handle voice and image. In this research, we propose blind speech separation system using FastICA for audio filtering and separation that can be used in education or entertainment. Our main problem is to separate the multi speech sources and also to filter irrelevant noises. After speech separation step, the results will be integrated with our previous speech and face recognition system which is based on Bioloid GP robot and Raspberry Pi 2 as controller. The experimental results show the accuracy of our blind speech separation system is about 88% in command and query recognition cases.

An EPR experiment testing the non-separability of the $K^{0} \\overline{K^{0}}$ wave function

CERN Document Server

Apostolakis, Alcibiades J; Backenstoss, Gerhard; Bargassa, P; Behnke, O; Benelli, A; Bertin, V; Blanc, F; Bloch, P; Carlson, P J; Carroll, M; Cawley, E; Chardin, G; Chertok, M B; Cody, A; Dejardin, M; Derré, J; Ealet, A; Eleftheriadis, C; Ferreira-Marques, R; Fetscher, W; Fidecaro, Maria; Filipcic, A; Francis, D; Fry, J; Gabathuler, Erwin; Gamet, R; Gerber, H J; Go, A; Guyot, C; Haselden, A; Hayman, P J; Henry-Coüannier, F; Hollander, R W; Hubert, E; Jon-And, K; Kettle, P R; Kochowski, Claude; Kokkas, P; Kreuger, R; Le Gac, R; Leimgruber, F; Mandic, I; Manthos, N; Marel, Gérard; Mikuz, M; Miller, J; Montanet, François; Müller, A; Nakada, Tatsuya; Pagels, B; Papadopoulos, I M; Pavlopoulos, P; Policarpo, Armando; Polivka, G; Rickenbach, R; Roberts, B L; Ruf, T; Schäfer, M; Schaller, L A; Schietinger, T; Schopper, A; Schune, P; Tauscher, Ludwig; Thibault, C; Touchard, F; Touramanis, C; van Eijk, C W E; Vlachos, S; Weber, P; Wigger, I; Wolter, M; Yéche, C; Zavrtanik, D

1998-01-01

The EPR-type strangeness correlation in the \\PKz \\PaKz ~system produced in the reaction $\\Pap \\Pp \\rightarrow \\PKz \\PaKz$ at rest has been tested using the CPLEAR detector. The strangeness was tagged via strong interaction with absorbers away from the creation point. The results are consistent with the QM non-separability of the wave function and exclude a spontaneous wave-function factorisation at creation (CL $> 99.99\\%$).

Age-related individual variability in memory performance is associated with amygdala-hippocampal circuit function and emotional pattern separation

Science.gov (United States)

Leal, Stephanie L.; Noche, Jessica A.; Murray, Elizabeth A.; Yassa, Michael A.

2018-01-01

While aging is generally associated with episodic memory decline, not all older adults exhibit memory loss. Furthermore, emotional memories are not subject to the same extent of forgetting and appear preserved in aging. We conducted high-resolution fMRI during a task involving pattern separation of emotional information in older adults with and without age-related memory impairment (characterized by performance on a word-list learning task: low performers: LP vs. high performers: HP). We found signals consistent with emotional pattern separation in hippocampal dentate (DG)/CA3 in HP but not in LP individuals, suggesting a deficit in emotional pattern separation. During false recognition, we found increased DG/CA3 activity in LP individuals, suggesting that hyperactivity may be associated with overgeneralization. We additionally observed a selective deficit in basolateral amygdala—lateral entorhinal cortex—DG/CA3 functional connectivity in LP individuals during pattern separation of negative information. During negative false recognition, LP individuals showed increased medial temporal lobe functional connectivity, consistent with overgeneralization. Overall, these results suggest a novel mechanistic account of individual differences in emotional memory alterations exhibited in aging. PMID:27723500

Age-related individual variability in memory performance is associated with amygdala-hippocampal circuit function and emotional pattern separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Leal, Stephanie L; Noche, Jessica A; Murray, Elizabeth A; Yassa, Michael A

2017-01-01

While aging is generally associated with episodic memory decline, not all older adults exhibit memory loss. Furthermore, emotional memories are not subject to the same extent of forgetting and appear preserved in aging. We conducted high-resolution fMRI during a task involving pattern separation of emotional information in older adults with and without age-related memory impairment (characterized by performance on a word-list learning task: low performers: LP vs. high performers: HP). We found signals consistent with emotional pattern separation in hippocampal dentate (DG)/CA3 in HP but not in LP individuals, suggesting a deficit in emotional pattern separation. During false recognition, we found increased DG/CA3 activity in LP individuals, suggesting that hyperactivity may be associated with overgeneralization. We additionally observed a selective deficit in basolateral amygdala-lateral entorhinal cortex-DG/CA3 functional connectivity in LP individuals during pattern separation of negative information. During negative false recognition, LP individuals showed increased medial temporal lobe functional connectivity, consistent with overgeneralization. Overall, these results suggest a novel mechanistic account of individual differences in emotional memory alterations exhibited in aging. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from Animal Husbandry: Chemical Compositions, Separation of Sources and Animal Types

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, B.; Coggon, M.; Koss, A.; Warneke, C.; Eilerman, S. J.; Neuman, J. A.; Peischl, J.; Aikin, K. C.; Ryerson, T. B.; De Gouw, J. A.

2016-12-01

Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are important sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere. We used a hydronium ion time-of-flight chemical ionization mass spectrometer (H3O+ ToF-CIMS) to measure VOC emissions from CAFOs in the Northern Front Range of Colorado during an aircraft campaign (SONGNEX) for regional contributions and from a mobile laboratory sampling for chemical characterizations of individual animal feedlots. The main VOCs emitted from CAFOs include carboxylic acids, alcohols, carbonyls, phenolic species, sulfur- and nitrogen-containing species. Alcohols and carboxylic acids dominate VOC concentrations. Sulfur-containing and phenolic species become more important in terms of odor activity values and NO3 reactivity, respectively. The high time-resolution mobile measurements allow the separation of the sources of VOCs from different parts of the operations occurring within the facilities. We show that the increase of ethanol concentrations were primarily associated with feed storage and handling. We apply a multivariate regression analysis using NH3 and ethanol as tracers to attribute the relative importance of animal-related emissions (animal exhalation and waste) and feed-related emissions (feed storage and handling) for different VOC species. Feed storage and handling contribute significantly to emissions of alcohols, carbonyls and carboxylic acids. Phenolic species and nitrogen-containing species are predominantly associated with animals and their waste. VOC ratios can be potentially used as indicators for the separation of emissions from dairy and beef cattle from the regional aircraft measurements.

Supply risk management functions of sourcing intermediaries – an investigation of the clothing industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vedel, Mette; Ellegaard, Chris

2013-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to uncover how buying companies use sourcing intermediaries to manage supply risks in global sourcing. Design/methodology/approach: We carry out an explorative qualitative study of the clothing industry, interviewing key respondents that occupy different...... intermediary types, characterised by the set of functions they handle. Research limitations/implications: By analysing a limited set of in-depth interviews in one industry we have traded off broader analytical generalization for in-depth exploration and theory building. Therefore, future research should test...... by identifying the supply risk management functions that sourcing intermediaries carry out for buying companies. We also contribute by uncovering different types of sourcing intermediaries, determined by the collection of functions handled....

Pseudo-stationary separation materials for highly parallel separations.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh, Anup K.; Palmer, Christopher (University of Montana, Missoula, MT)

2005-05-01

Goal of this study was to develop and characterize novel polymeric materials as pseudostationary phases in electrokinetic chromatography. Fundamental studies have characterized the chromatographic selectivity of the materials as a function of chemical structure and molecular conformation. The selectivities of the polymers has been studied extensively, resulting in a large body of fundamental knowledge regarding the performance and selectivity of polymeric pseudostationary phases. Two polymers have also been used for amino acid and peptide separations, and with laser induced fluorescence detection. The polymers performed well for the separation of derivatized amino acids, and provided some significant differences in selectivity relative to a commonly used micellar pseudostationary phase. The polymers did not perform well for peptide separations. The polymers were compatible with laser induced fluorescence detection, indicating that they should also be compatible with chip-based separations.

Range-separated time-dependent density-functional theory with a frequency-dependent second-order Bethe-Salpeter correlation kernel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rebolini, Elisa, E-mail: elisa.rebolini@kjemi.uio.no; Toulouse, Julien, E-mail: julien.toulouse@upmc.fr [Laboratoire de Chimie Théorique, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, CNRS, 4 place Jussieu, F-75005 Paris (France)

2016-03-07

We present a range-separated linear-response time-dependent density-functional theory (TDDFT) which combines a density-functional approximation for the short-range response kernel and a frequency-dependent second-order Bethe-Salpeter approximation for the long-range response kernel. This approach goes beyond the adiabatic approximation usually used in linear-response TDDFT and aims at improving the accuracy of calculations of electronic excitation energies of molecular systems. A detailed derivation of the frequency-dependent second-order Bethe-Salpeter correlation kernel is given using many-body Green-function theory. Preliminary tests of this range-separated TDDFT method are presented for the calculation of excitation energies of the He and Be atoms and small molecules (H{sub 2}, N{sub 2}, CO{sub 2}, H{sub 2}CO, and C{sub 2}H{sub 4}). The results suggest that the addition of the long-range second-order Bethe-Salpeter correlation kernel overall slightly improves the excitation energies.

PS proton source

CERN Multimedia

1959-01-01

The first proton source used at CERN's Proton Synchrotron (PS) which started operation in 1959. This is CERN's oldest accelerator still functioning today (2018). It is part of the accelerator chain that supplies proton beams to the Large Hadron Collider. The source is a Thonemann type. In order to extract and accelerate the protons at high energy, a high frequency electrical field is used (140Mhz). The field is transmitted by a coil around a discharge tube in order to maintain the gas hydrogen in an ionised state. An electrical field pulse, in the order of 15kV, is then applied via an impulse transformer between anode and cathode of the discharge tube. The electrons and protons of the plasma formed in the ionised gas in the tube, are then separated. Currents in the order of 200mA during 100 microseconds have benn obtained with this type of source.

Angle-dependent strong-field molecular ionization rates with tuned range-separated time-dependent density functional theory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sissay, Adonay [Department of Chemistry, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803 (United States); Abanador, Paul; Mauger, François; Gaarde, Mette; Schafer, Kenneth J. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803 (United States); Lopata, Kenneth, E-mail: klopata@lsu.edu [Department of Chemistry, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803 (United States); Center for Computation and Technology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803 (United States)

2016-09-07

Strong-field ionization and the resulting electronic dynamics are important for a range of processes such as high harmonic generation, photodamage, charge resonance enhanced ionization, and ionization-triggered charge migration. Modeling ionization dynamics in molecular systems from first-principles can be challenging due to the large spatial extent of the wavefunction which stresses the accuracy of basis sets, and the intense fields which require non-perturbative time-dependent electronic structure methods. In this paper, we develop a time-dependent density functional theory approach which uses a Gaussian-type orbital (GTO) basis set to capture strong-field ionization rates and dynamics in atoms and small molecules. This involves propagating the electronic density matrix in time with a time-dependent laser potential and a spatial non-Hermitian complex absorbing potential which is projected onto an atom-centered basis set to remove ionized charge from the simulation. For the density functional theory (DFT) functional we use a tuned range-separated functional LC-PBE*, which has the correct asymptotic 1/r form of the potential and a reduced delocalization error compared to traditional DFT functionals. Ionization rates are computed for hydrogen, molecular nitrogen, and iodoacetylene under various field frequencies, intensities, and polarizations (angle-dependent ionization), and the results are shown to quantitatively agree with time-dependent Schrödinger equation and strong-field approximation calculations. This tuned DFT with GTO method opens the door to predictive all-electron time-dependent density functional theory simulations of ionization and ionization-triggered dynamics in molecular systems using tuned range-separated hybrid functionals.

Angle-dependent strong-field molecular ionization rates with tuned range-separated time-dependent density functional theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sissay, Adonay; Abanador, Paul; Mauger, François; Gaarde, Mette; Schafer, Kenneth J.; Lopata, Kenneth

2016-01-01

Strong-field ionization and the resulting electronic dynamics are important for a range of processes such as high harmonic generation, photodamage, charge resonance enhanced ionization, and ionization-triggered charge migration. Modeling ionization dynamics in molecular systems from first-principles can be challenging due to the large spatial extent of the wavefunction which stresses the accuracy of basis sets, and the intense fields which require non-perturbative time-dependent electronic structure methods. In this paper, we develop a time-dependent density functional theory approach which uses a Gaussian-type orbital (GTO) basis set to capture strong-field ionization rates and dynamics in atoms and small molecules. This involves propagating the electronic density matrix in time with a time-dependent laser potential and a spatial non-Hermitian complex absorbing potential which is projected onto an atom-centered basis set to remove ionized charge from the simulation. For the density functional theory (DFT) functional we use a tuned range-separated functional LC-PBE*, which has the correct asymptotic 1/r form of the potential and a reduced delocalization error compared to traditional DFT functionals. Ionization rates are computed for hydrogen, molecular nitrogen, and iodoacetylene under various field frequencies, intensities, and polarizations (angle-dependent ionization), and the results are shown to quantitatively agree with time-dependent Schrödinger equation and strong-field approximation calculations. This tuned DFT with GTO method opens the door to predictive all-electron time-dependent density functional theory simulations of ionization and ionization-triggered dynamics in molecular systems using tuned range-separated hybrid functionals.

Reverse osmosis brine for phosphorus recovery from source separated urine.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Xiujun; Wang, Guotian; Guan, Detian; Li, Jiuyi; Wang, Aimin; Li, Jin; Yu, Zhe; Chen, Yong; Zhang, Zhongguo

2016-12-01

Phosphorus (P) recovery from waste streams has recently been recognized as a key step in the sustainable supply of this indispensable and non-renewable resource. The feasibility of using brine from a reverse osmosis (RO) membrane unit treating cooling water as a precipitant for P recovery from source separated urine was evaluated in the present study. P removal efficiency, process parameters and precipitate properties were investigated in batch and continuous flow experiments. More than 90% of P removal was obtained from both undiluted fresh and hydrolyzed urines by mixing with RO brine (1:1, v/v) at a pH over 9.0. Around 2.58 and 1.24 Kg of precipitates could be recovered from 1 m 3 hydrolyzed and fresh urine, respectively, and the precipitated solids contain 8.1-19.0% of P, 10.3-15.2% of Ca, 3.7-5.0% of Mg and 0.1-3.5% of ammonium nitrogen. Satisfactory P removal performance was also achieved in a continuous flow precipitation reactor with a hydraulic retention time of 3-6 h. RO brine could be considered as urinal and toilet flush water despite of a marginally higher precipitation tendency than tap water. This study provides a widely available, low - cost and efficient precipitant for P recovery in urban areas, which will make P recovery from urine more economically attractive. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

14 CFR 406.105 - Separation of functions for prosecuting civil penalties and advising the FAA decisionmaker.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... civil penalties and advising the FAA decisionmaker. 406.105 Section 406.105 Aeronautics and Space... INVESTIGATIONS, ENFORCEMENT, AND ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW Rules of Practice in FAA Space Transportation Adjudications § 406.105 Separation of functions for prosecuting civil penalties and advising the FAA...

Global warming potential of material fractions occurring in source-separated organic household waste treated by anaerobic digestion or incineration under different framework conditions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Naroznova, Irina; Møller, Jacob; Scheutz, Charlotte

2016-01-01

This study compared the environmental profiles of anaerobic digestion (AD) and incineration, in relation to global warming potential (GWP), for treating individual material fractions that may occur in source-separated organic household waste (SSOHW). Different framework conditions representative...

Effects of Sleep on Word Pair Memory in Children – Separating Item and Source Memory Aspects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing-Yi Wang

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Word paired-associate learning is a well-established task to demonstrate sleep-dependent memory consolidation in adults as well as children. Sleep has also been proposed to benefit episodic features of memory, i.e., a memory for an event (item bound into the spatiotemporal context it has been experienced in (source. We aimed to explore if sleep enhances word pair memory in children by strengthening the episodic features of the memory, in particular. Sixty-one children (8–12 years studied two lists of word pairs with 1 h in between. Retrieval testing comprised cued recall of the target word of each word pair (item memory and recalling in which list the word pair had appeared in (source memory. Retrieval was tested either after 1 h (short retention interval or after 11 h, with this long retention interval covering either nocturnal sleep or daytime wakefulness. Compared with the wake interval, sleep enhanced separate recall of both word pairs and the lists per se, while recall of the combination of the word pair and the list it had appeared in remained unaffected by sleep. An additional comparison with adult controls (n = 37 suggested that item-source bound memory (combined recall of word pair and list is generally diminished in children. Our results argue against the view that the sleep-induced enhancement in paired-associate learning in children is a consequence of sleep specifically enhancing the episodic features of the memory representation. On the contrary, sleep in children might strengthen item and source representations in isolation, while leaving the episodic memory representations (item-source binding unaffected.

On the Reliability of Source Time Functions Estimated Using Empirical Green's Function Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Gallegos, A. C.; Xie, J.; Suarez Salas, L.

2017-12-01

The Empirical Green's Function (EGF) method (Hartzell, 1978) has been widely used to extract source time functions (STFs). In this method, seismograms generated by collocated events with different magnitudes are deconvolved. Under a fundamental assumption that the STF of the small event is a delta function, the deconvolved Relative Source Time Function (RSTF) yields the large event's STF. While this assumption can be empirically justified by examination of differences in event size and frequency content of the seismograms, there can be a lack of rigorous justification of the assumption. In practice, a small event might have a finite duration when the RSTF is retrieved and interpreted as the large event STF with a bias. In this study, we rigorously analyze this bias using synthetic waveforms generated by convolving a realistic Green's function waveform with pairs of finite-duration triangular or parabolic STFs. The RSTFs are found using a time-domain based matrix deconvolution. We find when the STFs of smaller events are finite, the RSTFs are a series of narrow non-physical spikes. Interpreting these RSTFs as a series of high-frequency source radiations would be very misleading. The only reliable and unambiguous information we can retrieve from these RSTFs is the difference in durations and the moment ratio of the two STFs. We can apply a Tikhonov smoothing to obtain a single-pulse RSTF, but its duration is dependent on the choice of weighting, which may be subjective. We then test the Multi-Channel Deconvolution (MCD) method (Plourde & Bostock, 2017) which assumes that both STFs have finite durations to be solved for. A concern about the MCD method is that the number of unknown parameters is larger, which would tend to make the problem rank-deficient. Because the kernel matrix is dependent on the STFs to be solved for under a positivity constraint, we can only estimate the rank-deficiency with a semi-empirical approach. Based on the results so far, we find that the

Viscoelastic effects in three-dimensional microphase separation of block copolymers : Dynamic mean-field density functional approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Maurits, NM; Zvelindovsky, AV; Fraaije, JGEM

1998-01-01

In the present paper, we extend the dynamic mean-field density functional method which describes microphase separation phenomena in polymer liquids, to account for viscoelastic effects. The effect of simple steady shear on polymer orientation and elongation is taken into account by adapting the

Online artifact removal for brain-computer interfaces using support vector machines and blind source separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Halder, Sebastian; Bensch, Michael; Mellinger, Jürgen; Bogdan, Martin; Kübler, Andrea; Birbaumer, Niels; Rosenstiel, Wolfgang

2007-01-01

We propose a combination of blind source separation (BSS) and independent component analysis (ICA) (signal decomposition into artifacts and nonartifacts) with support vector machines (SVMs) (automatic classification) that are designed for online usage. In order to select a suitable BSS/ICA method, three ICA algorithms (JADE, Infomax, and FastICA) and one BSS algorithm (AMUSE) are evaluated to determine their ability to isolate electromyographic (EMG) and electrooculographic (EOG) artifacts into individual components. An implementation of the selected BSS/ICA method with SVMs trained to classify EMG and EOG artifacts, which enables the usage of the method as a filter in measurements with online feedback, is described. This filter is evaluated on three BCI datasets as a proof-of-concept of the method.

Irradiated fuel by-product separation research in Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burston, M.

1984-01-01

Although no decision has been made to reprocess irradiated CANDU fuel, by-product separation research has recently been initiated in Canada because of its potential importance to Canadian research programs in advanced fuel cycles (especially U/Pu cycle development in the near term) and nuclear waste management. In addition, separated by-products could have a significant commercial potential. Demonstrated applications include: heat sources, gamma radiation sources, light sources, new materials for productions of other useful isotopes, etc. For illustrative purposes the calculated market value of by-products currently stored in irradiated CANDU fuel is approximately $210/kgU. Ontario Hydro has initiated a program to study the application of new separation technolgies, such as laser-based techniques and the plasma ion cyclotron resonance separation technique, to either augment and/or supplant the chemical extraction methods. The main goal is to develop new, more economical extraction methods in order to increase the magnitude of the advantages resulting from this approach to reprocessing. (author)

Statistical measurement of the gamma-ray source-count distribution as a function of energy

Science.gov (United States)

Zechlin, H.-S.; Cuoco, A.; Donato, F.; Fornengo, N.; Regis, M.

2017-01-01

Photon counts statistics have recently been proven to provide a sensitive observable for characterizing gamma-ray source populations and for measuring the composition of the gamma-ray sky. In this work, we generalize the use of the standard 1-point probability distribution function (1pPDF) to decompose the high-latitude gamma-ray emission observed with Fermi-LAT into: (i) point-source contributions, (ii) the Galactic foreground contribution, and (iii) a diffuse isotropic background contribution. We analyze gamma-ray data in five adjacent energy bands between 1 and 171 GeV. We measure the source-count distribution dN/dS as a function of energy, and demonstrate that our results extend current measurements from source catalogs to the regime of so far undetected sources. Our method improves the sensitivity for resolving point-source populations by about one order of magnitude in flux. The dN/dS distribution as a function of flux is found to be compatible with a broken power law. We derive upper limits on further possible breaks as well as the angular power of unresolved sources. We discuss the composition of the gamma-ray sky and capabilities of the 1pPDF method.

Ammonia producing engine utilizing oxygen separation

Science.gov (United States)

Easley, Jr., William Lanier; Coleman, Gerald Nelson [Petersborough, GB; Robel, Wade James [Peoria, IL

2008-12-16

A power system is provided having a power source, a first power source section with a first intake passage and a first exhaust passage, a second power source section with a second intake passage and a second exhaust passage, and an oxygen separator. The second intake passage may be fluidly isolated from the first intake passage.

Isotope separation by photoselective dissociative electron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stevens, C.G.

1978-01-01

A method of separating isotopes based on photoselective electron capture dissociation of molecules having an electron capture cross section dependence on the vibrational state of the molecule is described. A molecular isotope source material is irradiated to selectively excite those molecules containing a desired isotope to a predetermined vibrational state having associated therewith an electron capture energy region substantially non-overlapping with the electron capture energy ranges associated with the lowest vibration states of the molecules. The isotope source is also subjected to electrons having an energy corresponding to the non-overlapping electron capture region whereby the selectively excited molecules preferentially capture electrons and dissociate into negative ions and neutrals. The desired isotope may be in the negative ion product or in the neutral product depending upon the mechanism of dissociation of the particular isotope source used. The dissociation product enriched in the desired isotope is then separated from the reaction system by conventional means. Specifically, 235 UF 6 is separated from a UF 6 mixture by selective excitation followed by dissociative electron capture into 235 UF 5 - and F

Wave resistance calculation method combining Green functions based on Rankine and Kelvin source

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LI Jingyu

2017-12-01

Full Text Available [Ojectives] At present, the Boundary Element Method(BEM of wave-making resistance mostly uses a model in which the velocity distribution near the hull is solved first, and the pressure integral is then calculated using the Bernoulli equation. However,the process of this model of wave-making resistance is complex and has low accuracy.[Methods] To address this problem, the present paper deduces a compound method for the quick calculation of ship wave resistance using the Rankine source Green function to solve the hull surface's source density, and combining the Lagally theorem concerning source point force calculation based on the Kelvin source Green function so as to solve the wave resistance. A case for the Wigley model is given.[Results] The results show that in contrast to the thin ship method of the linear wave resistance theorem, this method has higher precision, and in contrast to the method which completely uses the Kelvin source Green function, this method has better computational efficiency.[Conclusions] In general, the algorithm in this paper provides a compromise between precision and efficiency in wave-making resistance calculation.

Functional group composition of ambient and source organic aerosols determined by tandem mass spectrometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dron, J.; El Haddad, I.; Temime-Roussel, B.; Wortham, H.; Marchand, N. [Univ Aix Marseille, CNRS, Lab Chim Provence, Equipe Instrumentat and React Atmospher, UMR 6264, F-13331 Marseille 3 (France); Jaffrezo, J.L. [Univ Grenoble 1, CNRS, UMR 5183, Lab Glaciol and Geophys Environm, F-38402 St Martin Dheres (France)

2010-07-01

The functional group composition of various organic aerosols (OA) is investigated using a recently developed analytical approach based on atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry (APCIMS/MS). The determinations of three functional groups contents are performed quantitatively by neutral loss (carboxylic and carbonyl groups, R-COOH and R-CO-R' respectively) and precursor ion (nitro groups, R-NO{sub 2}) scanning modes of a tandem mass spectrometer. Major organic aerosol sources are studied: vehicular emission and wood combustion for primary aerosol sources; and a secondary organic aerosol (SOA) produced through photooxidation of o-xylene. The results reveal significant differences in the functional group contents of these source aerosols. The laboratory generated SOA is dominated by carbonyls while carboxylics are preponderate in the wood combustion particles. On the other hand, vehicular emissions are characterised by a strong nitro content. The total amount of the three functional groups accounts for 1.7% (vehicular) to 13.5% (o-xylene photooxidation) of the organic carbon. Diagnostic functional group ratios are then used to tentatively discriminate sources of particles collected in an urban background environment located in an Alpine valley (Chamonix, France) during a strong winter pollution event. The three functional groups under study account for a total functionalization rate of 2.2 to 3.8% of the organic carbon in this ambient aerosol, which is also dominated by carboxylic moieties. In this particular case study of a deep alpine valley during winter, we show that the nitro- and carbonyl-to-carboxylic diagnostic ratios can be a useful tool to discriminate sources. In these conditions, the total OA concentrations are highly dominated by wood combustion OA. This result is confirmed by an organic markers source apportionment approach which assess a wood burning organic carbon contribution of about 60%. Finally, examples of functional

A Maximum Likelihood Estimation of Vocal-Tract-Related Filter Characteristics for Single Channel Speech Separation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dansereau Richard M

2007-01-01

Full Text Available We present a new technique for separating two speech signals from a single recording. The proposed method bridges the gap between underdetermined blind source separation techniques and those techniques that model the human auditory system, that is, computational auditory scene analysis (CASA. For this purpose, we decompose the speech signal into the excitation signal and the vocal-tract-related filter and then estimate the components from the mixed speech using a hybrid model. We first express the probability density function (PDF of the mixed speech's log spectral vectors in terms of the PDFs of the underlying speech signal's vocal-tract-related filters. Then, the mean vectors of PDFs of the vocal-tract-related filters are obtained using a maximum likelihood estimator given the mixed signal. Finally, the estimated vocal-tract-related filters along with the extracted fundamental frequencies are used to reconstruct estimates of the individual speech signals. The proposed technique effectively adds vocal-tract-related filter characteristics as a new cue to CASA models using a new grouping technique based on an underdetermined blind source separation. We compare our model with both an underdetermined blind source separation and a CASA method. The experimental results show that our model outperforms both techniques in terms of SNR improvement and the percentage of crosstalk suppression.

A Maximum Likelihood Estimation of Vocal-Tract-Related Filter Characteristics for Single Channel Speech Separation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad H. Radfar

2006-11-01

Full Text Available We present a new technique for separating two speech signals from a single recording. The proposed method bridges the gap between underdetermined blind source separation techniques and those techniques that model the human auditory system, that is, computational auditory scene analysis (CASA. For this purpose, we decompose the speech signal into the excitation signal and the vocal-tract-related filter and then estimate the components from the mixed speech using a hybrid model. We first express the probability density function (PDF of the mixed speech's log spectral vectors in terms of the PDFs of the underlying speech signal's vocal-tract-related filters. Then, the mean vectors of PDFs of the vocal-tract-related filters are obtained using a maximum likelihood estimator given the mixed signal. Finally, the estimated vocal-tract-related filters along with the extracted fundamental frequencies are used to reconstruct estimates of the individual speech signals. The proposed technique effectively adds vocal-tract-related filter characteristics as a new cue to CASA models using a new grouping technique based on an underdetermined blind source separation. We compare our model with both an underdetermined blind source separation and a CASA method. The experimental results show that our model outperforms both techniques in terms of SNR improvement and the percentage of crosstalk suppression.

Evaluation of TG-43 recommended 2D-anisotropy function for elongated brachytherapy sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Awan, Shahid B.; Meigooni, Ali S.; Mokhberiosgouei, Ramin; Hussain, Manzoor

2006-01-01

The original and updated protocols recommended by Task Group 43 from the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (i.e., TG-43 and TG-43U1, respectively), have been introduced to unify brachytherapy source dosimetry around the world. Both of these protocols are based on experiences with sources less than 1.0 cm in length. TG-43U1 recommends that for 103 Pd sources, 2D anisotropy function F(r,θ), should be tabulated at a minimum for radial distances of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 5.0 cm. Anisotropy functions defined in these protocols are only valid when the point of calculation does not fall on the active length of the source. However, for elongated brachytherapy sources (active length >1 cm), some of the calculation points with r 103 Pd source at radial distances of 2.5, 3.0, and 4.0 cm were 2.95, 1.74, and 1.19, respectively, with differences up to about a factor of 3. Therefore, the validity of the linear interpolation technique for an elongated brachytherapy source with such a large variation in F(r,θ) needs to be investigated. In this project, application of the TG-43U1 formalism for dose calculation around an elongated RadioCoil trade mark sign 103 Pd brachytherapy source has been investigated. In addition, the linear interpolation techniques as described in TG-43U1 for seed type sources have been evaluated for a 5.0 cm long RadioCoil trade mark sign 103 Pd brachytherapy source. Application of a polynomial fit to F(r,θ) has also been investigated as an alternate approach to the linear interpolation technique. The results of these investigations indicate that the TG-43U1 formalism can be extended for elongated brachytherapy sources, if the two-dimensional (2D) anisotropy function is tabulated at a minimum for radial distances of 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 cm, L/2, and L/2±0.2 cm. Moreover, with the addition of recommended radial distances for 2D anisotropy functions, the linear interpolation technique more closely replicates

Treatment of Source-Separated Blackwater: A Decentralized Strategy for Nutrient Recovery towards a Circular Economy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melesse Eshetu Moges

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Using a filter medium for organic matter removal and nutrient recovery from blackwater treatment is a novel concept and has not been investigated sufficiently to date. This paper demonstrates a combined blackwater treatment and nutrient-recovery strategy and establishes mechanisms for a more dependable source of plant nutrients aiming at a circular economy. Source-separated blackwater from a student dormitory was used as feedstock for a sludge blanket anaerobic-baffled reactor. The effluent from the reactor, with 710 mg L−1 NH4–N and 63 mg L−1 PO4–P, was treated in a sequence of upflow and downflow filtration columns using granular activated carbon, Cocos char and polonite as filter media at a flow rate of 600 L m−2 day−1 and organic loading rate of 430 g chemical oxygen demand (COD m−2 day−1. Filtration treatment of the anaerobic effluent with carbon adsorbents removed 80% of the residual organic matter, more than 90% of suspended solids, and turbidity while releasing more than 76% NH4–N and 85% of PO4–P in the liquid phase. The treatment train also removed total coliform bacteria and E. coli in the effluent, achieving concentrations below detection limit after the integration of ultraviolet (UV light. These integrated technological pathways ensure simultaneous nutrient recovery as a nutrient solution, pathogen inactivation, and reduction of active organic substances. The treated nutrient-rich water can be applied as a source of value creation for various end-use options.

Functional group composition of ambient and source organic aerosols determined by tandem mass spectrometry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Dron

2010-08-01

Full Text Available The functional group composition of various organic aerosols (OA is investigated using a recently developed analytical approach based on atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry (APCI-MS/MS. The determinations of three functional groups contents are performed quantitatively by neutral loss (carboxylic and carbonyl groups, R-COOH and R-CO-R´ respectively and precursor ion (nitro groups, R-NO₂ scanning modes of a tandem mass spectrometer. Major organic aerosol sources are studied: vehicular emission and wood combustion for primary aerosol sources; and a secondary organic aerosol (SOA produced through photooxidation of o-xylene. The results reveal significant differences in the functional group contents of these source aerosols. The laboratory generated SOA is dominated by carbonyls while carboxylics are preponderate in the wood combustion particles. On the other hand, vehicular emissions are characterised by a strong nitro content. The total amount of the three functional groups accounts for 1.7% (vehicular to 13.5% (o-xylene photooxidation of the organic carbon. Diagnostic functional group ratios are then used to tentatively discriminate sources of particles collected in an urban background environment located in an Alpine valley (Chamonix, France during a strong winter pollution event. The three functional groups under study account for a total functionalisation rate of 2.2 to 3.8% of the organic carbon in this ambient aerosol, which is also dominated by carboxylic moieties. In this particular case study of a deep alpine valley during winter, we show that the nitro- and carbonyl-to-carboxylic diagnostic ratios can be a useful tool to discriminate sources. In these conditions, the total OA concentrations are highly dominated by wood combustion OA. This result is confirmed by an organic markers source apportionment approach which assess a wood burning organic carbon contribution of about 60

Review of Membranes for Helium Separation and Purification

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Colin A. Scholes

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Membrane gas separation has potential for the recovery and purification of helium, because the majority of membranes have selectivity for helium. This review reports on the current state of the research and patent literature for membranes undertaking helium separation. This includes direct recovery from natural gas, as an ancillary stage in natural gas processing, as well as niche applications where helium recycling has potential. A review of the available polymeric and inorganic membranes for helium separation is provided. Commercial gas separation membranes in comparable gas industries are discussed in terms of their potential in helium separation. Also presented are the various membrane process designs patented for the recovery and purification of helium from various sources, as these demonstrate that it is viable to separate helium through currently available polymeric membranes. This review places a particular focus on those processes where membranes are combined in series with another separation technology, commonly pressure swing adsorption. These combined processes have the most potential for membranes to produce a high purity helium product. The review demonstrates that membrane gas separation is technically feasible for helium recovery and purification, though membranes are currently only applied in niche applications focused on reusing helium rather than separation from natural sources.

Source separation on hyperspectral cube applied to dermatology

Science.gov (United States)

Mitra, J.; Jolivot, R.; Vabres, P.; Marzani, F. S.

2010-03-01

This paper proposes a method of quantification of the components underlying the human skin that are supposed to be responsible for the effective reflectance spectrum of the skin over the visible wavelength. The method is based on independent component analysis assuming that the epidermal melanin and the dermal haemoglobin absorbance spectra are independent of each other. The method extracts the source spectra that correspond to the ideal absorbance spectra of melanin and haemoglobin. The noisy melanin spectrum is fixed using a polynomial fit and the quantifications associated with it are reestimated. The results produce feasible quantifications of each source component in the examined skin patch.

Uncertainty in Earthquake Source Imaging Due to Variations in Source Time Function and Earth Structure

KAUST Repository

Razafindrakoto, H. N. T.; Mai, Paul Martin

2014-01-01

One way to improve the accuracy and reliability of kinematic earthquake source imaging is to investigate the origin of uncertainty and to minimize their effects. The difficulties in kinematic source inversion arise from the nonlinearity of the problem, nonunique choices in the parameterization, and observational errors. We analyze particularly the uncertainty related to the choice of the source time function (STF) and the variability in Earth structure. We consider a synthetic data set generated from a spontaneous dynamic rupture calculation. Using Bayesian inference, we map the solution space of peak slip rate, rupture time, and rise time to characterize the kinematic rupture in terms of posterior density functions. Our test to investigate the effect of the choice of STF reveals that all three tested STFs (isosceles triangle, regularized Yoffe with acceleration time of 0.1 and 0.3 s) retrieve the patch of high slip and slip rate around the hypocenter. However, the use of an isosceles triangle as STF artificially accelerates the rupture to propagate faster than the target solution. It additionally generates an artificial linear correlation between rupture onset time and rise time. These appear to compensate for the dynamic source effects that are not included in the symmetric triangular STF. The exact rise time for the tested STFs is difficult to resolve due to the small amount of radiated seismic moment in the tail of STF. To highlight the effect of Earth structure variability, we perform inversions including the uncertainty in the wavespeed only, and variability in both wavespeed and layer depth. We find that little difference is noticeable between the resulting rupture model uncertainties from these two parameterizations. Both significantly broaden the posterior densities and cause faster rupture propagation particularly near the hypocenter due to the major velocity change at the depth where the fault is located.

Uncertainty in Earthquake Source Imaging Due to Variations in Source Time Function and Earth Structure

KAUST Repository

Razafindrakoto, H. N. T.

2014-03-25

One way to improve the accuracy and reliability of kinematic earthquake source imaging is to investigate the origin of uncertainty and to minimize their effects. The difficulties in kinematic source inversion arise from the nonlinearity of the problem, nonunique choices in the parameterization, and observational errors. We analyze particularly the uncertainty related to the choice of the source time function (STF) and the variability in Earth structure. We consider a synthetic data set generated from a spontaneous dynamic rupture calculation. Using Bayesian inference, we map the solution space of peak slip rate, rupture time, and rise time to characterize the kinematic rupture in terms of posterior density functions. Our test to investigate the effect of the choice of STF reveals that all three tested STFs (isosceles triangle, regularized Yoffe with acceleration time of 0.1 and 0.3 s) retrieve the patch of high slip and slip rate around the hypocenter. However, the use of an isosceles triangle as STF artificially accelerates the rupture to propagate faster than the target solution. It additionally generates an artificial linear correlation between rupture onset time and rise time. These appear to compensate for the dynamic source effects that are not included in the symmetric triangular STF. The exact rise time for the tested STFs is difficult to resolve due to the small amount of radiated seismic moment in the tail of STF. To highlight the effect of Earth structure variability, we perform inversions including the uncertainty in the wavespeed only, and variability in both wavespeed and layer depth. We find that little difference is noticeable between the resulting rupture model uncertainties from these two parameterizations. Both significantly broaden the posterior densities and cause faster rupture propagation particularly near the hypocenter due to the major velocity change at the depth where the fault is located.

Method and apparatus for separating isotopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harris, S.E.

1976-01-01

Isotope separation is achieved between species A and B having an absorption resonance separated by an isotopic shift by selectively exciting a portion of species A using a tunable photon source of narrow emission line with and subsequently causing collisions with an optically excited third species to selectively ionize the excited portion of species A. When ionized, species A is easily separated by any technique, using its ionized condition to distinguish it from species B. 18 claims, 3 drawing figures

Membrane processes in production of functional whey components

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lutfiye Yilmaz-Ersan

2009-12-01

Full Text Available In recent years, whey has been recognised as a major source of nutritional and functional ingredients for the food industry. Commercial whey products include various powders, whey protein concentrates and isolates, and fractionated proteins, such as a-lactalbumin and b-lactoglobulin. The increased interest in separation and fractionation of whey proteins arises from the differences in their functional, biological and nutritional properties. In response to concerns about environmental aspects, research has been focused on membrane filtration technology, which provides exciting new opportunities for large-scale protein and lactose fractionation. Membrane separation is such technique in which particles are separated according to their molecular size. The types of membrane processing techniques are ultrafiltration, microfiltration, reverse osmosis, pervaporation, electrodialysis and nanofiltration. A higher purification of whey proteins is possible by combining membrane separation with ion-exchange. This paper provides an overview of types and applications of membrane separation techniques

Amine functionalized magnetic nanoparticles for removal of oil droplets from produced water and accelerated magnetic separation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ko, Saebom, E-mail: saebomko@austin.utexas.edu [University of Texas, Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering (United States); Kim, Eun Song [University of Texas, Department of Biomedical Engineering (United States); Park, Siman [University of Texas, Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering (United States); Daigle, Hugh [University of Texas, Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering (United States); Milner, Thomas E. [University of Texas, Department of Biomedical Engineering (United States); Huh, Chun [University of Texas, Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering (United States); Bennetzen, Martin V. [Maersk Oil Corporate (Denmark); Geremia, Giuliano A. [Maersk Oil Research and Technology Centre (Qatar)

2017-04-15

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with surface coatings designed for water treatment, in particular for targeted removal of contaminants from produced water in oil fields, have drawn considerable attention due to their environmental merit. The goal of this study was to develop an efficient method of removing very stable, micron-scale oil droplets dispersed in oilfield produced water. We synthesized MNPs in the laboratory with a prescribed surface coating. The MNPs were superparamagnetic magnetite, and the hydrodynamic size of amine functionalized MNPs ranges from 21 to 255 nm with an average size of 66 nm. The initial oil content of 0.25 wt.% was reduced by as much as 99.9% in separated water. The electrostatic attraction between negatively charged oil-in-water emulsions and positively charged MNPs controls, the attachment of MNPs to the droplet surface, and the subsequent aggregation of the electrically neutral oil droplets with attached MNPs (MNPs-oils) play a critical role in accelerated and efficient magnetic separation. The total magnetic separation time was dramatically reduced to as short as 1 s after MNPs, and oil droplets were mixed, in contrast with the case of free, individual MNPs with which separation took about 36∼72 h, depending on the MNP concentrations. Model calculations of magnetic separation velocity, accounting for the MNP magnetization and viscous drag, show that the total magnetic separation time will be approximately 5 min or less, when the size of the MNPs-oils is greater than 360 nm, which can be used as an optimum operating condition.

Functional groups in North Chilean desert shrub species, based on the water sources used

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Squeo, Francisco A; Olivares, Nancy; Olivares, Sandra; Jorquera, Carmen; Pollastri, Alberto; Aguirre, Evelyn; Aravena, Ramon; Ehleringer, James R

1999-01-01

Primary productivity and vegetation structure in arid ecosystems are determined by water availability. In studies conducted in the coastal dry land of North Central Chile (29 degrees 43'S; 71degrees 14'0, 300m), the mechanisms to use different water sources by shrubs species, in two contrasting rainfall years were compared. Information on pheno logical studies, root architecture and water sources used by shrubs through the use of stable isotopes is are discussed. Six functional groups based on water uptake and water use are recognized. The functional groups were defined based on their habits (deciduous and evergreen), their root systems, (shallow, dimorphic and deep), and their ability to use different water sources (surficial and/or deep). Because of the differential impact of the goat overgrazing on different functional groups, this would result on a lower utilization of surficial waters. A management and/or restoration plan should maximize the use of all water sources available to recover the primary productivity and the system stability

Auto white balance method using a pigmentation separation technique for human skin color

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Satomi; Kakinuma, Akihiro; Kamijo, Naohiro; Takahashi, Hiroshi; Tsumura, Norimichi

2017-02-01

The human visual system maintains the perception of colors of an object across various light sources. Similarly, current digital cameras feature an auto white balance function, which estimates the illuminant color and corrects the color of a photograph as if the photograph was taken under a certain light source. The main subject in a photograph is often a person's face, which could be used to estimate the illuminant color. However, such estimation is adversely affected by differences in facial colors among individuals. The present paper proposes an auto white balance algorithm based on a pigmentation separation method that separates the human skin color image into the components of melanin, hemoglobin and shading. Pigment densities have a uniform property within the same race that can be calculated from the components of melanin and hemoglobin in the face. We, thus, propose a method that uses the subject's facial color in an image and is unaffected by individual differences in facial color among Japanese people.

Self-similar two-particle separation model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lüthi, Beat; Berg, Jacob; Ott, Søren

2007-01-01

.g.; in the inertial range as epsilon−1/3r2/3. Particle separation is modeled as a Gaussian process without invoking information of Eulerian acceleration statistics or of precise shapes of Eulerian velocity distribution functions. The time scale is a function of S2(r) and thus of the Lagrangian evolving separation......We present a new stochastic model for relative two-particle separation in turbulence. Inspired by material line stretching, we suggest that a similar process also occurs beyond the viscous range, with time scaling according to the longitudinal second-order structure function S2(r), e....... The model predictions agree with numerical and experimental results for various initial particle separations. We present model results for fixed time and fixed scale statistics. We find that for the Richardson-Obukhov law, i.e., =gepsilont3, to hold and to also be observed in experiments, high Reynolds...

Subjective and Objective Quality Assessment of Single-Channel Speech Separation Algorithms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mowlaee, Pejman; Saeidi, Rahim; Christensen, Mads Græsbøll

2012-01-01

Previous studies on performance evaluation of single-channel speech separation (SCSS) algorithms mostly focused on automatic speech recognition (ASR) accuracy as their performance measure. Assessing the separated signals by different metrics other than this has the benefit that the results...... are expected to carry on to other applications beyond ASR. In this paper, in addition to conventional speech quality metrics (PESQ and SNRloss), we also evaluate the separation systems output using different source separation metrics: blind source separation evaluation (BSS EVAL) and perceptual evaluation...... that PESQ and PEASS quality metrics predict well the subjective quality of separated signals obtained by the separation systems. From the results it is observed that the short-time objective intelligibility (STOI) measure predict the speech intelligibility results....

Effective ligand functionalization of zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks for the adsorption and separation of benzene and toluene: a multiscale computational study.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Ying; Chen, Huiyong; Liu, Defei; Xiao, Jing; Qian, Yu; Xi, Hongxia

2015-03-18

The adsorption and separation properties of benzene and toluene on the zirconium-based frameworks UiO-66, -67, -68, and their functional analogues UiO-Phe and UiO-Me2 were studied using grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations, density functional theory, and ideal adsorbed solution theory. Remarkable higher adsorption uptakes of benzene and toluene at low pressures on UiO-Phe and -Me2 were found compared to their parent framework UiO-67. It can be ascribed to the presence of functional groups (aromatic rings and methyl groups) that significantly intensified the adsorption, majorly by reducing the effective pore size and increasing the interaction strength with the adsorbates. At high pressures, the pore volumes and accessible surfaces of the frameworks turned out to be the dominant factors governing the adsorption. In the case of toluene/benzene separation, toluene selectivities of UiOs showed a two-stage separation behavior at the measured pressure range, resulting from the greater interaction affinities of toluene at low pressures and steric hindrance effects at high pressures. Additionally, the counterbalancing factors of enhanced π delocalization and suitable pore size of UiO-Phe gave rise to the highest toluene selectivity, suggesting the ligand functionalization strategy could reach both high adsorption capacity and separation selectivity from aromatic mixtures at low concentrations.

The Contribution of Executive Function to Source Memory Development in Early Childhood

Science.gov (United States)

Rajan, Vinaya; Cuevas, Kimberly; Bell, Martha Ann

2014-01-01

Age-related differences in episodic memory judgments assessing recall of fact information and the source of this information were examined. The role of executive function (EF) in supporting early episodic memory ability was also explored. Four- and 6-year-old children were taught 10 novel facts from two different sources (experimenter or puppet),…

Development of methodology for separation and recovery of uranium from nuclear wastewater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Satpati, S.K.; Roy, S.B.; Pal, Sangita; Tewari, P.K.

2015-01-01

Uranium plays a key role in nuclear power supply, demand of which is growing up with time because of its prospective features. Persistent increase in different nuclear activities leads to increase generation of nuclear wastewater containing uranium. Separation and recovery of the uranium from its unconventional source like nuclear wastewater is worth to explore for addressing the reutilisation of the uranium source. It is also necessary to improve remediation technology of nuclear industries for environmental protection. Development of a suitable process methodology is essential for the purpose to supersede the conventional methodology. In the article, recent developments in several possible methodologies for separation of uranium from dilute solution have been discussed with their merits and demerits. Sorption technique as solid phase extraction methodology has been chosen with suitable polymer matrix and functional moiety based on wastewater characteristics. Polyhydroxamic Acid, PHOA sorbent synthesized following eco-friendly procedure is a promising polymeric chelating sorbents for remediation of nuclear wastewaters and recovery of uranium. Sorption and elution characteristics of the PHOA have been evaluated and illustrated for separation and recovery of uranium from a sample nuclear wastewater. For the remediation of nuclear wastewater SPE technique applying the PHOA, a polymeric sorbent is found to be a potentially suitable methodology. (author)

Addendum to foundations of multidimensional wave field signal theory: Gaussian source function

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalie Baddour

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Many important physical phenomena are described by wave or diffusion-wave type equations. Recent work has shown that a transform domain signal description from linear system theory can give meaningful insight to multi-dimensional wave fields. In N. Baddour [AIP Adv. 1, 022120 (2011], certain results were derived that are mathematically useful for the inversion of multi-dimensional Fourier transforms, but more importantly provide useful insight into how source functions are related to the resulting wave field. In this short addendum to that work, it is shown that these results can be applied with a Gaussian source function, which is often useful for modelling various physical phenomena.

Addendum to foundations of multidimensional wave field signal theory: Gaussian source function

Science.gov (United States)

Baddour, Natalie

2018-02-01

Many important physical phenomena are described by wave or diffusion-wave type equations. Recent work has shown that a transform domain signal description from linear system theory can give meaningful insight to multi-dimensional wave fields. In N. Baddour [AIP Adv. 1, 022120 (2011)], certain results were derived that are mathematically useful for the inversion of multi-dimensional Fourier transforms, but more importantly provide useful insight into how source functions are related to the resulting wave field. In this short addendum to that work, it is shown that these results can be applied with a Gaussian source function, which is often useful for modelling various physical phenomena.

Understanding handpump sustainability: Determinants of rural water source functionality in the Greater Afram Plains region of Ghana.

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, Michael B; Shields, Katherine F; Chan, Terence U; Christenson, Elizabeth; Cronk, Ryan D; Leker, Hannah; Samani, Destina; Apoya, Patrick; Lutz, Alexandra; Bartram, Jamie

2015-10-01

Safe drinking water is critical to human health and development. In rural sub-Saharan Africa, most improved water sources are boreholes with handpumps; studies suggest that up to one third of these handpumps are nonfunctional at any given time. This work presents findings from a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from 1509 water sources in 570 communities in the rural Greater Afram Plains (GAP) region of Ghana; one of the largest studies of its kind. 79.4% of enumerated water sources were functional when visited; in multivariable regressions, functionality depended on source age, management, tariff collection, the number of other sources in the community, and the district. A Bayesian network (BN) model developed using the same data set found strong dependencies of functionality on implementer, pump type, management, and the availability of tools, with synergistic effects from management determinants on functionality, increasing the likelihood of a source being functional from a baseline of 72% to more than 97% with optimal management and available tools. We suggest that functionality may be a dynamic equilibrium between regular breakdowns and repairs, with management a key determinant of repair rate. Management variables may interact synergistically in ways better captured by BN analysis than by logistic regressions. These qualitative findings may prove generalizable beyond the study area, and may offer new approaches to understanding and increasing handpump functionality and safe water access.

Developing methodologies for source attribution. Glass phase separation in Trinitite using NF{sub 3}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koeman, Elizabeth C.; Simonetti, Antonio [Notre Dame Univ., IN (United States). Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences; McNamara, Bruce K.; Smith, Frances N. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA (United States). Nuclear Chemistry and Engineering; Burns, Peter C. [Notre Dame Univ., IN (United States). Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences; Notre Dame Univ., IN (United States). Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry

2017-08-01

separation of silica from minerals (i.e. naturally occurring crystalline materials) and glasses (i.e. amorphous materials), leaving behind non-volatile fluorinated species and refractory phases. The results from our investigation clearly indicate that the NF{sub 3} treatment of nuclear materials is a technique that provides effective separation of bomb components from complex matrices (e.g. post-detonation samples), which will aid with rapid and accurate source attribution.

Preparation of Al/Si functionally graded materials using ultrasonic separation method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Zhongtao

2008-08-01

Full Text Available Functionally graded materials (FGM have been widely used in many industries such as aerospace, energy and electronics. In this experimental study of fabricating FGM, an approach was developed to prepare Al/Si FGM using power ultrasonic separation method. Material sample with continuously changing composition and performance/properties was successfully produced. Results showed that the microstructure of the FGM sample transited, from its top to bottom, from the hypereutectic structure with a large quantity of primary Si gradually to the eutectic, and fi nally to the hypoeutectic with numerous primary Al dendrites. The distribution of primary Si and microhardness of the FGM sample also presented graded characteristics, resulting that the wear resistance of the FGM sample decreased from top to bottom. Preliminary discussion was made on the mechanism of the formation of Al/Si FGM.

Using non-empirically tuned range-separated functionals with simulated emission bands to model fluorescence lifetimes.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Z C; Fan, W Y; Chwee, T S; Sullivan, Michael B

2017-08-09

Fluorescence lifetimes were evaluated using TD-DFT under different approximations for the emitting molecule and various exchange-correlation functionals, such as B3LYP, BMK, CAM-B3LYP, LC-BLYP, M06, M06-2X, M11, PBE0, ωB97, ωB97X, LC-BLYP*, and ωB97X* where the range-separation parameters in the last two functionals were tuned in a non-empirical fashion. Changes in the optimised molecular geometries between the ground and electronically excited states were found to affect the quality of the calculated lifetimes significantly, while the inclusion of vibronic features led to further improvements over the assumption of a vertical electronic transition. The LC-BLYP* functional was found to return the most accurate fluorescence lifetimes with unsigned errors that are mostly within 1.5 ns of experimental values.

Distributed systems design using separable communications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Capel, A.C.; Yan, G.

1980-01-01

One of the promises of distributed systems is the ability to design each process function largely independently of the others, and in many cases locate the resulting hardware in close proximity to the application. The communications architecture for such systems should be approached in the same way, using separable communications facilities to meet individual sets of requirements while at the same time reducing the interactions between functions. Where complete physical separation is not feasible and hardware resource sharing is required, the protocols should be designed emphasizing the logical separation of communication paths. This paper discusses the different types of communications for process control applictions and the parameters which need to be characterized in designing separable communications for distributed systems. (auth)

Linear interpolation method in ensemble Kohn-Sham and range-separated density-functional approximations for excited states

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Senjean, Bruno; Knecht, Stefan; Jensen, Hans Jørgen Aa

2015-01-01

Gross-Oliveira-Kohn density-functional theory (GOK-DFT) for ensembles is, in principle, very attractive but has been hard to use in practice. A practical model based on GOK-DFT for the calculation of electronic excitation energies is discussed. The model relies on two modifications of GOK-DFT: use...... promising results have been obtained for both single (including charge transfer) and double excitations with spin-independent short-range local and semilocal functionals. Even at the Kohn-Sham ensemble DFT level, which is recovered when the range-separation parameter is set to 0, LIM performs better than...

Detecting phase separation of freeze-dried binary amorphous systems using pair-wise distribution function and multivariate data analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chieng, Norman; Trnka, Hjalte; Boetker, Johan

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of multivariate data analysis for powder X-ray diffraction-pair-wise distribution function (PXRD-PDF) data to detect phase separation in freeze-dried binary amorphous systems. Polymer-polymer and polymer-sugar binary systems at various ratios were...... freeze-dried. All samples were analyzed by PXRD, transformed to PDF and analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA). These results were validated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) through characterization of glass transition of the maximally freeze-concentrate solute (Tg'). Analysis of PXRD......-PDF data using PCA provides a more clear 'miscible' or 'phase separated' interpretation through the distribution pattern of samples on a score plot presentation compared to residual plot method. In a phase separated system, samples were found to be evenly distributed around the theoretical PDF profile...

Direct electrochemical oxidation of ammonia on graphite as a treatment option for stored source-separated urine.

Science.gov (United States)

Zöllig, Hanspeter; Fritzsche, Cristina; Morgenroth, Eberhard; Udert, Kai M

2015-02-01

Electrolysis can be a viable technology for ammonia removal from source-separated urine. Compared to biological nitrogen removal, electrolysis is more robust and is highly amenable to automation, which makes it especially attractive for on-site reactors. In electrolytic wastewater treatment, ammonia is usually removed by indirect oxidation through active chlorine which is produced in-situ at elevated anode potentials. However, the evolution of chlorine can lead to the formation of chlorate, perchlorate, chlorinated organic by-products and chloramines that are toxic. This study focuses on using direct ammonia oxidation on graphite at low anode potentials in order to overcome the formation of toxic by-products. With the aid of cyclic voltammetry, we demonstrated that graphite is active for direct ammonia oxidation without concomitant chlorine formation if the anode potential is between 1.1 and 1.6 V vs. SHE (standard hydrogen electrode). A comparison of potentiostatic bulk electrolysis experiments in synthetic stored urine with and without chloride confirmed that ammonia was removed exclusively by continuous direct oxidation. Direct oxidation required high pH values (pH > 9) because free ammonia was the actual reactant. In real stored urine (pH = 9.0), an ammonia removal rate of 2.9 ± 0.3 gN·m(-2)·d(-1) was achieved and the specific energy demand was 42 Wh·gN(-1) at an anode potential of 1.31 V vs. SHE. The measurements of chlorate and perchlorate as well as selected chlorinated organic by-products confirmed that no chlorinated by-products were formed in real urine. Electrode corrosion through graphite exfoliation was prevented and the surface was not poisoned by intermediate oxidation products. We conclude that direct ammonia oxidation on graphite electrodes is a treatment option for source-separated urine with three major advantages: The formation of chlorinated by-products is prevented, less energy is consumed than in indirect ammonia oxidation and

Source splitting via the point source method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Potthast, Roland; Fazi, Filippo M; Nelson, Philip A

2010-01-01

We introduce a new algorithm for source identification and field splitting based on the point source method (Potthast 1998 A point-source method for inverse acoustic and electromagnetic obstacle scattering problems IMA J. Appl. Math. 61 119–40, Potthast R 1996 A fast new method to solve inverse scattering problems Inverse Problems 12 731–42). The task is to separate the sound fields u j , j = 1, ..., n of n element of N sound sources supported in different bounded domains G 1 , ..., G n in R 3 from measurements of the field on some microphone array—mathematically speaking from the knowledge of the sum of the fields u = u 1 + ... + u n on some open subset Λ of a plane. The main idea of the scheme is to calculate filter functions g 1 ,…, g n , n element of N, to construct u l for l = 1, ..., n from u| Λ in the form u l (x) = ∫ Λ g l,x (y)u(y)ds(y), l=1,... n. (1) We will provide the complete mathematical theory for the field splitting via the point source method. In particular, we describe uniqueness, solvability of the problem and convergence and stability of the algorithm. In the second part we describe the practical realization of the splitting for real data measurements carried out at the Institute for Sound and Vibration Research at Southampton, UK. A practical demonstration of the original recording and the splitting results for real data is available online

Investigation and Comparison of Separate Meter-In Separate Meter-Out Control Strategies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Henrik C.; Andersen, Torben Ole; Skoubo, Tobias

2014-01-01

In the later years, there has been an increased focus on new valve types, which yield the possibility to do Separate Meter-In Separate Meter-Out (SMISMO) control. This includes both digital valves, but proportional valves with separate metering spools and build in pressure sensors are also emerging....... The possibility to independently control the meter-in and meter-out side not only increase the functionality of the system, but also opens up for better performance and/or lowered energy consumption. The focus of the current paper is therefore on investigation and comparison of what may be obtained using...

Developmental changes in fact and source recall: Contributions from executive function and brain electrical activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vinaya Rajan

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Source memory involves recollecting the contextual details surrounding a memory episode. When source information is bound together, it makes a memory episodic in nature. Unfortunately, very little is known about the factors that contribute to its formation in early development. This study examined the development of source memory in middle childhood. Measures of executive function were examined as potential sources of variation in fact and source recall. Continuous electroencephalogram (EEG measures were collected during baseline and fact and source retrieval in order to examine memory-related changes in EEG power. Six and 8-year-old children were taught 10 novel facts from two different sources and recall for fact and source information was later tested. Older children were better on fact recall, but both ages were comparable on source recall. However, source recall performance was poor at both ages, suggesting that this ability continues to develop beyond middle childhood. Regression analyses revealed that executive function uniquely predicted variance in source recall performance. Task-related increases in theta power were observed at frontal, temporal and parietal electrode sites during fact and source retrieval. This investigation contributes to our understanding of age-related differences in source memory processing in middle childhood.

Mass transfer apparatus and method for separation of gases

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blount, Gerald C.; Gorensek, Maximilian Boris; Hamm, Luther L.

2018-01-16

A process and apparatus for separating components of a source gas is provided in which more soluble components of the source gas are dissolved in an aqueous solvent at high pressure. The system can utilize hydrostatic pressure to increase solubility of the components of the source gas. The apparatus includes gas recycle throughout multiple mass transfer stages to improve mass transfer of the targeted components from the liquid to gas phase. Separated components can be recovered for use in a value added application or can be processed for long-term storage, for instance in an underwater reservoir.

Separators - Technology review: Ceramic based separators for secondary batteries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nestler, Tina; Schmid, Robert; Münchgesang, Wolfram; Bazhenov, Vasilii; Meyer, Dirk C. [Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg, Institut für Experimentelle Physik, Leipziger Str. 23, 09596 Freiberg (Germany); Schilm, Jochen [Fraunhofer-Institut für Keramische Technologien und Systeme IKTS, Winterbergstraße 28, 01277 Dresden (Germany); Leisegang, Tilmann [Fraunhofer-Technologiezentrum Halbleitermaterialien THM, Am St.-Niclas-Schacht 13, 09599 Freiberg (Germany)

2014-06-16

Besides a continuous increase of the worldwide use of electricity, the electric energy storage technology market is a growing sector. At the latest since the German energy transition ('Energiewende') was announced, technological solutions for the storage of renewable energy have been intensively studied. Storage technologies in various forms are commercially available. A widespread technology is the electrochemical cell. Here the cost per kWh, e. g. determined by energy density, production process and cycle life, is of main interest. Commonly, an electrochemical cell consists of an anode and a cathode that are separated by an ion permeable or ion conductive membrane - the separator - as one of the main components. Many applications use polymeric separators whose pores are filled with liquid electrolyte, providing high power densities. However, problems arise from different failure mechanisms during cell operation, which can affect the integrity and functionality of these separators. In the case of excessive heating or mechanical damage, the polymeric separators become an incalculable security risk. Furthermore, the growth of metallic dendrites between the electrodes leads to unwanted short circuits. In order to minimize these risks, temperature stable and non-flammable ceramic particles can be added, forming so-called composite separators. Full ceramic separators, in turn, are currently commercially used only for high-temperature operation systems, due to their comparably low ion conductivity at room temperature. However, as security and lifetime demands increase, these materials turn into focus also for future room temperature applications. Hence, growing research effort is being spent on the improvement of the ion conductivity of these ceramic solid electrolyte materials, acting as separator and electrolyte at the same time. Starting with a short overview of available separator technologies and the separator market, this review focuses on ceramic

Separators - Technology review: Ceramic based separators for secondary batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Nestler, Tina; Schmid, Robert; Münchgesang, Wolfram; Bazhenov, Vasilii; Schilm, Jochen; Leisegang, Tilmann; Meyer, Dirk C.

2014-06-01

Besides a continuous increase of the worldwide use of electricity, the electric energy storage technology market is a growing sector. At the latest since the German energy transition ("Energiewende") was announced, technological solutions for the storage of renewable energy have been intensively studied. Storage technologies in various forms are commercially available. A widespread technology is the electrochemical cell. Here the cost per kWh, e. g. determined by energy density, production process and cycle life, is of main interest. Commonly, an electrochemical cell consists of an anode and a cathode that are separated by an ion permeable or ion conductive membrane - the separator - as one of the main components. Many applications use polymeric separators whose pores are filled with liquid electrolyte, providing high power densities. However, problems arise from different failure mechanisms during cell operation, which can affect the integrity and functionality of these separators. In the case of excessive heating or mechanical damage, the polymeric separators become an incalculable security risk. Furthermore, the growth of metallic dendrites between the electrodes leads to unwanted short circuits. In order to minimize these risks, temperature stable and non-flammable ceramic particles can be added, forming so-called composite separators. Full ceramic separators, in turn, are currently commercially used only for high-temperature operation systems, due to their comparably low ion conductivity at room temperature. However, as security and lifetime demands increase, these materials turn into focus also for future room temperature applications. Hence, growing research effort is being spent on the improvement of the ion conductivity of these ceramic solid electrolyte materials, acting as separator and electrolyte at the same time. Starting with a short overview of available separator technologies and the separator market, this review focuses on ceramic-based separators

An investigation of the usability of sound recognition for source separation of packaging wastes in reverse vending machines.

Science.gov (United States)

Korucu, M Kemal; Kaplan, Özgür; Büyük, Osman; Güllü, M Kemal

2016-10-01

In this study, we investigate the usability of sound recognition for source separation of packaging wastes in reverse vending machines (RVMs). For this purpose, an experimental setup equipped with a sound recording mechanism was prepared. Packaging waste sounds generated by three physical impacts such as free falling, pneumatic hitting and hydraulic crushing were separately recorded using two different microphones. To classify the waste types and sizes based on sound features of the wastes, a support vector machine (SVM) and a hidden Markov model (HMM) based sound classification systems were developed. In the basic experimental setup in which only free falling impact type was considered, SVM and HMM systems provided 100% classification accuracy for both microphones. In the expanded experimental setup which includes all three impact types, material type classification accuracies were 96.5% for dynamic microphone and 97.7% for condenser microphone. When both the material type and the size of the wastes were classified, the accuracy was 88.6% for the microphones. The modeling studies indicated that hydraulic crushing impact type recordings were very noisy for an effective sound recognition application. In the detailed analysis of the recognition errors, it was observed that most of the errors occurred in the hitting impact type. According to the experimental results, it can be said that the proposed novel approach for the separation of packaging wastes could provide a high classification performance for RVMs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Functional food awareness and perceptions in relation to information sources in older adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Vella, Meagan N; Stratton, Laura M; Sheeshka, Judy; Duncan, Alison M

2014-05-17

The functional food industry has experienced innovative and economic expansion, yet research into consumer perceptions of functional foods and their associated health claims is limited. Among consumers, older adults could benefit from functional foods due to age-related issues pertaining to food and health. The purpose of this research was to identify the need for information related to functional foods among older adults (≥60 years old) and to assess awareness and perceptions of health claims on functional food packages. Community-dwelling older adults (n = 200) completed a researcher administered questionnaire designed to collect information about functional foods including current consumption, motivating factors for consumption, perceived need for information, sources of information for functional foods and awareness of health claims. Prevalence of functional food consumption among participants was 93.0%. Increased awareness and knowledge was the most commonly reported factor that would promote functional food consumption (85.5%) and 63.5% of participants wanted more information about functional foods with preferred sources being newspapers/magazines/books (68.5%) and food labels (66.1%). Participants were predominately (93.5%) aware of health claims on functional foods and those with more education were more likely to report being aware of health claims (p = 0.045). Although functional food consumption among older adults in this sample is high, there is a need for further information regarding functional foods. These results inform stakeholders regarding the potential for information to influence functional food acceptance among older adult consumers.

Annual seminar on electronic sources of information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ravichandra Rao, I.K.

2000-03-01

With the rapid development in IT and the emergence of Internet, a multitude of information sources are now available on electronic media. They include e-journals and other electronic publications - online databases, reference documents, newspapers, magazines, etc. In addition to these online sources, there are thousands of CD-ROM databases. The CD-ROM databases and the online sources are collectively referred to as electronic sources of information. Libraries in no part of the world can afford to ignore these sources. Emergence of these new sources has resulted into a change in the traditional library functions including collection development, acquisitions, cataloguing, user instructions, etc. It is inevitable that in the next five to ten years, special libraries may have to allocate considerable amount towards subscription of e-journals and other e-publications. The papers in this seminar volume discuss several aspects related the theme of the seminar and cover e-journals, different sources available in the Net, classification of electronic sources, online public access catalogues, and different aspects of Internet. Papers relevant to INIS are indexed separately

Anaerobic treatment as a core technology for energy, nutrients and water recovery from source-separated domestic waste(water).

Science.gov (United States)

Zeeman, Grietje; Kujawa, Katarzyna; de Mes, Titia; Hernandez, Lucia; de Graaff, Marthe; Abu-Ghunmi, Lina; Mels, Adriaan; Meulman, Brendo; Temmink, Hardy; Buisman, Cees; van Lier, Jules; Lettinga, Gatze

2008-01-01

Based on results of pilot scale research with source-separated black water (BW) and grey water (GW), a new sanitation concept is proposed. BW and GW are both treated in a UASB (-septic tank) for recovery of CH4 gas. Kitchen waste is added to the anaerobic BW treatment for doubling the biogas production. Post-treatment of the effluent is providing recovery of phosphorus and removal of remaining COD and nitrogen. The total energy saving of the new sanitation concept amounts to 200 MJ/year in comparison with conventional sanitation, moreover 0.14 kg P/p/year and 90 litres of potential reusable water are produced. (c) IWA Publishing 2008.

Spark-safe power source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mester, I M; Konushkin, N A; Nevozinskiy, A K; Rubinshteyn, B Sh; Serov, V I; Vasnev, M A

1981-01-01

A shortcoming of the known power sources is their low reliability. The purpose of the invention is to improve the reliability of the device. This is achieved because the spark-safe power source is equipped with a by-passing transistor and potentiometer, and also a generator of control interruptions in the circuit, an I-element, first separating transformer, control block, second separating transformer whose secondary winding has a relay winding whose contacts are connected to the load circuit are connected in series. The generator of control separations of the circuit is connected to the base of the by-passing transistor and to the power source outlet, the potentiometer is connected in series to the main thyristor. The middle point of the potentiometer is connected to the second inlet of the I-element.

Analysis of self-consistency effects in range-separated density-functional theory with Møller-Plesset perturbation theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fromager, Emmanuel; Jensen, Hans Jørgen Aagaard

2011-01-01

Range-separated density-functional theory combines wave function theory for the long-range part of the two-electron interaction with density-functional theory for the short-range part. When describing the long-range interaction with non-variational methods, such as perturbation or coupled......-cluster theories, self-consistency effects are introduced in the density functional part, which for an exact solution requires iterations. They are generally assumed to be small but no detailed study has been performed so far. Here, the authors analyze self-consistency when using Møller-Plesset-type (MP......) perturbation theory for the long range interaction. The lowest-order self-consistency corrections to the wave function and the energy, that enter the perturbation expansions at the second and fourth order, respectively, are both expressed in terms of the one-electron reduced density matrix. The computational...

Novel PEFC Application for Deuterium Isotope Separation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hisayoshi Matsushima

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The use of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC with a Nafion membrane for isotopic separation of deuterium (D was investigated. Mass analysis at the cathode side indicated that D diffused through the membrane and participated in an isotope exchange reaction. The exchange of D with protium (H in H2O was facilitated by a Pt catalyst. The anodic data showed that the separation efficiency was dependent on the D concentration in the source gas, whereby the water produced during the operation of the PEFC was more enriched in D as the D concentration of the source gas was increased.

Microfluidic emulsion separation-simultaneous separation and sensing by multilayer nanofilm structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Uhlmann, P; Truman, P; Stamm, M [Leibniz-Institut fuer Polymerforschung Dresden e V, Hohe Strasse 6, 01069 Dresden (Germany); Varnik, F; Zikos, G [Ruhr Universitaet Bochum, Stiepeler Strasse 129, 44801 Bochum (Germany); Moulin, J-F; Mueller-Buschbaum, P, E-mail: uhlmannp@ipfdd.de [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Physik-Department, LS E13, James-Franck-Strasse 1, 85748 Garching (Germany)

2011-05-11

Emulsion separation is of high relevance for filtration applications, liquid-liquid-partitioning of biomolecules like proteins and recovery of products from droplet microreactors. Selective interaction of various components of an emulsion with substrates is used to design microfluidic flow chambers for efficient separation of emulsions into their individual components. Our lab-on-a-chip device consists of an emulsion separation cell with an integrated silicon sensor chip, the latter allowing the detection of liquid motion via the field-effect signal. Thus, within our lab-on-a-chip device, emulsions can be separated while the separation process is monitored simultaneously. For emulsion separation a surface energy step gradient, namely a sharp interface between the hydrophobic and hydrophilic parts of the separation chamber, is used. The key component of the lab-on-a-chip system is a multilayer and multifunctional nanofilm structure which not only provides the surface energy step gradient for emulsion separation but also constitutes the functional parts of the field-effect transistors. The proof-of-principle was performed using a model emulsion consisting of immiscible aqueous and organic solvent components. Droplet coalescence was identified as a key aspect influencing the separation process, with quite different effects during separation on open surfaces as compared to slit geometry. For a detailed description of this observation, an analytical model was derived and lattice Boltzmann computer simulations were performed. By use of grazing incidence small angle x-ray scattering (GISAXS) interfacial nanostructures during gold nanoparticle deposition in a flow field were probed to demonstrate the potential of GISAXS for in situ investigations during flow.

Hot-cavity studies for the Resonance Ionization Laser Ion Source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henares, J.L.; Lecesne, N.; Hijazi, L.; Bastin, B.; Kron, T.; Lassen, J.; Le Blanc, F.; Leroy, R.; Osmond, B.; Raeder, S.; Schneider, F.; Wendt, K.

2016-01-01

The Resonance Ionization Laser Ion Source (RILIS) has emerged as an important technique in many Radioactive Ion Beam (RIB) facilities for its reliability, and ability to ionize target elements efficiently and element selectively. GISELE is an off-line RILIS test bench to study the implementation of an on-line laser ion source at the GANIL separator facility. The aim of this project is to determine the best technical solution which combines high selectivity and ionization efficiency with small ion beam emittance and stable long term operation. The ion source geometry was tested in several configurations in order to find a solution with optimal ionization efficiency and beam emittance. Furthermore, a low work function material was tested to reduce the contaminants and molecular sidebands generated inside the ion source. First results with ZrC ionizer tubes will be presented. Furthermore, a method to measure the energy distribution of the ion beam as a function of the time of flight will be discussed.

Determining the Source of Water Vapor in a Cerium Oxide Electrochemical Oxygen Separator to Achieve Aviator Grade Oxygen

Science.gov (United States)

Graf, John; Taylor, Dale; Martinez, James

2014-01-01

]. Combined with a mechanical compressor, a Solid Electrolyte Oxygen Separator (SEOS) should be capable of producing ABO grade oxygen at pressures >2400 psia, on the space station. Feasibility tests using a SEOS integrated with a mechanical compressor identified an unexpected contaminant in the oxygen: water vapour was found in the oxygen product, sometimes at concentrations higher than 40 ppm (the ABO limit for water vapour is 7 ppm). If solid electrolyte membranes are really "infinitely selective" to oxygen as they are reported to be, where did the water come from? If water is getting into the oxygen, what other contaminants might get into the oxygen? Microscopic analyses of wafers, welds, and oxygen delivery tubes were performed in an attempt to find the source of the water vapour contamination. Hot and cold pressure decay tests were performed. Measurements of water vapour as a function of O2 delivery rate, O2 delivery pressure, and process air humidity levels were the most instructive in finding the source of water contamination (Fig 3). Water contamination was directly affected by oxygen delivery rate (doubling the oxygen production rate cut the water level in half). Water was affected by process air humidity levels and delivery pressure in a way that indicates the water was diffusing into the oxygen delivery system.

Determination of noise sources and space-dependent reactor transfer functions from measured output signals only

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoogenboom, J.E.; van Dam, H.; Kleiss, E.B.J.; van Uitert, G.C.; Veldhuis, D.

1982-01-01

The measured cross power spectral densities of the signals from three neutron detectors and the displacement of the control rod of the 2 MW research reactor HOR at Delft have been used to determine the space-dependent reactor transfer function, the transfer function of the automatic reactor control system and the noise sources influencing the measured signals. From a block diagram of the reactor with control system and noise sources expressions were derived for the measured cross power spectral densities, which were adjusted to satisfy the requirements following from the adopted model. Then for each frequency point the required transfer functions and noise sources could be derived. The results are in agreement with those of autoregressive modelling of the reactor control feed-back loop. A method has been developed to determine the non-linear characteristics of the automatic reactor control system by analysing the non-gaussian probability density function of the power fluctuations.

Determination of noise sources and space-dependent reactor transfer functions from measured output signals only

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoogenboom, J.E.

1982-01-01

The measured cross power spectral densities of the signals from three neutron detectors and the displacement of the control rod of the 2 MW research reactor HOR at Delft have been used to determine the space-dependent reactor transfer function, the transfer function of the automatic reactor control system and the noise sources influencing the measured signals. From a block diagram of the reactor with control system and noise sources expressions were derived for the measured cross power spectral densities, which were adjusted to satisfy the requirements following from the adopted model. Then for each frequency point the required transfer functions and noise sources could be derived. The results are in agreement with those of autoregressive modelling of the reactor control feed-back loop. A method has been developed to determine the non-linear characteristics of the automatic reactor control system by analysing the non-gaussian probability density function of the power fluctuations. (author)

Functional food awareness and perceptions in relation to information sources in older adults

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background The functional food industry has experienced innovative and economic expansion, yet research into consumer perceptions of functional foods and their associated health claims is limited. Among consumers, older adults could benefit from functional foods due to age-related issues pertaining to food and health. The purpose of this research was to identify the need for information related to functional foods among older adults (≥60 years old) and to assess awareness and perceptions of health claims on functional food packages. Methods Community-dwelling older adults (n = 200) completed a researcher administered questionnaire designed to collect information about functional foods including current consumption, motivating factors for consumption, perceived need for information, sources of information for functional foods and awareness of health claims. Results Prevalence of functional food consumption among participants was 93.0%. Increased awareness and knowledge was the most commonly reported factor that would promote functional food consumption (85.5%) and 63.5% of participants wanted more information about functional foods with preferred sources being newspapers/magazines/books (68.5%) and food labels (66.1%). Participants were predominately (93.5%) aware of health claims on functional foods and those with more education were more likely to report being aware of health claims (p = 0.045). Conclusions Although functional food consumption among older adults in this sample is high, there is a need for further information regarding functional foods. These results inform stakeholders regarding the potential for information to influence functional food acceptance among older adult consumers. PMID:24886306

Studying Regional Wave Source Time Functions Using the Empirical Green's Function Method: Application to Central Asia

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, J.; Schaff, D. P.; Chen, Y.; Schult, F.

2013-12-01

Reliably estimated source time functions (STFs) from high-frequency regional waveforms, such as Lg, Pn and Pg, provide important input for seismic source studies, explosion detection and discrimination, and minimization of parameter trade-off in attenuation studies. We have searched for candidate pairs of larger and small earthquakes in and around China that share the same focal mechanism but significantly differ in magnitudes, so that the empirical Green's function (EGF) method can be applied to study the STFs of the larger events. We conducted about a million deconvolutions using waveforms from 925 earthquakes, and screened the deconvolved traces to exclude those that are from event pairs that involved different mechanisms. Only 2,700 traces passed this screening and could be further analyzed using the EGF method. We have developed a series of codes for speeding up the final EGF analysis by implementing automations and user-graphic interface procedures. The codes have been fully tested with a subset of screened data and we are currently applying them to all the screened data. We will present a large number of deconvolved STFs retrieved using various phases (Lg, Pn, Sn and Pg and coda) with information on any directivities, any possible dependence of pulse durations on the wave types, on scaling relations for the pulse durations and event sizes, and on the estimated source static stress drops.

Function of One Regular Separable Relation Set Decided for the Minimal Covering in Multiple Valued Logic

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liu Yu Zhen

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Multiple-valued logic is an important branch of the computer science and technology. Multiple-valued logic studies the theory, multiple-valued circuit & multiple-valued system, and the applications of multiple-valued logic included.In the theory of multiple-valued logic, one primary and important problem is the completeness of function sets, which can be solved depending on the decision for all the precomplete sets(also called maximal closed sets of K-valued function sets noted by PK*, and another is the decision for Sheffer function, which can be totally solved by picking out all of the minimal covering of the precomplete sets. In the function structure theory of multi-logic, decision on Sheffer function is an important role. It contains structure and decision of full multi-logic and partial multi-logic. Its decision is closely related to decision of completeness of function which can be done by deciding the minimal covering of full multi-logic and partial-logic. By theory of completeness of partial multi-logic, we prove that function of one regular separable relation is not minimal covering of PK* under the condition of m = 2, σ = e.

Complete nutrient recovery from source-separated urine by nitrification and distillation.

Science.gov (United States)

Udert, K M; Wächter, M

2012-02-01

In this study we present a method to recover all nutrients from source-separated urine in a dry solid by combining biological nitrification with distillation. In a first process step, a membrane-aerated biofilm reactor was operated stably for more than 12 months, producing a nutrient solution with a pH between 6.2 and 7.0 (depending on the pH set-point), and an ammonium to nitrate ratio between 0.87 and 1.15 gN gN(-1). The maximum nitrification rate was 1.8 ± 0.3 gN m(-2) d(-1). Process stability was achieved by controlling the pH via the influent. In the second process step, real nitrified urine and synthetic solutions were concentrated in lab-scale distillation reactors. All nutrients were recovered in a dry powder except for some ammonia (less than 3% of total nitrogen). We estimate that the primary energy demand for a simple nitrification/distillation process is four to five times higher than removing nitrogen and phosphorus in a conventional wastewater treatment plant and producing the equivalent amount of phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers. However, the primary energy demand can be reduced to values very close to conventional treatment, if 80% of the water is removed with reverse osmosis and distillation is operated with vapor compression. The ammonium nitrate content of the solid residue is below the limit at which stringent EU safety regulations for fertilizers come into effect; nevertheless, we propose some additional process steps that will increase the thermal stability of the solid product. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Estimation of nitrite in source-separated nitrified urine with UV spectrophotometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Mašić, Alma; Santos, Ana T L; Etter, Bastian; Udert, Kai M; Villez, Kris

2015-11-15

Monitoring of nitrite is essential for an immediate response and prevention of irreversible failure of decentralized biological urine nitrification reactors. Although a few sensors are available for nitrite measurement, none of them are suitable for applications in which both nitrite and nitrate are present in very high concentrations. Such is the case in collected source-separated urine, stabilized by nitrification for long-term storage. Ultraviolet (UV) spectrophotometry in combination with chemometrics is a promising option for monitoring of nitrite. In this study, an immersible in situ UV sensor is investigated for the first time so to establish a relationship between UV absorbance spectra and nitrite concentrations in nitrified urine. The study focuses on the effects of suspended particles and saturation on the absorbance spectra and the chemometric model performance. Detailed analysis indicates that suspended particles in nitrified urine have a negligible effect on nitrite estimation, concluding that sample filtration is not necessary as pretreatment. In contrast, saturation due to very high concentrations affects the model performance severely, suggesting dilution as an essential sample preparation step. However, this can also be mitigated by simple removal of the saturated, lower end of the UV absorbance spectra, and extraction of information from the secondary, weaker nitrite absorbance peak. This approach allows for estimation of nitrite with a simple chemometric model and without sample dilution. These results are promising for a practical application of the UV sensor as an in situ nitrite measurement in a urine nitrification reactor given the exceptional quality of the nitrite estimates in comparison to previous studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Industrial treatment of solutions of fission products. Separation of caesium-137; Traitement industriel de solutions de produits de fission. Separation du cesium-137

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fisher, C; Raggenbass, A [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France).Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1959-07-01

Two types of chemical treatment can be considered for the manufacture of solid sources for industrial uses from fission product solutions remaining after plutonium extraction: a) concentration of the solution and preparation of solid sources from the bulk material, without separation, b) separation of one or several fission products from which the sources are made. Examination of the radio-chemical composition of the mixture of fission products that will be available from the Marcoule reactors (G1, G2 and G3) shows that caesium-137 accounts for 30 per cent of the {gamma} energy available immediately after the plutonium separation, 70 per cent two years after and 100 per cent after five years. There is practically no advantage in making sources from bulk fission products, since the separation of caesium-137 is no more complicated and yet it results in a material with more potential uses. The separation of caesium-137 by a method based on the standard phospho-tungstate precipitation method has been considered. Previously, the precipitated caesium phospho-tungstate was dissolved and caesium was recovered from the solution by cation-exchange or by removal of phosphate and tungstate ions by anion-exchange. A study has now been made, of the metathesis of caesium phospho-tungstate to barium phosphate and tungstate by the action of barium hydroxide, the caesium being obtained in solution as the hydroxide. The advantages of this new procedure are: - greater decontamination of caesium-137 without further purification, - possibility of direct transformation to caesium sulphate, - general simplification of the procedure and, consequently, of the equipment. (author) [French] Deux types de traitement chimique peuvent etre envisages pour amener a l'etat de sources solides utilisables industriellement les produits de fission contenus dans les solutions residuaires de l'extraction du plutonium. Ces traitements sont les suivants: a) concentration des solutions et confection de

Industrial treatment of solutions of fission products. Separation of caesium-137; Traitement industriel de solutions de produits de fission. Separation du cesium-137

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fisher, C.; Raggenbass, A. [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France).Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1959-07-01

Two types of chemical treatment can be considered for the manufacture of solid sources for industrial uses from fission product solutions remaining after plutonium extraction: a) concentration of the solution and preparation of solid sources from the bulk material, without separation, b) separation of one or several fission products from which the sources are made. Examination of the radio-chemical composition of the mixture of fission products that will be available from the Marcoule reactors (G1, G2 and G3) shows that caesium-137 accounts for 30 per cent of the {gamma} energy available immediately after the plutonium separation, 70 per cent two years after and 100 per cent after five years. There is practically no advantage in making sources from bulk fission products, since the separation of caesium-137 is no more complicated and yet it results in a material with more potential uses. The separation of caesium-137 by a method based on the standard phospho-tungstate precipitation method has been considered. Previously, the precipitated caesium phospho-tungstate was dissolved and caesium was recovered from the solution by cation-exchange or by removal of phosphate and tungstate ions by anion-exchange. A study has now been made, of the metathesis of caesium phospho-tungstate to barium phosphate and tungstate by the action of barium hydroxide, the caesium being obtained in solution as the hydroxide. The advantages of this new procedure are: - greater decontamination of caesium-137 without further purification, - possibility of direct transformation to caesium sulphate, - general simplification of the procedure and, consequently, of the equipment. (author) [French] Deux types de traitement chimique peuvent etre envisages pour amener a l'etat de sources solides utilisables industriellement les produits de fission contenus dans les solutions residuaires de l'extraction du plutonium. Ces traitements sont les suivants: a) concentration des solutions et

Rapid ion-exchange separations of actinides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Usuda, Shigekazu

1988-01-01

For the purpose of studying short-lived actinide nuclides, three methods for rapid ion exchange separation of actinide elements with mineral acid-alcohol mixed media were developed: anion exchange with nitric acid-methyl alcohol mixed media to separate the transplutonium and rare earth elements from target material, U or Pu and Al catcher foils; anion exchange with hydrochloric acid-methyl alcohol media to separate Am+Cm, Bk and Cf+Fm from the target, catcher foils and major fission products; and cation exchange with hydrochloric acid-methyl alcohol media and with concentrated hydrochloric acid to separate the transplutonium elements as a group from the rare earths after eliminating the large amounts of U, Al, Cu, Fe etc. The methods enable one to perform rapid and effective separation at elevated temperature (90 deg C) and immediate source preparation for alpha-ray spectrometry. (author) 47 refs.; 10 figs

Quantal density functional theory

CERN Document Server

Sahni, Viraht

2016-01-01

This book deals with quantal density functional theory (QDFT) which is a time-dependent local effective potential theory of the electronic structure of matter. The treated time-independent QDFT constitutes a special case. In the 2nd edition, the theory is extended to include the presence of external magnetostatic fields. The theory is a description of matter based on the ‘quantal Newtonian’ first and second laws which is in terms of “classical” fields that pervade all space, and their quantal sources. The fields, which are explicitly defined, are separately representative of electron correlations due to the Pauli exclusion principle, Coulomb repulsion, correlation-kinetic, correlation-current-density, and correlation-magnetic effects. The book further describes Schrödinger theory from the new physical perspective of fields and quantal sources. It also describes traditional Hohenberg-Kohn-Sham DFT, and explains via QDFT the physics underlying the various energy functionals and functional derivatives o...

Two-dimensional materials for novel liquid separation membranes

Science.gov (United States)

Ying, Yulong; Yang, Yefeng; Ying, Wen; Peng, Xinsheng

2016-08-01

Demand for a perfect molecular-level separation membrane with ultrafast permeation and a robust mechanical property for any kind of species to be blocked in water purification and desalination is urgent. In recent years, due to their intrinsic characteristics, such as a unique mono-atom thick structure, outstanding mechanical strength and excellent flexibility, as well as facile and large-scale production, graphene and its large family of two-dimensional (2D) materials are regarded as ideal membrane materials for ultrafast molecular separation. A perfect separation membrane should be as thin as possible to maximize its flux, mechanically robust and without failure even if under high loading pressure, and have a narrow nanochannel size distribution to guarantee its selectivity. The latest breakthrough in 2D material-based membranes will be reviewed both in theories and experiments, including their current state-of-the-art fabrication, structure design, simulation and applications. Special attention will be focused on the designs and strategies employed to control microstructures to enhance permeation and selectivity for liquid separation. In addition, critical views on the separation mechanism within two-dimensional material-based membranes will be provided based on a discussion of the effects of intrinsic defects during growth, predefined nanopores and nanochannels during subsequent fabrication processes, the interlayer spacing of stacking 2D material flakes and the surface charge or functional groups. Furthermore, we will summarize the significant progress of these 2D material-based membranes for liquid separation in nanofiltration/ultrafiltration and pervaporation. Lastly, we will recall issues requiring attention, and discuss existing questionable conclusions in some articles and emerging challenges. This review will serve as a valuable platform to provide a compact source of relevant and timely information about the development of 2D material-based membranes as

Two-dimensional materials for novel liquid separation membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Ying, Yulong; Yang, Yefeng; Ying, Wen; Peng, Xinsheng

2016-08-19

Demand for a perfect molecular-level separation membrane with ultrafast permeation and a robust mechanical property for any kind of species to be blocked in water purification and desalination is urgent. In recent years, due to their intrinsic characteristics, such as a unique mono-atom thick structure, outstanding mechanical strength and excellent flexibility, as well as facile and large-scale production, graphene and its large family of two-dimensional (2D) materials are regarded as ideal membrane materials for ultrafast molecular separation. A perfect separation membrane should be as thin as possible to maximize its flux, mechanically robust and without failure even if under high loading pressure, and have a narrow nanochannel size distribution to guarantee its selectivity. The latest breakthrough in 2D material-based membranes will be reviewed both in theories and experiments, including their current state-of-the-art fabrication, structure design, simulation and applications. Special attention will be focused on the designs and strategies employed to control microstructures to enhance permeation and selectivity for liquid separation. In addition, critical views on the separation mechanism within two-dimensional material-based membranes will be provided based on a discussion of the effects of intrinsic defects during growth, predefined nanopores and nanochannels during subsequent fabrication processes, the interlayer spacing of stacking 2D material flakes and the surface charge or functional groups. Furthermore, we will summarize the significant progress of these 2D material-based membranes for liquid separation in nanofiltration/ultrafiltration and pervaporation. Lastly, we will recall issues requiring attention, and discuss existing questionable conclusions in some articles and emerging challenges. This review will serve as a valuable platform to provide a compact source of relevant and timely information about the development of 2D material-based membranes as

Photon activation therapy: a Monte Carlo study on dose enhancement by various sources and activation media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bakhshabadi, Mahdi; Ghorbani, Mahdi; Meigooni, Ali Soleimani

2013-01-01

In the present study, a number of brachytherapy sources and activation media were simulated using MCNPX code and the results were analyzed based on the dose enhancement factor values. Furthermore, two new brachytherapy sources ( 131 Cs and a hypothetical 170 Tm) were evaluated for their application in photon activation therapy (PAT). 125 I, 103 Pd, 131 Cs and hypothetical 170 Tm brachytherapy sources were simulated in water and their dose rate constant and the radial dose functions were compared with previously published data. The sources were then simulated in a soft tissue phantom which was composed of Ag, I, Pt or Au as activation media uniformly distributed in the tumour volume. These simulations were performed using the MCNPX code, and dose enhancement factor (DEF) was obtained for 7, 18 and 30 mg/ml concentrations of the activation media. Each source, activation medium and concentration was evaluated separately in a separate simulation. The calculated dose rate constant and radial dose functions were in agreement with the published data for the aforementioned sources. The maximum DEF was found to be 5.58 for a combination of the 170 Tm source with 30 mg/ml concentration of I. The DEFs for 131 Cs and 170 Tm sources for all the four activation media were higher than those for other sources and activation media. From this point of view, these two sources can be more useful in photon activation therapy with photon emitter sources. Furthermore, 131 Cs and 170 Tm brachytherapy sources can be proposed as new options for use in the field of PAT.

Separations in Communication Complexity Using Cheat Sheets and Information Complexity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

A. Anshu (Anurag); A. Belovs (Aleksandr); S. Ben-David (Shalev); M. Goos (Mika); R. Jain (Rahul); R. Kothari (Robin); T. J. Lee (Troy); M. Santha (Miklos)

2016-01-01

textabstractWhile exponential separations are known between quantum and randomized communication complexity for partial functions (Raz, STOC 1999), the best known separation between these measures for a total function is quadratic, witnessed by the disjointness function. We give the first

Effects of source and receiver locations in predicting room transfer functions by a phased beam tracing method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jeong, Cheol-Ho; Ih, Jeong-Guon

2012-01-01

The accuracy of a phased beam tracing method in predicting transfer functions is investigated with a special focus on the positions of the source and receiver. Simulated transfer functions for various source-receiver pairs using the phased beam tracing method were compared with analytical Green’s...

Description of the Charge Transfer States at the Pentacene/C60 Interface: Combining Range-Separated Hybrid Functionals with the Polarizable Continuum Model

KAUST Repository

Zheng, Zilong

2016-06-24

Density functional theory (DFT) approaches based on range-separated hybrid functionals are currently methods of choice for the description of the charge-transfer (CT) states in organic donor/acceptor solar cells. However, these calculations are usually performed on small-size donor/acceptor complexes and as result do not account for electronic polarization effects. Here, using a pentacene/C60 complex as a model system, we discuss the ability of long-range corrected (LCR) hybrid functionals in combination with the polarizable continuum model (PCM) to determine the impact of the solid-state environment on the CT states. The CT energies are found to be insensitive to the interactions with the dielectric medium when a conventional time-dependent DFT/PCM (TDDFT/PCM) approach is used. However, a decrease in the energy of the CT state in the framework of LRC functionals can be obtained by using a smaller range-separated parameter when going from an isolated donor/acceptor complex to the solid-state case.

Studing Regional Wave Source Time Functions Using A Massive Automated EGF Deconvolution Procedure

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, J. "; Schaff, D. P.

2010-12-01

Reliably estimated source time functions (STF) from high-frequency regional waveforms, such as Lg, Pn and Pg, provide important input for seismic source studies, explosion detection, and minimization of parameter trade-off in attenuation studies. The empirical Green’s function (EGF) method can be used for estimating STF, but it requires a strict recording condition. Waveforms from pairs of events that are similar in focal mechanism, but different in magnitude must be on-scale recorded on the same stations for the method to work. Searching for such waveforms can be very time consuming, particularly for regional waves that contain complex path effects and have reduced S/N ratios due to attenuation. We have developed a massive, automated procedure to conduct inter-event waveform deconvolution calculations from many candidate event pairs. The procedure automatically evaluates the “spikiness” of the deconvolutions by calculating their “sdc”, which is defined as the peak divided by the background value. The background value is calculated as the mean absolute value of the deconvolution, excluding 10 s around the source time function. When the sdc values are about 10 or higher, the deconvolutions are found to be sufficiently spiky (pulse-like), indicating similar path Green’s functions and good estimates of the STF. We have applied this automated procedure to Lg waves and full regional wavetrains from 989 M ≥ 5 events in and around China, calculating about a million deconvolutions. Of these we found about 2700 deconvolutions with sdc greater than 9, which, if having a sufficiently broad frequency band, can be used to estimate the STF of the larger events. We are currently refining our procedure, as well as the estimated STFs. We will infer the source scaling using the STFs. We will also explore the possibility that the deconvolution procedure could complement cross-correlation in a real time event-screening process.

Highly biocompatible and water-dispersible, amine functionalized magnetite nanoparticles, prepared by a low temperature, air-assisted polyol process: a new platform for bio-separation and diagnostics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, Manasmita; Dhak, Prasanta; Gupta, Satyajit; Basak, Amit; Pramanik, Panchanan; Mishra, Debasish; Maiti, Tapas K

2010-01-01

A low temperature polyol process, based on glycolaldehyde mediated partial reduction of FeCl 3 ·6H 2 O at 120 deg. C in the presence of sodium acetate as an alkali source and 2, 2 ' -(ethylenedioxy)-bis-(ethylamine) as an electrostatic stabilizer has been used for the gram-scale preparation of biocompatible, water-dispersible, amine functionalized magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) with an average diameter of 6 ± 0.75 nm. With a reasonably high magnetization (37.8 e.m.u.) and amine groups on the outer surface of the nanoparticles, we demonstrated the magnetic separation and concentration implications of these ultrasmall particles in immunoassay. MRI studies indicated that these nanoparticles had the desired relaxivity for T 2 contrast enhancement in vivo. In vitro biocompatibility, cell uptake and MR imaging studies established that these nanoparticles were safe in clinical dosages and by virtue of their ultrasmall sizes and positively charged surfaces could be easily internalized by cancer cells. All these positive attributes make these functional nanoparticles a promising platform for further in vitro and in vivo evaluations.

A 1.5 GeV high brilliance synchrotron light source with combined function lattice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eriksson, M.; Lindgren, L.J.; Andersson, Aa.; Roejsel, P.; Werin, S.

1988-01-01

A 1.5 GeV synchrotron light source with a combined function lattice is studied. The light source will offer X-ray radiation with λc=1.0 angstrom from a superconducting wiggler and high brilliance VUV-radiation from undulators. The magnet lattice, magnet design and ring performance is discussed. (authors)

Mass separation of rare-earth elements by a high-temperature thermal ion source coupled with a He-jet system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawase, Y.; Okano, K.; Aoki, K.

1987-01-01

By using a high-temperature thermal ion source coupled to a He-jet system, neutron-rich isotopes of rare-earth elements such as cerium, praseodymium, neodymium and promethium produced by the thermal-neutron fission of /sup 235/U were ionized and successfully separated. The temperature dependence of the ionization efficiency has been measured and found to be explained qualitatively by the vapour pressure of the relevant elements. The characteristic temperature dependence of the ionization efficiency has been utilized for Z-identification of several isobars of rare-earth elements. The heaviest isotopes of neodymium and promethium, /sup 155/Nd and /sup 156/Pm, have recently been identified

Operation manual for the INEL on-line mass-separator facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderl, R.A.

1984-06-01

This report is an operation manual for an on-line mass-separator facility which is located in Building 661 at the Test Reactor Area of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. The facility provides mass-separated sources of short-lived fission-product radionuclides whose decay properties can be studied using a variety of nuclear spectroscopic techniques. This facility is unique in that it utilizes the gas-jet technique to transport fission products from a 252 Cf source located in a hot cell to the ion source of the mass separator. This document includes the following: (a) a detailed description of the facility, (b) identification of equipment hazards and safety controls, (c) detailed operating procedures for startup, continuous operation and shutdown, (d) operating procedures for the californium hot cell, and (e) an operator's manual for the automated moving tape collector/data acquisition system. 7 references, 16 figures, 8 tables

Separated structure functions for exclusive K+Λ and K+Σ0 electroproduction at 5.5 GeV measured with CLAS

Science.gov (United States)

Carman, D. S.; Park, K.; Raue, B. A.; Adhikari, K. P.; Adikaram, D.; Aghasyan, M.; Amaryan, M. J.; Anderson, M. D.; Anefalos Pereira, S.; Anghinolfi, M.; Avakian, H.; Baghdasaryan, H.; Ball, J.; Baltzell, N. A.; Battaglieri, M.; Batourine, V.; Bedlinskiy, I.; Biselli, A. S.; Bono, J.; Boiarinov, S.; Briscoe, W. J.; Brooks, W. K.; Burkert, V. D.; Celentano, A.; Chandavar, S.; Charles, G.; Cole, P. L.; Contalbrigo, M.; Cortes, O.; Crede, V.; D'Angelo, A.; Dashyan, N.; De Vita, R.; De Sanctis, E.; Deur, A.; Djalali, C.; Doughty, D.; Dupre, R.; El Alaoui, A.; El Fassi, L.; Eugenio, P.; Fedotov, G.; Fegan, S.; Fersch, R.; Fleming, J. A.; Fradi, A.; Gabrielyan, M. Y.; Gevorgyan, N.; Giovanetti, K. L.; Girod, F. X.; Goetz, J. T.; Gohn, W.; Gothe, R. W.; Griffioen, K. A.; Guegan, B.; Guidal, M.; Guo, L.; Hafidi, K.; Hakobyan, H.; Hanretty, C.; Harrison, N.; Heddle, D.; Hicks, K.; Ho, D.; Holtrop, M.; Ilieva, Y.; Ireland, D. G.; Ishkhanov, B. S.; Isupov, E. L.; Jo, H. S.; Joo, K.; Keller, D.; Khandaker, M.; Khetarpal, P.; Kim, A.; Kim, W.; Klein, A.; Klein, F. J.; Koirala, S.; Kubarovsky, A.; Kubarovsky, V.; Kuleshov, S. V.; Kvaltine, N. D.; Lewis, S.; Livingston, K.; Lu, H. Y.; MacGregor, I. J. D.; Mao, Y.; Martinez, D.; Mayer, M.; McKinnon, B.; Mestayer, M. D.; Meyer, C. A.; Mineeva, T.; Mirazita, M.; Mokeev, V.; Montgomery, R. A.; Moutarde, H.; Munevar, E.; Munoz Camacho, C.; Nadel-Turonski, P.; Nasseripour, R.; Nepali, C. S.; Niccolai, S.; Niculescu, G.; Niculescu, I.; Osipenko, M.; Ostrovidov, A. I.; Pappalardo, L. L.; Paremuzyan, R.; Park, S.; Pasyuk, E.; Phelps, E.; Phillips, J. J.; Pisano, S.; Pogorelko, O.; Pozdniakov, S.; Price, J. W.; Procureur, S.; Prok, Y.; Protopopescu, D.; Puckett, A. J. R.; Ricco, G.; Rimal, D.; Ripani, M.; Rosner, G.; Rossi, P.; Sabatié, F.; Saini, M. S.; Salgado, C.; Saylor, N. A.; Schott, D.; Schumacher, R. A.; Seder, E.; Seraydaryan, H.; Sharabian, Y. G.; Smith, G. D.; Sober, D. I.; Sokhan, D.; Stepanyan, S. S.; Stepanyan, S.; Stoler, P.; Strakovsky, I. I.; Strauch, S.; Taiuti, M.; Tang, W.; Taylor, C. E.; Tian, Y.; Tkachenko, S.; Trivedi, A.; Ungaro, M.; Vernarsky, B.; Voskanyan, H.; Voutier, E.; Walford, N. K.; Watts, D.; Weinstein, L. B.; Wood, M. H.; Zachariou, N.; Zana, L.; Zhang, J.; Zhao, Z. W.; Zonta, I.

2013-02-01

We report measurements of the exclusive electroproduction of K+Λ and K+Σ0 final states from an unpolarized proton target using the CLAS detector at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The separated structure functions σU, σLT, σTT, and σLT' were extracted from the Φ-dependent differential cross sections acquired with a longitudinally polarized 5.499 GeV electron beam. The data span a broad range of momentum transfers Q2 from 1.4 to 3.9 GeV2, invariant energy W from threshold to 2.6 GeV, and nearly the full center-of-mass angular range of the kaon. The separated structure functions provide an unprecedented data sample, which, in conjunction with other meson photo- and electroproduction data, will help to constrain the higher-level analyses being performed to search for missing baryon resonances.

Separation of input function for rapid measurement of quantitative CMRO2 and CBF in a single PET scan with a dual tracer administration method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kudomi, Nobuyuki; Watabe, Hiroshi; Hayashi, Takuya; Iida, Hidehiro

2007-01-01

Cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO 2 ), oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) images can be quantified using positron emission tomography (PET) by administrating 15 O-labelled water (H 15 2 O) and oxygen ( 15 O 2 ). Conventionally, those images are measured with separate scans for three tracers C 15 O for CBV, H 15 2 O for CBF and 15 O 2 for CMRO 2 , and there are additional waiting times between the scans in order to minimize the influence of the radioactivity from the previous tracers, which results in a relatively long study period. We have proposed a dual tracer autoradiographic (DARG) approach (Kudomi et al 2005), which enabled us to measure CBF, OEF and CMRO 2 rapidly by sequentially administrating H 15 2 O and 15 O 2 within a short time. Because quantitative CBF and CMRO 2 values are sensitive to arterial input function, it is necessary to obtain accurate input function and a drawback of this approach is to require separation of the measured arterial blood time-activity curve (TAC) into pure water and oxygen input functions under the existence of residual radioactivity from the first injected tracer. For this separation, frequent manual sampling was required. The present paper describes two calculation methods: namely a linear and a model-based method, to separate the measured arterial TAC into its water and oxygen components. In order to validate these methods, we first generated a blood TAC for the DARG approach by combining the water and oxygen input functions obtained in a series of PET studies on normal human subjects. The combined data were then separated into water and oxygen components by the present methods. CBF and CMRO 2 were calculated using those separated input functions and tissue TAC. The quantitative accuracy in the CBF and CMRO 2 values by the DARG approach did not exceed the acceptable range, i.e., errors in those values were within 5%, when the area under the curve in the input function of the second tracer

Neutron generators with size scalability, ease of fabrication and multiple ion source functionalities

Science.gov (United States)

Elizondo-Decanini, Juan M

2014-11-18

A neutron generator is provided with a flat, rectilinear geometry and surface mounted metallizations. This construction provides scalability and ease of fabrication, and permits multiple ion source functionalities.

Open source system OpenVPN in a function of Virtual Private Network

Science.gov (United States)

Skendzic, A.; Kovacic, B.

2017-05-01

Using of Virtual Private Networks (VPN) can establish high security level in network communication. VPN technology enables high security networking using distributed or public network infrastructure. VPN uses different security and managing rules inside networks. It can be set up using different communication channels like Internet or separate ISP communication infrastructure. VPN private network makes security communication channel over public network between two endpoints (computers). OpenVPN is an open source software product under GNU General Public License (GPL) that can be used to establish VPN communication between two computers inside business local network over public communication infrastructure. It uses special security protocols and 256-bit Encryption and it is capable of traversing network address translators (NATs) and firewalls. It allows computers to authenticate each other using a pre-shared secret key, certificates or username and password. This work gives review of VPN technology with a special accent on OpenVPN. This paper will also give comparison and financial benefits of using open source VPN software in business environment.

Separable quadratic stochastic operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rozikov, U.A.; Nazir, S.

2009-04-01

We consider quadratic stochastic operators, which are separable as a product of two linear operators. Depending on properties of these linear operators we classify the set of the separable quadratic stochastic operators: first class of constant operators, second class of linear and third class of nonlinear (separable) quadratic stochastic operators. Since the properties of operators from the first and second classes are well known, we mainly study the properties of the operators of the third class. We describe some Lyapunov functions of the operators and apply them to study ω-limit sets of the trajectories generated by the operators. We also compare our results with known results of the theory of quadratic operators and give some open problems. (author)

Isotope separation system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lehmann, J.-C.

1975-01-01

A description is given of an isotope separation device comprising a system for converting into gaseous form a first and second isotope to be separated, a monochromatic excitation light source to excite the gaseous molecules of these two isotopes in a distinct manner, a first and second receiver to collect selectively the molecules of the first and second distinctly excited isotopes. The frequency FL of the excitation light is selected between a lower limit and a higher limit F2 + 1/2 LD, depending on the frequences F1 and F2 of two absorption lines near this first and second isotope. The difference DF between these two frequencies F1 and F2 is less than the Doppler width LD of each one of these lines and greater than the natural width LN of each of these two lines and also the width of line LR of the excitation light source. The probability that the molecules will be excited by this light depends on the direction of their displacement to a major and different extent for both isotopes. An ionising light source LI is set up to irradiate the seat of interaction between the excitation light and the gaseous molecules with an ionisation light able to ionise the excited molecules without ionising the molecules that are not excited. The receivers are able to collect selectively the ionised molecules. A sufficiently low gas pressure is selected for the distance between the place of interaction and the first receiver to be less than double the free mean travel of the molecules in the gas [fr

Separation of the Magnetic Field into External and Internal Parts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Nils; Glassmeier, K.-H.; Jia, X.

2010-01-01

The magnetic field of a planet or a planetary moon contains contributions from a variety of sources in the environment of the body (external sources) and its interior (internal sources). This chapter describes different methods that have been developed for the separation of external and internal...

Feature Selection and Blind Source Separation in an EEG-Based Brain-Computer Interface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael H. Thaut

2005-11-01

Full Text Available Most EEG-based BCI systems make use of well-studied patterns of brain activity. However, those systems involve tasks that indirectly map to simple binary commands such as “yes” or “no” or require many weeks of biofeedback training. We hypothesized that signal processing and machine learning methods can be used to discriminate EEG in a direct “yes”/“no” BCI from a single session. Blind source separation (BSS and spectral transformations of the EEG produced a 180-dimensional feature space. We used a modified genetic algorithm (GA wrapped around a support vector machine (SVM classifier to search the space of feature subsets. The GA-based search found feature subsets that outperform full feature sets and random feature subsets. Also, BSS transformations of the EEG outperformed the original time series, particularly in conjunction with a subset search of both spaces. The results suggest that BSS and feature selection can be used to improve the performance of even a “direct,” single-session BCI.

Characterisation of the biochemical methane potential (BMP) of individual material fractions in Danish source-separated organic household waste

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Naroznova, Irina; Møller, Jacob; Scheutz, Charlotte

2016-01-01

This study is dedicated to characterising the chemical composition and biochemical methane potential (BMP) of individual material fractions in untreated Danish source-separated organic household waste (SSOHW). First, data on SSOHW in different countries, available in the literature, were evaluated...... and then, secondly, laboratory analyses for eight organic material fractions comprising Danish SSOHW were conducted. No data were found in the literature that fully covered the objectives of the present study. Based on laboratory analyses, all fractions were assigned according to their specific properties......) and material degradability (BMP from laboratory incubation tests divided by TBMP) were expressed. Moreover, the degradability of lignocellulose biofibres (the share of volatile lignocellulose biofibre solids degraded in laboratory incubation tests) was calculated. Finally, BMP for average SSOHW composition...

Design of ideal cascades of gas centrifuges with variable separation factors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olander, D.R.

1976-01-01

A method of designing ideal cascades in which the separation factor varies with stage number is presented and applied to centrifuges as separating units. The centrifuge is characterized by a performance function, which gives the separative power, optimized with respect to all internal variables, as a function of cut and throughput. For centrifuges with certain types of performance functions, variable-α ideal cascades can provide a product at a lower cost than the conventional ideal cascade in which the separation factor is independent of stage number

Separable quotients for less-than-barrelled function spaces

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kąkol, Jerzy; Saxon, S. A.

2018-01-01

Roč. 459, č. 2 (2018), s. 1102-1105 ISSN 0022-247X R&D Projects: GA ČR GF16-34860L Institutional support: RVO:67985840 Keywords : separable quotients * weak barrelledness * dual locally complete Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics OBOR OECD: Pure mathematics Impact factor: 1.064, year: 2016 http://www. science direct.com/ science /article/pii/S0022247X17310351?via%3Dihub

Separable quotients for less-than-barrelled function spaces

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kąkol, Jerzy; Saxon, S. A.

2018-01-01

Roč. 459, č. 2 (2018), s. 1102-1105 ISSN 0022-247X R&D Projects: GA ČR GF16-34860L Institutional support: RVO:67985840 Keywords : separable quotients * weak barrelledness * dual locally complete Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics OBOR OECD: Pure mathematics Impact factor: 1.064, year: 2016 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022247X17310351?via%3Dihub

X-ray radiometric separation of low-grade tin ores

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kotler, N.I.; Neverov, A.D.; Konovalov, V.M.; Mironov, I.I.; Zakharov, S.N.

1984-10-01

The investigations on evaluation of X-ray radiometric separation of off-grade tin ores of one of the deposits are carried out. The experiments have been performed at loboratory and pilot-commerical plants. /sup 241/Am has been used as a radiation source. In the course of facility commercial the ore has been separated by means of a device comprising a separator and gate separatin device. The results of X-ray radiometric separation have shown its high productive efficiency. Concentrates with higher tin content at high extraction from ores are obtained.

X-ray radiometric separation of low-grade tin ores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kotler, N.I.; Neverov, A.D.; Konovalov, V.M.; Mironov, I.I.; Zakharov, S.N.

1984-01-01

The investigations on evaluation of X-ray radiometric separation of off-grade tin ores of one of the deposits are carried out. The experiments have been performed at loboratory and pilot-commerical plants. 241 Am has been used as a radiation source. In the course of facility commercial the ore has been separated by means of a device comprising a separator and gate separatin device. The results of X-ray radiometric separation have shown its high productive efficiency. Concentrates with higher tin content at high extraction from ores are obtained

Selective oxoanion separation using a tripodal ligand

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Custelcean, Radu; Moyer, Bruce A.; Rajbanshi, Arbin

2016-02-16

The present invention relates to urea-functionalized crystalline capsules self-assembled by sodium or potassium cation coordination and by hydrogen-bonding water bridges to selectively encapsulate tetrahedral divalent oxoanions from highly competitive aqueous alkaline solutions and methods using this system for selective anion separations from industrial solutions. The method involves competitive crystallizations using a tripodal tris(urea) functionalized ligand and, in particular, provides a viable approach to sulfate separation from nuclear wastes.

X-ray source array

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooperstein, G.; Lanza, R.C.; Sohval, A.R.

1983-01-01

A circular array of cold cathode diode X-ray sources, for radiation imaging applications, such as computed tomography includes electrically conductive cathode plates each of which cooperates with at least two anodes to form at least two diode sources. In one arrangement, two annular cathodes are separated by radially extending, rod-like anodes. Field enhancement blades may be provided on the cathodes. In an alternative arrangement, the cathode plates extend radially and each pair is separated by an anode plate also extending radially. (author)

Land Streamer Surveying Using Multiple Sources

KAUST Repository

Mahmoud, Sherif

2014-12-11

Various examples are provided for land streamer seismic surveying using multiple sources. In one example, among others, a method includes disposing a land streamer in-line with first and second shot sources. The first shot source is at a first source location adjacent to a proximal end of the land streamer and the second shot source is at a second source location separated by a fixed length corresponding to a length of the land streamer. Shot gathers can be obtained when the shot sources are fired. In another example, a system includes a land streamer including a plurality of receivers, a first shot source located adjacent to the proximal end of the land streamer, and a second shot source located in-line with the land streamer and the first shot source. The second shot source is separated from the first shot source by a fixed overall length corresponding to the land streamer.

Cationic flocculants carrying hydrophobic functionalities: applications for solid/liquid separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwarz, S; Jaeger, W; Paulke, B-R; Bratskaya, S; Smolka, N; Bohrisch, J

2007-07-26

The flocculation behaviors of three series of polycations with narrow molecular weight distributions carrying hydrophobic substituents on their backbones [poly(N-vinylbenzyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium chloride), poly(N-vinylbenzyl-N,N-dimethyl-N-butylammonium chloride), and poly(N-vinylbenzylpyridinium chloride)] were investigated in dispersions of monodisperse polystyrene latexes and kaolin. Apparently, the charge density of the polycations decreases with increasing substituent hydrophobicity and increasing molecular weight of the polyelectrolytes. The necessary amount of flocculant for phase separation in dispersions with high substrate surface charge densities increases with increasing hydrophobicity of the polyelectrolyte. Nevertheless, the introduction of hydrophobic functionalities is beneficial, resulting in a substantial broadening of the range between the minimum and maximum amounts of flocculant necessary for efficient flocculation (flocculation window). An increase in ionic strength supports this effect. When the substrate has a low charge density, the hydrophobic interactions play a much more significant role in the flocculation process. Here, the minimum efficient doses remained the same for all three polyelectrolytes investigated, but the width of the flocculation window increased as the polycation hydrophobicity and the molecular weight increased. The necessary amount of flocculant increased with an increase in particle size at constant solid content of the dispersion, as well as with a decreasing number of particles at a constant particle size.

Cesium and Strontium Separation Technologies Literature Review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

T. A. Todd; T. A. Todd; J. D. Law; R. S. Herbst

2004-03-01

Integral to the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI) Program’s proposed closed nuclear fuel cycle, the fission products cesium and strontium in the dissolved spent nuclear fuel stream are to be separated and managed separately. A comprehensive literature survey is presented to identify cesium and strontium separation technologies that have the highest potential and to focus research and development efforts on these technologies. Removal of these high-heat-emitting fission products reduces the radiation fields in subsequent fuel cycle reprocessing streams and provides a significant short-term (100 yr) heat source reduction in the repository. This, along with separation of actinides, may provide a substantial future improvement in the amount of fuel that could be stored in a geologic repository. The survey and review of the candidate cesium and strontium separation technologies are presented herein. Because the AFCI program intends to manage cesium and strontium together, technologies that simultaneously separate both elements are of the greatest interest, relative to technologies that separate only one of the two elements.

Advances in audio source seperation and multisource audio content retrieval

Science.gov (United States)

Vincent, Emmanuel

2012-06-01

Audio source separation aims to extract the signals of individual sound sources from a given recording. In this paper, we review three recent advances which improve the robustness of source separation in real-world challenging scenarios and enable its use for multisource content retrieval tasks, such as automatic speech recognition (ASR) or acoustic event detection (AED) in noisy environments. We present a Flexible Audio Source Separation Toolkit (FASST) and discuss its advantages compared to earlier approaches such as independent component analysis (ICA) and sparse component analysis (SCA). We explain how cues as diverse as harmonicity, spectral envelope, temporal fine structure or spatial location can be jointly exploited by this toolkit. We subsequently present the uncertainty decoding (UD) framework for the integration of audio source separation and audio content retrieval. We show how the uncertainty about the separated source signals can be accurately estimated and propagated to the features. Finally, we explain how this uncertainty can be efficiently exploited by a classifier, both at the training and the decoding stage. We illustrate the resulting performance improvements in terms of speech separation quality and speaker recognition accuracy.

Functionalized ultra-porous titania nanofiber membranes as nuclear waste separation and sequestration scaffolds for nuclear fuels recycle.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Haiqing; Bell, Nelson S; Cipiti, Benjamin B.; Lewis, Tom Goslee,; Sava, Dorina Florentina; Nenoff, Tina Maria

2012-09-01

Advanced nuclear fuel cycle concept is interested in reducing separations to a simplified, one-step process if possible. This will benefit from the development of a one-step universal getter and sequestration material so as a simplified, universal waste form was proposed in this project. We have developed a technique combining a modified sol-gel chemistry and electrospinning for producing ultra-porous ceramic nanofiber membranes with controllable diameters and porous structures as the separation/sequestration materials. These ceramic nanofiber materials have been determined to have high porosity, permeability, loading capacity, and stability in extreme conditions. These porous fiber membranes were functionalized with silver nanoparticles and nanocrystal metal organic frameworks (MOFs) to introduce specific sites to capture gas species that are released during spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. Encapsulation into a durable waste form of ceramic composition was also demonstrated.

Two Functionally Distinct Sources of Actin Monomers Supply the Leading Edge of Lamellipodia

Science.gov (United States)

Vitriol, Eric A.; McMillen, Laura M.; Kapustina, Maryna; Gomez, Shawn M.; Vavylonis, Dimitrios; Zheng, James Q.

2015-01-01

Summary Lamellipodia, the sheet-like protrusions of motile cells, consist of networks of actin filaments (F-actin) regulated by the ordered assembly from and disassembly into actin monomers (G-actin). Traditionally, G-actin is thought to exist as a homogeneous pool. Here, we show that there are two functionally and molecularly distinct sources of G-actin that supply lamellipodial actin networks. G-actin originating from the cytosolic pool requires the monomer binding protein thymosin β4 (Tβ4) for optimal leading edge localization, is targeted to formins, and is responsible for creating an elevated G/F-actin ratio that promotes membrane protrusion. The second source of G-actin comes from recycled lamellipodia F-actin. Recycling occurs independently of Tβ4 and appears to regulate lamellipodia homeostasis. Tβ4-bound G-actin specifically localizes to the leading edge because it doesn’t interact with Arp2/3-mediated polymerization sites found throughout the lamellipodia. These findings demonstrate that actin networks can be constructed from multiple sources of monomers with discrete spatiotemporal functions. PMID:25865895

Gradient method for blind chaotic signal separation based on proliferation exponent

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lü Shan-Xiang; Wang Zhao-Shan; Hu Zhi-Hui; Feng Jiu-Chao

2014-01-01

A new method to perform blind separation of chaotic signals is articulated in this paper, which takes advantage of the underlying features in the phase space for identifying various chaotic sources. Without incorporating any prior information about the source equations, the proposed algorithm can not only separate the mixed signals in just a few iterations, but also outperforms the fast independent component analysis (FastICA) method when noise contamination is considerable. (general)

Light source distribution and scattering phase function influence light transport in diffuse multi-layered media

Science.gov (United States)

Vaudelle, Fabrice; L'Huillier, Jean-Pierre; Askoura, Mohamed Lamine

2017-06-01

Red and near-Infrared light is often used as a useful diagnostic and imaging probe for highly scattering media such as biological tissues, fruits and vegetables. Part of diffusively reflected light gives interesting information related to the tissue subsurface, whereas light recorded at further distances may probe deeper into the interrogated turbid tissues. However, modelling diffusive events occurring at short source-detector distances requires to consider both the distribution of the light sources and the scattering phase functions. In this report, a modified Monte Carlo model is used to compute light transport in curved and multi-layered tissue samples which are covered with a thin and highly diffusing tissue layer. Different light source distributions (ballistic, diffuse or Lambertian) are tested with specific scattering phase functions (modified or not modified Henyey-Greenstein, Gegenbauer and Mie) to compute the amount of backscattered and transmitted light in apple and human skin structures. Comparisons between simulation results and experiments carried out with a multispectral imaging setup confirm the soundness of the theoretical strategy and may explain the role of the skin on light transport in whole and half-cut apples. Other computational results show that a Lambertian source distribution combined with a Henyey-Greenstein phase function provides a higher photon density in the stratum corneum than in the upper dermis layer. Furthermore, it is also shown that the scattering phase function may affect the shape and the magnitude of the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution (BRDF) exhibited at the skin surface.

A Comparison between Predicted and Observed Atmospheric States and their Effects on Infrasonic Source Time Function Inversion at Source Physics Experiment 6

Science.gov (United States)

Aur, K. A.; Poppeliers, C.; Preston, L. A.

2017-12-01

The Source Physics Experiment (SPE) consists of a series of underground chemical explosions at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) designed to gain an improved understanding of the generation and propagation of physical signals in the near and far field. Characterizing the acoustic and infrasound source mechanism from underground explosions is of great importance to underground explosion monitoring. To this end we perform full waveform source inversion of infrasound data collected from the SPE-6 experiment at distances from 300 m to 6 km and frequencies up to 20 Hz. Our method requires estimating the state of the atmosphere at the time of each experiment, computing Green's functions through these atmospheric models, and subsequently inverting the observed data in the frequency domain to obtain a source time function. To estimate the state of the atmosphere at the time of the experiment, we utilize the Weather Research and Forecasting - Data Assimilation (WRF-DA) modeling system to derive a unified atmospheric state model by combining Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Continental-scale International Project (GCIP) data and locally obtained sonde and surface weather observations collected at the time of the experiment. We synthesize Green's functions through these atmospheric models using Sandia's moving media acoustic propagation simulation suite (TDAAPS). These models include 3-D variations in topography, temperature, pressure, and wind. We compare inversion results using the atmospheric models derived from the unified weather models versus previous modeling results and discuss how these differences affect computed source waveforms with respect to observed waveforms at various distances. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-mission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc. for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear

Prospects of Source-Separation-Based Sanitation Concepts: A Model-Based Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tervahauta, T.H.; Trang Hoang,; Hernández, L.; Zeeman, G.; Buisman, C.J.N.

2013-01-01

Separation of different domestic wastewater streams and targeted on-site treatment for resource recovery has been recognized as one of the most promising sanitation concepts to re-establish the balance in carbon, nutrient and water cycles. In this study a model was developed based on literature data

Blind identification and separation of complex-valued signals

CERN Document Server

Moreau, Eric

2013-01-01

Blind identification consists of estimating a multi-dimensional system only through the use of its output, and source separation, the blind estimation of the inverse of the system. Estimation is generally carried out using different statistics of the output. The authors of this book consider the blind identification and source separation problem in the complex-domain, where the available statistical properties are richer and include non-circularity of the sources - underlying components. They define identifiability conditions and present state-of-the-art algorithms that are based on algebraic methods as well as iterative algorithms based on maximum likelihood theory. Contents 1. Mathematical Preliminaries. 2. Estimation by Joint Diagonalization. 3. Maximum Likelihood ICA. About the Authors Eric Moreau is Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Toulon, France. His research interests concern statistical signal processing, high order statistics and matrix/tensor decompositions with applic...

Method of deuterium isotope separation and enrichment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benson, S.W.

1979-01-01

A method is described for separating and enriching deuterium containing molecules comprising the steps of: providing a source of organic molecules containing a normal abundance of deuterium atoms, the organic molecules having a structural formula RX, in which R is an organic radical selected from ethyl, isopropyl, t-butyl and 3-cyclopentenyl, and in which X is selected from F, Cl, Br and OH, and wherein R represents 3-cyclopentenyl, X may additionally represent H; exposing the molecules to the radiation of at least one pulsed infrared laser source which has been specifically tuned and focussed to selectively decompose RX molecules containing deuterium to form an enriched olefin specie containing deuterium, and HX; and separating the deuterium enriched olefin specie from the undecomposed deuterium depleted RX molecules and HX. (author)

On line isotopic separator test benches at GANIL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anne, R.; Bru, B.; Joubert, A.; Leroy, R.; Obert, J.; Putaux, J.C.; Liang, C.F.; Paris, P.; Orr, N.; Steckmeyer, J.C.

1993-01-01

A first version of isotopic separator on line test bench has been built in order to test the feasibility of the production of radioactive species from 96 MeV/u of 20 Ne impinging a thick target of MgO. This test bench was equipped with a very compact ECR ion source (Nanogan) entirely made from permanent magnets and operating at 10 Ghz. 18 Ne 2,4+ ; 19N e 1,2,3,4+ and 23,24 Ne 1+ has been produced and ionized. A new more performing separator (SIRa) allowing the use of different types of ion sources will be completed by the end of 1993. (author) 4 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab

Source Segregation and Collection of Source-Segregated Waste

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Thomas Højlund; Matsufuji, Y.

2011-01-01

of optimal handling of the waste. But in a few cases, the waste must also be separated at source, for example removing the protective plastic cover from a commercial advertisement received by mail, prior to putting the advertisement into the waste collection bin for recyclable paper. These issues are often...... in wastes segregation addressing: - Purpose of source segregation. - Segregation criteria and guidance. - Segregation potentials and efficiencies. - Systems for collecting segregated fraction....

Insects associated with the composting process of solid urban waste separated at the source

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gladis Estela Morales

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Sarcosaprophagous macroinvertebrates (earthworms, termites and a number of Diptera larvae enhance changes in the physical and chemical properties of organic matter during degradation and stabilization processes in composting, causing a decrease in the molecular weights of compounds. This activity makes these organisms excellent recyclers of organic matter. This article evaluates the succession of insects associated with the decomposition of solid urban waste separated at the source. The study was carried out in the city of Medellin, Colombia. A total of 11,732 individuals were determined, belonging to the classes Insecta and Arachnida. Species of three orders of Insecta were identified, Diptera, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera. Diptera corresponding to 98.5% of the total, was the most abundant and diverse group, with 16 families (Calliphoridae, Drosophilidae, Psychodidae, Fanniidae, Muscidae, Milichiidae, Ulidiidae, Scatopsidae, Sepsidae, Sphaeroceridae, Heleomyzidae, Stratiomyidae, Syrphidae, Phoridae, Tephritidae and Curtonotidae followed by Coleoptera with five families (Carabidae, Staphylinidae, Ptiliidae, Hydrophilidae and Phalacaridae. Three stages were observed during the composting process, allowing species associated with each stage to be identified. Other species were also present throughout the whole process. In terms of number of species, Diptera was the most important group observed, particularly Ornidia obesa, considered a highly invasive species, and Hermetia illuscens, both reported as beneficial for decomposition of organic matter.

Partially separable t matrix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sasakawa, T.; Okuno, H.; Ishikawa, S.; Sawada, T.

1982-01-01

The off-shell t matrix is expressed as a sum of one nonseparable and one separable terms so that it is useful for applications to more-than-two body problems. All poles are involved in this one separable term. Both the nonseparable and the separable terms of the kernel G 0 t are regular at the origin. The nonseparable term of this kernel vanishes at large distances, while the separable term behaves asymptotically as the spherical Hankel function. These properties make our expression free from defects inherent in the Jost or the K-matrix expressions, and many applications are anticipated. As the application, a compact expression of the many-level formula is presented. Also the application is suggested to the breakup threebody problem based on the Faddeev equation. It is demonstrated that the breakup amplitude is expressed in a simple and physically interesting form and we can calculate it in coordinate space

Separation of gas mixtures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-01-01

Apparatus is described for the separation of a gaseous plasma mixture into components in some of which the original concentration of a specific ion has been greatly increased or decreased, comprising: a source for converting the gaseous mixture into a train of plasma packets; an open-ended vessel with a main section and at least one branch section, adapted to enclose along predetermined tracks the original plasma packets in the main section, and the separated plasma components in the branch sections; drive means for generating travelling magnetic waves along the predetermined tracks with the magnetic flux vector of the waves transverse to each of the tracks; and means for maintaining phase coherence between the plasma packets and the magnetic waves at a value needed for accelerating the components of the packets to different velocities and in such different directions that the plasma of each packet is divided into distinctly separate packets in some of which the original concentration of a specific ion has been greatly increased or decreased, and which plasma packets are collected from the branch sections of the vessels. (author)

Brain source localization using a fourth-order deflation scheme

Science.gov (United States)

Albera, Laurent; Ferréol, Anne; Cosandier-Rimélé, Delphine; Merlet, Isabel; Wendling, Fabrice

2008-01-01

A high resolution method for solving potentially ill-posed inverse problems is proposed. This method named FO-D-MUSIC allows for localization of brain current sources with unconstrained orientations from surface electro- or magnetoencephalographic data using spherical or realistic head geometries. The FO-D-MUSIC method is based on i) the separability of the data transfer matrix as a function of location and orientation parameters, ii) the Fourth Order (FO) virtual array theory, and iii) the deflation concept extended to FO statistics accounting for the presence of potentially but not completely statistically dependent sources. Computer results display the superiority of the FO-D-MUSIC approach in different situations (very closed sources, small number of electrodes, additive Gaussian noise with unknown spatial covariance, …) compared to classical algorithms. PMID:18269984

Wind wave source functions in opposing seas

KAUST Repository

Langodan, Sabique

2015-08-26

The Red Sea is a challenge for wave modeling because of its unique two opposed wave systems, forced by opposite winds and converging at its center. We investigate the different physical aspects of wave evolution and propagation in the convergence zone. The two opposing wave systems have similar amplitude and frequency, each driven by the action of its own wind. Wave patterns at the centre of the Red Sea, as derived from extensive tests and intercomparison between model and measured data, suggest that the currently available wave model source functions may not properly represent the evolution of the local fields that appear to be characterized by a less effective wind input and an enhanced white-capping. We propose and test a possible simple solution to improve the wave-model simulation under opposing winds and waves condition. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Potential of hybrid functionalized meso-porous materials for the separation and immobilization of radionuclides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luca, V.

2013-01-01

Functionalized meso-porous materials are a class of hybrid organic-inorganic material in which a meso-porous metal oxide framework is functionalized with multifunctional organic molecules. These molecules may contain one or more anchor groups that form strong bonds to the pore surfaces of the metal oxide framework and free functional groups that can impart and or modify the functionality of the material such as for binding metal ions in solution. Such materials have been extensively studied over the past decade and are of particular interest in absorption applications because of the tremendous versatility in choosing the composition and architecture of the metal oxide framework and the nature of the functional organic molecule as well as the efficient mass transfer that can occur through a well-designed hierarchically porous network. A sorbent for nuclear applications would have to be highly selective for particular radio nuclides, it would need to be hydrolytically and radiolytically stable, and it would have to possess reasonable capacity and fast kinetics. The sorbent would also have to be available in a form suitable for use in a column. Finally, it would also be desirable if once saturated with radio nuclides, the sorbent could be recycled or converted directly into a ceramic or glass waste form suitable for direct repository disposal or even converted directly into a material that could be used as a transmutation target. Such a cradle-to- grave strategy could have many benefits in so far as process efficiency and the generation of secondary wastes are concerned.This paper will provide an overview of work done on all of the above mentioned aspects of the development of functionalized meso-porous adsorbent materials for the selective separation of lanthanides and actinides and discuss the prospects for future implementation of a cradle-to-grave strategy with such materials. (author)

Separated Representations and Fast Algorithms for Materials Science

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Beylkin, Gregory; Monzon, Lucas; Perez, Fernando

2007-01-01

...) and to develop and test algorithms for computing multiparticle wave functions both based on representing operators and functions of many variables as short sums of separable functions the so-called...

Cesium glass irradiation sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plodinec, M.J.

1982-01-01

The precipitation process for the decontamination of soluble SRP wastes produces a material whose radioactivity is dominated by 137 Cs. Potentially, this material could be vitrified to produce irradiation sources similar to the Hanford CsCl sources. In this report, process steps necessary for the production of cesium glass irradiation sources (CGS), and the nature of the sources produced, are examined. Three options are considered in detail: direct vitrification of precipitation process waste; direct vitrification of this waste after organic destruction; and vitrification of cesium separated from the precipitation process waste. Direct vitrification is compatible with DWPF equipment, but process rates may be limited by high levels of combustible materials in the off-gas. Organic destruction would allow more rapid processing. In both cases, the source produced has a dose rate of 2 x 10 4 rads/hr at the surface. Cesium separation produces a source with a dose rate of 4 x 10 5 at the surface, which is nearer that of the Hanford sources (2 x 10 6 rads/hr). Additional processing steps would be required, as well as R and D to demonstrate that DWPF equipment is compatible with this intensely radioactive material

CLASSIFICATION OF SOURCES ON HISTORY OF ARMED CONFLICT IN CHECHEN REPUBLIC IN LATE 20 TH CENTURY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Николай Николаевич Малишевский

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the problems of historiography of the armed conflict in the Chechen Republic. The analysis enabled to classify available sources on this subject by the functional-specific criterion -a source and a data carrier, that is the way of its fixing, comprising three principal types of sources: written (text, cartographical and audiovisual. The information potential of available sources on the armed conflict history in Chechen Republic is not limited to certain subjects and promotes disclosing of such aspects of the conflict as: - stages (the first campaign, the second campaign, the counterterrorism operation; - opposition methods (active and passive; - opposition forms (collective and individual; - system of military-political management of territory; - scale and intensity of clashes; - a complex of actions of the state peace-making policy and feature of its realization; - specificity of participation of separate groups of the population; - regional aspect of events (on the scale of separate settlement, area etc. - conflict history in persons; - problems of the thematic literature.

Organic electronic materials: Recent advances in the dft description of the ground and excited states using tuned range-separated hybrid functionals

KAUST Repository

Körzdörfer, Thomas

2014-11-18

Density functional theory (DFT) and its time-dependent extension (TD-DFT) are powerful tools enabling the theoretical prediction of the ground- and excited-state properties of organic electronic materials with reasonable accuracy at affordable computational costs. Due to their excellent accuracy-to-numerical-costs ratio, semilocal and global hybrid functionals such as B3LYP have become the workhorse for geometry optimizations and the prediction of vibrational spectra in modern theoretical organic chemistry. Despite the overwhelming success of these out-of-the-box functionals for such applications, the computational treatment of electronic and structural properties that are of particular interest in organic electronic materials sometimes reveals severe and qualitative failures of such functionals. Important examples include the overestimation of conjugation, torsional barriers, and electronic coupling as well as the underestimation of bond-length alternations or excited-state energies in low-band-gap polymers.In this Account, we highlight how these failures can be traced back to the delocalization error inherent to semilocal and global hybrid functionals, which leads to the spurious delocalization of electron densities and an overestimation of conjugation. The delocalization error for systems and functionals of interest can be quantified by allowing for fractional occupation of the highest occupied molecular orbital. It can be minimized by using long-range corrected hybrid functionals and a nonempirical tuning procedure for the range-separation parameter.We then review the benefits and drawbacks of using tuned long-range corrected hybrid functionals for the description of the ground and excited states of π-conjugated systems. In particular, we show that this approach provides for robust and efficient means of characterizing the electronic couplings in organic mixed-valence systems, for the calculation of accurate torsional barriers at the polymer limit, and for the

A Cabin Air Separator for EVA Oxygen

Science.gov (United States)

Graf, John C.

2011-01-01

Presently, the Extra-Vehicular Activities (EVAs) conducted from the Quest Joint Airlock on the International Space Station use high pressure, high purity oxygen that is delivered to the Space Station by the Space Shuttle. When the Space Shuttle retires, a new method of delivering high pressure, high purity oxygen to the High Pressure Gas Tanks (HPGTs) is needed. One method is to use a cabin air separator to sweep oxygen from the cabin air, generate a low pressure/high purity oxygen stream, and compress the oxygen with a multistage mechanical compressor. A main advantage to this type of system is that the existing low pressure oxygen supply infrastructure can be used as the source of cabin oxygen. ISS has two water electrolysis systems that deliver low pressure oxygen to the cabin, as well as chlorate candles and compressed gas tanks on cargo vehicles. Each of these systems can feed low pressure oxygen into the cabin, and any low pressure oxygen source can be used as an on-board source of oxygen. Three different oxygen separator systems were evaluated, and a two stage Pressure Swing Adsorption system was selected for reasons of technical maturity. Two different compressor designs were subjected to long term testing, and the compressor with better life performance and more favorable oxygen safety characteristics was selected. These technologies have been used as the basis of a design for a flight system located in Equipment Lock, and taken to Preliminary Design Review level of maturity. This paper describes the Cabin Air Separator for EVA Oxygen (CASEO) concept, describes the separator and compressor technology trades, highlights key technology risks, and describes the flight hardware concept as presented at Preliminary Design Review (PDR)

astroplan: An Open Source Observation Planning Package in Python

Science.gov (United States)

Morris, Brett M.; Tollerud, Erik; Sipőcz, Brigitta; Deil, Christoph; Douglas, Stephanie T.; Berlanga Medina, Jazmin; Vyhmeister, Karl; Smith, Toby R.; Littlefair, Stuart; Price-Whelan, Adrian M.; Gee, Wilfred T.; Jeschke, Eric

2018-03-01

We present astroplan—an open source, open development, Astropy affiliated package for ground-based observation planning and scheduling in Python. astroplan is designed to provide efficient access to common observational quantities such as celestial rise, set, and meridian transit times and simple transformations from sky coordinates to altitude-azimuth coordinates without requiring a detailed understanding of astropy’s implementation of coordinate systems. astroplan provides convenience functions to generate common observational plots such as airmass and parallactic angle as a function of time, along with basic sky (finder) charts. Users can determine whether or not a target is observable given a variety of observing constraints, such as airmass limits, time ranges, Moon illumination/separation ranges, and more. A selection of observation schedulers are included that divide observing time among a list of targets, given observing constraints on those targets. Contributions to the source code from the community are welcome.

Separators/reheaters for nuclear turbines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guignard, S.

1986-01-01

During the past few years, the Nuclear Department of Stein Industrie has implemented a broad development programme for the design of superheating separators for nuclear power plant turbines. These units separate the water in the steam leaving the high-pressure section, and superheat the dry steam before expansion in the medium - and low - pressure sections. Thorough research, confirmed by tests, was conducted in different areas, and especially on problems of water and steam separation, and heat transfers in the tube bundle(s) required to superheat the steam. Special systems were designed to avoid processes detrimental to the operation of the units, such as vibrations, erosion/corrosion etc. Experimental feedback on the superheating separators of 900 MW nuclear power plants helped to substantiate the assumptions made for the thermal and hydraulic calculations, as well as the optimizations carried out on the different functions. These results confirmed the industrial application of the design methods to other superheating separators intended for 1300 MW nuclear power plants and for export [fr

Collective Odor Source Estimation and Search in Time-Variant Airflow Environments Using Mobile Robots

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Qing-Hao; Yang, Wei-Xing; Wang, Yang; Zeng, Ming

2011-01-01

This paper addresses the collective odor source localization (OSL) problem in a time-varying airflow environment using mobile robots. A novel OSL methodology which combines odor-source probability estimation and multiple robots’ search is proposed. The estimation phase consists of two steps: firstly, the separate probability-distribution map of odor source is estimated via Bayesian rules and fuzzy inference based on a single robot’s detection events; secondly, the separate maps estimated by different robots at different times are fused into a combined map by way of distance based superposition. The multi-robot search behaviors are coordinated via a particle swarm optimization algorithm, where the estimated odor-source probability distribution is used to express the fitness functions. In the process of OSL, the estimation phase provides the prior knowledge for the searching while the searching verifies the estimation results, and both phases are implemented iteratively. The results of simulations for large-scale advection–diffusion plume environments and experiments using real robots in an indoor airflow environment validate the feasibility and robustness of the proposed OSL method. PMID:22346650

Investigation of natural phosphatidylcholine sources: separation and identification by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS2) of molecular species.

Science.gov (United States)

Le Grandois, Julie; Marchioni, Eric; Zhao, Minjie; Giuffrida, Francesca; Ennahar, Saïd; Bindler, Françoise

2009-07-22

This study is a contribution to the exploration of natural phospholipid (PL) sources rich in long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) with nutritional interest. Phosphatidylcholines (PCs) were purified from total lipid extracts of different food matrices, and their molecular species were separated and identified by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS(2)). Fragmentation of lithiated adducts allowed for the identification of fatty acids linked to the glycerol backbone. Soy PC was particularly rich in species containing essential fatty acids, such as (18:2-18:2)PC (34.0%), (16:0-18:2)PC (20.8%), and (18:1-18:2)PC (16.3%). PC from animal sources (ox liver and egg yolk) contained major molecular species, such as (16:0-18:2)PC, (16:0-18:1)PC, (18:0-18:2)PC, or (18:0-18:1)PC. Finally, marine source (krill oil), which was particularly rich in (16:0-20:5)PC and (16:0-22:6)PC, appeared to be an interesting potential source for food supplementation with LC-PUFA-PLs, particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

The algorithms for calculating synthetic seismograms from a dipole source using the derivatives of Green's function

Science.gov (United States)

Pavlov, V. M.

2017-07-01

The problem of calculating complete synthetic seismograms from a point dipole with an arbitrary seismic moment tensor in a plane parallel medium composed of homogeneous elastic isotropic layers is considered. It is established that the solutions of the system of ordinary differential equations for the motion-stress vector have a reciprocity property, which allows obtaining a compact formula for the derivative of the motion vector with respect to the source depth. The reciprocity theorem for Green's functions with respect to the interchange of the source and receiver is obtained for a medium with cylindrical boundary. The differentiation of Green's functions with respect to the coordinates of the source leads to the same calculation formulas as the algorithm developed in the previous work (Pavlov, 2013). A new algorithm appears when the derivatives with respect to the horizontal coordinates of the source is replaced by the derivatives with respect to the horizontal coordinates of the receiver (with the minus sign). This algorithm is more transparent, compact, and economic than the previous one. It requires calculating the wavenumbers associated with Bessel function's roots of order 0 and order 1, whereas the previous algorithm additionally requires the second order roots.

Tandem assays of protein and glucose with functionalized core/shell particles based on magnetic separation and surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Xianming; Yu, Qian; Lv, Zhongpeng; Du, Xuezhong

2013-10-11

Tandem assays of protein and glucose in combination with mannose-functionalized Fe3 O4 @SiO2 and Ag@SiO2 tag particles have promising potential in effective magnetic separation and highly sensitive and selective SERS assays of biomaterials. It is for the first time that tandem assay of glucose is developed using SERS based on the Con A-sandwiched microstructures between the functionalized magnetic and tag particles. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Gas/vapour separation using ultra-microporous metal–organic frameworks: insights into the structure/separation relationship

KAUST Repository

Adil, Karim; Belmabkhout, Youssef; Pillai, Renjith S.; Cadiau, Amandine; Bhatt, Prashant; Assen, Ayalew Hussen Assen; Maurin, Guillaume; Eddaoudi, Mohamed

2017-01-01

The separation of related molecules with similar physical/chemical properties is of prime industrial importance and practically entails a substantial energy penalty, typically necessitating the operation of energy-demanding low temperature fractional distillation techniques. Certainly research efforts, in academia and industry alike, are ongoing with the main aim to develop advanced functional porous materials to be adopted as adsorbents for the effective and energy-efficient separation of various important commodities. Of special interest is the subclass of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with pore aperture sizes below 5-7 Å, namely ultra-microporous MOFs, which in contrast to conventional zeolites and activated carbons show great prospects for addressing key challenges in separations pertaining to energy and environmental sustainability, specifically materials for carbon capture and separation of olefin/paraffin, acetylene/ethylene, linear/branched alkanes, xenon/krypton, etc. In this tutorial review we discuss the latest developments in ultra-microporous MOF adsorbents and their use as separating agents via thermodynamics and/or kinetics and molecular sieving. Appreciably, we provide insights into the distinct microscopic mechanisms governing the resultant separation performances, and suggest a plausible correlation between the inherent structural features/topology of MOFs and the associated gas/vapour separation performance.

Gas/vapour separation using ultra-microporous metal–organic frameworks: insights into the structure/separation relationship

KAUST Repository

Adil, Karim

2017-05-30

The separation of related molecules with similar physical/chemical properties is of prime industrial importance and practically entails a substantial energy penalty, typically necessitating the operation of energy-demanding low temperature fractional distillation techniques. Certainly research efforts, in academia and industry alike, are ongoing with the main aim to develop advanced functional porous materials to be adopted as adsorbents for the effective and energy-efficient separation of various important commodities. Of special interest is the subclass of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with pore aperture sizes below 5-7 Å, namely ultra-microporous MOFs, which in contrast to conventional zeolites and activated carbons show great prospects for addressing key challenges in separations pertaining to energy and environmental sustainability, specifically materials for carbon capture and separation of olefin/paraffin, acetylene/ethylene, linear/branched alkanes, xenon/krypton, etc. In this tutorial review we discuss the latest developments in ultra-microporous MOF adsorbents and their use as separating agents via thermodynamics and/or kinetics and molecular sieving. Appreciably, we provide insights into the distinct microscopic mechanisms governing the resultant separation performances, and suggest a plausible correlation between the inherent structural features/topology of MOFs and the associated gas/vapour separation performance.

Bioclipse: an open source workbench for chemo- and bioinformatics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wagener Johannes

2007-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background There is a need for software applications that provide users with a complete and extensible toolkit for chemo- and bioinformatics accessible from a single workbench. Commercial packages are expensive and closed source, hence they do not allow end users to modify algorithms and add custom functionality. Existing open source projects are more focused on providing a framework for integrating existing, separately installed bioinformatics packages, rather than providing user-friendly interfaces. No open source chemoinformatics workbench has previously been published, and no sucessful attempts have been made to integrate chemo- and bioinformatics into a single framework. Results Bioclipse is an advanced workbench for resources in chemo- and bioinformatics, such as molecules, proteins, sequences, spectra, and scripts. It provides 2D-editing, 3D-visualization, file format conversion, calculation of chemical properties, and much more; all fully integrated into a user-friendly desktop application. Editing supports standard functions such as cut and paste, drag and drop, and undo/redo. Bioclipse is written in Java and based on the Eclipse Rich Client Platform with a state-of-the-art plugin architecture. This gives Bioclipse an advantage over other systems as it can easily be extended with functionality in any desired direction. Conclusion Bioclipse is a powerful workbench for bio- and chemoinformatics as well as an advanced integration platform. The rich functionality, intuitive user interface, and powerful plugin architecture make Bioclipse the most advanced and user-friendly open source workbench for chemo- and bioinformatics. Bioclipse is released under Eclipse Public License (EPL, an open source license which sets no constraints on external plugin licensing; it is totally open for both open source plugins as well as commercial ones. Bioclipse is freely available at http://www.bioclipse.net.

Estimation of Separation Buffers for Wind-Prediction Error in an Airborne Separation Assistance System

Science.gov (United States)

Consiglio, Maria C.; Hoadley, Sherwood T.; Allen, B. Danette

2009-01-01

Wind prediction errors are known to affect the performance of automated air traffic management tools that rely on aircraft trajectory predictions. In particular, automated separation assurance tools, planned as part of the NextGen concept of operations, must be designed to account and compensate for the impact of wind prediction errors and other system uncertainties. In this paper we describe a high fidelity batch simulation study designed to estimate the separation distance required to compensate for the effects of wind-prediction errors throughout increasing traffic density on an airborne separation assistance system. These experimental runs are part of the Safety Performance of Airborne Separation experiment suite that examines the safety implications of prediction errors and system uncertainties on airborne separation assurance systems. In this experiment, wind-prediction errors were varied between zero and forty knots while traffic density was increased several times current traffic levels. In order to accurately measure the full unmitigated impact of wind-prediction errors, no uncertainty buffers were added to the separation minima. The goal of the study was to measure the impact of wind-prediction errors in order to estimate the additional separation buffers necessary to preserve separation and to provide a baseline for future analyses. Buffer estimations from this study will be used and verified in upcoming safety evaluation experiments under similar simulation conditions. Results suggest that the strategic airborne separation functions exercised in this experiment can sustain wind prediction errors up to 40kts at current day air traffic density with no additional separation distance buffer and at eight times the current day with no more than a 60% increase in separation distance buffer.

THE ARECIBO LEGACY FAST ALFA SURVEY: THE {alpha}.40 H I SOURCE CATALOG, ITS CHARACTERISTICS AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE DERIVATION OF THE H I MASS FUNCTION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haynes, Martha P.; Giovanelli, Riccardo; Martin, Ann M.; Adams, Elizabeth A. K.; Hallenbeck, Gregory; Huang Shan; Papastergis, Emmanouil, E-mail: haynes@astro.cornell.edu, E-mail: riccardo@astro.cornell.edu, E-mail: amartin@astro.cornell.edu, E-mail: betsey@astro.cornell.edu, E-mail: ghallenbeck@astro.cornell.edu, E-mail: shan@astro.cornell.edu [Center for Radiophysics and Space Research, Space Sciences Building, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States); and others

2011-11-15

We present a current catalog of 21 cm H I line sources extracted from the Arecibo Legacy Fast Arecibo L-band Feed Array (ALFALFA) survey over {approx}2800 deg{sup 2} of sky: the {alpha}.40 catalog. Covering 40% of the final survey area, the {alpha}.40 catalog contains 15,855 sources in the regions 07{sup h}30{sup m} < R.A. < 16{sup h}30{sup m}, +04 Degree-Sign < decl. <+16 Degree-Sign , and +24 Degree-Sign < decl. <+28 Degree-Sign and 22{sup h} < R.A. < 03{sup h}, +14 Degree-Sign < decl. <+16 Degree-Sign , and +24 Degree-Sign < decl. < + 32 Degree-Sign . Of those, 15,041 are certainly extragalactic, yielding a source density of 5.3 galaxies per deg{sup 2}, a factor of 29 improvement over the catalog extracted from the H I Parkes All-Sky Survey. In addition to the source centroid positions, H I line flux densities, recessional velocities, and line widths, the catalog includes the coordinates of the most probable optical counterpart of each H I line detection, and a separate compilation provides a cross-match to identifications given in the photometric and spectroscopic catalogs associated with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7. Fewer than 2% of the extragalactic H I line sources cannot be identified with a feasible optical counterpart; some of those may be rare OH megamasers at 0.16 < z < 0.25. A detailed analysis is presented of the completeness, width-dependent sensitivity function and bias inherent of the {alpha}.40 catalog. The impact of survey selection, distance errors, current volume coverage, and local large-scale structure on the derivation of the H I mass function is assessed. While {alpha}.40 does not yet provide a completely representative sampling of cosmological volume, derivations of the H I mass function using future data releases from ALFALFA will further improve both statistical and systematic uncertainties.

Separable roles of UFO during floral development revealed by conditional restoration of gene function.

Science.gov (United States)

Laufs, Patrick; Coen, Enrico; Kronenberger, Jocelyne; Traas, Jan; Doonan, John

2003-02-01

The UNUSUAL FLORAL ORGANS (UFO) gene is required for several aspects of floral development in Arabidopsis including specification of organ identity in the second and third whorls and the proper pattern of primordium initiation in the inner three whorls. UFO is expressed in a dynamic pattern during the early phases of flower development. Here we dissect the role of UFO by ubiquitously expressing it in ufo loss-of-function flowers at different developmental stages and for various durations using an ethanol-inducible expression system. The previously known functions of UFO could be separated and related to its expression at specific stages of development. We show that a 24- to 48-hour period of UFO expression from floral stage 2, before any floral organs are visible, is sufficient to restore normal petal and stamen development. The earliest requirement for UFO is during stage 2, when the endogenous UFO gene is transiently expressed in the centre of the wild-type flower and is required to specify the initiation patterns of petal, stamen and carpel primordia. Petal and stamen identity is determined during stages 2 or 3, when UFO is normally expressed in the presumptive second and third whorl. Although endogenous UFO expression is absent from the stamen whorl from stage 4 onwards, stamen identity can be restored by UFO activation up to stage 6. We also observed floral phenotypes not observed in loss-of-function or constitutive gain-of-function backgrounds, revealing additional roles of UFO in outgrowth of petal primordia.

Facile fabrication of multilayer separators for lithium-ion battery via multilayer coextrusion and thermal induced phase separation

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yajie; Pu, Hongting

2018-04-01

Polypropylene (PP)/polyethylene (PE) multilayer separators with cellular-like submicron pore structure for lithium-ion battery are efficiently fabricated by the combination of multilayer coextrusion (MC) and thermal induced phase separation (TIPS). The as-prepared separators, referred to as MC-TIPS PP/PE, not only show efficacious thermal shutdown function and wider shutdown temperature window, but also exhibit higher thermal stability than the commercial separator with trilayer construction of PP and PE (Celgard® 2325). The dimensional shrinkage of MC-TIPS PP/PE can be negligible until 160 °C. In addition, compared to the commercial separator, MC-TIPS PP/PE exhibits higher porosity and electrolyte uptake, leading to higher ionic conductivity and better battery performances. The above-mentioned fascinating characteristics with the convenient preparation process make MC-TIPS PP/PE a promising candidate for the application as high performance lithium-ion battery separators.

Evaluation of a new pulping technology for pre-treating source-separated organic household waste prior to anaerobic digestion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Naroznova, Irina; Møller, Jacob; Larsen, Bjarne

2016-01-01

A new technology for pre-treating source-separated organic household waste prior to anaerobic digestion was assessed, and its performance was compared to existing alternative pre-treatment technologies. This pre-treatment technology is based on waste pulping with water, using a specially developed...... screw mechanism. The pre-treatment technology rejects more than 95% (wet weight) of non-biodegradable impurities in waste collected from households and generates biopulp ready for anaerobic digestion. Overall, 84-99% of biodegradable material (on a dry weight basis) in the waste was recovered...... in the biopulp. The biochemical methane potential for the biopulp was 469±7mL CH4/g ash-free mass. Moreover, all Danish and European Union requirements regarding the content of hazardous substances in biomass intended for land application were fulfilled. Compared to other pre-treatment alternatives, the screw...

Blind Separation of Acoustic Signals Combining SIMO-Model-Based Independent Component Analysis and Binary Masking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hiekata Takashi

2006-01-01

Full Text Available A new two-stage blind source separation (BSS method for convolutive mixtures of speech is proposed, in which a single-input multiple-output (SIMO-model-based independent component analysis (ICA and a new SIMO-model-based binary masking are combined. SIMO-model-based ICA enables us to separate the mixed signals, not into monaural source signals but into SIMO-model-based signals from independent sources in their original form at the microphones. Thus, the separated signals of SIMO-model-based ICA can maintain the spatial qualities of each sound source. Owing to this attractive property, our novel SIMO-model-based binary masking can be applied to efficiently remove the residual interference components after SIMO-model-based ICA. The experimental results reveal that the separation performance can be considerably improved by the proposed method compared with that achieved by conventional BSS methods. In addition, the real-time implementation of the proposed BSS is illustrated.

Microparticle Separation by Cyclonic Separation

Science.gov (United States)

Karback, Keegan; Leith, Alexander

2017-11-01

The ability to separate particles based on their size has wide ranging applications from the industrial to the medical. Currently, cyclonic separators are primarily used in agriculture and manufacturing to syphon out contaminates or products from an air supply. This has led us to believe that cyclonic separation has more applications than the agricultural and industrial. Using the OpenFoam computational package, we were able to determine the flow parameters of a vortex in a cyclonic separator in order to segregate dust particles to a cutoff size of tens of nanometers. To test the model, we constructed an experiment to separate a test dust of various sized particles. We filled a chamber with Arizona test dust and utilized an acoustic suspension technique to segregate particles finer than a coarse cutoff size and introduce them into the cyclonic separation apparatus where they were further separated via a vortex following our computational model. The size of the particles separated from this experiment will be used to further refine our model. Metropolitan State University of Denver, Colorado University of Denver, Dr. Randall Tagg, Dr. Richard Krantz.

Core Noise Diagnostics of Turbofan Engine Noise Using Correlation and Coherence Functions

Science.gov (United States)

Miles, Jeffrey H.

2009-01-01

Cross-correlation and coherence functions are used to look for periodic acoustic components in turbofan engine combustor time histories, to investigate direct and indirect combustion noise source separation based on signal propagation time delays, and to provide information on combustor acoustics. Using the cross-correlation function, time delays were identified in all cases, clearly indicating the combustor is the source of the noise. In addition, unfiltered and low-pass filtered at 400 Hz signals had a cross-correlation time delay near 90 ms, while the low-pass filtered at less than 400 Hz signals had a cross-correlation time delay longer than 90 ms. Low-pass filtering at frequencies less than 400 Hz partially removes the direct combustion noise signals. The remainder includes the indirect combustion noise signal, which travels more slowly because of the dependence on the entropy convection velocity in the combustor. Source separation of direct and indirect combustion noise is demonstrated by proper use of low-pass filters with the cross-correlation function for a range of operating conditions. The results may lead to a better idea about the acoustics in the combustor and may help develop and validate improved reduced-order physics-based methods for predicting direct and indirect combustion noise.

Guide for the recovery of high grade waste paper from federal office buildings through at-source separation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1978-01-01

This guide is intended to serve as a manual for organizing and managing office waste paper recovery programs in Canadian federal buildings. Waste paper generated in such buildings is of particular interest for recycling as it is produced in sufficiently large amounts, and contains large amounts of high-grade waste paper which obtain good prices from paper mills. The key to successful recovery of such paper is separation, at the source of waste generation, from other less-valuable papers and non-paper materials. In recommending ways to do this, the manual covers assessment of the viability of a collection program in a particular building, estimating the quantities of waste generated, calculating storage space necessary, marketing the paper collected, using proper collection and storage containers, promoting employee awareness, and administering and monitoring the program. A sample cost-benefit analysis is given for a general office building with 1,000 employees. Includes glossary. 14 refs., 10 figs., 5 tabs.

Life cycle assessment for optimising the level of separated collection in integrated MSW management systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Rigamonti, L; Grosso, M; Giugliano, M

2009-02-01

This life cycle assessment study analyses material and energy recovery within integrated municipal solid waste (MSW) management systems, and, in particular, the recovery of the source-separated materials (packaging and organic waste) and the energy recovery from the residual waste. The recovery of materials and energy are analysed together, with the final aim to evaluate possible optimum levels of source-separated collection that lead to the most favourable energetic and environmental results; this method allows identification of an optimum configuration of the MSW management system. The results show that the optimum level of source-separated collection is about 60%, when all the materials are recovered with high efficiency; it decreases to about 50%, when the 60% level is reached as a result of a very high recovery efficiency for organic fractions at the expense of the packaging materials, or when this implies an appreciable reduction of the quality of collected materials. The optimum MSW management system is thus characterized by source-separated collection levels as included in the above indicated range, with subsequent recycling of the separated materials and energy recovery of the residual waste in a large-scale incinerator operating in combined heat and power mode.

Properties of neutron sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-03-01

The Conference presentations were divided into sessions devoted to the following topics: white neutron sources, primarily pulsed (6 papers); fast neutron fields (5 papers); Californium-252 prompt fission neutron spectra (14 papers); monoenergetic sources and filtered beams (11 papers); 14 MeV neutron sources (10 papers); selected special application (one paper); and a general interest session (4 papers). Individual abstracts were prepared separately for the papers

SIMULATION OF SURFACE HEATING FOR ARBITRARY SHAPE’S MOVING BODIES/SOURCES BY USING R-FUNCTIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergiy Plankovskyy

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this article is to propose an efficient algorithm for determining the place of an action of a heat source with a given motion law for a body of an arbitrary shape using methods of analytical geometry. The solution to this problem is an important part of a modeling of a laser, plasma, ion beam treatment. In addition, it can also be used for mass transfer problems, such as simulation of coating, sputtering, painting etc. The problem is solved by the method of R-functions to define the shape of the test body and the heat source and the analytical determination zone shadowing. As an example, we consider the problem of using the method of ion cleaning parameters optimization considering temperature limitations. Application of the R-functions can significantly reduce the amount of computation with usage of the ray tracing algorithm. The numerical realization of the proposed method requires an accurate creation of a numerical mesh. The best results in terms of accuracy of determination the scope of the source can be expected when applying adaptive tunable meshes. In case of integration of the R-functions into the CAD system, the use of the proposed method would be simple enough. The proposed method allows to determine the range of the source by the expression, which is constructed only once for the body and the source of arbitrary geometric shapes moving in any law. This distinguishes the proposed approach against all known algorithms for ray tracing. The proposed method can also be used for time-dependent multisource with arbitrary shapes, which move in different directions.

Radial dose functions for 103Pd, 125I, 169Yb and 192Ir brachytherapy sources: an EGS4 Monte Carlo study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mainegra, E.

2000-01-01

Radial dose functions g(r) in water around 103 Pd, 125 I, 169 Yb and 192 Ir brachytherapy sources were estimated by means of the EGS4 simulation system and extensively compared with experimental as well as with theoretical results. The DLC-136/PHOTX cross section library, water molecular form factors, bound Compton scattering and Doppler broadening of the Compton-scattered photon energy were considered in the calculations. Use of the point source approach produces reasonably accurate values of the radial dose function only at distances beyond 0.5 cm for 103 Pd sources. It is shown that binding corrections for Compton scattering have a negligible effect on radial dose function for 169 Yb and 192 Ir seeds and for 103 Pd seeds under 5.0 cm from the source centre and for the 125 I seed model 6702 under 8.0 cm. Beyond those limits there is an increasing influence of binding corrections on radial dose function for 103 Pd and 125 I sources. Results in solid water medium underestimate radial dose function for low-energy sources by as much as 6% for 103 Pd and 2.5% for 125 I already at 2 cm from source centre resulting in a direct underestimation of absolute dose rate values. It was found necessary to consider medium boundaries when comparing results for the radial dose function of 169 Yb and 192 Ir sources to avoid discrepancies due to the backscattering contribution in the phantom medium. Values of g(r) for all source types studied are presented. Uncertainties lie under 1% within one standard deviation. (author)

Resolution of point sources of light as analyzed by quantum detection theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Helstrom, C. W.

1973-01-01

The resolvability of point sources of incoherent thermal light is analyzed by quantum detection theory in terms of two hypothesis-testing problems. In the first, the observer must decide whether there are two sources of equal radiant power at given locations, or whether there is only one source of twice the power located midway between them. In the second problem, either one, but not both, of two point sources is radiating, and the observer must decide which it is. The decisions are based on optimum processing of the electromagnetic field at the aperture of an optical instrument. In both problems the density operators of the field under the two hypotheses do not commute. The error probabilities, determined as functions of the separation of the points and the mean number of received photons, characterize the ultimate resolvability of the sources.

Process for separating nitrogen from methane using microchannel process technology

Science.gov (United States)

Tonkovich, Anna Lee [Marysville, OH; Qiu, Dongming [Dublin, OH; Dritz, Terence Andrew [Worthington, OH; Neagle, Paul [Westerville, OH; Litt, Robert Dwayne [Westerville, OH; Arora, Ravi [Dublin, OH; Lamont, Michael Jay [Hilliard, OH; Pagnotto, Kristina M [Cincinnati, OH

2007-07-31

The disclosed invention relates to a process for separating methane or nitrogen from a fluid mixture comprising methane and nitrogen, the process comprising: (A) flowing the fluid mixture into a microchannel separator, the microchannel separator comprising a plurality of process microchannels containing a sorption medium, the fluid mixture being maintained in the microchannel separator until at least part of the methane or nitrogen is sorbed by the sorption medium, and removing non-sorbed parts of the fluid mixture from the microchannel separator; and (B) desorbing the methane or nitrogen from the sorption medium and removing the desorbed methane or nitrogen from the microchannel separator. The process is suitable for upgrading methane from coal mines, landfills, and other sub-quality sources.

The dislocation distribution function near a crack tip generated by external sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lung, C.W.; Deng, K.M.

1988-06-01

The dislocation distribution function near a crack tip generated by external sources is calculated. It is similar to the shape of curves calculated for the crack tip emission case but the quantative difference is quite large. The image forces enlarges the negative dislocation zone but does not change the form of the curve. (author). 10 refs, 3 figs

Method of deuterium isotope separation and enrichment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benson, S.W.

1978-01-01

A method of separating deuterium, i.e., heavy hydrogen, from certain naturally occurring sources using tuned infrared lasers to selectively decompose specified classes of organic molecules (i.e., RX) into enriched molecular products containing deuterium atoms is described. The deuterium containing molecules are easily separated from the starting material by absorption, distillation or other simple chemical separation techniques and methods. After evaporation such deuterium containing molecules can be burned to form water with an enriched deuterium content or pyrolyzed to form hydrogen gas with an enriched deuterium content. The undecomposed molecules and the other reaction products which are depleted of their deuterium containing species can be catalytically treated, preferably using normal water, to restore the natural abundance of deuterium and such restored molecules can then be recycled

Metal–organic frameworks based membranes for liquid separation

KAUST Repository

Li, Xin

2017-11-07

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) represent a fascinating class of solid crystalline materials which can be self-assembled in a straightforward manner by the coordination of metal ions or clusters with organic ligands. Owing to their intrinsic porous characteristics, unique chemical versatility and abundant functionalities, MOFs have received substantial attention for diverse industrial applications, including membrane separation. Exciting research activities ranging from fabrication strategies to separation applications of MOF-based membranes have appeared. Inspired by the marvelous achievements of MOF-based membranes in gas separations, liquid separations are also being explored for the purpose of constructing continuous MOFs membranes or MOF-based mixed matrix membranes. Although these are in an emerging stage of vigorous development, most efforts are directed towards improving the liquid separation efficiency with well-designed MOF-based membranes. Therefore, as an increasing trend in membrane separation, the field of MOF-based membranes for liquid separation is highlighted in this review. The criteria for judicious selection of MOFs in fabricating MOF-based membranes are given. Special attention is paid to rational design strategies for MOF-based membranes, along with the latest application progress in the area of liquid separations, such as pervaporation, water treatment, and organic solvent nanofiltration. Moreover, some attractive dual-function applications of MOF-based membranes in the removal of micropollutants, degradation, and antibacterial activity are also reviewed. Finally, we define the remaining challenges and future opportunities in this field. This Tutorial Review provides an overview and outlook for MOF-based membranes for liquid separations. Further development of MOF-based membranes for liquid separation must consider the demands of strict separation standards and environmental safety for industrial application.

Metal-organic frameworks based membranes for liquid separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xin; Liu, Yuxin; Wang, Jing; Gascon, Jorge; Li, Jiansheng; Van der Bruggen, Bart

2017-11-27

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) represent a fascinating class of solid crystalline materials which can be self-assembled in a straightforward manner by the coordination of metal ions or clusters with organic ligands. Owing to their intrinsic porous characteristics, unique chemical versatility and abundant functionalities, MOFs have received substantial attention for diverse industrial applications, including membrane separation. Exciting research activities ranging from fabrication strategies to separation applications of MOF-based membranes have appeared. Inspired by the marvelous achievements of MOF-based membranes in gas separations, liquid separations are also being explored for the purpose of constructing continuous MOFs membranes or MOF-based mixed matrix membranes. Although these are in an emerging stage of vigorous development, most efforts are directed towards improving the liquid separation efficiency with well-designed MOF-based membranes. Therefore, as an increasing trend in membrane separation, the field of MOF-based membranes for liquid separation is highlighted in this review. The criteria for judicious selection of MOFs in fabricating MOF-based membranes are given. Special attention is paid to rational design strategies for MOF-based membranes, along with the latest application progress in the area of liquid separations, such as pervaporation, water treatment, and organic solvent nanofiltration. Moreover, some attractive dual-function applications of MOF-based membranes in the removal of micropollutants, degradation, and antibacterial activity are also reviewed. Finally, we define the remaining challenges and future opportunities in this field. This Tutorial Review provides an overview and outlook for MOF-based membranes for liquid separations. Further development of MOF-based membranes for liquid separation must consider the demands of strict separation standards and environmental safety for industrial application.

THE PRINCIPLE OF SEPARATION OF POWERS - CONSTITUTIONAL GUARANTEE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emilian CIONGARU

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The principle of ensuring the legal bases of the State functioning is the fundamental principle of law which actually settles down the principle of separation of powers: legislative, executive and judicial power. Over the time, the principle of separation of powers, although in practice its enforcement experienced more than two centuries, it hasn’t expressed itself in a pure form, not even in the most advanced democracies. Whether it is approached the thesis of a more flexible or more rigid separation of powers or the thesis on certain exceptions to those two situations specific to certain political regimes, the principle of separation of powers is the fundamental mechanism in ensuring a balance of powers and preventing the establishment of a dictatorial or authoritarian regime. The complex content of the rule of law consists of: the rule of law regency; the capitalization on the actual size of the fundamental rights and freedoms; the achievement of the balance/mutual cooperation of public authorities and the performance of free access to justice. If the form of State organization of the political power of the people is done by several groups or categories of State bodies with functions and features clearly defined and characterized by organizational and functional autonomy, as well as mutual balance and collaboration, it is emerging the principle of separation of the State powers balance.

Separations Science Data Base: an abstractor's manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roddy, J.W.; McDowell, W.J.; Michelson, D.C.

1981-07-01

The Separations Science Data Base, designed specifically for the retrieval of information needed in chemical separations problems (i.e., how to perform a given separation under given conditions), is described. The procedure for entering records into the data base is given. The initial entries are concerned primarily with liquid-liquid extraction and liquid-solid ion exchange methods for metal ions and salts; however, the data base is constructed so that almost any separations process can be accommodated. Each record is indexed with information provided under the following fields: author; title; publication source; date of publication; organization performing and/or sponsoring the work; brief abstract of the work; abstract number if the work has been so referenced, and/or abstractor's initials; type of separation system used (e.g., flotation); specific or generic name of the separation agent used (e.g., acetylacetone); list of substances separated (e.g., gold, copper); qualitative description of the supporting medium or matrix containing the substances before separation (e.g., nitrate); type of literature where the article was printed (e.g., book); and type of information that the article contains. Each of these fields may be searched independently of the others (or in combination), and the last six fields contain specific key words that are listed on the input form. Definitions are provided for the 39 information terms